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Current research and testing have shown that Gerber and other major brands of baby food contain dangerously high levels of toxic heavy metals such as lead, arsenic, and mercury. These harmful metals cause health complications and neurologic damage in developing children. The development of conditions such as ADHD and autism may be linked to consuming these toxic baby foods.
The product liability lawyers at Miller & Zois seek cases from children (and their parents) who consumed contaminated Gerber baby foods and were later diagnosed with neurologic health conditions such as autism.
If you have a potential baby food autism case, call us today at 800-553-8082 or reach out to us online.
January 16, 2024: A new baby food class action lawsuit naming Gerber is being sought. Toxic baby food lawyers have filed a request with the MDL Panel to create a nationwide MDL to house all federal baby food suits.
December 14, 2023: So far, the lawsuits alleging that heavy metals in baby food may cause autism have not been very successful. 2 of these cases have moved forward, and both of them have eventually been dismissed based on the lack of admissible causation evidence. Despite these setbacks, there is renewed optimism for these cases heading into 2024. Our firm is seeking and accepting bay food autism cases against Gerber and other baby food companies.
GERBER BACTERIA RECALL 2023:
Federal health authorities are raising alarms about the continued distribution of recalled Gerber Good Start formula to various retailers, despite its initial recall due to a potential risk of Cronobacter sakazakii bacterial contamination, a serious health threat for infants. The FDA released a warning on May 14, 2023, that a Tennessee distributor had continued to ship the recalled formula to retailers in at least eight states after the products were identified as potentially contaminated. Cronobacter sakazakii, a rare bacterium commonly found in dry foods like infant formula, can persist in arid conditions, making it possible to transmit through contaminated surfaces. Infections from this bacterium can be deadly, especially for infants, the elderly, and those with compromised immune systems, causing severe infections or meningitis.
The FDA announced the Gerber Good Start recall on March 17 due to concerns about potential Cronobacter sakazakii contamination in specific batches of infant formula produced at a Wisconsin plant. Although the initial recall didn’t disclose how the contamination risk was discovered, 13 lots of the powdered formula were identified as possibly contaminated. These included various Gerber Good Start SoothePro sizes, manufactured by Perrigo Company plc at its Eau Claire, Wisconsin facility between January 2 and 18, 2023.
The latest update reveals that Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. (AWG) continued shipping the recalled products from its Nashville warehouse even after the recall was announced. The FDA’s investigation found that AWG distributed the recalled formula to over 50 retailers in Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. Consumers who have purchased the recalled formula in these states are asked to check for specific lot codes and “use by” dates on the packages. If they have affected products, they should discontinue use immediately and contact the Gerber Parent Resource Center for a refund.
Gerber Baby Food
Gerber is a well-known and established baby food brand in the United States. You probably heard of Gerber before you had children.
The company was founded in 1927 and has since become a leading producer of baby food products, offering a wide range of options for different stages of infancy and early childhood. Gerber’s products are widely available in supermarkets and other retail stores, making it a popular choice for parents looking for convenient and affordable baby food options.
Gerber Products at Issue in Autism Lawsuits
These are the products that are giving cause for concern that the metals in them could cause autism.
|Puff Snacks: Blueberry Puffs
|Organic Lil’ Crunchies White Cheddar Broccoli
|Sweet Potato Puffs
|Cranberry Orange Organic Puffs
|Organic Lil’ Crunchies White Bean Hummus
Gerber Baby Food Found to Contain High Levels of Toxic Metals
Heavy metals like lead, arsenic, mercury, and cadmium are toxic to the human body. Many of them, such as lead and mercury, have been linked explicitly to neurological problems in young children with developing brains. This is why keeping these metals away from children has been a significant public health priority for many years. Unfortunately, recent research has shown that we may have fed these toxic metals to our children for years.
In October 2019, a public health organization called Healthy Babies Bright Futures (HBBF) released a study and report titled “What’s in my baby’s food?” The report documented an investigation by HBBF, which involved scientific testing of early baby foods. The testing found toxic heavy metals in 95 percent of the products tested and further determined that one in four baby foods contained all three dangerous metals – arsenic, lead, and mercury.
The report highlighted that even “trace amounts” of these toxic contaminants “can alter the developing brain and erode a child’s IQ.” The report stated that because these metals bioaccumulate, “the impacts add up with each meal or snack a baby eats.” The report raised concerns about the harmful effects of these heavy metals on children’s health and called for immediate action to reduce or eliminate their presence in baby foods.
The HBBF report found that Gerber products were among the baby foods tested that contained detectable levels of arsenic, lead, cadmium, and/or mercury.
House of Representatives Investigation
In 2021, the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy released a Staff Report entitled Baby Foods Are Tainted with Dangerous Levels of Arsenic, Lead, Cadmium, and Mercury (the “Staff Report”). The Staff Report detailed the Subcommittee’s findings from an investigation into claims that major baby foods like Gerber were sold with high levels of toxic heavy metals. The Subcommittee investigation was based on lab test results and internal documents from baby food manufacturers.
The investigation results confirmed that Gerber and other commercial baby foods “are tainted with significant levels of toxic heavy metals, including arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury.” The Staff Report also noted that exposure to these contaminants harms infants’ neurological development and brain function.
Heavy Metal Levels Specifically in Gerber Baby Foods
The Staff Report found unsafe levels of heavy metals in baby food products from seven of the largest manufacturers in the U.S., including Gerber, the world’s biggest baby food manufacturer. The Staff Report details the levels of toxins found in the various food brands based on testing. The levels of toxic metals in Gerber were lower than other major brands, but they were still well above the maximum safe levels set by the FDA.
And, then again, according to the House Subcommittee’s report, Gerber agreed to provide limited data in response to the Subcommittee’s request for information regarding heavy metals in baby food.
The report notes that Gerber only provided test results for four types of baby food products, despite being asked to provide information on a broader range of products.
Additionally, the Subcommittee notes that Gerber’s test results only included data for inorganic arsenic and did not include results for other toxic heavy metals, such as lead and cadmium.
Why? It’s pretty bold to just ignore requests from Congress, making you wonder what Gerber is hiding.
(a) Arsenic Levels in Gerber Baby Food
Arsenic is considered the most hazardous toxin-heavy metals covered by the Staff Report. In young children, exposure to arsenic is known to cause neurologic problems and damage the central nervous system.
The FDA and the EPA have set maximum safe arsenic levels for bottled water at ten ppb. The Staff Report found that Gerber baby food products used ingredients that contained over 90 ppb of inorganic arsenic based on lab testing. This is nine times the FDA maximum safe level.
(b) Lead Levels in Geber Baby Food
Lead is considered the second most toxic of the heavy metals that are known to pose a threat to human health. Lead exposure (even at small levels) is associated with a range of bad health outcomes, particularly neurologic and cognitive developmental issues in children.
The FDA’s maximum safe level for lead is five ppb in drinking water, 20 ppb in juice, and 100 ppb in candy products. According to the Staff Report, Geber used ingredients in baby food that tested as high as 48 ppb for lead.
(c) Mercury Levels in Gerber Baby Food
Mercury ranks 3rd behind arsenic and lead in terms of the most harmful heavy metals featured in the Staff Report on baby foods. Studies have shown that prenatal mercury exposure can lead to adverse neurologic development. More specifically, high blood levels of mercury in toddlers have been positively associated with “autistic behaviors.”
Mercury can be harmful even at extremely low levels. The FDA has capped the maximum safe mercury level in drinking water at two ppb. The Staff Report does not contain information on the levels of mercury in Geber baby foods because the Subcommittee relied on information provided by Gerber.
Here is something else amazing. According to the House Subcommittee report, Gerber only “rarely” tested for mercury in their baby food products. The report stated that in 2017, Gerber tested only 5 out of 87 samples for mercury, and in 2019, they tested only 4 out of 71.
The report also noted that Gerber’s testing methodology for mercury was not validated and did not follow EPA guidance.
(d) Cadmium Levels in Gerber Baby Food
Cadmium ranks fourth on the list of hazardous toxic metals in baby foods. Cadmium exposure in children has been linked to lower IQ and the development of ADHD. The FDA has set the maximum safe limit for cadmium in drinking water at five ppb. The Staff Report found that Gerber baby food products containing carrots were contaminated with cadmium. Over 75% of Gerber’s carrot foods contained over five ppb of cadmium, and some contained up to 87 ppb.
Heavy Metals in Gerber Baby Food May Cause Autism and Other Conditions
The toxic health effects of heavy metals are well recognized. Still, a growing body of scientific research is beginning to specifically connect exposure to these materials to autism, ADD, and other neurologic disorders. Many medical studies have identified a connection between regular exposure to heavy metals during gestation, infancy, and childhood and higher rates of autism.
A study published in 2014 looked at the impact of prenatal and early infancy exposures to mercury. The study concluded that mercury exposure resulted in a twofold increase in the risk of developing both autism or ADD. Three years later, a similar study on children in Korea found a similar association between mercury exposure and autism/ADD rates.
A possible connection between arsenic exposure and higher autism rates was identified in a meta-analysis study conducted by a research team at the University of Buffalo and published in 2019. A more extensive study was published the following year, which found the same positive association between autism and exposure to mercury, arsenic, and cadmium during infancy.
Gerber Baby Food Autism Lawsuits
The Staff Report regarding heavy metals in baby foods like Gerber has led to a number of product liability lawsuits against Gerber by parents claiming that their children developed autism (or other disorders). These lawsuits are partly based on the findings in the Staff Report, which clearly show that Gerber was aware that its baby food products contained heavy metals well above the maximum safe limits set by the FDA.
Since the Staff Report was published in February 2021, Gerber Products Company has been named a defendant in several consumer class action and product liability lawsuits involving toxic metals in baby food products. Our firm is currently seeking Gerber toxic baby food lawsuits.
Gerber Good Start Recalled Over Bacteria Risk
In March 2023, Gerber Good Start SoothePro brand baby food was recalled in the U.S. in response to concerns that the product may be contaminated with a dangerous and potentially deadly bacteria called Cronobacter sakazakii. The FDA announced the recall on March 17, 2023 after the agency determined that certain lots of the popular baby food manufactured at a specific plant in Wisconsin may be contaminated with the bacteria.
To date, the FDA says that it has not identified any contaminated products from the Wisconsin plant, and the details of what prompted the concerns and the recall have not been released. A contamination outbreak with the same bacteria led to a massive recall of Similac infant formula in 2021. That outbreak was traced back to a manufacturing facility in Michigan and it sparked a national infant formula shortage. In response, the FDA tightened certain regulations and the recent Geber recall may be the first example of those stricter safety regulations in action.
Hiring a Baby Food Lawyer
Parents reasonably trust companies to sell baby food that is safe, nutritious, and free from harmful toxins. They certainly expect the food they feed their infants do not contain elevated levels of toxic heavy metals such as arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury—substances known to have significant and dangerous health consequences, particularly for infants
If your child has been affected by exposure to toxic heavy metals in baby food and has experienced adverse health consequences, including the development of neurological developmental disorders such as autism, you may have legal options.
The evidence presented by the Healthy Babies Bright Futures report and the subsequent House Subcommittee investigation suggest that certain baby food manufacturers, including Gerber, may have knowingly sold products containing dangerous levels of toxic heavy metals.
Call Our Law Firm
Our law firm is dedicated to holding these companies accountable and obtaining justice for affected individuals and families. Contact us to learn more about your legal rights and options. Call today for a free consultation at 800-553-8082 or contact our law firm online.


