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If you are looking for information regarding the latest trends in the automotive industry, you might be glad to hear that these days there is a lot of talk going on about the future of the automotive industry. Some analysts predict that the world’s car population will double by 2040, creating a world-wide market of more than two hundred million cars.
The current automotive industry may seem very crowded compared to the future, but it is actually not. In fact, the present is very crowded compared to the past. The only difference is that new technology is making improvements all the time, resulting in ever-better automobiles.
One of the latest trends in the automotive industry is the introduction of technologies such as autonomous driving systems and new kinds of batteries. Other technologies include better materials for the internal components of the vehicles. Researchers are trying hard to find better solutions for all these issues. It will be exciting to watch how all these efforts will play out and what new developments in the auto industry might bring.
Many people believe that the future of the automotive industry will focus on computers and their capabilities. This may be true to some extent, but it is also going to be important for the industry to make use of all the communications possibilities available to it. The latest trends in the automotive industry will no doubt concentrate on the computer, as the progress made in this domain has resulted in several significant advances.
Computers can be part of the future trends in the automotive industry, but it is not yet clear how far they can take the industry. Experts believe that the progress made in chips and memory chip technology has already created new possibilities. There is a high level of uncertainty involved with this topic. Right now, the progress is not yet complete. What we know is that memory chips hold a great potential for increasing efficiency and speeding up processes. One can only imagine what else is in store for these chips.
The latest trends in the automotive industry also include the integration of wireless devices into the cars. This was not possible just several years ago. This is because at that time, the technologies were not as advanced as they are today. Today, wireless communication has become a key factor in the auto industry. It has allowed for the cars to communicate with other cars even when they are traveling at a different speed.
In addition to the development of wireless technology, another advance in the field has been the development of the electronic fuel delivery system. This is considered to be the next step in the trends in the automotive industry. With fuel delivery becoming more efficient, it has brought about some significant changes in the operation of an auto. For one, it has eliminated the need for extra drivers during rush hour. This not only lowers costs for the company but also reduces the number of accidents due to lack of driving capacity. If these changes continue to be implemented, it is expected that the costs of the industry will gradually decrease.
One of the latest trends in the automotive industry is the development of electronics and computer chips. Manufacturers of vehicles now rely on computers for navigation purposes, passenger management and diagnostics. The computer chips may play a major role in the maintenance and repair of the fleet. These new developments will further pave the way for the introduction of new technologies into the auto industry.
Finally, the automotive industry is now focusing on fuel efficiency. It is trying to lessen its impact on the environment. It is doing this by researching ways of producing fuel at a lower cost, thereby reducing the effect of the price hike that has been seen lately. Another trend in the latest trends in the automotive industry is the integration of the electric vehicle (EV) technology. Several manufacturers have already established tie-ups with car manufacturers to introduce this new technology in the future.
With all the latest technology and new gadgets in these cars, you want to make sure that you have the right warranty in place. Once a manufacturer’s warranty expires, you will need to have the extended warranty to protect your investment. If you are unsure who to go with, you can go online and look at companies like Olive car warranty reviews and see what people are saying about their service. You can save thousands of dollars in repairs with the right coverage and protection in place. You can spend less time worrying about the stressful repairs and more time on the newest and latest technology that your car has to offer.


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AppFlood: East winning mobile traffic, West winning mobile spend
Mobile brands who are looking to increase their revenue might want to take the global West into consideration. That, because while the global East - China, Asia/Pacific and Africa - are sending the most traffic (56%) to AppFlood properties, the bulk of revenue (47%) continues to come from the global West - North America and Western Europe.
The AppFlood data shows the global mobile ad spend increased 62% between Q3 2013 and Q1 2014. The Middle East is slightly outpacing the rest of the world with a 62.4% increase is mobile ad spending
"Our data shows that amid mobile ad spend growing 62% quarter-over-quarter, the attention that's long been on western advertisers is shifting to Chinese advertisers with massive ad budgets," said Si Shen, co-founder and CEO of Papaya Mobile. "These Chinese advertisers are globally distributing mobile ad spend evenly across regions, which is changing the paradigm by fueling the rapid growth of the eastern app economy."
Some interesting takeaways from the report include:
• On AppFlood, the East represents only about 33% of mobile ad spending
• Mobile traffic increased 45% between Q3 2013 and Q1 2014
• 23% of app installs come from North America
Meanwhile, according to comScore in the US more than 163 million people now own smartphones; about 52% are on the Android platform while Apple continues to hold a 41% share of the manufacturer space. As for what mobile consumers are doing online 89% are logging on to Google sites while 85% are logging on to social networks.
Image via Shutterstock
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‘Pokemon Go’ Gen 2 Release Date, News & Update: Smeargle, Qwilfish, Girafarig, Delibird & Heracross To Join Roster; More Evolutions Coming! Details Here!
Niantic Labs deserves a pat on the back. They are said to be releasing a lot of updates for "Pokemon Go" before this year ends. For next year's update, Gen 2 Pokemon from the Johto region is reportedly joining the roster!
"Pokemon Go" continues to invade the mobile gaming world. Trainers have many things to look forward to in the Gen 2 update. The game itself is evolving in an attention-grabbing kind of way. According to reports, "Pokemon Go" Gen 2 is slated to rollout after Niantic will release Gen 1's final Pokemon -- believed to be the legendary creatures Mew, Mewtwo, Articuno, Moltres, Zapdos. The Legendary Pokemon is also rumored to be included in the next update before this year ends.
According to reports, the predicted next gen region-locked monsters of "Pokemon Go" will include Heracross for South America, Miltank for North America, Dunsparce for Australia, Smeargle for Europe, Girafarig for Africa, Delibird for Antartica and Qwilfish for Asia. These Pokemon are from the Johto Region and were featured "Pokemon Gold" and "Pokemon Silver" in 1999.
There are chatters as well that new evolutions are coming our way. A Pokemon that doesn't have evolutions in "Pokemon Go" Gen 1 will soon have one in "Pokemon Go" Gen 2. These are Steelix, Scizor, Crobat, Politoed, Hitmontop, Blissey, Slowking, Porygon 2, Kingdra, Bellosom, Espeon and Umbreon as reported.
In the meantime, the release of Ditto to the wild last November has ignited speculations that Breeding may come into play in "Pokemon Go'' Gen 2. Since this monster had a significant role in breeding in main Pokemon games. According to a previous report from Gamenguide, a new batch of monsters will be joining the "Pokemon Go" realm.
In "Pokemon Go" hub, that the new batch of Pokemon will peak at 100 with 86 new moves and meta updates. The update is rumored to launch on Dec. 7, 2016. To have the latest scoop on the "Pokemon Go" hype, stay tuned to Gamenguide.


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Tuesday, May 21, 2019
By SAMANTHA PHILLIPS
State Sen. Sean O’Brien of Bazetta, D-32nd, hosted meetings Tuesday in his office with business and state officials to discuss Workhorse and its interest in purchasing the idled Lords-town General Motors facility.
Involved in the business discussions were Senate President Larry Obhof of Ashtabula, Sen. Mike Rulli of Salem, R-33rd, Lordstown Mayor Arno Hill, Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber President James Dignan, former Workhorse CEO/founder Steve Burns and current CEO Duane Hughes, along with representatives from General Motors and Jobs-Ohio.com.
Workhorse is a Cincinnati-based electric-vehicle manufacturer specializing in electric delivery trucks.
Rulli said he was impressed by the capabilities of Workhorse’s products.
“They are becoming a leader in the industry,” he said.
Details haven’t been revealed about a new company Workhorse has created that would be involved in acquiring the Lordstown plant.
O’Brien said he remains cautiously optimistic about the deal.
“In order for it to work, there are several steps that have to be taken,” he said. “There are the talks with the UAW and General Motors to take into consideration. There are still funding issues that are out there.”
“We need to remain positive and continue to work with them,” he added. “We want to advance getting new vehicles in this plant.”
The deal is tentative, but the lawmakers hope it can bring jobs back to the village, and hopefully employ some former General Motors workers.
O’Brien and Rulli said the plant is attractive to the company for reasons including the availability of skilled autoworkers, the plant’s capability for high production volume and its proximity to Youngstown State University and additive manufacturing facilities.
“They want to develop a research testing center in parts of the actual plant,” O’Brien said. “They have found that electric vehicles are the future going forward.”
The deal will still be on the table even if Workhorse is not awarded a $6 billion contract from the U.S. Postal Service to produce new mail trucks, O’Brien said. If Workhorse does not purchase the plant, O’Brien and Rulli said they will continue to work toward bringing a new company to the facility, which made the Chevrolet Cruze but was not given a new product to build by GM this year.
Workhorse’s stock shares have been wobbly since President Donald Trump’s announcement about the potential deal May 8 but closed out Tuesday at $1.70, after spiking to $2.65 the day of the announcement. It had dipped to $1.26 early Tuesday.


