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This is the Wintergrass Bluegrass Festival; housewarming its new Eastside home at Bellevue's Hyatt Regency Hotel.
It's the biggest celebration of dining out in the region. The semi-annual Seattle Restaurant Week is back and features some of your favorite restaurants in Bellevue and Eastside.
The Bellevue Collection becomes the first shopping center in the region to install charging stations for electric vehicles making it convenient for customers to charge electric cars while they shop, dine and play at Bellevue Square, Lincoln Square and Bellevue Place.
The NE 12th Street Bridge in downtown Bellevue is coming down, and that means Interstate 405 will be closing in both directions the first weekend in April (1-4). Drivers should expect heavy traffic on the detour routes and throughout the region.
El Gaucho Bellevue has recently introduced a new lunch menu with 46 custom lunch combinations for people on the go to enjoy a faster, lighter and affordable gourmet lunch.
Over the 3-day Seafair weekend, the Bellevue sky becomes one of the prime playgrounds for these mighty Blue Angels and their spectacular aeronautics.
WSDOT plans to close northbound I-405 in Bellevue from 8th Street to SR 520 October 1-2 to install braided ramps, weather dependent.
Bellevue's Pearl Bar & Dining is celebrating its three year anniversary on November 17, 2011. Perhaps the biggest birthday present that Pearl is getting is that it will soon be joined by new sister restaurant KORAL.
The Bellevue City Council unanimously elected longtime Councilmember Conrad Lee to serve as Bellevue mayor.
Eastside's popular jazz supper club Bake's Place is heading for greener pasture in downtown Bellevue in early spring 2012!
With last Friday's good weather, we hit the streets taking pictures of downtown Bellevue. On our walk we spotted a gigantic hole on the ground with heavy excavation being done on 106th Avenue NE at NE 2nd Street. What can they be building now.
Coast Bellevue Hotel celebrates its 12 properties with $12 rooms, free upgrades and 1200 bonus reward points.
Brothers Bret and Marc Chatalas, born and raised in Bellevue, are finally bringing their Cactus Restaurant home to Bellevue.
Bellevue Way NE in downtown Bellevue will close for two weeks starting May 12 through May 23
Word on the streets is Expedia's considering relocating its corporate headquarters in Bellevue over to the other side of the lake.
The existing JC Penney space at Bellevue Square will become an extension of the existing mall. The new two-level space will house eight new tenants that are planning to open late third quarter of 2015.
With Saturday's temperature in the low 80s, we definitely wanted to be out in the water and the Northwest Paddling Festival at Lake Sammamish State Park--a 15-minute drive from downtown Bellevue--was just the perfect event to spend on a warm afternoon.
Blueberry lovers rejoice! This year's blueberry season is early due to extended periods of high temperatures. Berries are ripe for picking at Bellevue blueberry farms.
There is a new duo apartments and condominiums project coming to downtown Bellevue. Called the Mirador, the apartments and condominiums project broke ground last week and is located at NE 10th Street and 103rd Ave NE.
James Beard Award-winning chef and Eastside resident, Chef Jason Wilson announced an agreement with Kemper Development Company and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. to open a restaurant in the upcoming Lincoln Square expansion and forthcoming hotel, W Bellevue.
What's the name of that new apartment building under construction with sweeping views of Downtown Park, Bellevue's skyline, Lake Washington and the mountains and that hugs the edge of Old Bellevue historic district?
365 by Whole Foods Market announced its third location will open September 14, in downtown Bellevue, Washington.
We are only three days into the new year and already a major milestone for Bellevue.
The city of Bellevue has approved the Master Development Plan for the Bellevue 600 project located along NE 6th Street, between 110th Avenue NE and 108th Avenue NE.
So we all know by now that Amazon is opening a big new office in Bellevue this summer. We know what and where that big new Amazon Bellevue office is. But who are the lucky bunches of Amazonians moving to the new Bellevue office?
The annual Eastside Heritage Center's Bellevue Strawberry Festival presented by BECU will be held Saturday, June 24 from 10AM to 8PM, and Sunday, June 25 from 10AM to 6PM at Crossroads International Park.
Fogo de ChÃ£o opens first restaurant in Washington state in downtown Bellevue.
When is the last time you told a group of friends you were going to a party that required, Aprons, cutting boards, taste buds, with about 200 or more other people cooking, mixing drinks and having a good time?
Facebook leases 11-story Block 16 in Bellevue's Spring District
Parlor Live in downtown Bellevue permanently closes
Having T-Mobile headquartered in Bellevue has its privileges. We dropped by T-Mobile Corporate Store at Two Newport in Factoria for a hands-on sneak peek of the Samsung Galaxy Fold.
Summer just got a little sweeter in downtown Bellevue
Leading real estate brokerage firm Realogics Sotheby's International Realty (RSIR) recently opened a regional branch office in Old Bellevue and announced construction of a new concept cafe and cocktail lounge in the same space located on Main Street.
Molly Moon's Ice Cream announces the company will open its biggest scoop shop and ice cream kitchen in downtown Bellevue in spring 2020.
Bellevue's Lake Hills Greenbelt Trails offer many options for staying active, keeping your exercise routine or making new ones during WA's stay-at-home order. You can walk, jog, and ride a bike--just maintain a safe distance from others--on the multi-use trails that wind through the Lake Hills Greenbelt connecting Larsen and Phantom Lakes.
So great to see more and more Bellevue restaurants are reopening or preparing to reopen in the coming days and weeks during Phase 1.5.
Bellevue Square reopens today, Tuesday, June 30 at 11am with approximately 100 shops and restaurants plus a variety of programming and offerings.
Bellevue Arts Museum has reopened its Store and first-floor Forum to the public. Admission to the museum's Store and Forum is free to all visitors, and the building will be open Wednesdays - Sundays from 11am to 5pm.
Take a bird's eye view of the Sound Transit's East Link alignment through Bellevue in new aerial video. The aerial video starts in south Bellevue just before the bend towards north along Bellevue Way to the South Bellevue Station--the first of six stations in Bellevue.
PCC Community Markets today announced that its new Bellevue store at Wilburton Village will open on August 12! The 26,000-sf grocery store will open at 9am.
New development project in downtown Bellevue calls for construction of a 25-story office building containing approximately 509,400-sf of office space, 7,532-sf of retail space, and five and a half levels of underground parking to accommodate approximately 890 vehicles.
Dick's Drive-In finally has a food truck and it's fitting that they picked Bellevue to debut the inaugural food truck run.
Bellevue-based Wig Properties has proposed a massive mixed-use development project on the southeast edge of downtown Bellevue.
New 8-story mixed-use multi-family residential building in downtown Bellevue received Design Review approval.
Get ready for a monster adventure at Bellevue's newest entertainment hub! Monster Mini Golf, the leader in blacklight family entertainment, has announced the grand opening of its new location in Bellevue, Washington!
Farzi Café, the popular and Michelin recognized Modern Indian Bistro, is set to open in downtown Bellevue April 1.
Chromatique Salon has recently opened a new location in downtown Bellevue. If you're curious about their new space but haven't had a chance to visit, you can now take a 3D virtual tour of the salon from the comfort of your own home.
ChiCha San Chen, a popular Taiwanese tea brand, has opened its doors in downtown Bellevue, bringing its signature high-quality teas and unique brewing techniques to the area. While the wait times for orders may be slightly longer than usual, the exceptional taste and quality of their bubble teas and milk teas are well worth it.
Get ready to indulge in the freshest seafood delights as Seattle Fish Guys makes its way to Bellevue, bringing their acclaimed dishes and commitment to quality to a second location.
Escape the city bustle and immerse yourself in the serene beauty of Chesterfield Beach Park, a hidden gem nestled in the heart of Bellevue, Washington.
Pokemon eyes downtown Bellevue tower for major expansion in the upcoming 25-story The Eight office tower located in the heart of downtown.
Our recent trip to Palm Springs for a music festival included a delightful stay at a 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom luxury bungalow that left us thoroughly charmed inside and out.