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Ipswich Town fans are invited to play a brand new puzzle game called Where’s Marcus?
The exciting new game, developed by the Suffolk Gazette, sees fans trying to spot the owner of their football club.
Despite Ipswich being in freefall, in its worst position for more than 60 years, the club owner is nowhere to be seen.
Can you help out by spotting Marcus in our exclusive Where’s Marcus puzzles?
Wearing his familiar bobble hat and striped shirt, our chum is hidden in a sea of faces. But can you find him?
Play along with some of our puzzle images below….
Puzzle developer Lorraine Fisher, 34, said: “These are dark days for Ipswich Town fans. Players are in rebellion, getting sent off, have referees squaring up to them, cannot win a football match, have fans protesting and setting fire to the training ground – and have a manager who is seemingly taking the team to oblivion.
“Yet despite it all, Marcus Evans is nowhere to be seen. Any other owner would have sacked his underperforming manager by now – especially as Paul Lambert basically threw Evans under a bus this week.
“So all Ipswich fans want to know now is, where is Marcus?”
Buy a mug, not a puzzle
Amuse yourself with one of our Suffolk Gazette mugs, all of which are either available on the Dirty Old Goat website, or by clicking directly on a muggy item below…

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GROUPE Renault UK has celebrated the strength and depth of its dealer network with special anniversary presentations at three of its longest-established franchise partners.
Senior brand representatives joined the teams at City Motors and SJ Cook & Sons, both of which are in Bristol, and AKS Yeovil to celebrate the dealerships’ respective 50-, 40- and 25-year anniversaries.
Each of the dealerships was presented with a commemorative award by Louise O’Sullivan, network operations director, Groupe Renault UK, to mark their achievement and acknowledge their outstanding contribution to the success of the Renault and Dacia brands in the UK.
The dealerships are amongst the most experienced in the Groupe Renault UK dealer network, which includes nearly 160 nationwide dealers and is continuing to grow in a challenging automotive retail market. All three are family-owned, attributing their longevity and continued success to their unwavering focus on customer service and the Renault and Dacia model ranges.
O’ Sullivan said: ‘We’re delighted to join our franchise partners in celebrating such significant anniversaries. They are fantastic ambassadors for our brands and their commitment to customers and the Groupe Renault franchise is exceptional.’
Robin Cook, managing director of the Carco Group, which operates SJ Cook & Sons and City Motors, said: ‘Renault and Dacia are a substantial part of our business and together with our experienced and dedicated workforce we are a formidable partnership.
‘Our territory performance and longevity of representation speaks volumes for how much our customers value the Renault and Dacia brands and we are delighted to be part of Groupe Renault and all that it has to offer.’
Anton K Szulc, managing director of AKS Yeovil, added: ‘Quite simply, there’s no other brand that we would wish to represent or area that we would like to serve.
‘With Renault, it feels like we’re part of a family, which is especially rewarding as we’re a solus dealership, and it’s nice that the support and enthusiasm we have for the brand is appreciated and reciprocated.
‘We’re proud to have represented Groupe Renault UK for 25 years.’


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The Designation of Origin Monterrei has again joined the celebration of the Day Movement Wine D.O., which as in the year 2020, has been made in online format.
To this end, a virtual toast has been promoted to which have added wineries, members of the Tasting Panel, technical staff and the president of the C.R.D.O. Monterrei, in order to claim the importance of wine with designation of origin, the values linked to it and, in 2021, also the tourist, gastronomic and cultural jewels of each territory. “This virtual initiative, which we hope to be able to carry out in person next year, seeks to thank the work of all those who form this great family, winegrowers, wineries, tasters, Horeca channel, consumers, etc.”, says President Lara Da Silva, “because only by working together, side by side, we will come out stronger from this health, social and economic crisis that we are living”.
This initiative has also contemplated the realization of a raffle on social networks, in which the participants had to comment on the social profiles of Movimiento Vino D.O., through the hashtag #VinoDOJoya, and saying what other gem of its environment, besides the wine with D.O., it was essential to know (emblematic places, natural spaces, museums, monuments, typical dishes, etc.)
The D.O. Wine Movement Day was held for the first time in 2017 with the aim of revaluing wine with designation of origin and, in this edition, also represents the support of the CECRV (Spanish Conference of Wine Regulatory Councils) to designations of origin, winemakers and winemakers.


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Ironically, Snap was trying to make Snapchat app easier to use with the redesign. But since the updated version (10.25) began hitting users’ phones over the course of last week, many have complained that the new interface is cluttered and makes it more difficult to share messages with their friends.
More than 560,000 people have signed a Change.org petition calling for Snap to “Remove the new Snapchat update.” It says, in part, “Many ‘new features’ are useless or defeats [sic] the original purposes Snapchat has had for the past years.”
Snap currently has no plans to revert to the previous Snapchat app design. In a statement, a spokeswoman said, “Updates as big as this one can take a little getting used to, but we hope the community will enjoy it once they settle in.”
It’s worth pointing out that anytime a widely used app platform makes changes — even seemingly minor ones — people tend to freak out and clamor for a return to the previous design. Over the years users have railed against updates implemented by Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Netflix. Eventually the storm passes as everyone grows accustomed to the changes.
But for now, much of Snapchat’s user base is frustrated and disappointed.
Last week Chrissy Teigen weighed in on the controversy on Twitter. Quoting a user’s complaint in a tweet Friday, the model and TV personality asked rhetorically, “How many people have to hate an update for it to be reconsidered?”
Marques Brownlee, better known as YouTube tech vlogger MKBHD, said he is abandoning Snapchat given the uproar over the redesign and the app’s subpar features for discovering public content from creators. “I’m just going to leave Snapchat, because don’t see them fully embracing the discovery of the individually produced content nearly the same way something like Instagram would, as a platform as a whole,” he said in a Feb. 8 YouTube video.
The new Snapchat app still opens to the camera view. But what’s new is a dynamic Friends page, with the friends you talk to the most. The trouble, for many users, is that it doesn’t provide an easy way to see to see if they have new messages. That’s resulted in users losing their “streaks” with friends, which mark how many days in row they’ve sent snaps to each other.
Snapchatters have been voicing their displeasure in one-star reviews on Apple’s App Store.
“i’ve been using snapchat for the past 5 years every single day. but i completely hate the new update,” someone calling themselves “Swagfagespinosa” posted in a Feb. 12 review on the App Store. “it makes me not want to go on snapchat anymore, instagram stories will make snapchat be like it never happened.”
The annoyance over Snapchat’s app update comes after Snap reported its best quarter ever last week since going public. Snap topped Wall Street revenue expectations for the fourth quarter of 2017 and also posted the biggest net user addition in over a year, adding 8.9 million daily active users in the period to an average of 187 million DAUs. On the earnings call, CEO Evan Spiegel said that 40 million users had the redesigned Snapchat app as of Feb. 6, and that has increased as Snap expanded the rollout last week.
According to the company, the redesigned app is Snapchat’s biggest change since it introduced Discover, which features content from media partners, in January 2015. One of the goals with the redesign was to more clearly delineate user-generated posts from professionally produced content.
The redesigned Discover page features with Stories from publishers, creators and the other users (Snap Map, Search, and Our Stories), tailored to individual users. The Discover section previously presented media content in a horizontal scroll, while the new design provides a vertical, feed-like scroll with content at the top of the feed supposedly being the stuff that’s most relevant to a user.