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Fortnite is making adjustments to Tilted Towers following presumably a great deal of fan suggestions, sport knowledge, and criticism. The adjustments come courtesy of a brand new replace launched at the moment, January 19. That stated, the replace is a hotfix, which suggests it would not require any obtain, which is why so many gamers have missed the change. That stated, when you’ve observed fewer AI Bots touchdown in Tilted Towers at the moment, it is as a result of Epic Games has gone forward and eliminated the flexibility for AI Bots to land on the location. Tilted Towers was added simply this week, and as you’d anticipate, its return had plenty of followers excited. And all of those followers have been dropping at Tilted Towers, identical to ol’ occasions. Epic Games hasn’t stated why it is now stopping bots from touchdown on the location, nevertheless it virtually definitely has to do with the crowding of the drop. Without bots, Tilted Towers is packed firstly of video games. In different phrases, there isn’t any purpose to have bots there. Not solely are they not wanted, however they will disrupt the movement by additional overcrowding the situation. That stated, this additionally means it could now be a little bit bit tougher to get a kill when dropping at Tilted Towers.
Epic simply pushed a hotfix to stop AI Bots from touchdown in Tilted Towers!— HYPEX (@HYPEX) January 19, 2022
As all the time, we are going to preserve you up to date. If Epic Games offers any perception into why it made this modification, the story will likely be up to date accordingly. Fortnite is out there, totally free, by way of the Nintendo Switch, cellular gadgets, PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, and Xbox Series X. For extra protection on all issues Fortnite — together with the entire newest information, the entire newest rumors and leaks, and the entire newest hypothesis — click on right here.As all the time, be at liberty to depart a remark or two letting us know what you assume or, alternatively, hit me up on Twitter @Tyler_Fischer_ to discuss all issues gaming.


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- Staff Nashville Business Journal
If cash is king, the vast majority of Americans aren't spending much time in the presence of royalty.
A new survey from financial website Bankrate.com reveals 80 percent of Americans have less than $50 on hand at any given moment, while half the country carries less than $20 every day, reports CBS News. Nearly 10 percent of Americans have gone completely cashless, while 7 percent usually carry more than $100 in their wallets.
Mobile payment options from Google Inc. and Square, as well as credit and debit cards, have made it easier for Americans to go sans cash. Plus, with recent economic woes, Americans may not have much cash in the first place.
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M-GO is a new service that will deliver entertainment content on the devices consumers choose.
The company announced Tuesday content licensing agreements with two leading studios, DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. and Relativity Media.
Meanwhile, PlayLater software enables you to record Netflix and Hulu videos and watch them on Android and iOS devices. MediaMall Technologies, Inc. has announced that videos recorded with their PlayLater software would now be portable to Android mobile devices, Windows Phones, and BlackBerry smartphones. (Read: Netflix and Hulu Videos on Android and iOS Devices)
M-GO will provide consumers with immediate access to animated film franchises such as DreamWorks’ Shrek, Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda and How to Train Your Dragon.
It also includes Relativity’s live action releases The Raven, Mirror Mirror and Act of Valor. Consumers will be able to rent or purchase digital entertainment new releases and catalog films on any device or platform, says the company.
These deals join M-GO’s previously sealed content licensing agreements with leading studios including NBCUniversal, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox and Warner Bros. Digital Distribution.
The service aims to enable consumers to rent or purchase new films, catch up television and back catalog film and TV shows – with more content agreements to be announced as the company nears its commercial launch in Q4 of this year.
“M-GO’s unique offering has allowed us to secure ‘wins’ with leading companies in both the technology and entertainment industries,” said John Batter, CEO of M-GO. “M-GO brings value to the marketplace by providing high-quality film and TV content to consumers on the devices they are already using.”
The M-GO service will be available on all major platforms and it will work on different operating systems including Android, iOS, and Windows.
Moreover, M-GO will be pre-loaded on Samsung’s 2012 Smart TVs, Blu-ray players and Wi-Fi tablets, VIZIO’s 2012 Smart TVs, Blu-ray players, Wi-Fi tablets and digital media players, and Intel Ultrabook devices through the Intel AppUp center.


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Well, since Samsung couldn't get an early peek at the iPhone 5 and iPad 3
, the company has simply decided to take a page from Apple's playbook
. A senior exec told The Korea Times
it plans to file a request to block the sale of the upcoming iOS handset in its Korean homeland the moment the device is announced. According to the Times
, the anonymous exec said it would leverage its wireless technology patents and demand that Apple either remove the telecommunications features -- turning the iPhone into an iPod touch -- or simply be banished from the Korean market. The knock-down-drag-out war between the two companies has only seemed to escalate in recent weeks, as Sammy has taken a much more combative
approach. We can only hope the two get tired of divvying up the globe and declare a draw in this game of patent Risk.


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In the AW15 London Fashion Week, brands have had to negotiate a lag between instant digital show coverage and product drop. Mid-market brands, such as Topshop and Whistles, have allowed consumers to pre-order products from the runway at LFW – which contradicts their retail model. However, mid-market brands have realised the importance becoming part of the large (and growing) social conversation about LFW and this new strategy of offering consumers access to the products, via a social media platform or hashtag, is a trend increasingly being used by brands. And it is working – the Topshop show was one of the most tweeted about shows at LFW.
Abandoning the traditional runway
An attention-grabbing moment at the AW15 LFW was high-street brand Allsaints’ decision to abandon the traditional runway. While most designers and brands have a runway show, Allsaints instead replaced the typical catwalk and models on the runway with a digital film. This film appeared across Allsaints global social media sites and the collection unveiled in the film was available to purchase immediately – a similar move to the likes of Topshop and Whistles. The decision to transfer the traditional runway to a digital platform once again emphasises that the conversations around LFW are online. Reaching this audience is an absolute must for brands in order to gain traction in the increasingly crowded, fast-paced environment that is London Fashion Week.
Another interesting occurrence at LFW was Tom Ford’s decision to host his show in LA instead of London. It makes sense commercially – and again signals the new order. Tom Ford, as he always has done, played above the law during Fashion Week. Ford stated that he wasn’t going to compete with the Oscars, so he decided to host the first high profile ready-to-wear show in LA to coincide with the Academy Awards. Such scheduling could almost be construed as hijacking the prominence of an established event, to adjust the focus and attract new and un-tapped demographics into the notoriously elite fashion sphere, whilst simultaneously not alienating its current core.
Reaching audiences non-traditionally
LFW is a colourful, vibrant five day festival celebrating the best of the fashion industry. Brands are aware that social influencers and their presence at shows remain ever important and they are keen to reach their audience in non-traditional ways. In 2015, we have seen brands attempt to cultivate this audience on another level – by broaching the void between runway images and consumer products in the retail stores. The social audience is ever increasing, so we can expect more brands in the future to find innovative ways to engage with this influencer audience in order to increase retail sales.


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ANNAPOLIS — In response to a continuing rise in coronavirus infections across Maryland, Gov. Larry Hogan on Wednesday, July 29, warned residents against traveling to certain states and expanded statewide masking restrictions to include public areas of all businesses and some outdoor public spaces.
Hogan said the broadened masking mandate, which takes effect at 5 p.m. Friday, July 31, applies to outside public areas where maintaining a six-foot distance from non-household members is not possible, and all indoor spaces where “interaction with others is likely,” such as shared office spaces.
The updated rules are an expansion of the governor’s previous order that established a mask requirement in grocery stores, pharmacies, retail and food service establishments, and on public transportation.
Among the states Marylanders are advised against visiting “until their positivity rates decline,” Hogan said, are Florida, Texas, Georgia, South Carolina, Louisiana, Nebraska, Idaho, Alabama and Alaska — all of which are reporting significant spread of the coronavirus and positivity rates greater than 10%.
Hogan said Marylanders who must travel out-of-area to the advised-against states are encouraged to immediately self-quarantine and get tested for the coronavirus upon their return to Maryland.
The governor’s travel warnings and expanded masking restrictions come in reaction to increasing coronavirus-related hospitalizations in Maryland and are fueled by his desire to avoid shutting the state down again if there’s a resurgence of infections.
Hogan called his move to establish the new rules “fact-based” and “apolitical,” and said his team of experts “unanimously felt this was the only step we needed to take right now.”
To illustrate Maryland’s need for the “simple steps,” the governor pointed to other states across the country that have had to reimpose shutdowns after premature re-openings. “We don’t want to be in that position,” he said.
A “simple thing like masking,” Hogan said, will keep Maryland from shutting down, which would be especially difficult considering that “very few things” remain closed in the state.
The governor also said Wednesday the Maryland Department of Health’s contact tracing efforts have helped public health leaders determine the activities that are posing the highest risk to Marylanders for contracting the virus.
Family gatherings, Hogan said, have accounted for 44% of infections, house parties 23% and outdoor gatherings 21%. Other higher-risk activities include working outside of home, which was linked to 54% of infections, retail shopping at 39%, outdoor dining at 23% and indoor dining at 23%.
Of those individuals who are becoming infected at workplaces, 25% worked in healthcare, 23% in non-public-facing offices, 13% in public-facing workspaces and 12% in food service, the governor said.
Hogan said “time will tell” whether the travel advisory and the increased masking restrictions help stave off a predicted surge of infections as the virus continues to rage across Maryland. He said his team of experts “seem to think these steps will help, but it’s by no means a guarantee.”
“There’s no guarantee that we can stop it, but these are steps that could help and they’re pretty simple steps,” the governor said, adding, Maryland is in “much better shape” than it was in the spring, but “it is not a guarantee that we’re not going to be in bad shape in the fall or in the months to come.”