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Volvo’s ‘Polestar 1’ plug-in-hybrid coupe will cost $155,000
At the 2018 Auto China Show in Beijing, Volvo’s new electric luxury division revealed the price-tag of its first product --- the ‘Polestar 1’ plug-in hybrid coupe. As per the disclosure, the MSRP of Polestar 1 will be $155,000.
Polestar 1 is a small-volume coupe which was unveiled by Volvo in 2017, at the Shanghai Motor Show. The coupe will be available to customers for purchase in two ways --- it will be offered for outright sale, and will also be available via subscription.
The $155,000 price-point announced by Volvo’s electric luxury division underscores a notably ambitious pricing for the vehicle. However, the luxury, high-performance plug-in hybrid grand tourer is equipped with hardware features to justify the high cost.
According to reports, the gas-electric powertrain of the Polestar 1 coupe will be capable of delivering 600 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque. Moreover, the vehicle will have an expected 150 km (93 miles) range for all-electric running. The coupe’s internal combustion powerplant will exclusively power the front wheels, and its 34-kWh battery pack will stimulate the rear axle.
The Polestar 1 coupe will be Volvo electric luxury division’s first and only vehicle which will feature an engine. The brand has already committed that all the other vehicles launched by it will be 100% electric vehicles.
According to a recent EV magazine Electrek’s report, General Motors (GM) is bringing some new updates to its sole all-electric vehicle, the Chevy Bolt EV, with the forthcoming release of the vehicle’s third model year.
On Wednesday, German automaker Audi announced at its annual meeting that it plans to build 20 new electrified cars by the year 2025. The automaker also added that most of the planned electrified cars will be battery-powered vehicles.
In a disclosure at Japanese battery manufacturer Panasonic’s recent earnings call, CEO Kazuhiro Tsuga said that the company can potentially enter into a partnership with US electric vehicle maker Tesla for building a Gigafactory in China.
In a recent announcement, US electric-scooter company Razor has said that it has launched its new electric scooter share service in Long Beach, after having received a permit from the city to operate the service.
Electric car maker Tesla Motors has released a new update for its Model 3 software user interface, introducing some new features for the vehicle.
According to a recent announcement by Honda, the production of the automaker’s new, third-generation Insight hybrid has been commenced at its manufacturing plant in Indiana this week.