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The prototype wearable device harvests energy from the wearer’s movements
Spotted: The global market for smart wearables is forecast to reach $42.3 billion (around €38.9 billion) by 2028. These devices will undoubtedly improve our lives through greater connectivity and convenience. But more electronic devices mean more demand for raw materials such as iron, copper, and gold – something which is increasingly emerging as a problem.
To tackle this, researchers from the University of Surrey, are explored how recycled waste materials can be used to make wearables by developing and testing a prototype wrist device made from discarded paper wipes and plastic cups.
The prototype is powered by energy harvested from the wearer’s movements. The device contains materials—called Triboelectric Nanogenerators (TENGs)—that become electrically charged when they rub against one another, in a process known as electrostatic induction. This charge is used to power the device – which currently transmits morse code. In the future the prototype could be developed into a smart watch.
“It won’t be long until we have to ask ourselves which of the items we own are not connected to the internet,” explains Dr Bhaskar Dudem, project lead and Research Fellow at the University of Surrey’s Advanced Technology Institute (ATI). “However, the current internet-of-things (IoT) revolution highlights the simple fact that our planet doesn’t have the raw resources to continue to make these devices which are in such high demand.”
Wearable innovations recently spotted by Springwise include a biosensor that can measure emotional data, a wearable sensor for tracking stress, and a wearable that uses the human body to power electrical equipment.
Written By: Matthew Hempstead


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THE Philippine Nickel Industry Association (PNIA) is projecting a decline in nickel production of 10-20% in 2019, though companies expect to be profitable, with economic activity driven by the May elections and the ‘Build, Build, Build’ infrastructure program.
At the Pandesal Forum in Quezon City on Wednesday, Dante R. Bravo, PNIA president, said: “It’s likely that production will be reduced 10 to 20%.”
Mr. Bravo is also the president of listed nickel ore exporter Global Ferronickel Holdings Inc (FNI).
According to Mr. Bravo, nickel production will fall to 212,000 to 215,000 tons this year from 370,000 tons a year earlier.
He said that assuming a similar decline next year, nickel output will fall to 150,0000 tons “which is less than 10% of the global requirement.”
The decline in Philippine nickel production started in 2016 due to low prices and unfavorable weather. More recently, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), led by Secretary Roy A. Cimatu, also released an order limiting production area depending on the mine’s production volume per year.
“If you limit the open areas, that means you lose certain flexibility,” Mr. Bravo said. He also noted that the Philippines exports more than 90% of its nickel to China which is the country’s biggest market.
Mr. Bravo said that the Philippines also has high power costs, while China has cheap power and many nickel processing plants.
“The other thing we have to consider, given that we have to compete with China, is where are we going to sell it? Also to China because we don’t have a local market here,” Mr. Bravo said.
“They have the technology, they have the money, they have everything. What we can do is to be part of the value chain because they don’t have the raw materials. If we’re going through from end to end of the value chain, we simply can’t compete,” Mr. Bravo explained, however noting that the comparative advantage of the Philippines is that it has a higher grade ore.
Asked for his outlook on nickel prices in 2019, Mr. Bravo said: “Overall, we will have modest growth in 2019. [There’s] elections. There’s too much money in circulation. We’re also hoping the ‘Build, Build, Build’ program will support economic growth in 2019.”
He said that if prices for low-grade ore rise, it will encourage more production.
“We’ve been shipping more medium-grade ore because of the low prices of low-grade ore,” Mr. Bravo said, noting that this trend may continue until 2019.
Currently, the Philippines has 48 metallic mines of which 30 are devoted to nickel ore. Most of the ore is exported to China for processing into stainless steel. — Reicelene Joy N. Ignacio


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Nintendo’s DSi has sailed past the 3m unit sales mark in Japan, Kotaku reports.
In total the machine has sold 3,062,920 units as of August 2nd. It first went on sale in the region on November 1st last year. Total DS sales in the territory now stand at 27m.
The DSi is the third iteration of Nintendo’s twin screened machine. It improves on its predecessor, the DS Lite, by introducing two digital cameras, bigger screens and an SD card slot.


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Food Safety News
The mystery of how a variety of
genetically engineered wheat supposedly abandoned by Monsanto years ago was
found growing in an eastern Oregon field a
few weeks ago has taken an interesting turn…
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10/29/2014Pet supplements emerging as leading sector in the pet food industry
10/29/2014Pet Food Industry Expected to Grow to $33 Billion by 2018 on Strength of Premium Foods
10/29/2014Shoppers to spend $350 million on Halloween costumes this year — for their pets
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Welcome to the Caves of Narshe
Welcome to the Caves of Narshe, a site providing detailed guides, information, fanart and fanfiction related to Square's classic Final Fantasy games (and let's not forget, Chrono Trigger too!). We hope you enjoy your visit.
It's been over two years since Square Enix announced the setup of Studio Istolia, headed by Hideo Baba, and Project Prelude Rune. It's been three-quarters of a year since we last heard anything significant in terms of news from the studio, too. Since then, Hideo Baba left Square Enix entirely, as it appears that I missed last month. That's usually not a good sign for a studio that has yet to produce a game, and it appears that is true here, too.
As of yesterday, all social media accounts for Studio Istolia were closed down, and as much evidence of the original trailers as Squenix could was purged from the internet. Apparently the Studio Istolia website had been redirecting users back to the main Square Enix site since around the time Baba left the studio and the company. Square Enix have yet to comment officially on this change, but the logical conclusion is that the studio and game are both now dead.
Update: Square Enix have confirmed that the studio has been shuttered.
Source: Siliconera, GamesIndustry
The next round of dates for Distant Worlds and A New World were announced late last week, carrying us largely through the fall for the former and into early 2020 for the latter. It's been since January and November respectively since we got new show information, so some of these new dates might be up your alley. For Distant Worlds:
- Seattle, September 11 and 12
- Austin, October 4
- Oklahoma City, October 5
- Quebec City, November 23
- Kansas City, January 17, 2020
I'd also missed that ANW released a second album of recordings at the start of the year. I saw a tweet the other day mentioning that the album would also be appearing on streaming services soon, but I don't yet see it on my Spotify. Keep your eyes out if you've read this far.
Source: Distant Worlds, A New World
I mentioned in a thread at the forums yesterday that Square Enix staff seemed pretty excited about today's State of Play presentation by Sony. Turns out they had good reason to be, as part of that presentation was a debut trailer with cutscenes and battle gameplay from the FF7 remake that has long been in the works!
It's just a minute long, and it mainly focuses upon the very early stages of the game that introduce us to AVALANCHE in the Reactor raid. We also get a glimpse of Aerith and Cloud's first interaction, though, and at the very end a little tiny bit of Sephiroth himself. It's still hard to tell whether the battles are going to go into an all-action mode, or whether they are just a very, very fancy variant of ATB, but what you can see already looks very pretty indeed.Source: Siliconera
Square Enix announced last week that for the first time ever, an official symphonic concert dedicated to the soundtrack of Final Fantasy VII will premiere in Los Angeles. The date will be June 9, a couple days before this year's E3 kicks off, and it will play at the Dolby Theatre at 6pm for one show.
The concert will include over a hundred live musicians conducted by Arnie Roth, with new arrangements and a new HD video presentation to be played as the concert goes. Tickets are on sale now and range from $77.77 (ha!) to $139.
The timing of doing an all-FF7 concert just before E3 is interesting, with the remake in the works. One might take this to mean that there will be some real information on the remake at E3 this year, in which case we've got just a month or so left to wait.
Source: Gematsu, WildFaery
Still speculative, but it was reported today that the body responsible for age-rating games in South Korea (known as the Game Rating and Administration Committee of Korea) has given a rating for PCs for Octopath Traveler, the Square Enix Switch RPG. The publisher of record is Bandai Namco, who according to Gematsu regularly act as the Korean-locale publisher for Square Enix games.
There is always the chance that this could be an erroneous listing, but typically news such as this from a game ratings board is always followed by an official announcement or an actual release of a game. Given further that the game was originally developed in Unreal Engine, a PC port seems like an obvious next step as well. Keep your eyes out for more news soon.
We haven't heard much about the Seiken Densetsu games since the recent remake of Seiken Densetsu 2, known in the west as Secret of Mana, was released a little over a year ago. Before that, it was nearly two years ago that the collection of the first three games in the series was released for Switch, only in Japan. However, it seems like there might be life in the series again as Square Enix Japan have now filed for trademarks in Japan for "Collection of Mana" and "Secret of Mana," which is a little bit odd given that the "Mana" names were never actually used in Japan until now.
"Collection of Mana" specifically seems to echo the Japanese name for the Switch release, "Seiken Densetsu Collection." Could that mean that an official release in English of Seiken Densetsu 3 might finally be on the cards? Or are Square Enix merely looking to protect their IP more globally? We don't yet know, of course, and Square Enix are certainly not yet saying. Given that other Mana-series trademarks have recently been filed in North America and Europe, it could go either way.
Posted in: News from Japan
Kingdom Hearts 3 is finally released, and as a followup Square Enix has announced a new Kingdom Hearts Orchestra tour in a number of worldwide locations starting in May. We've talked about the orchestra on the forums before during their previous tour last year, but now there are a lot of new dates for 2019:
- Singapore, May 18
- Chicago, June 1
- Orlando, June 22
- New York, June 28 and 29
- Atlanta, September 14
- Paris, September 28
- Sydney, October 19
- Dallas, October 26
- London, November 17
On the subject of Square Enix music, though, while we're here - A New World announced recently one new date in Seattle on April 27th.
Source: Kingdom Hearts Orchestra Tickets, A New World
This is unexpected and kind of neat; Square Enix announced today a new CG-animated feature-length movie from the Dragon Quest universe, title "Dragon Quest: Your Story." The movie will be based upon Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride, a game first released on the Super Famicom over 25 years ago. Yuji Horii, creator of the Dragon Quest franchise, will be a consulting supervisor on the movie's production. It will be released on August 2 in Japan, but no indications yet of subtitled or dubbed releases outside of Japan.
The last update we had for Distant Worlds shows centered around a lot of dates outside the United States, mostly in Europe. Many of those shows are still to come, so if you are one of our European readers don't forget to look back.
Now, though, a big chunk of 2019 is being filled with dates in the States. The show in Nashville is still coming up next week, but in addition the concert series is coming to:
- Minneapolis, March 1
- Boston, April 5
- Denver, May 2 and 3
- Columbus, Ohio, May 31
- Phoenix, September 7
- Chicago, September 14
Tickets for all of these shows are already on sale! There were no new dates for A New World announced in this round, but I'm certain some will show up in the near future.
Source: Distant Worlds
We reported yesterday that Square Enix had registered trademarks for a Final Fantasy digital card game, and we thought that maybe it would be an online version of the physical card game that was released a couple years back. It appears now that it's not - but don't blame EvilEye, as much as you might like to.
Announced today in Japan, the actual product appears to be a different card game entirely with more RPG elements but still a reliance upon the thirty years of Final Fantasy IP. The announcement website is only in Japanese, and Google Translate does not have a good time with it, but upon comparing the field of play in screenshots with my own physical cards, it definitely seems like a different game.
The game must be releasing very soon, at least in Japan, as applications are being accepted now for a closed beta to be run between the 18th and 25th of this month. It will be available for Windows, iOS, and Android.