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Book Publishers Northwest editor Rosemary Jones noted that the Reader was one of the earliest ebook devices to work with the Overdrive library system. “I bought my pink reader on sale to check out books at the library,” said Jones, who wrote about the experience at Red Room. “And it was a handy device, priced around $100 on sale…a big drop in price at the time. As I took my Pocket Reader to various conventions and on trips, it really sold me on the convenience of traveling with ebooks as opposed to three or four paperbacks stuffed in my luggage.”
In announcement tucked in the FAQs on the company’s website, Sony stated “plans to close Reader Store in the U.S. and Canada on March 20, 2014. Unless a customer chooses to not be included in the transfer process, Reader Store will transfer customers to Toronto-based eReading company Kobo–an admired eBook store and reading community. We strongly believe that this transition will allow customers to enjoy a continued high-quality e-reading experience.”
As part of the transition,the company will release a software update that will allow Reader users to directly connect to the Kobo Store for future purchases. The company says that the software also will also the transfer of new titles via USB to any of the Reader models issued by Sony.
In late May 2014, Kobo should launch a version of its eBook Store that will be able to be used directly by the Wi-Fi Reader (PRS-T1, PRS-T2, and PRS-T3).
Sony opened their ebook platform to small presses and self-published authors. At Smashwords, Mark Coker announced that they would “cease delivery of new titles to Sony” effective immediately. They did not foresee any issue in the collection of royalties for books already sold.
“Any time we lose a retailer of any kind – whether ebook retailer or neighborhood bricks & mortar retailer – it’s a sad day. Book culture, and book sales opportunity for authors, is maximized by having as many booksellers as possible employing as many passionate booklovers as possible out there dedicating their every day to connecting books with readers. The more retailers there are, the less dependent the author becomes on any one single retailer,” wrote Coker. “I wish our friends at Sony the best and trust their dedicated team members will find new opportunities to participate in the ebook revolution they helped create. I’m so appreciative of the amazing support they provided Smashwords authors over the last five years.”


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Chart of the Week: Shopify’s Growth Still Going Strong
Author: Tim Phillips
Date: December 2, 2023
It was perhaps no surprise to see shares of the e-commerce Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) provider Shopify Inc (NYSE: SHOP) sell off this week after the company reported its fourth-quarter 2020 results.
Shopify, which provides merchants of all sizes with the infrastructure for an online store, has had an incredible run over the past year or so.
Its stock price has soared nearly 250% since the start of 2020 as the global pandemic forced businesses everywhere to scramble for an online presence to keep sales ticking over.
Yet the market wasn’t impressed with Shopify’s guidance – which stated that growth this year was not going to be as strong as it was in 2020.
Big surprise. That should have been expected anyway with a vaccine having been developed and as economies globally start to reopen.
Yes, people will go back to shopping in person but that doesn’t mean that Shopify’s compelling story is coming to an end. Far from it.
Growing a sticky subscription service
Even though Shopify’s fourth-quarter revenue growth was no doubt eye-popping (clocking in a 94% year-on-year increase), it was its Subscription Solutions growth that caught my eye.
Providing the back-end and front-end processes for an online store, Shopify Plus (a higher-tier service) is actually being increasingly used by large merchants as well, including businesses as diverse as Unilever plc (NYSE: UL) (LSE: ULVR), Shiseido Company Limited (TYO: 4911) and Sennheiser.
The Subscription Solutions part of the business saw 53% year-on-year growth in revenue to US$279.4 million (see below). Its Merchant Solutions division – which includes payments and point-of-sales (POS) help – provided the rest.
What’s exciting for long-term investors, though, is that although it basic “core” subscription offering makes up a higher percentage of overall subscription revenue in the latest quarter, it was down to the fact that more merchants were joined its platform in the latest quarter.
With the potential for those merchants in future to upgrade to the higher-margin Shopify Plus segment. By leveraging its extensive ecosystem of services, and growing its offerings internationally, Shopify’s prospects look as exciting as ever.
Source: Shopify Q4 2020 earnings presentation
Disclaimer: ProsperUs Head of Content Tim Phillips owns shares of Shopify Inc.


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Tottenham Hotspur will get a uniquely designed strip from next season after Nike confirmed that they will be ditching their kit templates.
Some of Nike’s kit designs in recent seasons have come under criticism from fans for being boring and for lacking originality. However, they are reportedly set to unveil some exciting and original designs for next season.
Nike currently makes the kits of three Premier League sides – Tottenham, Brighton and Chelsea but the American giants also have Liverpool signed up for next campaign.
In reaction to criticism over their recent designs, Nike’s senior director of global communications Heidi Burgett took to social media to confirm that the company will be ditching their old approach.
We're ditching the templates. For the 2020 kits, Nike designers had 65 chassis options available to them across varying necklines, sleeves, cuffs, badge placement, etc. From hand-drawn prints to custom fonts, each team’s look will be its own.
— Heidi Burgett (@heidiburgett) February 5, 2020
Nike have already given fans a taste of what to expect when they released the international kits for Nigeria, USA and South Korea.
The newly released kits have been received with a lot of enthusiasm from some fans (the Sun).
Tottenham agreed a 15-year, £30million per season deal with Nike until 2023 in 2018 which is one of the longest deals in the American sportwear giant’s history (The Sun).
Spurs Web Opinion
The biggest complaint as always with Nike is their lack of originality with the company often opting for similar templates for various clubs. They have usually done well when they have come out with something unique like the Spurs third kit last season which contained a map of North London. It will be interesting to see what they’ll come up with next season.
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AT&T has updated its U-Verse cable content app for iOS with more content than ever, allowing access to various video content, information like sports scores, and even the ability to share viewing habits over Twitter and Facebook to its users. In addition to all of that new material, the...
Reuters is reporting that AT&T is planning to capitalize on their iPhone exclusivity in the US and link it with their broadband and video service U-verse. Eventually this could allow U-verse subscribers to listen to their iPhone voicemail on their TVs or download shows from their DVRs to their...
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New Edens Curse Single Featuring Dream Theater Singer & Video Snippet Released
AFM Records have released the brand new digital download single No Holy Man, from Multinational Melodic Metallers Eden's Curse, featuring Dream Theater vocalist James LaBrie. No Holy Man is the first track to be released from the groups forthcoming third studio album Trinity, which will hit the stores on the 18th March.
Duetting with Eden’s Curse frontman Michael Eden on this epic anthem, LaBrie enthused “In 2010 I was fortunate to discover Eden's Curse. I absolutely love this band. Great players and people and they deserve nothing but huge success! They belong with the best of today's music. Trust me, you're going to love this from beginning to end ".
The band have also released a 30 second snippet from the up and coming promo video for No Holy Man, which will be released in full on 25th February.


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TRG Group Helps Families In Need
St. Louis-based TRG Group, an international leader in the travel gear industry, participated in its second annual adoption of families from St. Louis’ 100 Neediest Cases last month.
With the help of the United Way and the “St. Louis Post-Dispatch,” the St. Louis 100 Neediest Cases is a tradition, that each year publishes local personal stories of hardship and tragedy, in hopes of generating a spirit of giving to those less fortunate. The organization accepts group and individual donations by soliciting the help of friends or colleagues to adopt a family, or multiple families.
This year, TRG Group was able to provide five families with an abundance of gifts. Employees took time to make personal deliveries to make their holidays special. “Most importantly, we were able to meet many of their needs such as hats, coats, shoes, food, hygiene products, bedding, beds and furniture,” said Brooke Heitz, marketing manager and member of the TRG Charity Group. “It was a total company effort as everyone gave in some way, shape or form.”
One mother who received a gift certificate to purchase books so that she could continue her college studies said, “I was going to have to choose between paying my bills or buying books. You’ve made that a lot easier.”
Andrew Spellman, vice president of sales corporate markets and captain of the TRG Charity Group recalls a similar story, “Another family was heating their home with their oven on a cold, 30 degree day. We were able to come in and provide food, coats, other clothes and toys, which should allow them to use the small income that they have to pay their gas bill for the rest of the winter.”
TRG Group donated Victorinox backpacks and Riddell footwear to each family and along with much needed household items such as beds, bedding, towels and cleaning supplies. Christmas trees and holiday decorations, microwaves, televisions, and school supplies were also donated or supplied to fulfill some special items on their wish lists.


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- Jul 04 2021
- 11:00 am - 3:00 pm
The Independent Businesses in our Town Centre are part of what makes Andover special.
Independents’ Day is a chance for people to celebrate the one-of-a-kind businesses which make Andover unique and to recognise local business owners for their commitment to the economic wellbeing of our town.
There will be music and stalls from some of our businesses on the High Street and other surprise happenings on the day.
Andover Vision and Test Valley Borough Council will be running their workshops at Riverside Park on the same day so there will be lots to do and see. More information can be found here.
The day will launch a number of initiatives that will take place in our Town Centre throughout July with the objective of supporting our Independent Businesses.
Towards the end of the month we will be running the Independents Month Finale Event with more live music, stalls and a fairground activities and entertainment. This is the main event that had to be postponed slightly due to the most recent Government Guidelines. More information can be found here.


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announced a security flaw has been found in the latest version of iTunes 6.0.1 and 6.0.2, as well as QuickTime 7.0.3
and 7.0.4 that affects both Mac OS X and Windows. The flaw could allow an attacker to run code as the currently logged
in user, which is typically worse news for Windows users, but is still not something Mac user should take lightly.
While Apple is working on a patch, I thought this sentence from a PC Pro article was somewhat interesting: "[Apple] will have around two months to issue a suitable fix before it comes under pressure, as the flaw is only at the initial report stage of the process." I wonder what exactly that means - is there some kind of industry consensus that has to be met? Or do they just mean that most people who exploit flaws like this don't use RSS readers and won't find out about the flaw for a month or two? Hopefully, we won't have to find out.