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You have just one week left to buy Wegmans Brand Sodas when you go grocery shopping. Wegmans said Wednesday it will no longer sell its Brand Sodas after its current inventory is gone.
The Brand Sodas contain artificial ingredients, aspartame and high fructose corn syrup, which do not meet Wegmans’ “Food You Feel Good About” requirements, which stands for no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. Wegmans says it will not be reproducing any additional Wegmans Brand Soda.
Wegmans reacted to the photo of a sign at a store in Rochester announcing the product discontinuation that was shared by Rochester television media.
“As mentioned on the sign, we are discontinuing our Wegmans Brand Soda. Our Food You Feel Good About banner stands for no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. We are discontinuing Wegmans Brand Soda because it contains artificial ingredients like aspartame and high fructose corn syrup. We are committed to our mission of helping customers live healthier, better lives through exceptional food, and we want you to feel confident in our Wegmans Brand products.”


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Rival's Building In Apple's Ad
Published: May 15, 1991
ATLANTA, May 14— Apple Computer Inc. said today that it would continue to run newspaper advertisements for its Macintosh software, even though a photograph of a competitor's office building is inadvertently featured in the ad.
The ad, which ran in three nationally distributed newspapers today and on Monday, shows a Macintosh computer hooked up to the I.B.M. Tower in Atlanta. Apple's ad agency, BBDO Los Angeles, said it obtained the photo from a studio after requesting a generic picture of an office building.
Lisa Byrne, a spokeswoman at Apple's headquarters in Cupertino, Calif., said today that company officials accepted that the photo was an honest mistake. She said no changes would be made during the ad's two-week run in USA Today, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.
"We didn't even know it was the I.B.M. building," Ms. Byrne said. "We still don't know that it is." She added, " I don't think most of our customers would even know."
I.B.M. executives did not return calls seeking comment.