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TRENDING ON ONEINDIA
- Kerala Congress Invites Rahul Gandhi To Contest From Wayanad LS Seat
- IPL 2019: Indian Premier League Opening Ceremony Funds Donated To CRPF & Armed Forces
- Skoda Superb Gets A Facelift!
- OPPO F11 Pro Review: Good Design, Display And Camera, Underwhelming Software
- Salman, Rana & Others Attend The Wedding Of Venky’s Daughter
- Witnessing The Beauty Of Williamnagar, Meghalaya
- 12 Home Remedies To Treat Chapped Lips
- India's Forex Reserves Up By $3.6 Billion To $405.64 Billion
Nokia 7.1 Plus live images surfaces online, features include notch display and Snapdragon 710 SoC
Nokia 7.1 Plus is expected to feature a 6-inch Full HD+ display.
HMD Global, the Finnish smartphone manufacturer affiliated with Nokia is all set to unveil a new smartphone for the users. It is expected that the company will launch the successor of Nokia 7 in an event which is scheduled to take place in London on October 4. The smartphone which HMD Global is expected to launch is Nokia 7.1 Plus. Now, some new leaked images are making some round over the web suggesting the device's codename as 'Nokia Phoenix'.
The new leaked hands-on image of the upcoming Nokia device gives us a fair idea as to what the device might offer in terms of features and specifications. Let's quickly have a look at the suggested leaked specs and features of the upcoming Nokia smartphone.
As per the leaked hands-on image, the Nokia 7.1 Plus is expected to feature a 6-inch Full HD+ display, however, there is no mention as to what screen resolution will the display of the smartphone offer. If we go as per the rumors then the upcoming device will have two variants namely Nokia 7.1 and Nokia 7.1 Plus. The Nokia 7.1 Plus will feature a notch display, whereas, the Nokia 7.1 will not offer a display notch. For optics, the Nokia 7.1 Plus will feature a dual-rear camera setup. The device will also have a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner for added security.
Under the hood, the Nokia 7.1 and 7.1 Plus are expected to be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 SoC. The smartphones will be available in two RAM variants including a 4GB RAM and a 6GB RAM variant. The device will have 64GB of onboard storage which will be further expandable via microSD card. As of now there is no mention how much the memory can be expanded. The on-sheet specs of the smartphone seem pretty impressive and it should give a lag free user experience.
HMD might launch the Nokia 7.1/ 7.1 Plus by the name of X7 in China. The global variant of the X7 will be launched under Android One Program and it is speculated that the device might ship with Android 9.0 Pie out of the box. It is not immediately clear as to what Android version will the device run on, however, we will keep you further posted on the same, so stay tuned with us for more updates.


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A Singapore arbitration panel has put on hold Future Group’s $3.38 billion asset purchase to Reliance Industries Ltd, an victory that is interim Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN), which had alleged the deal involving the Indian firms breached agreements being current.
Amazon received a crisis order to prevent the ongoing businesses from proceeding with the deal until an arbitration tribunal is formed, a source with direct understanding of the problem told Reuters.
Amazon year that is final a 49% stake in Future Coupons Ltd, which has a 7.3% stake in Future Retail. In August, Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance chose to purchase shopping, wholesale plus some other businesses of Future Group in a deal valued at $3.38 billion, including financial obligation.
But Amazon’s investment was included with contractual legal rights such as the right of first refusal and a pact that is non-compete-like media had reported, and Amazon later on started arbitration proceedings in Singapore.
“It is a triumph that is comprehensive Amazon,” a source with direct familiarity with the decision stated. “they have won an injunction to end the offer.”
Two sources knowledgeable about the situation stated the short-term injunction wasn’t automatically enforceable in India and that the order would need to be ratified by an court that is Indian.
In a statement, Amazon stated: “we’re grateful for the order which grants all of the reliefs that have been desired. We remain focused on an conclusion that is expeditious of arbitration procedure.”
Reliance Retail intends to finish the deal beneath the terms of the agreement with Future Group without any wait, Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd (RRVL) said in a declaration on Sunday.
“RRVL has entered in to the transaction for purchase of assets and business of Future Retail Limited under proper advice that is appropriate the rights and obligations are fully enforceable under Indian Law,” the statement included.
Future Group was not reachable for comment immediately. A Singapore arbitration panel has put on hold Future Group. A Singapore arbitration panel has put on hold Future Group’s.


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ARA SENT LETTER TO USDA ON HOW PAYMENTS MAY NEGATIVELY IMPACT RETAILERS
Jun 04 2019
WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 4, 2019) – The Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA) sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today describing the risk of unintended consequences that the disaster relief legislation will have on agribusiness and requesting him to implement legislation in a way that will not harm agricultural retailers and distributors.
While ARA wholeheartedly supports the efforts of congress to pass supplemental relief to farmers across the country devastated by natural disasters, we have concerns regarding the negative impact the widespread prevented planting payments will impose on the agribusiness community.
"Our members will always have the farmers' best interest at heart because if farmers don't succeed, retailers don't succeed," said ARA President and CEO Daren Coppock.
Should farmers choose not to plant in 2019 and instead take prevented planting compensation, the retailer will be left holding product which will either drop in value, or worse, be of no value at all, as in the case of treated seed. Therefore, encouraging farmers to alter their planting intentions drastically will have a detrimental impact on agricultural retailers and other businesses serving farmers.
"We believe the American farmer wants nothing more than to be able to put crops in the ground and produce a plentiful harvest, and this action would hopefully assist to that end," said Coppock in the letter.
Instead, ARA recommends delaying the prevented planting date in the affected states for the 2019 growing season as an excellent resolution to accommodate grower needs while also considering the interest of agricultural retailers who serve the growers.
ARA is working to arrange further meetings with USDA and will keep the public updated.
Click here to read ARA's full letter written to the USDA.


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Nokia N97 Mini now shipping to American lovers, haters
The miniaturized version of Nokia's N97 began shipping to eager consumers in Europe in late October, but for those unable to save their pennies in America while waiting for the N900, today's the day to unload. As of right now, the (obviously unlocked) N97 Mini is shipping from both Dell and Amazon here in the States, with the former offering it for $430 (after coupon) and the latter selling it for $479.99. Any takers? Or has the full-sized N97 already claimed that piece of your heart?
All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.


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E-cigarettes a threat to adolescents and should not be sold to minors, World Health Organisation says
Electronic cigarettes pose a threat to adolescents and should not be sold to minors, the World Health Organisation (WHO) says, in a long-awaited report that calls for strict regulation of the devices.
In the 13-page report, which will be debated by member states at a meeting in October in Moscow, the United Nations health agency also voiced concern at the concentration of the $3 billion market in the hands of transnational tobacco companies.
The WHO declared war on "Big Tobacco" a decade ago, clinching the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), the world's first public health treaty that has been ratified by 179 states since entering into force in 2005.
The treaty recommends price and tax measures to curb demand as well as bans on tobacco advertising and illicit trade in tobacco products.
Prior to Tuesday's report the WHO had indicated it would favour applying similar restrictions to all nicotine-containing products, including smokeless ones.
The WHO urged a range of "regulatory options", including prohibiting e-cigarette makers from making health claims — such as that they help people quit smoking — until they provide "convincing supporting scientific evidence and obtain regulatory approval".
E-cigarettes should be regulated to "minimise content and emissions of toxicants", and those solutions with fruit, candy-like and alcohol-drinks flavours should be banned, it said. Vending machines should be removed in almost all locations.
The use of e-cigarettes poses a threat to adolescents and the foetuses of pregnant women, the report said.
E-cigarettes also increase the exposure of bystanders and non-smokers to nicotine and other toxicants, it said regarding Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems that it calls ENDS.
"In summary, existing evidence shows that ENDS aerosol is not merely 'water vapour' as is often claimed in the marketing or these products," the WHO said in the report.
Scientists are divided on the risks and potential benefits of e-cigarettes, which are widely considered to be a lot less harmful than conventional cigarettes.
One group of researchers warned the WHO in May not to classify them as tobacco products, arguing that doing so would jeopardise a major opportunity to slash disease and deaths caused by smoking.
But opposing experts argued a month later that the WHO should hold firm to its plan for strict regulations.
E-cigarettes more tempting than regular cigarettes: study
A total of 178 countries are parties to the FCTC and are obliged to implement its measures, with the United States the one notable non-signatory.
Major tobacco companies including Imperial Tobacco, Altria Group, Philip Morris International and British American Tobacco are increasingly launching their own e-cigarette brands as sales of conventional products stall in Western markets.
A Wells Fargo analyst report in July projected that US sales of e-cigarettes would outpace conventional ones by 2020.
Uptake of electronic cigarettes, which use battery-powered cartridges to produce a nicotine-laced inhalable vapour, has rocketed in the past two years and analysts estimate the industry had worldwide sales of some $3 billion in 2013.
But the devices are controversial. Because they are so new there is a lack of long-term scientific evidence to support their safety and some fear they could be "gateway" products to nicotine addiction and tobacco smoking.
Adolescents are increasingly experimenting with e-cigarettes, with their use in this age group doubling between 2008 and 2012, the WHO said.
A study by US researchers published on Monday found they may be more tempting to non-smoking youths than conventional cigarettes.