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US: ArvinMeritor announces sale of South African aftermarket ride control business
ArvinMeritor has announced the sale of Gabriel South Africa, its Light Vehicle Aftermarket (LVA) Ride Control business in Cape Town -- which includes the sale of the Gabriel trademark in designated African countries -- to Control Instruments Group Limited, which is listed on the JSE Limited in South Africa.
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Soon after getting GAP in India, textile giant, Arvind Lifestyle Brands Ltd. brings another international brand to the Indian market. This time, its American fast-fashion store chain, Aeropostle, which has been launched today at Select City Walk, Saket, New Delhi.
The first flagship of Aeropostale in India exhibits an extensive range of clothing and apparels from their Fall-Winter 2015 collection for men and women.
Speaking on the launch, J Suresh, MD and CEO, Arvind Lifestyle Brands Ltd. said “India is expected to become the world’s youngest emerging economy by 2020, with around 64% of its population in the working age group. Having understood this,we are glad to add power players like Aéropostale as additions to our already fastgrowing fashion portfolio. This young consuming class has new aspirations and is more open to experimenting with fashion brands.”
The American mall-based speciality retailer of casual apparels for young women and men, Aeropostale, plans to increase its footprint PAN India through its partnership with Arvind. The expansion spree includes opening of approximately 30 standalone stores and 25 shop-in-shop locations over the coming three years. Aeropostale will largely target consumers between the age of 14 to 25 with its jeans, hoodies, and tees.
Kenneth Ohashi, Senior Vice President, International and Global Licensing, Aéropostale, Inc. said, “We are excited to bring Aéropostale, the iconic American brand to India’s youth. We are thrilled to have partnered with Arvind Lifestyle Brands Limited. Arvind brings tremendous knowledge and expertise to building brands and operating licensed stores in India. We look forward to this exciting launch and continuing our rapid growth throughout the country.”


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Meet Milligram, the Aussie retailer selling stationery to digital natives
Telegram Co chief executive Scott Druce talks growth and innovation, just before the opening of Milligram's sixth Melbou...
Kikki.K to accelerate global growth
Stationery firm signs deal with key supplier.
International Housewares’ sales rise, profits slump
International Housewares has reported seven per cent same stores sales growth in its core Hong Kong market in the six mo...
Kikki.k to launch in Hong Kong
Australian fashion stationer kikki.K will open its first store in Hong Kong in April.
WHSmith plans India, Malaysia stores
British retailer WHSmith is planning to expand internationally with new stores planned for India, Malaysia and other mar...


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Several of the emerging fast-casual players claim to have created the build-your-own pizza concept, but the better question is who will be left standing. More than a dozen brands have debuted in the last five years and are now taking shape across the country, vying to become the dominant player in the growing gourmet pizza category.
It’s easy to see why. Fast casual has become a $31-billion segment since Chipotle began reinventing fast food 20 years ago. Consumers today want quality offerings made quickly. The limited-service pizza segment does $31 billion in sales and if you add casual Italian dining chains, pizza is part of a $50-billion marketplace.
Everyone wants a piece of the fast-casual pie. Chipotle, which started this craze in 1993, did almost $3 billion in sales last year, while better burger innovator Five Guys grew to 1,000 units in less than a decade.
Plenty of competitors have dreams of doing the same with pizza. They all come with interesting stories, like that of Drew French, a 30-year-old University of Georgia graduate whose Your Pie concept was really the first to open in April of 2008 in Athens, GA. There’s also a tennis coach, a Navy nuclear submarine officer, music industry executives, a fine-dining chef and more familiar names from companies like Umami Burger, Smashburger, Wetzel’s Pretzels, Moe’s Southwest Grill and even investors like Buffalo Wild Wings, Maria Shriver and LeBron James.
Their pizzas all take the same shape, but are cooked and marketed a little differently. They describe their concepts with the words “fresh,” “gourmet,” “artisanal” or “personal,” and phrases like “build your own,” “custom made” or “made on demand” are used to explain the process. Like Chipotle and Subway before, these concepts all employ similar down-the-line assembly ordering so customers can customize and watch their pizzas being made.
The pies range in size from nine to 12 inches and from super thin to softer and slightly thicker Neapolitan style. They are cooked at high temperatures in stone-hearth ovens or fast-cook conveyor units. The result is a made-to-order pizza, baked in one to six minutes, with prices around $7. Some offer unlimited toppings, while others charge by the item. Many tout homemade dough and sauces and high-quality toppings.
The concepts all offer items other than pizza, like salads, fun desserts and in some cases paninis and sandwiches. Many also sell beer and wine, all of which helps draw the dinner crowd and extend the check average.
The keys, according to Darren Tristano, e.v.p. of Technomic, are prices between six and eight dollars, delivery in three to five minutes, “gourmet” positioning and the ability to succeed in the dinner-date department.
For a potential franchisee, Tristano says these concepts are similar to other fast-casual chains in startup costs and profit potential. An initial investment ranging from $350,000 to $450,000 is necessary, and if successful, sales can reach a million dollars annually with 15- to 25-percent profit margins.
Tim Green, a pizza veteran and the corporate chef for Wood Stone Corp., says two things will separate the winners and losers: the food and service.
“Capital and marketing are a big deal, but how they all finish at the end of the day is based on quality of product and customer service,” says Green, whose company makes the ovens used by seven of these concepts. “I think the next five years will tell us a lot.”
By that point, many of the competitors have plans for market domination, much like Chipotle or Five Guys, but Tristano doesn’t think the same path is a given for pizza.
“The biggest reason Five Guys was able to grow and dominate was because the major burger chains like McDonald’s, Wendy’s and Burger King took their eyes off the prize: the burger,” he says. Existing pizza brands—like Papa John’s, Domino’s and Little Caesars—have not done that, and to the contrary, are improving quality and affordability. “It’s going to be very competitive,” he predicts, “with two or three players becoming leaders. Many will remain regional players or become victims.”
The winners will likely come from the list of concepts profiled in chronological order of their debuts on the next several pages. More players are out there—Sbarro just announced plans for Pizza Cucinova, set to debut this fall in Columbus, OH, and Build Pizzeria Roma opened its first store in Berkeley, CA, in April—and more will surely follow. But they’ll be starting out behind this dozen, who all have at least one store open and plans for many more.


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“Police said the factory owners had ignored warnings not to allow their workers into the building after cracks were noticed on Tuesday. The High Court has summoned the building owner and senior management staff of the factories to appear before judges on 30 April, local media report. The factory owners are said to have gone into hiding.”
“Primark, a clothes retailer with a large presence in Britain, confirmed that one of its suppliers was on the second floor of the Rana Plaza. It said it was “shocked and deeply saddened by the appalling incident” and that it would work with other retailers to review standards. Discount giant Wal-Mart – which was found to be sourcing products from the Tazreen factory – said it was still trying to establish whether its goods were being produced at the Rana Plaza.
“We remain committed and are actively engaged in promoting stronger safety measures, and that work continues,” said Wal-Mart spokesman Kevin Gardner.
A company called New Wave, with two factories in the building, supplies firms from around Europe, the US and Canada.”
Just make sure you keep those numbers up. That’s all that’s important, right? -_-


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Craig Young said that all of our information is passed through our home Wi-Fi routers, which we use to share the Internet with other devices, but he also said how to fix this problem.
Young know some hackers, that win competition, where participants are need to hack Wi-Fi routers. This event was called the DEF CON hacking conference in 2014.
Moreover, he warned that everyone will face hackers..
Criminals can use your router for site attacks or illegal downloads. There was situation when hackers spreaded special virus by using routers, which based on Linux. They used this situation to attack commercial sites. This situation is big trouble for people, who has their buisiness.
Firmware updating problem
Linksys company developed new firmware every year, but only for routers, which are the most popular. The Head of company choose routers, which would be updated. New firmware usually brings new features, increases perfomance and security . Linksys already fixed feature that provides local network users to connect to web interface without pass key.
Manufacturers made routers, which can update themselves automatically. The most rated model is Linksys EA8500. After buying, people think that their information in safety, but firmware updates should be activated by manual method. Many computer experts don’t know about necessity of this operation . Famous media edition explore that fewer than half of IT experts already update their router regularly. Only 32% know about this operation.
That statistics show that a lot of routers don’t have latest security firmware update.
The easiest way to update your firmware is log into your web interface. Every manufacturers have their own IP address. Here you can see the most popular manufacturers of routers and their web address IP addresses:
- D-Link, TP-link, Tenda,2Wire, Actiontec, Eminent, LevelOne, Linksys, Motorola, Netopia, Planet, Senao, Siemens, Sitecom, SMC Networks, Trendnet, usually use 192.168.O.1.
- ZyXEL, Asus, ZTE, Netgear, Huawei usually use 192.168.l.l.
- Sercomm, Aztech, Gigabyte usually use 192.168.l.254.


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U.S. ownership rates for tablet computers saw a sharp increase in the fourth quarter of 2012, according to new research released by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA).
CEA?s report shows that tablet ownership rates among online U.S. consumers reached 38 percent as of December 2012, up seven percent from the previous quarter. The report examined trend information on consumer behavior and sentiment regarding the sale and use of tablet computers between October and December 2012.
Compared to data from CEA's Q4 2012 report, tablet purchase intent is also rising. Approximately three in four (74 percent) online consumers expect to purchase a tablet sometime in the future, compared to 67 percent of online consumers in December 2011. Tablet purchase intent during the next two years for non-owners saw an increase of five percent to 44 percent in December 2012.
"The sharp increase in adoption during the past quarter is likely due to the wide range of sales of tablets of varying price points during the 2012 holiday shopping season, creating a new wave of tablet owners," said Kevin Tillmann, senior research analyst, CEA. "As we begin 2013, anticipation is high for the next wave of tablets to include features such as high resolution displays, improved graphic capabilities, near-field communication, and thinner and lighter chassis."
Among entertainment activities, social networking moved into the top spot for primary use this quarter in terms of online conversation as consumers mostly used their tablets for keeping up with friends and family online. Watching movies, in the top spot last quarter, fell to second, and listening to music remains third. Satisfaction with tablet computers remains consistently high, on par with findings from the last few quarters, with almost nine in ten (86 percent) tablet owners reporting that they?re satisfied with their devices.