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Here’s what’s important in the business world this morning:
Stanley Black & Decker: Tool maker Stanley Black & Decker Inc. is selling its hardware and home improvement business to Spectrum Brands Holdings Inc. for $1.4 billion in cash.
Spectrum Brands, based in Madison, Wis., said that the acquisition will broaden its product offerings which include the Rayovac, Remington and Toastmaster brands.
Stanley Black & Decker, which is based in New Britain Conn., said the sale is part of its ongoing strategy to diversify its revenue and geographic reach. The hardware and home improvement unit gets 90 percent of its revenue from North America and more than 50 percent of its revenue from U.S. home improvement stores.
Both companies' boards have approved the transaction.
Stanley Black & Decker anticipates the transaction will result in $1.3 billion in proceeds after taxes. It plans to use a majority of the proceeds to buy back shares and a smaller portion to reduce debt. The remaining proceeds, along with offshore capital, will be used to pay for its previously announced acquisition of Infastech, a Hong Kong company that makes fasteners.
Stanley Black & Decker says that the deal with Spectrum is not expected to change its financial outlook for 2012.
The deal announced Tuesday also includes certain assets of Taiwan's Tong Lung Metal Industry Co., which makes residential and commercial locksets. The Tong Lung buyout is anticipated to close in the second quarter.
Stocks: World stock markets mostly declined Tuesday against a backdrop of worries about global economic growth and Europe's debt crisis.
European stocks dropped in early trading. Britain's FTSE 100 fell more than 0.2 percent to 5,827.72. Germany's DAX lost 0.4 percent to 7,259.02 and France's CAC-40 shed 0.1 percent at 3,403.30.
Wall Street appeared set to open only slightly lower, with Dow Jones Industrial index futures slipping less than a tenth of a percent to 13,495.00. S&P 500 futures lost 0.1 percent to 1,449.00.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 0.5 percent to 20,937.28 while South Korea's Kospi fell 0.1 percent to 1,979.04. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.5 percent to 4,505.30 on a positive consumer confidence report and hopes of upcoming interest rate cuts. Japan's Nikkei 225 index tumbled 1.1 percent to 8,769.59, reopening after a holiday. Benchmarks in Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and New Zealand also fell.
Cytec: Chemical coating maker Cytec Industries Inc. says it has agreed to sell its coating resins business to private equity firm Advent International for $1.03 billion.
The deal also includes assumption of $118 million in debt. It is expected to close in the first quarter 2013.
Woodland Park, N.J.-based Cytec says the sale will allow it to focus on its high-growth areas of advanced materials and separation technologies, boosting returns for its shareholders.
The deal includes its radiation-cured resins, liquid coating resins, powder coating resins and amino crosslinkers product lines.
Cytec also says its board approved the repurchase of an additional $452 million in stock. That increases the company's total stock buyback authorization to $650 million. The company also says it plans to fund the buybacks with part of the cash proceeds from the sale of the coating resins business.
U.S. Futures: Stock futures are mixed as a new outlook on the global economic landscape provides the markets with fewer arguments to overlook what is likely to be a weak quarter for many of the biggest U.S. corporations.
Dow Jones industrial futures are up 5 points to 13,506. The broader S&P futures are flat at 1,450.50. Nasdaq futures are down 2.25 points to 2,775.25.
The International Monetary Fund said Tuesday that the globe is at risk of a broad recession. Those problems are spreading to developing nations that experienced surging growth during the last recession.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.


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nme.com is pleased to announce its brand new service. Keep up-to-date with the latest in the music with the new nme.com daily updates.
Every day we’ll e-mail you with the music news from the past 24 hours, news on the latest CD, live and cinema reviews and even the most interesting blasts from Angst.
We’ll also make sure you’re the first to know about the latest competitions, specials and exciting new developments coming your way from nme.com.
To subscribe, just fill in your e-mail in the box at the top.