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2. Here's a myth-buster: money and good life are not necessarily the driving force for the capital's youngsters. The Indian Air Force gets the maximum number of job applications from this city.
3. Yatra.com, the 2005 start-up by Delhi youth Dhruv Shringi, has been nominated for The Annual World Travel Awards 2009-the only Indian nominee.
4. Luxury is no longer a status symbol, but a way of enhancing your life. Retailers have caught on. Experiential auto retail is in. Skoda opened the first boutique showroom at Arshia in CP.
5. IPL team Delhi Daredevils looked beyond cricket and triggered off a Soccer Mania for under-21 youths outside Ferozeshah Kotla.
7. Delhi youth claim to be seriously open to premarital sex. Just 37% of boys want virgin brides. Surprised? Check out new research, Quote Unquote.
8. Delhi is now a 'noir'. Some of India's best writers have joined hands to write on Delhi's own unique style. Look out for Delhi Noir.
9. Delhi hosts in style: Bukhara at Maurya had a Hillary Platter in honour of the US Secretary of State's recent visit.
10. Fashionistas in Delhi no longer need to run around town from one fashion week to another. The (in)famously feuding Fashion Design Council of India and the Fashion Design Promotion Council have finally kissed and made up. The fash pack has breathed a sigh of relief.
Courtesy: Simply Delhi


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WASHINGTON -- The Treasury plans to raise $9.6 billion in new cash and pay down $8 billion on the federal debt with the sale of short-term and longer-term securities next week.
Details of the offerings:
The Treasury plans on selling $18 billion of two-year notes Tuesday and $13 billion of five-year notes Wednesday to refund $21.4 billion of maturing securities and raise $9.6 billion in fresh cash.
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- Ulta Beauty:
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Today's Hotels.com promo code: Extra 10% off your hotel booking


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Globally a year’s production of uneaten food guzzles as much water as the entire annual flow of the Volga, Europe’s most voluminous river. Growing the 133 billion pounds of food that retailers and consumers discard in the United States annually slurps the equivalent of more than 70 times the amount of oil lost in the Gulf of Mexico’s Deepwater Horizon disaster, according to American Wasteland author Jonathan Bloom. But recent news regarding food waste create some hopes that, finally, after many years of inertia and while Southern Africa experiences a serious food crisis, food waste management becomes a mainstream approach, as many international organisations have already suggested.
Few days ago, the Scottish Government has pledged to reduce the nation’s food waste by one third over the next nine years – a plan that would save businesses and households across the country more than £500m if successful. Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead today (23 February) unveiled the publication of Scotland’s first ever circular economy strategy, outlining bold plans to significantly reduce waste in the food and construction sectors and promote recycling and reuse across the country. “The Scottish Food Waste Reduction Target is the first of its kind in Europe,” Lochhead said. “Pledging to cut food waste by 33% by 2025 will put Scotland at the forefront of global action to tackle food waste, and will put us on track to deliver the UN Sustainable Development Goal of halving food waste by 2030. More details can be found here. Let’s hope that other governments will follow with similar bold initiatives.
It seems that the issue of food waste attracts also many startups that try to raise funds for creating new business-models that will stimulate food waste prevention. Foodcloud, in Dublin, Ireland, has developed a mobile and web app and participating business can describe their food surplus that hey would otherwise throw out. Nearby charities and other organizations in need of food receive messages if they could benefit from the surplus of food described.
Coldhubs, another startup from Nigeria, is a ‘plug and play’ modular, solar-powered walk-in cold room, for 24/7 off-grid storage and preservation of perishable foods. It adequately addresses the problem of post- harvest losses in fruits, vegetables and other perishable food.”
Another interesting idea is developed by California Safe Soil. This company is a fresh food recycler that creates a fertilizer using produce that is too spoiled to sell at supermarkets. These complex sources of nutrition are a great source of nutrition and energy for soil organisms and plants.
A more complex but interesting approach is followed by UK’s TakeStock that developed an eCommerce marketplace for the food industry, as they say the “eBay for food”. It connects large suppliers with surplus to bargain hunters and offers equipment for hospitality industry in addition to food products for sale.
Spoiler Alert was launched recently by MIT Sloan Business School Students. It is a mobile and web-based platform that creates a dynamic, online marketplace for food donations, discounted food sales, and waste recovery opportunities. Food businesses, farms, and nonprofits can use our platform for food donations, discounted food sales, and organic waste recovery opportunities.
Let’s hope that those startups will drive the innovation required for successful food-waste prevention.


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TORONTO/BOSTON BlackBerry Ltd ()(BBRY.) has signed a deal to work directly with Ford Motor Co (F.N) to expand the carmaker’s use of its QNX secure operating system, the Canadian technology company said on Monday, as Ford develops increasingly automated vehicles. But it isn’t just the American brands that have died or departed from the US market as several foreign brands have discovered that they, too, have a difficult time making it in the most lucrative, but competitive car market in the world. A longtime Big Three economist on why the automaker crisis would be funny if it weren’t so tragic. Suzuki’s sales are falling through the floor which suggests that the brand isn’t long for the US market. Union president Jerry Dias has said all the North American automakers have promised to pump more than $1.5 billion into their Canadian operations. Winning the battle of yearly sales is something neither automaker takes lightly. Though, the automaker entertained significant modifications, tested parts like the EBC brake rotors will be retained in the model.
This is because the company was jolted into action by unprecedented sales doldrums and market share declines resulting to overwhelming losses. The automaker is currently in the process of swiftly cutting costs to concentrate more on some production concerns.
Depending on the automaker and its goals in China, last week’s news out of Beijing could change EV strategies significantly. Nissan is now the largest shareholder of Mitsubishi and has a controlling stake in the automaker. Perhaps the most difficult part of bailing out the automakers is that it is coming on the heels of a massive $700 billion bail out of the financial industry.
The No. 2 U.S. carmaker was one of the companies that Trump singled out during his campaign for sending production to Mexico. Traditionally, designers get directions to make products based on a market need or hole in GM’s lineup. Also, Tesla will likely have to make a decision as to if and when it will build a plant in China before it’s able to fully take advantage of China’s growing EV market. In my opinion, General Motors not only outperformed its fellow Detroit automakers in October; it outperformed every automaker. Consumer Reports’ Annual Brand Reliability Survey is considered by most in the auto industry to be a bellwether for how automakers are doing when it comes to building dependable vehicles. Customers began to flock to Hyundai as they saw that the automaker was standing behind what it built. Some automakers lead the industry in fuel economy, while others have fallen behind.
The automaker will pay out 30 percent of net income in dividends within two to three years as compared with 25 percent this fiscal year, Honda’s chief financial officer, Fumihiko Ike, said in an interview. High gas prices from past years have also helped automakers outrun federal standards. Two more electric models will appear before 2020 , the automaker announced in summer 2016.


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NEW YORK (CBS.MW) -- Kohl's KSS, +2.16% said total sales for the month of August rose 16 percent over the same period a year ago to $773.5 million, and comparable-store sales increased 3.2 percent. The department store chain said it opened two new stores during the month, and plans to open 48 stores in October. The company currently operates 494 stores. The stock closed Wednesday down $1.49 at $63.
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Disneyland Closure: $2 Billion Loss?
Disneyland closure costs CA and estimated $23-million a day in revenue…
I am really looking forward to reading reporting on a new ride or attraction at Disneyland. I am really looking forward to reading stories about the cast members who make magic for everyone, everyday.
The OCR’s Brady MacDonald and everyone who cover the Disney beat make my days better when they’re able to tell us how Imagineers push the envelope.
BUT… And, in 2020, there is always a but; today ain’t that day.
Disneyland: Lots of Revenue Lost
Today, MacDonald posted (another) story regarding the estimated revinue lost by Disneyland during the lengthy shut down of the resort.
- The Disneyland resort has lost an estimated $2.2 billion in revenue during the 216-day closure of Disney’s Anaheim theme parks, according to MoffettNathanson founding partner Michael Nathanson…
- The Disneyland resort generated an estimated $3.8 billion in revenue last year, according to Nathanson. That works out to approximately $10.4 million in daily revenue generated by the Disneyland resort.
- “One of our core beliefs that we’ve observed in all the previous recessions and crises is that the park recovery takes time,” Nathanson said in April on a conference call. “People don’t instantly, when the economy goes back to growing, go to the parks. They basically look at their family balance sheets, they look at what damage has been incurred and hold on to their cash.”
Meanwhile, a study by Cal State Fullerton says Disneyland added $8.5 billion to the SoCal economy, annually.
MacDonald added, “That means the closure of Disneyland could be costing the Southern California economy as much as $23 million a day — or $5 billion during the 216-day closure, based on estimates from the study.”
What if? Disneyland…
Makes you think, doesn’t it. It makes you feel really bad for the people who have been laid off. And it makes you wonder if EVERYONE, EVERYWHERE had taken the same approach as Walt Disney World (masks, hand-washing, social-distancing) whether the 216-day shutdown (and the other, more important national stats like layoffs, infections and deaths) would have been a fraction of that number.
Until then, be sure to keep reading.


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Union-based Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. announced Thursday its financial results for its fiscal year that ended March 1, 2014.
According to the announcement, the company reported net earnings of $1.022 billion, or $4.79 per share, compared with a year ago of $1.038 billion, or $4.57 per share. The reduction of about 6 to 7 cents was caused, the company said, by the disruptive winter weather in the fourth quarter.
Net sales for the year were $11.504 billion, which is an increase of 5.4 percent from sales of $10.915 billion in 2012.
As of March 1, the company has 1,496 stores, including 1,014 Bed Bath & Beyond stores in all 50 states, D.C., Puerto Rico and Canada, 265 stores under the names of World Market, Cost Plus World Market or Cost Plus, 90 buybuy BABY stores, 77 Christmas Tree Shops, Christmas Tree Shops andThat! Or andThat!, and 50 stores under the names of Harmon or Harmon Face Values, the company said in the announcement.