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On October 28, 2021, the biggest social media company, Facebook, announced the rebranding of their company name to Meta.
According to Mark Zuckerberg, the company was founded in 2004 to connect people through social media. The name change symbolizes the next step in their mission, which is to provide a complete virtual reality experience.
As a result of this, the term “metaverse” became mainstream. To understand the metaverse, let us begin by examining the term’s origins. It was first coined in 1992 by Neal Stephenson in his science fiction novel Snow Crash.
The book describes a virtual reality-like world where the characters interact through avatars. This idea of another world formed of data changed the way people viewed cyberspace forever. However, until 2021, this term was only used by science fiction fans.
Now that Facebook is pushing for augmented reality to be extremely popular among the general population, the metaverse has become a reality. Facebook’s Meta platform is intended to be the future social media platform, where everything from education and shopping to communication takes place online.
People will use their avatars to interact with others in this virtual world. They can live their lives through these avatars and represent themselves as they wish, without worrying about privacy issues or censorship.
Metaverse is the term used to describe this interconnected network of avatars, where individual users can communicate and live out their lives in a virtual world.
However, it is essential not to get caught up in the hype. While Facebook’s push for VR has made augmented reality extremely popular among casual users, it has not yet been implemented in a helpful way for everyday tasks.
In addition, there are still many questions about the safety of these virtual reality programs and how they will affect our lives. While corporations like Facebook promise a bright future filled with augmented reality, it is essential to remember that we should remain skeptical of these claims until more details are released.
Metaverse: A Futuristic Retail Example
While Mark Zuckerberg has stated that his ultimate goal is to create a program where people can interact through avatars, he also wants to make Meta compatible with retailers.
For example, imagine taking a virtual shopping trip to Macy’s while standing in your bedroom. You can explore the store and look at whatever items you want without dealing with an actual line or any pushy salespeople.
You can even go into the fitting room and try on virtual clothing you are interested in purchasing, all without having to spend any money on it. After your virtual shopping trip is complete, you simply walk out of the store.
It may be years before this becomes a reality, but it is not difficult to imagine how popular this kind of shopping would be among the population.
Another possibility for retail brands wanting a piece of the Metaverse market would be a virtual fashion show. Shoppers could visit the virtual runway and see what new styles are being released before they hit stores, all while sitting in their own homes.
Virtual reality will not be a widely used tool for shopping until more items are available to purchase. In addition, the price of VR headsets also needs to decrease before retailers can market themselves effectively on Meta.
However it may pan out, many retail brands cannot afford to miss this new wave of technology, and some virtual reality marketing strategy is necessary to reach the virtual reality community.
We are still in the early stages of virtual reality and the metaverse, so it is difficult to tell how this technology will affect our lives. It can take over many aspects of society, but we must also consider that it could be a fad, like 3D television.
Regardless, companies like Facebook and Apple believe that augmented and virtual reality is the future, and they are doing their best to make this a reality. Retail brands need to be aware of this new technology and learn as much as possible about it to ensure that they do not miss out on any opportunities.


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Uber Eats announced Tuesday that it now operates from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and has more than tripled the size of their delivery area. The company also released a dedicated UberEATS app that is separate from their ridesharing service.
Instacart Inc. is lowering the fees that couriers receive for delivering groceries in several cities, evidence that the company is trying to keep costs low as the funding environment continues to tighten.
U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said on Sunday that he is considering a law that will make robocall-blocking technology available to all consumers and wants the Federal Trade Commission to pressure telecom companies to offer it.
Time Inc is looking into the possibility of acquiring Yahoo Inc.'s core business, according to a report by Bloomberg News, citing sources with knowledge of the matter.
Lenovo announces its latest flagship handset called the Vibe X3 with a price tag of USD 293. The Chinese outfit has highlighted the handset with a new design bump
Xiaomi co-founder Liwan Jiang confirmed that the upcoming flagship handset, Xiaomi Mi5, will announced this coming February. This news came after the Chinese outfit's Senior VP pointed out that the handset will come sooner rather than later.
Ford Motor Corp. announced on Monday that they will focus on keeping consumers stay connected with their smartphones by enhancing its SYNC connectivity system by adding Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, 4G LTE and recently released AppLink apps.


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The National Geographic Channel's eight-part documentary series "Chain of Command" is airing Monday nights at 9pm ET. If you have a TV subscription, you can catch up online or in the FoxNow app or the NatGeo apps on your iPhone, Android, tablets, Roku or Apple TV. If you don't have a TV subscription, you can buy all 8 episodes for $14.99 from the iTunes store, Amazon video, Google Play or VUDU.
We've got a bonus clip from this past Monday's Episode 3, "Shoulder to Shoulder." White House senior advisor Jared Kushner visited Iraq in April 2017 on behalf of President Trump. We all saw the photos last year, but the "Chain of Command" crew was there and captured the visit on video. Check out this clip below and get an inside look at Kushner's mission.


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YouTube’s opening up ads for ‘edgy’ videos signals shift in brand-safety sentiment
Over the past couple of years, YouTube raised the guardrails around questionable content after a series of high-profile brand-safety snafus. But the advertiser-friendly approach was closely followed by uproar from its creator community, who vocally complained their videos had been “demonetized.”
Recently, though, YouTube has been running a test with advertisers who are comfortable appearing next to more “edgy” content. In her quarterly letter to creators published last week, YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki said, “In its first month, this program resulted in hundreds of thousands of dollars in ads on yellow icon videos.”
So-called edgy videos are signposted in the Creator Studio with a yellow icon, indicating that they are not fully demonetized and are eligible for limited advertising. A yellow icon used to signify that the videos wouldn’t receive ad revenue at all because they were only suitable for mature audiences.
While there are no details yet for when the test might expand to more advertisers, the move suggests the initial pull-down-all-the-shutters-style panic surrounding brand safety may be calming into a question of brand appropriateness instead.
“I think this is a pretty big deal because I think that after the brand-safety backlash that we’ve seen over the past couple of years, we’ve seen some evidence that the pendulum has kind of swung too far over to the advertiser side,” said Nicole Perrin, principal analyst at eMarketer. “I think that it’s nice to see acknowledgment and an attempt to address brand appropriateness. … Not every brand has to be family-friendly or G-rated.”
YouTube declined to offer further comment beyond Wojcicki’s letter.
Since The Times of London ran its 2017 “Big brands fund terror” front-page splash, detailing how major brands were unwittingly running ads on YouTube channels devoted to extremist content, many marketers have taken a blunt approach to online brand safety to avoid any potential adjacency embarrassments. While many of those who boycotted YouTube at the time have since returned, some advertisers still rely on broad keyword or category block lists. That’s proven to be a headache for online publishers in verticals like news and politics or even those that cover sports, who can’t avoid using often-banned words like “shot” and “fight” in their content. Some advertisers are enlisting the help of third-party firms like OpenSlate to ensure that suitable content doesn’t get caught up in the web and inadvertently blocked.
Joshua Lowcock, chief digital and brand safety officer at ad agency UM Worldwide, said, “The immediate beneficiary will be the entertainment and streaming industries: movies, television and music [brands] who have content that caters to a broad array of tastes.” UM Worldwide was offered an opportunity to take part in the recent beta test of advertising on “edgy” YouTube videos but declined.
And even though some advertisers might not want to participate — “edginess” is in the eye of the beholder and there’s always the risk some content could overstep the line — YouTube’s move does signal a statement of intent.
There’s no shortage of “edgy” content on YouTube — from YouTubers one-upping each other in the prank department, to popular video game commentary channels that inevitably feature some in-game violence. (Wojcicki also said in her letter that YouTube is reworking its policies to better differentiate between real-world and simulated gaming violence.) YouTube will be hoping to turn a page from the recent “adpocalypse” and encourage creators who fled to other platforms in protest to return.
“The move from YouTube to attract more ‘edgy’ advertisers to the platform will primarily benefit the struggling influencers that have stopped uploading due to videos being demonetized,” said Christos Constantinou, director of operations at social video company Brave Bison. “This is a good move from YouTube as it will help to retain these creators, many of which have huge numbers of loyal subscribers that bring the platform high rates of engagement.”
New app launches through Apple hoping to win with ‘zero-party data’ when others haven’t
Caden's new app lets users connect data from their Uber, Amazon, Netflix and other accounts in exchange for money. Will it take off?
‘The next level for us’: The New York Times eyes longer play sessions for games in subscription drive
The games division is focusing on finding new ways to mine the inherent competitive nature of games like encouraging people to play multiple games in a single session or through new achievements and rewards for progression.
‘It has to be built in’: How agencies strive to advance their diversity goals
There often is no blueprint for diversity in the corporate world, and many initiatives at media agencies have been works in progress over the last few years.
SponsoredBrands are optimizing video production to drive user acquisition
Sponsored by QuickFrame by MNTN With brands increasingly investing in video ads on social media, marketers are enhancing their video production capabilities to unlock growth on Facebook and Instagram. Especially urgent in an uncertain economic climate, brands must minimize production costs while creating a high enough volume of social media videos to identify the creative […]
Publishers tout generative AI opportunities to save and make money amid rough media market
Generative AI technology will be an area of focus for some media companies this year as they work to cut costs and find new revenue opportunities amid a tough media market.
Digiday+ Research: Video ads are a growing business for publishers large and small
Video advertising's potential rings most true among small publishers, while data points to video advertising already reaching its potential among large publishers — but also not, at the same time.


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Elon Musk shifts the blame for Tesla price rise
A month ago the boss of Tesla was predicting that his cheapest car yet, the £26,000 Model Y, would be the best-selling electric car next year. Now Elon Musk is warning buyers — who are having to pay big premiums for zero-emission vehicles over conventionally fuelled ones — that he is having to raise prices.
Musk is blaming the soaring price of commodities as demand steps up with economies exiting pandemic lockdowns. The automotive industry has also been hit by the shortage in computer chips due to supply-chain failures.
Musk tweeted in response to criticism of the rising cost of a Tesla: “Prices increasing due to major supply chain price pressure industry-wide. Raw materials especially.”
Prices of key battery cell commodities have doubled over the


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WASHINGTON – Trader Joe’s issued a recall on Saturday of its Butter Chicken with Basmati Rice after fears the product may be contaminated with Listeria.
The recall for the product, production date “305 12″ and sku 99032, affects stores in 14 states, including Maryland and Virginia, as well as the District of Columbia.
Customers who have purchased the item are instructed to dispose of it or return it to any Trader Joe’s for a full refund.
The grocery store chain says no one has reported falling ill to date.
Anyone with questions is asked to call (626) 599 – 3817.
Click here for more information.
Follow @WTOP on Twitter.
(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)
A look at the winter weather news in the D.C. area.
For a trip to the North Pole, there’s no finer way to travel. Railroads around the country offer seasonal trips to see Santa between Thanksgiving and Christmas.


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The so-called mutual release of claims, which was signed after the resignation of the three directors, was disclosed in the co's annual report released on Monday.
The government is aiming to create a trillion dollar economy through Digital India campaign, according to the report.
Venkatesan, a former Microsoft India chairman was brought in on the board of Infosys in 2011 by founder N R Narayana Murthy.
The General Data Protection Regulation is a comprehensive set of directives put in place by the European Union to protect personal data of all its citizens.
The study found that while the government played an active role in making technology products commercially viable, it should offer more aids to students for pursuing research
Employees with digital skills are in high demand and get better hikes than those of legacy projects, giving them an incentive to move to digital projects.
Cisco said its network implementation work for Jio was one of the biggest projects and that customers from other markets recently visited India to see it.
Compensations of the company’s top three executives - D’Souza, Rajeev Mehta, President, and Karen McLoughlin,chief financial officer - were raised between 3 and 8% last year.
The joint platform uses deep learning and AI algorithms to predict how attacks can happen and propagate, providing actionable insights to mitigate the risk of breach.
While some of the mid-cap IT firms have registered strong growth in the past couple of quarters, analysts have said they would continue to see higher revenue growth fuelled by digital deals.
Investors will also look at uptick in digital spending and allocation of budgets to projects. Saluja added that he expects companies to start off “on a conservative note for FY19 revenue growth guidance”.
The chief executive of the $2.8-billion American software services provider said in the tax laws there will not be any disproportionate tax for global investments.
The venture arm allows Microsoft to get a “signal into the startup community” and also put the software behemoth back into the conversation with the venture capital firms to understand emerging technology developments.
Potential damages of any breach of privacy of user data from Europe could cost Indian IT firms as much as 4 per cent of their revenue.
This may not augur well for the $167-bn Indian IT industry, which has been a predominant supplier of software implementation and maintenance to global businesses.
With more companies in India migrating to the cloud, such mobile-based application could potentially improve coordination between the top rung officials and firstline workers.
Infosys said it would open second US innovation hub in Hartford, Connecticut and hire 1000 American workers in the state by 2022.
Wipro said it would unlock value by transitioning eight data centres and more than 900 employees of its hosted data center services business to Ensono.
Software services exporters have also seen a clear change in demand since clients in the US and Europe, the largest export markets, is looking for “more services” at “lesser budget” for IT.
The company said this “strategic investment” would focus on emerging technologies that are driving innovation across industries and cater to increasing demand for applications in fintech industry and smart cities’ projects.


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Chicago, Illinois, February 21, 2017 – Beam Suntory has announced that Kent Rose, Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Chief Administrative Officer & Secretary, has made the personal decision to retire at year end after 30 years at the company. Effective January 1, 2018, Rose, 59, will be succeeded by Todd Bloomquist, 42, who currently serves as the company’s Vice President, Deputy General Counsel & Assistant Secretary.
“For the past three decades, Kent has been instrumental to the development of Beam Suntory, be it providing practical advice on commercial and brand building priorities, protecting our legal interests in a highly regulated and litigious environment, guiding critical risk management initiatives, advancing global compliance, overseeing complex transactional work, or developing a best-in-class legal function,” said Matt Shattock, chairman & CEO of Beam Suntory. “We are pleased we will continue to benefit from Kent’s experience and dedication through year end, and we are fortunate that he has built a deep bench of talent that will help ensure continuity. To that end, we are pleased that Kent will be succeeded by Todd Bloomquist, a skilled attorney and strong leader who has built an excellent track record of success since joining us in 2011.”
Rose joined Fortune Brands, the predecessor company to Beam Suntory, in 1987 and assumed his current role in 2001. He previously worked for Chadbourne & Parke and Day, Berry & Howard, corporate law firms in the New York area.
Bloomquist joined Beam Suntory as Associate General Counsel & Assistant Secretary following 12 years at Winston & Strawn, where he was elected Partner in 2007. He earned his J.D. with High Distinction from the University of Iowa College of Law, and he is a magna cum laude graduate of Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
About Beam Suntory Inc.
As the world’s third largest premium spirits company, Beam Suntory is Crafting the Spirits Brands that Stir the World. Consumers from all corners of the globe call for the company’s brands, including the iconic Jim Beam and Maker’s Mark bourbon brands and Suntory whisky Kakubin, as well as world renowned premium brands including Knob Creek bourbon, Yamazaki, Hakushu and Hibiki Japanese whiskies, Teacher’s, Laphroaig, and Bowmore Scotch whiskies, Canadian Club whisky, Courvoisier cognac, Hornitos and Sauza tequila, EFFEN and Pinnacle vodka, Sipsmith gin, and Midori liqueur.
Beam Suntory was created in 2014 by combining the world leader in bourbon and the pioneer in Japanese whisky to form a new company with a deep heritage, passion for quality, innovative spirit and commitment to Growing for Good. Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, Beam Suntory is a subsidiary of Suntory Holdings Limited of Japan. For more information on Beam Suntory, its brands, and its commitment to social responsibility, please visit www.beamsuntory.com and www.drinksmart.com.


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Japanese consumer electronics maker Sharp Corp. will tighten its grip on its patents as it increases its focus on value-added products such as high-resolution televisions and smart home devices, according to an Oct. 4 report by Bloomberg, which cited a company executive.
The Osaka-based company, known for its liquid crystal display televisions, will start charging patent royalties and could sue for any use of Sharp's inventions without permission, the article said, citing an interview with Rey Roque, vice president of strategic business development for Sharp Electronics in Santa Ana, Calif.
Roque's comments come at a time when Sharp is embroiled in a legal battle against a Chinese rival over patent rights.
In July, Sharp filed a patent infringement suit against Chinese consumer electronics maker Hisense Electric Co. Ltd. and its subsidiaries in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District Court of New York. Sharp alleged that Hisense had infringed on its wireless local area network patents for smart TVs manufactured and sold in the U.S., and demanded that the Qingdao-based company pay compensation and stop manufacturing and selling the products. In August, Sharp petitioned the U.S. International Trade Commission to investigate its claim that Hisense and its subsidiaries had infringed Sharp's wireless LAN patents and for it to block imports as well as sales of already imported products by the Chinese company. On Sept. 27, the USITC said it would proceed with investigations.
Hisense, which gained the right to sell televisions under the Sharp brand in the U.S. in 2015, attributed the complaints to Sharp's acquisition by Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. Ltd., which took over Sharp in August 2016, saying that the two companies were trying to recover or undermine Hisense's rights, according to Bloomberg.
Roque, who declined to provide details on the Hisense case, noted that Sharp would consider litigation on a case-by-case basis and that it could also go outside the U.S. to strengthen its patent rights, the article said.


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Author: Panorama Software
Please don’t take that headline literally, it was merely a stab at making a retail pun to describe Panorama Software’s experience at last month’s BIG Show, put on for the 101st time by the National Retail Federation. Don’t worry, Panorama certainly didn’t change ownership during the four-day event at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.
What we mean is that attending the event alongside our close partners Microsoft and retail solutions provider ITR Software gave us the opportunity spread the word about the benefits of Business Intelligence 3.0 and further tout our cutting-edge BI offering – Necto.
Just ask our CEO, Eynav Azarya, about the BIG fun we had at the BIG Show – OK, no more puns.
“We were ecstatic to have been invited to participate in the Microsoft booth at NRF and were very pleased with the results,” he said. “With the traffic generated to our pod and the joint meetings with Microsoft, not only were we able to showcase our joint offering but we have also added a number of customers to our pipeline – with one customer already quickly moving to the proof of concept stage.”
The show also bolstered our already tight-knit affiliation with Microsoft.
“The partnership between Microsoft and Panorama has always been fruitful and NRF 2012 is another excellent example of the success we can achieve when collaborating,” Azarya added.
In an industry so marked by change during the past several years – in terms of shopping and spending habits as well as demand for certain products (Who doesn’t own a smartphone these days?) – real-time insight into these trends can’t be more beneficial. By analyzing your stored customer, sales and product data, your company will be better prepared to know exactly what consumers are looking for and how they go about purchasing goods.
And these capabilities will be bolstered even further with the next-generation functionality we’ve built into Necto. Adding in social aspects and relevancy means that end users can collaborate and drive greater value out of information, while being presented with all the data that is necessary for their responsibilities and job functions.
So give Necto a try to see what it can do to grow your business. After all, you don’t want to sell yourself short (couldn’t help the pun). Download a free version of Necto at http://www.panorama.com/resources/download-necto/.