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Escape The Fate have released the album artwork for their upcoming, self-titled album, due out November 2nd on DGC/Interscope Records. Check it out <— there. They’re streaming a brand new song on their MySpace page titled Issues.
Leading up the release, the band will be doing a lot of touring throughout Mexico, South America, US and Canada. Check out the dates here.
Escape The Fate released their last album, This War Is Ours, on Epitaph Records in 2008.


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December 14, 2008 |
There is a slight static on high-end television screens. Sound from premium speaker systems don't sound that good anymore. And the cowboy grins associated with driving big cars have turned into nervous frowns. No, it's not the end of the world yet. But the exuberance shown for top of the line brands, including gizmos and gadgets, till a few months back is somehow now hard to find. A visit to a neighbourhood Bang & Olufsen (B&O) store in the capital shows its marketing manager, Prashant Todi, visibly worried.
February 23, 2011 |
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars , the world's largest hand-crafted car company, targets to sell more than 100 cars in India this calendar, its CEO Torsten Muller-Otvos says. The super-premium luxury sedan unit of German carmaker BMW sold 80 cars in the country in 2010, 600% more than the previous year, as the demand for super luxury cars continued to rise in the country. This has made India the second-fastest growing market in Asia for the brand after China, says Otvos who started his career as a trainee in Rolls-Royce and rose through the ranks all the way to become the chief executive last year.
September 21, 2010 |
BERLIN: Rolls-Royce Motor Cars plans to expand the $245,000 Ghost model line that went on sale last year as Bayerische Motoren Werke's ultra-luxury nameplate aims to double sales in 2010. "I'm quite confident that we're going to see a Ghost derivative to come," Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Mueller-Oetvoes said in an interview at the carmaker's headquarters in Goodwood, England. "There's still a lot of potential in the market" for a less formal Rolls model. Rolls-Royce, which competes with Volkswagen's Bentley and Daimler's Maybach, is known for its hand-craftsmanship and what enthusiasts call a "magic carpet" ride because of the car's smooth on-the-road handling.
December 5, 2011 |
Rolls-Royce , maker of ultra-luxury cars, has recalled around 1,900 Ghost sedans sold globally to fix a potential overheating problem in the vehicle's cooling system. India, one of its smallest , yet significant, markets also features in this list. Paul Harris, who steers the Asia-Pacific operations of Rolls Royce Motor Cars, admits a few cars in India may be impacted by the recall. "It is a voluntary and precautionary measure that we have taken in sync with our global brand philosophy.
April 25, 2005 |
NEW DELHI: As the stock markets defy gravity and the upbeat general economy puts more disposable cash in the pockets of young Indians, wheels for the well-heeled seem to be in full bloom. The coming days and months would see a bevy of luxury cars — ranging from the petite Audi A8 sedan to the hulking Toyota Lexus — entice the growing lot of rich buyers in India. Although actual sales numbers for these vehicles — that cost more than a posh South Delhi house — would still be limited to double digits a year, the growing wealth among Indian buyers is temptation enough for manufacturers from across the globe to set up shop here.
October 24, 2011 |
MUMBAI: Ultra-luxury carmaker Rolls-Royce Motor Cars today said it has appointed Herfried Hasenoehrl as business development head for India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Hasenoehrl was earlier associated with the parent BMW Group, where he was the senior manager for brand, product and price management in Thailand and Munich. "I am convinced we can build on the momentum we are already enjoying in what has rapidly become a vital market in the Asia-Pacific region," Hasenoehrl said on his appointment.
February 18, 2014 |
GUWAHATI: Expanding its portfolio in India, ultra-luxury car maker Rolls-Royce today launched a limited edition of its model 'Ghost' in the country, priced at Rs 4.66 crore. "This limited series celebrates one of Ghost's defining characteristics - the exquisite 6.6 litre Rolls-Royce V12 engine," Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Chief Executive Torsten Muller-Otvos said in a statement. The new car 'Ghost V-Specification' will be priced Rs 30 lakh more than the Ghost standard wheelbase model, which is priced at Rs 4.36 crore, the company said.
September 12, 2008 |
NEW DELHI: Super luxury carmaker Rolls-Royce will introduce new range of cars, which it is currently developing, in India by mid-2010 as it looks to cash in on the burgeoning number of billionaires. The company is also expanding its current portfolio in the country and will launch a new model, Phantom Coupe, this year, expected to be priced over Rs 3.5 crore. "We are working on an additional range of cars, which will allow us to expand the brand further.
October 5, 2011 |
MUMBAI: Ultra-luxury car-maker Rolls-Royce Motor Cars today launched a new variant of its Ghost model at a starting price of Rs 3.05 crore to tap the growing luxury car market in the country. The Ghost Extended Wheelbase is powered by a 6.6 litre petrol engine and will be available in the market soon, the British company said here. "Demand for luxury cars is growing in India and we want to tap the market with the launch of the new Ghost model," Rolls-Royce India Business Development Head Herfried Hasenoehrl told reporters.
March 2, 2011 |
GENEVA: The luxury car maker Rolls-Royce will unveil at the Geneva Motor Show a purely one-off electric version of the Phantom to gauge customer reaction, the company has announced. "We have engineered the world's first battery electric vehicle for the ultra-luxury segment," Rolls Royce CEO Torsten Muller-Otvos said in a press release. "With this vehicle, we begin an exploration into alternative drive-trains, seeking clarity on which alternative technologies may be suitable to drive Rolls-Royce motor cars of the future.


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Khodrocar - It's a follow-up to the Chevrolet Volt-based Velite 5 extended-range electric car Buick launched in China last year, the brand's biggest market.
There will be at least two versions of the Velite 6, one equipped with a plug-in hybrid powertrain and the other an electric powertrain. China is witnessing a boom in sales of electrified cars, known locally as "new energy vehicles,” and Buick is keen to tap this.
Buick says the Velite 6 will feature new connectivity options and a design inspired by the Velite concept unveiled at the 2016 Guangzhou auto show. At the hatchback concept's reveal, Buick said it planned to launch several electrified models in China under the Buick Blue strategy.
In addition to the Velite 5, Buick also sells mild-hybrid versions of the Regal and LaCrosse in China.
We'll likely see the Velite 6 make its debut at the 2018 Beijing auto show, which starts April 25. Stay tuned.


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News from Able C&C
Missha launches non-face-to-face ‘Beauty Talk’ service <2020.12.21&…
Korean cosmetics company comes up with online chatting service in virus era
Able C&C, which operates the Missha brand, has recently come up with a beauty counseling service, dubbed “Beauty Talk,” to meet the customer needs amid the virus outbreak.
Through the non-face-to-face online offering, the company’s beauty experts will offer advice and recommendations as health-conscious people are reluctant to visit offline stores due to COVID-19.
The Beauty Talk service is incorporated into the mobile application of NUNC, Able C&C’s multi-brand shop, where folks can have online chats with beauty experts one-on-one.
Able C&C expected that Beauty Talk will beef up the Seoul-based outfit’s online-to-offline (O2O) platform down the road.
O2O commerce refers to a trendy business model geared toward drawing clients from online channels to make purchases in physical stores.
After going through a beta service, Able C&C plans to embark on Beauty Chat in a full-fledged manner during the first quarter of next year.
“Based on Beauty Talk, customers will be able to talk with our beauty experts at any time and any place,” said Kim Seon-min, chief digital transformation officer of Able C&C.
“It would become one of the best solutions to skin and cosmetics issues in the era of the novel coronavirus.”


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In recent years EA has had some competition for exclusive naming rights for certain clubs, especially in Italy's top flight from Konami's eFootball game, who snapped up the rights to several Serie A sides in the past few years.
With EA's latest title soon to hit the shelves many fans are asking will their favourite Italian sides feature in the game with a more familiar look, and this includes the current reigning Champions of Italy, Napoli.
If you're sitting wondering if the Gli Azzurri will be featured in EA Sports' new flagship football title, then read on as we take a look at the rumours currently circulating to get you up to speed.
Will Napoli Be Licensed in EA FC 24?
With EA's recent divorce from football's governing body, every fan of the FIFA series is keen to know who will feature in the newest iteration of their favourite franchise. The official website states that the game is set to feature 19,000+ fully licensed players as well as 700+ teams, 100+ stadiums, and 30+ leagues from across the globe.
It is however yet to name specific teams although some clubs feature prominently in advertisements for the game so it can be assumed they will be included.
SCC Napoli is one team that has previously not been licensed due to an existing agreement with Konami and eFootball. This is why they were known as Napoli FC in FIFA 23. That being said there have been a few rumors which suggest this could yet change.
Napoli License Rumors, Explained
Many rumors are floating around that because of the separation of the two sporting giants, EA has been able to negotiate naming rights with clubs and had hoped to include the current Italian champions S.S.C. Napoli.
One serial leaker @FUTZONEFIFA on Twitter suggested that the Ciucciarelli would feature with full licensing and include face scans of the squad and 10 official stadiums.
Only a day later contrasting information was dropped by another well-known source in the form of @DonkTrading who tweeted "Napoli are NOT licensed in EAFC 24. The rumours they will be are not true."
So really it's no clearer as to whether S.S.C. Napoli will be licensed or not. Only time will tell. So stay tuned for updates.