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Brian Dean, an SEO expert and the creator of BackLinko, uses SEO tactics to rank #1 on YouTube for keywords like “on page SEO” and “video SEO”. Initially, Dean admits his YouTube account struggled to get any views. Employing SEO methods like keyword optimization has enabled Dean to rise to #1 on YouTube for search results related to his business. He published his full strategy on Backlinko.
It’s hard to believe that the Internet is now multiple decades old. Affiliate marketing has been around since the earliest days of online marketing. It’s a great solution for businesses that are risk-averse or don’t have the budget to spend on upfront marketing costs. Use affiliate marketing to build a new revenue stream for your ecommerce or B2B business. Get Started
A good amount of marketing on the internet can be done for free, but sometimes it's worth spending some money on effective and professional looking options. For example, although you can get free web hosting, it's not recommended. Ideally, you should pay for web hosting to make sure that your website doesn't experience downtime, as well as a professional domain name. Fortunately, you can buy both for less than $100 a year.
DisabledGO, an information provider for people with disabilities in the UK and Ireland, hired Agency51 to implement an SEO migration strategy to move DisabledGO from an old platform to a new one. By applying 301 redirects to old URLS, transferring metadata, setting up Google webmaster tools, and creating a new sitemap, Agency 51 was able to successfully transfer DisabledGO to a new platform while keeping their previous SEO power alive. Additionally, they were able to boost visitor numbers by 21% year over year, and the site restructuring allowed DisabledGO to rank higher than competitors. Their case study is available on SingleGrain.com.
Publicity: Getting your business featured on media outlets can be a great way to reach new customers, but connecting with the right people to make it happen can sometimes be difficult. You can always submit and post press releases for news and announcements from your business through online press release distribution services. While press releases can work, they can also be time-consuming and are often ignored. Another option that often produces better results is to sign up for media requests through Help A Reporter Out. Once you sign up, you'll receive emails listing requests for professional sources from media outlets, including newspapers, magazines, radio and TV programs, blogs, and podcasts.
He is the co-founder of Neil Patel Digital. The Wall Street Journal calls him a top influencer on the web, Forbes says he is one of the top 10 marketers, and Entrepreneur Magazine says he created one of the 100 most brilliant companies. Neil is a New York Times bestselling author and was recognized as a top 100 entrepreneur under the age of 30 by President Obama and a top 100 entrepreneur under the age of 35 by the United Nations.
Your social media strategy is more than just a Facebook profile or Twitter feed. When executed correctly, social media is a powerful customer engagement engine and web traffic driver. It’s easy to get sucked into the hype and create profiles on every single social site. This is the wrong approach. What you should do instead is to focus on a few key channels where your brand is most likely to reach key customers and prospects. This post will teach you how to make that judgment call. Get Started


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‘With baseball in World Series mode, MLB has named the 14 finalists for the Hank Aaron Award and the MLB Players Assn.Tiger Woods $62 million $2 million $60 million Golf 9.Jose Altuve, Houston Astros 19.2 – With the Condors, Gagner had two goals and two assists.Chicago Bulls NBA $3B 17.
‘Rawlings Sporting Goods has signed a deal to acquire Easton Diamond Sports, which manufactures bats, bags, helmets and other baseball and softball equipment and apparel.New York Jets NFL $3B 20.’Former First Lady Michelle Obama’s When We All Vote and the LeBron James led More Than A Vote said they would work together to provide personalized jersey transportation, food, music, personal protective equipment and other support at early voting sites nationwide from Oct.Added Kevin Harter, Bloomingdale’s vice president of men’s fashion direction, Basketball has always been a game of style.Anthony Rizzo, Chicago Cubs 14.
Coach Bates has a mind for football and he has just been getting after it.The premium trading card product will offer an array of autograph and memorabilia cards from golf icons and rising stars, including Tiger Woods, Arnold Palmer, Annika Sorenstam, Bryson DeChambeau, Collin Morikawa, Justin Thomas, Matthew Wolff, Danielle Kang and Lexi Thompson.The NWSLPA, working closely alongside NWSL, is excited to provide players the opportunity to return to sport, while also securing compensation and other necessities to make sure players’ concerns, feedback, and safety are at the forefront of all conversations, Yael Averbuch and Brooke Elby, NWSLPA executive director, said via the organization.Aaron Judge, New personalized football jersey Yankees 3.Chicago Cubs MLB $3B 17.
Carson Wentz $59 million $55 million $4 million NFL Upcoming Super Bowl Games ‘Super Bowl LV Raymond James Stadium Tampa Feb.Face Covering Sizes Face Covering Information This product is not create a jersey medical device.New England Patriots NFL $4B 8.
13 Pittsburgh Steelers at Buffalo Bills ‘Dec.Ronald Acuña Jr., Atlanta Braves 11.The company said Wednesday that it would wind down its operations and plans to sell its assets.2 Forbes Top 25 World’s Most Valuable Sports Franchises 2020, Dallas Cowboys NFL $5B 2.Roger Federer $106 million $6 million salary winnings $100 million endorsements Tennis 2.I thought they already had ten , so I already thought it was over.


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The company, which owns brands such as 888, William Hill, Mr Green and SI Sportsbook, noted that the decline was primarily driven by enhanced UK online player safety measures and the closure of the Netherlands.
Retail revenue amounted to £124m for the period, which was flat year-over-year, remaining stable despite three days of temporary closures along with sporting fixture cancellations during the recent period of national mourning.
Online revenue declined 10% year-over-year to £325m, with online revenue excluding the UK and Netherlands remaining flat year-over-year.
“Having completed our transformational combination with William Hill, I am pleased to report that during Q3 our teams continued to make rapid progress in integrating these two market-leading and highly complementary businesses,” said 888 CEO Itai Pazner.
“This has enabled us to progress towards our new target operating model, while delivering a series of ‘quick win’ synergies, that will benefit our adjusted EBITDA margin for the second half of this year.
“Revenues during the third quarter continued the trends we have seen in recent quarters, with relatively resilient trading across our main international markets and in our retail estate, but continued pressure on our UK online revenues in light of the ongoing impact of the enhanced player safety measures. We are changing the mix of our business to a lower spending, more recreational player base that gives us confidence in the long-term potential for our UK business.”
Pazner also looked to the future, saying: “As we look forward, we remain focused primarily on successful integration, execution and de-leveraging in order to unlock the huge potential from our enlarged business.
“We are building a stronger group that will leverage our leading technologies and portfolio of world-class brands to create a leading global betting and gaming company, with clear plans to grow market share and profitability in some of the most attractive markets in the world.”


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Analysts have long predicted that the iPhone 8 will support wireless charging. On the Chinese site
However, the photographs are not distinctive.signs of Apple, why there is doubt about their authenticity. Other reports have repeatedly mentioned wireless charging on the new iPhone, so this one cannot be ignored either.
Earlier reports reported that Apple would notactivate support for wireless charging on the iPhone 8 immediately after its release, and will add it with the iOS 11.1 update. The company also did with portrait mode on the iPhone 7 Plus and the iOS 10.1 update last year.
KGI Securities Ming-Chi Kuo predicted thatthe new iPhone will have a glass case, the same applies to the iPhone 7s with 7s Plus. Thus, smartphones will be able to support wireless charging standard WPC. The analyst also mentioned that the feature will be added to the iPhone by default, but accessories will be sold separately.
Initially, there was information that together withApple wirelessly tests long-range charging. But the technology is still under development, and the company will need some time to complete the work.
The use of Qi inductive charging on the new iPhone may mean that the function will support third-party chargers, but so far this cannot be said for sure.


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New Delhi: India’s largest car maker Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL) is reportedly considering to lease out vehicles to its retail customers through dealership networks in the country.
As per a media report, the plan has been in the works for about a year and is being spearheaded by a special projects team of the company.
This move will bring hopes for Maruti Suzuki dealers at a time when the industry has been under constant stress due to the declining domestic sales and the coronavirus induced economic crisis.
“The situation might be conducive for Maruti to launch such services since urban customers are likely to prefer the vehicle leasing model, given declining affordability and less hassle of leased vehicles”, quoted the media report, citing an unknown source.
The development brings an alternative option for demand revival of buying cars in the urban markets.
Even though the vehicle leasing strategy has been popular in the developed markets like US and Europe, it is not new to India too.
Maruti Suzuki had earlier ventured into the vehicle leasing space for corporates. However, it did not see any major success.
Meanwhile, Hyundai Motor India Ltd and Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd (M&M) already offer their vehicles on lease. In 2018, Hyundai also made an undisclosed investment in Revv, while Mumbai-based M&M invested around ₹176 crore in Zoomcar.
Others like Mercedes-Benz India and BMW India also have their own customised leasing options for their customers.
Volkswagen India too introduced a leasing and financing option on Wednesday.
"The customer has the option to take a convenient date and time appointment for the affixation of plate at his chosen dealership of his vehicle brand. The payment can be made online through various platforms - credit card, debit card, Internet banking or UPI," the spokesperson said.


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The one-stop solutions and hardware provider now better placed to serve 6,000 trade printers across Europe
Brixen, Italy – Durst, manufacturer of digital production technologies, has formed a partnership with Ultima Displays, which is creating Centres of Excellences across Europe.
Ultima Displays is a one-stop solutions and hardware provider serving more than 6,000 dealers across 28 countries in Europe. It employs 285 people across the continent and has a £37 million (€44 million) turnover.
The first agreement in the partnership – announced during FESPA where both companies were exhibiting – involved a Durst Rhotex 325 system being installed at Nantes, France, in the week prior to the show. A roll-out involving at least three other systems will follow at sites in Corby, Northamptonshire, and in Gdansk, Poland, and Padova, Italy, from next year. The Durst Rhotex 325 scheduled for the UK headquarters will be a focal point for the Centres of Excellences being created.
France-based Philippe Bouffant, Chief Executive Officer of Ultima Displays, said: “We’ve discussed opportunities with other players in the market, but nobody can match Durst for quality, service and its partnership approach. It’s a company that’s not just about trying to fit technology to production requirements, it’s about fully understanding our business and requirements and demonstrating how they can help.
“Durst’s approach has been not just about the technology, but they have really taken the time to understand our people and the service we want. There is a level of trust that’s higher than we have ever had before – and it’s reciprocal both ways.
“The investment in these systems will help our 6,000 dealers across Europe get a competitive edge and improve profits. One of the key benefits is that they will be able to offer fantastic quality with industrial, low-cost production with super-fast turnaround times, with some jobs now being able to be printed and dispatched on the same day for next-day delivery. Gone are the days when dealers may have had to wait more than a week for a job to be done.”
He added: “We’ll be able to provide a level of consistency and output that will be unmatched across the industry and the clients’ online business will grow rapidly.”
Christoph Gamper, Durst Chief Executive Officer, said: “Our philosophy is not just about providing a solution. It’s very much about developing a relationship in a partnership approach and working with our customers such as Ultima Displays to help grow their business. We always provide a thorough evaluation of requirements, trials, visits to customer sites and then ensure that the trials are replicated in real-live situations. Nothing is left to chance. Our reputation means everything.”
Founded in 1970, Ultima Displays provides all kinds of other products and services including roller and tension banners, POS signage, backwalls, modular solutions, cases, lighting and counters. Its printing capabilities covers all kind of die-sublimation and UV work for dealers. It is part of the P3 Group, which has a $130million turnover for its global one-stop-shop operations.


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THE Philippine digital economy’s revenue is projected to grow to the equivalent of 12% of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2030, as artificial intelligence (AI) becomes more widely adopted by the business process outsourcing industry.
In a virtual forum hosted by Digital Pilipinas on Thursday, Trade Undersecretary Rafaelita M. Aldaba said the sector generated $17 billion in revenue in 2021, which is projected to increase to $25 billion by 2025, and then $92 billion by 2030.
“Many Filipino startups were able to quickly pivot to new activities and the use of new technology. They provided solutions to help the government address issues encountered during the pandemic. The acceleration of digital transformation paved the way for the growth of the digital economy,” Ms. Aldaba said.
The Trade department said in May that the National AI Strategy will help companies with their digital transformation.
The roadmap leans on AI to maintain or enhance many industries’ competitiveness and to encourage foreign investors to open operations in the country, she said.
There are 50 tech startups in the country that have adopted AI, in industries like financial technology, e-commerce, and digital health.
Ms. Aldaba said one area the roadmap focuses on is building a center for AI research through public-private partnerships. It will serve as a hub for scientists and researchers to seek to apply AI to precision agriculture, healthcare, and smart cities, among others.
“Investments in new technology, digitalization, and innovation are also investments in resilience, sustainability, competitiveness, and long-term business growth, which are all necessary as we enter our economic recovery,” she said.
Digital Pilipinas is the country’s largest private sector-led movement that aims to create a tech ecosystem for the Philippines. — Marielle C. Lucenio


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Tesco is using loyalty card data to tailor online shopping ranges to customers.
The Daily Mail reported that the grocer will display higher priced fine food to those shoppers who spend the most.
Conversely, shoppers on a smaller budget will see cheaper products on promotion when they log on.
Tesco chief executive Philip Clarke said the grocer wanted to treat customers like “friends” in tailoring ranges to their tastes using online shopper data as well as Clubcard data to see what shoppers purchase in store.
He told the Consumer Goods Forum in Istanbul: “We are now making changes to our UK website to highlight promotions that are relevant to the customer who is browsing the site.”
Clarke vowed in April to put the Dunnhumby data on which Clubcard runs “back at the heart of the business” to allow Tesco to target customers more effectively.
Tesco also uses the data to tailor ranges and promotions depending on the local demographic.
The grocer confirmed today that executive director Lucy Neville-Rolfe will retire on her 60th birthday on January 2 2013.
Her responsibilities will be divided between Adrian Morris, who will join from BP as group general counsel on September 3 and Rebecca Shelley, who joined Tesco from PR company Brunswick on May 1 and will take responsibility for corporate affairs. Both will join the group executive committee chaired by Philip Clarke.
Clarke said: “During her period at Tesco Lucy has transformed the professionalism of the corporate affairs function at Tesco as well as, on the legal side, leading for the company on three major competition enquiries. Lucy has always shown unrelenting determination and great finesse and Tesco is indebted to her for many outstanding achievements, not least for leaving behind her a strong team. Our position, both at home and overseas, is undoubtedly much better as a consequence. We will miss her wise counsel when she retires in six months’ time”.
Neville-Rolfe said: “I have had a fascinating career at Tesco and have greatly enjoyed representing our interests around the world and building a great team. The company has grown enormously in size and profits since I joined and I am proud that, with many others, I have contributed to its success.”
She is deputy chair of the British Retail Consortium and a non-executive director of ITV plc and of the Carbon Trust. She is also a member of the London Business School’s Governing Body, the China Britain Business Council, the UK India Business Council and the Corporate Leaders’ Group on Climate Change. On July 1 she will become non-executive president of EuroCommerce, the European trade association for retail, wholesale and international trade.
She was made a Dame in the Queen’s Birthday Honours this month.


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Taking Australian Fashion to the Global Catwalk: Using a Certification Mark
We look at how the Australian Fashion Council aims to promote the country in the style stakes
As part of Melbourne Fashion Week, the Australian Fashion Council (AFC) announced on 12th October 2022 that it was launching the Australian Fashion Campaign. The Australian Fashion Council is a not-for-profit membership organisation whose vision is that: “the Australian Fashion™ will identify Australian Fashion brands on the global stage, selling our unique vision, original design and progressive values to the world. Instantly recognisable, it will drive demand by helping customers discover, explore and buy Australian fashion. […] United, we can show the world how prioritising people and planet together with profit can lead to a legacy of thriving prosperity.”
AFC filed nationally in Australia back in April 2022 for a composite logo and it’s (at the time of writing) part way through its opposition window. They’ve further acted on their vision to take this globally by taking advantage of the Paris Convention, placing an application at WIPO that claims priority from the first filing, designating China, the United Kingdom, India, Republic of Korea and the United States of America.
It’s not the first global certification mark to come out of Australia, either. The familiar Woolmark device, owned by The Woolmark Company, assures consumers that the woolen products they are buying are “made of natural, renewable and biodegradable wool”, having met their regulations, as well as helping consumers to choose wool care products and appliances.
The features and rules of certification marks
So what is a certification trade mark? Whereas an ordinary trade mark helps consumers to identify the origin of goods and services bearing the mark (and by origin, we mean the business providing them) a certification mark is used to identify goods and services that meet the regulations of the owners of the certification marks. Here are a few well-known examples:
- “The goods being Australian made
- Be Australian owned
- Have Australian majority employees
- Be Australian tax domiciled
- Have Australian authentic design
- Reflect and celebrate the Australian Fashion CTM brand attributes and values
- Have made environmental commitments
- Have made social commitments”
It is interesting and laudable that the AFC has made sustainability a key element of certification criteria. The current backlash against fast fashion could see consumers choosing certified products on the basis that they are more environmentally and socially responsible.
However, the fashion industry is also often accused of greenwashing – making claims that are either unsubstantiated or not genuinely beneficial in eco- and social terms. Consequently, the AFC may need to offer more detail about the governance around and verification of the claims made by mark holders. As part of the integrity of the certification, any mark holder that, in the future, faces criticism on environmental or social grounds must risk losing the right to bear the mark, or the integrity of the mark itself could be called into question and its reputation lost.
Conclusion – a strong move for Australian style
This move by the AFC could effectively protect Australian fashion brands from counterfeit. Brands that have been authorized to use the AFC’s certification mark will be able to further distinguish their products from copies or counterfeits. It’s likely we will see other fashion bodies across the world applying to register their own version to protect their country’s fashion brands. With international trade in uncertain waters and the prospect of global recession looming, any move that makes products more desirable and offers assurances about quality will be welcomed.
It allows the members to bolster their own ordinary trade mark to be associated with a higher standard, either in terms of quality or the ethics of the company. As previously mentioned, ethics in particular is a hot topic in the fashion industry, which considerable debate about the authenticity of claims, green washing, and workforce pay and conditions.
This move in fashion could set a trend for the governing or membership bodies of other high value sectors that are seeking to protect the exclusivity and quality of their products.
In all, it’s an exciting time for the uncommon certification mark, which finds itself at the cutting edge of fashion!