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Supply chain tensions intensify on Christmas Eve
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The supply chain pressures that are stifling global business seem to have barely eased.
We reported today how the freight costs around the world are achieved Record level, Because the company is trying to meet soaring demand during the critical pre-Christmas period.
Container shortages and congestion in the port are still severe. According to logistics group Kuehne+Nagel, in Los Angeles-the destination of about 40% of Chinese imports-about 75 container ships are waiting to dock, some of which have been stuck for several weeks.
This left many companies with no choice but to switch to air freight, resulting in a doubling of prices on key routes connecting Chinese manufacturers with consumers in the United States and Europe.
The grounding of passenger planes during the pandemic made the problem worse, and passenger planes under normal conditions carry half of the world’s air cargo.
US$95 billion worldwide Toy market It is one of the obvious victims of supply chain tightening, which has caused Western companies to reconsider their dependence on China, which accounts for 80% of global toy exports. With the rising cost of energy and raw materials and transportation, the country no longer has a cheap manufacturing base like before.
Lego, the world’s largest toy manufacturer, announced last week that it would invest $1 billion in new toys Vietnam factory, And France has achieved some success in establishing domestic production bases.
But in addition to “subconscious outsourcing”, there is another way to relieve stress. Alan Beattie reported in today’s trade secret newsletter: better understanding How is this going.
He wrote that this year’s outage revealed big holes in the data about who made what, when, where, and how.
For example, the British logistics company Unipart is developing a machine learning product to try to create a more flexible supply chain. “You can start teaching the system to use data about container usage and location, port congestion, vehicle driving, driver shortages and raw materials,” said boss John Neal. “Then you will have more information than before to manage and plan delivery times.”
Need to know: economy
This is an important week for central banks and global monetary policy. G7 Finance Minister Met today With the end of Britain’s one-year presidency; this United States Federal Reserve Meeting tomorrow and Wednesday to discuss its asset purchase plan and release new economic and interest rate forecasts; this European Central Bank May announce its decision on its stimulus plan on Thursday-and Bank of EnglandThe interest rate decision.
Unhedged The author, Rob Armstrong, wonders whether it is correct for the market to remain so optimistic in the face of the Fed’s imminent rate hike. Spoiler warning: He is still gloomyAt the same time, consumer spending debit and credit card In the United States Soaring last month, Even if Americans are worried about the economic situation.
The latest UK and Europe
European Natural gas futures After the new German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock stated that the Nord Stream 2 pipeline will double the capacity of the existing Russia-Europe route, it rose by 10% this morning. Does not comply with EU law.
TurkeyMonetary policy drama intensified Hit a new low, Passing the US$14 threshold, is expected to cut interest rates again on Thursday.
The latest in the world
Rising oil prices and the end of pandemic restrictions have resulted in Saudi Arabia Predict a Budget surplus Net annual income is 24 billion U.S. dollars, which is the first time since the oil price plummeted in 2014. The economy is expected to grow by 7.4% after growing by 2.9% this year.
Investors do not have a crystal ball.But they do have Yield curve. And now in the United States, it behaves strangely. “You don’t usually see this flattening out in the early stages of recovery,” said a bond manager.If you want to know what this implies for the future of the U.S. economy and understand what the yield curve actually is, please read this New narrator. You can even use interactive tools to create some music.
Japan business According to the Bank of Japan’s quarterly report, at least until the arrival of Omicron, the mood is full of confidence Tankan SurveyThe sentiment of the manufacturers was flat, but since the Covid-19 emergency was lifted at the end of September, there has been a leap in sentiment in the service industry.
Need to know: business
Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group gives Virgin Atlantic Airways One 400 million pounds cash injection, Because worries about the new coronavirus have weakened people’s confidence in the tourism industry.Virgo and others British Airways Call for “disproportionate” passenger testing rules scrapped And asked the government to provide a new package of support to prevent “permanent scars” in the industry. flight and hotel reservation Since the outbreak of the epidemic, the whole world has been severely hit The arrival of Omicron Variants.
European Ski resort It was hoped that this winter will erase the memory of the Covid “super spreader” incident in spring 2020, but many people are worried about this season May sink By Omicron. Skiing accounts for about half of Swiss tourism revenue and 2.5% of GDP. In Austria, its value is as high as 4%.
Bar chain JD Wetherspoon Already warned “Stealth lock“After Westminster reintroduced certain restrictions last week in an attempt to prevent the spread of Omicron.
World of work
Nearly two-thirds American company Plan to do now Mandatory vaccination For their workers. In Europe, where vaccination rates are high and mandatory requirements focus on individuals rather than businesses, this number is low. According to ManpowerGroup’s research, President Joe Biden’s plan to vaccinate or test weekly all U.S. companies with 100 or more employees is currently shelved in court, but it still has an impact on the company’s policies. .
Algorithm used Gig economy company Deploy, monitor and discipline their staff are Questioned by frustrated workers Across Europe, technology journalist Madhumita Murgia wrote. An Uber driver commented: “The lower class, odd jobs, self-employed people, we are the first to be affected because we are the most vulnerable. But what happens next? If AI decides whether to send an ambulance to your home, you will Do you feel safe without talking to human operators? This will affect all of our lives.”
Covid cases and vaccination
Total global cases: 270.1m
Get the latest global pictures through our website Vaccine Tracker
At last. ..
Facts have proved that even the Arctic is not immune to labor shortages. FT’s Lex column looks at Demand for Santa Claus has surged.
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According to a poll conducted by Gallup in November 2020, 68% of American adults support the legalization of marijuana in the United States. This is a significant rise from a paltry 12% who supported the legalization of Marijuana five decades ago. The cannabis industry despite its controversial nature, continues to create businesses and employment opportunities for hundreds of thousands of Americans. While the establishment of dispensaries remains the most popular cannabis-related business venture, there are other logistical support businesses, technology companies, and dispensary software development that continue to propel the growth of this industry.
The Market Value of Cannabis Business in the United States
The new frontier reported that the United States Cannabis business industry generated an estimated $10.4 billion in revenues in 2018. According to the US Cannabis Report 2019 Industry Outlook, total legal sales of cannabis in the current legal states are projected to grow at a 14% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) over the next years to reach $30 billion by 2025. The report also reveals that the annual sale of medicinal cannabis is projected to grow at a 17% CAGR through 2025 to approximately $13.1 billion by 2025.
In terms of consumption of Cannabis for medicinal or recreational use, the report reveals that approximately 38.4 million US adults consume cannabis at least once annually from an illicit or legal source. About 36% of cannabis consumers reported having used cannabis daily in the past 12 months while 59% reported having used it at least once a week. 44% of cannabis users were people between 25 to 44 years old. These projections come at a time when cannabis remains federally illegal despite the legalization of medicinal marijuana by Washington D.C and some 33 states.
Proposed Legislation that Might affect the US Cannabis Industry
There are two legislations on the Cannabis industry that have been passed by the United States House of Representatives, pending approval by the Senate. If enacted into law, this legislation might completely change the course of the Cannabis industry in the United States
Secure and Fair Banking Act (SAFE Banking Act) of 2022
In February 2022, the SAFE Banking Act was passed for the record sixth time by the US House of representatives and among other things, it seeks to:
- Prevent federal banking regulators from prohibiting, discouraging, or penalizing depository agencies that serve the cannabis industry.
- No longer consider proceeds from Cannabis-related business transactions of businesses operating under state laws as proceeds from unlawful activities.
- Protect financial institutions’ employees from being held by federal law
- Amend requirements for institutions to provide SARs
- Provide additional protection to ancillary businesses providing products or services to legitimate cannabis businesses.
However, this legislation is yet to be passed by the US senate. However, Cannabis legalization crusaders are hopeful that it shall be approved soon and subsequently be enacted into law as soon as possible.
Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act of 2022
After passing the SAFE Banking Act in February, the House of Representatives also passed the MORE Act in April 2022. This act seeks to retroactively apply to previous marijuana-related convictions, and pending cases and seeks to:
- Expunge Federal Marijuana convictions.
- Impose taxes on Cannabis producers and exporters and use the generated revenue to support people arrested for cannabis-related offenses, including those with previous convictions who would like to participate in the Cannabis industry.
- Condition states’ eligibility for grants on their making of similar changes to the state laws.
However, this legislation faces stiff opposition from most Republican and some Democrat senators.
The Bottom Line
The Cannabis industry is a multibillion-dollar industry that is projected by analysts and observers to grow rapidly in the next three years as new markets continue to open as more states legalize it for medicinal use and adult use. As more legislations continue to relax the restrictions on the Cannabis industry, now is time for you to venture into this industry before it becomes flooded. Want to learn more about the cannabis industry and how MaxQ Technologies can benefit your cannabis business? Contact us today.


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E.W. Scripps is acquiring Triton for US$150 million, in a move that will help Scripps advance its strategies for near and long-term value creation.
Triton currently powers or measures streaming music and podcasting for many of the biggest names in audio, including Pandora, Spotify, NPR, iHeart, Entercom, Cumulus, Prisa (Spain), Mediacorp (Singapore) and Karnaval (Turkey).
Triton’s infrastructure and ad-serving solutions deliver live and on-demand audio streams and insert advertisements into those streams through a software-as-a-service (SaaS) business-to-business revenue model.
Scripps President and CEO Adam Symson says the acquisition is consistent with the company’s growth strategies and operating performance goals. “Triton positions Scripps well to expand its role in the fast-growing global digital audio marketplace. Triton’s efficient business model, multiple growing revenue streams, competitive advantages and expanding international footprint made this an attractive opportunity.”
Symson added that over 12 years Triton has become the industry standard by which digital audio is measured while its infrastructure and ad-serving solutions are fueling growth for the world’s top audio companies.
The global digital audio marketplace is projected to grow to $14.8 billion in 2022, according to Statista, as consumers increasingly turn toward streaming audio services.
The industry growth comes as a result of the ubiquity of smartphones, the popularity of connected cars and the explosive growth of smart speakers in homes.
Triton co-founder and CEO, Neal Schore, says “Joining Scripps, a company known for its focus on the future of media, will support our continued innovation and will strengthen the products and services we offer to our clients here in the U.S. and as we continue our expansion across the globe.”
Schore brings more than 26 years of experience in media, including having served as the chairman of Westwood One and, with his veteran management team, will continue to lead Triton.
The transaction is set to close before year end.


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The videos posted by Matt Cutts, head of search spam at Google, give search marketing companies an insight into the operations of the world’s favourite search engine. Most recently, Matt has addressed the question, “What should we expect in the next few months in terms of SEO for Google?” At the Digital State Marketing, we are going to summarise Matts point from his response.
This video is not the first time Matt has mentioned that a Penguin update is the horizon that is likely to shake the world of search marketing. He has stated that the next generation of Penguin (Penguin 2.0) is due for release soon. The webspam detection update will be much more comprehensive than Penguin 1.0 and will go deeper and have more of an impact by detecting black hat SEO techniques and addressing them.
Advertorials should not be used as a means to flow PR to sites. Matt has stated that search marketing companies and webmasters should expect a stronger enforcement of advertorials that violate the webmaster guidelines.
Cleaning up specific areas
Matt stated that feedback has shown that certain spammy queries need to be addressed alongside a general clean up. For example, pay day loans or pornographic related queries will be specific areas that will be targeted.
Sophisticated Link Analysis System
Although the system is only in the very early stages, Matt promised that a more sophisticated link analysis software is being developed to make Google better at understanding links.
The head of search spam stated that Google is currently working on a new feature that will lead to the better detection of hacked sites as well as improving communication with webmasters regarding hacked sites.
Matt mentioned boosting the rankings of sites that are an authority in a specific industry, such as medical or travel, which will result in the user receiving sites with more authority over those with less
Google is looking for ways to soften the impact on borderline cases that have been previously hit by the Panda updates by looking at some additional signals and quality metrics.
As always, Matt mentioned Google’s want to improve communication with webmasters. Matt Cutts said in his video to expect even more detailed examples within webmaster notifications received within Google Webmaster Tools.
As well as the points raised above, Matt explained that the purpose of the changes is to reduce the use of black hat spam techniques being used whilst allowing smaller companies that abide by the rules and use white hat techniques to be rewarded by ranking better. For more information on ethical search marketing techniques, visit our website today or contact Digital State Marketing for a no obligation chat.


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Virtual reality is a virtual or simulated three-dimensional environment that is generated by a computer. It is typically experienced through a helmet or headset with a built-in screen, which deliver audio and visual stimuli to the user.
Virtual reality in sports is being widely adopted across the industry for a variety of uses. NFL teams are using virtual reality to help train their quarterbacks through additional mental repetitions. Major League Baseball and the National Football League are using it to help train umpires and referees. MLB teams are also exploring its potential to help batters prepare for pitchers. Athletes are building their brand by creating virtual reality content for their fans. Football teams are able to use eye-tracking data recorded in a virtual reality environment to detect concussions in players. Startups are experimenting with offering full-body virtual reality video game experiences. Pro golfers are providing virtual lessons for fans. NBA players are finding opportunities to enhance their free throw percentage. Teams see the immersive virtual environment as a new and unique fan engagement opportunity. Broadcasters are streaming live games in virtual reality and preparing to one day sell “virtual tickets” to live games. One of the biggest NBA free agency signings in history happened because of a virtual reality “sales pitch“. And the list goes on…
With teams, leagues and brands consistently experimenting with and pushing the limits of virtual reality’s applications in sports, and major tech companies like Facebook, Samsung and Google making virtual reality headsets available to the average consumer, it’s a virtual certainty that virtual reality will continue to have major ramifications on the sports industry.
The startup Crowd Sports is offering sports fan a more interactive form of sports betting, allowing users to compete in real time during live sporting events against the "crowds" at home or at an arena.
- Tom Friend
- June 24, 2022


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The iconic spinning laser sensors atop autonomous cars may be making their final turns. Velodyne, the world’s market-leading lidar manufacturer, has built a new device that sees further and in more detail than any lidar sensor currently on sale, in a package a fifth the size of its previous high-resolution device.
Lidar sensors, which bounce laser beams off nearby objects to create highly accurate 3-D maps of their surroundings, are an important component for most self-driving cars. Until now, the pick of the commercially available crop has been Velodyne’s HDL-64E—a coffee-can-size lump that fires 64 laser beams, one atop the other, as it spins in circles. Each beam is separated from the next by an angle of 0.4°, with a range of 120 meters.
But those specifications aren’t enough to help vehicles at high speed in unpredictable situations. A car is traveling at 70 miles per hour would have just four seconds to respond to an obstacle. The angular resolution is also too low to make out an object that’s far away, because the laser beams will be too spread out to return a viable image. As a result, many autonomous cars use data from other sensors to help recognize obstacles, even if they have lidar sensors on board.
“The consensus is pretty clear,” Austin Russell, CEO of rival lidar manufacturer Luminar and one of our 35 Innovators under 35 of 2017, told MIT Technology Review earlier this year. “You need a lidar that can see out past 200 meters. You also need to be able to see ... not just that there’s an object out there, but what it is.”
Such concerns have pushed the world’s most advanced driverless-car projects to build their own lidar systems. Two of them, Waymo and Uber, are currently embroiled in a heated lawsuit centered on stolen trade secrets related to their in-house devices.
Now, Velodyne has launched a sensor called VLS-128 that it hopes will satisfy the demand for increased performance. The new device uses 128 laser beams, twice as many as its predecessor. The firm’s chief technical officer, Anand Gopalan, told MIT Technology Review that those beams are separated by angles as small as 0.1°, with a range of 300 meters, and create as many as four million data points per second as they spin through 360 degrees. The increase in resolution, says Gopalan, will provide such detail that cars won’t need other sensors for obstacle detection—though they probably will still carry other sensors in the interests of redundancy and safety.
Ingmar Posner, an associate professor of information engineering at the University of Oxford and founder of the university’s autonomous-driving spinoff Oxbotica, says the increase in performance is “awesome.” He agrees that it should allow vehicles to detect objects more reliably using lidar data, and believes it would enable driverless cars to cope better in faster-moving environments.
For once, though, Velodyne is starting to see competition. Russell’s startup, Luminar, has developed its own mechanical lidar system, which uses a single mirror to steer a powerful laser in order to see 250 meters, with beams separated by as little as 0.05° (see “College Dropout Says He’s Cracked Self-Driving Cars’ Most Crucial Component”). And other firms, such as Aeva, are experimenting with systems that blend lidar and radar approaches, to push range and resolution even further.
Still, Velodyne has more experience with actually building and selling such devices, and it says it will ship units of the VLS-128 before 2017 is out. Gopalan wouldn’t say whether its customers included firms that were building their own alternatives, such as Waymo and Uber, explaining only that he would “expect this sensor to meet the needs of any autonomous-vehicle program in the industry, either current or in the future.”
For now, big companies may be the only ones able to afford the sensor. Gopalan wouldn’t say how much it will cost at first, explaining only that it could cost “thousands of dollars” when it enters mass production, though it’s not clear when that will happen. But the device’s predecessor, the HDL-64E, is not mass-produced and costs $80,000 per unit. Gopalan would say, however, that the new sensor will probably be installed in robotic taxis and autonomous trucks at first.
Russell shares that sentiment. “Some of the companies in the ride-sharing space have said that if you had an autonomous car that just worked, they’d be willing to purchase these cars for $300,000 to $400,000 apiece and buy as many as you could possibly make,” he says. That’s because the total vehicle cost—and, therefore, the price of sensors—is less important than it is in a consumer car, because a steep investment could be recouped quickly by keeping a vehicle on the road nearly 24 hours a day.
Meanwhile, many firms, including Velodyne, are busy building low-cost, solid-state lidar sensors for autonomous vehicles. But in truth, they lack the range and resolution required for high-speed driving (see “Low-Quality Lidar Will Keep Self-Driving Cars in the Slow Lane”). Gopalan agrees. He imagines seeing such devices used as driver aids in consumer vehicles, or to augment expensive sensors in fully autonomous vehicles.
Large language models can do jaw-dropping things. But nobody knows exactly why.
And that's a problem. Figuring it out is one of the biggest scientific puzzles of our time and a crucial step towards controlling more powerful future models.
The problem with plug-in hybrids? Their drivers.
Plug-in hybrids are often sold as a transition to EVs, but new data from Europe shows we’re still underestimating the emissions they produce.
Google DeepMind’s new generative model makes Super Mario–like games from scratch
Genie learns how to control games by watching hours and hours of video. It could help train next-gen robots too.
How scientists traced a mysterious covid case back to six toilets
When wastewater surveillance turns into a hunt for a single infected individual, the ethics get tricky.
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Global Smart Transformers market accounted for $1,093.5 million in 2015 and is expected to reach $2,932.4 million by 2022 growing at a CAGR of 15.1% from 2015 to 2022 according to the Stratistics MRC’s publication “Smart Transformers Types and Applications-Global Market Outlook (2015-2022)”.
Increasing demand for electricity, improving & evolving technology, growing power transmission & distribution networks and aging infrastructure are the factors favoring the market growth.
However, data privacy and cyber security are hindering the market growth. By using smart transformers, monitoring and controlling of the power flow is achieved. Smart grids with smart transformers are capturing maximum of the market demand. The demand is attributed to high urbanization and industrialization in Asia Pacific. Distribution segment is witnessing the fastest growth due to implementation of smart grids happens majorly at the distribution level.
In 2014, Asia Pacific dominated the global market and accounted for more than 30% of global share and is also expected to witness high growth rate during the forecast period. China and India are projected to be the fastest growing markets in this region. U.S., UK, China, India, Brazil, Saudi Arabia and UAE are expected to be promising markets over the study period.


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Many Henderson County residents were surprised this week when they received the lastest phone book from AT&T.
The Hendersonville Times-News reported Friday that there were no residential listings.
For the 2014-15 version of the Yellow Pages, AT&T decided not to include residential listings because of “feedback and research from consumers,” according to AT&T spokesman Josh Gelinas.
In recent years AT&T has dropped residential listings from the Yellow Pages in other markets and offered consumers the opportunity to order a free YP Real White Pages book with residential listings. Less than 5 percent of consumers in those markets actually ordered a copy, Gelinas said.