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A strong and long-term partnership has been established in the ropeway industry. High Technology Industries (HTI) Group replaces the previous private equity fund CEDARLAKE Capital (which bought shares in private equity fund ARGOS Soditic 5 years ago), thus becoming the majority owner and strategic partner of Bartholet.
Roland Bartholet, a founding family shareholder of Flums, will continue to lead the company as Chairman and CEO with current management. The Swiss company, which currently employs around 450 people, will continue to operate under the name "Bartholet" and as part of the HTI group, an umbrella organization combining the additional brands of LEITNER and POMA (Ropehauled transport systems), PRINOTH and JARRAF. Firms DEMACLENKO (snow making systems), LEITWIND (wind turbines) and AGUDIO (Material ropeways) are also under the HTI group.
The Flums location will be integrated into the global structure of the HTI Group, which already extends from Italy to Austria, France to Slovakia, the United States and Canada to India, Germany and China, thus being close to customers around the world. . The world with its wide network This cooperation creates customer benefits that allow even more targeted use of ropeway technology, thanks to the latest innovations in passenger and material transport.


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Chinese Xiaomi said on Wednesday that its devices did not censor user communications, a day after the Lithuanian Defense Ministry recommended that consumers avoid Chinese phones due to a censorship feature in the flagship phone of the smartphone giant.
Xiaomi’s Mi 10T 5G phone’s software censorship capability has been disabled for the “European Union region” but can be enabled remotely at any time, the National Cyber Security Center said in a report on Tuesday.
In a statement sent to Reuters on Wednesday, the Xiaomi spokesman said his device “does not censor communications to or from its users.”
“Xiaomi has never and will never limit or block the personal behaviors of our smartphone users, such as searching, calling, browsing the web or using third-party communications software,” the statement said.
“Xiaomi fully respects and protects the legal rights of all users,” he added.
The National Cyber Center report also said that the Xiaomi phone was sending encrypted phone usage data to a server in Singapore, which could be against EU data regulations.
The Xiaomi spokesperson said: “Xiaomi complies with the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation.”
Deputy Defense Minister Margiris Abukevicius told Reuters that the ministry shared its report with cybersecurity officials from other countries in the European Union and the United States on Wednesday.
According to the report, terms potentially subject to censorship by Xiaomi phone system applications, such as the default Internet browser, include “Free Tibet”, “Long live Taiwan independence” and “democratic movement.”
China last month demanded that Lithuania withdraw its ambassador to Beijing and said it would recall its envoy to Vilnius after Taiwan announced that its mission in Lithuania would be called the Taiwan Representative Office.
Taiwanese missions in Europe and the United States use the name of the city of Taipei, avoiding a reference to the island itself, which China claims as its own territory.
US President Joe Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan last week underlined his support for Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte in the face of pressure from China.


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We absolutely love the Knowles sisters.
Solange keeps on breaking fashion barriers each time she steps out and took it to another level last night [Dec. 3] while attending the Ermenegildo Zegna “Essenze” fragrance launch party in New York City.
Although we’re used to the “Parking Lot” singer rocking printed looks the past few months, Sol slayed in a body hugging, nude Olcay Gulsen two slit dress, paired with B Brian Atwood Labrea open toe sandals.
With a head full of curls and a flawless face, Solange completed her look with gold jewels and a clutch.
The Olcay Gulsen Two-Slit knee length silk jersey dress is currently on sale for $225.00.
Photo Credit: GettyImages/OlcayGulsen


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The Amazon story is now more than four years old in New Jersey, at least when it comes to our industrial market, yet we can’t seem to stop talking about it.
It only makes sense. The tech giant has added another several million square feet of fulfillment space in the state this year, and there’s no escaping the influence that it continues to have on other e-commerce players looking to compete on last-mile distribution.
But as I’ve come to learn in recent months, the Amazon story is about much more than industrial space.
You could say it started this summer with the blockbuster acquisition of Whole Foods and what that will eventually mean for the retail sector. Then came the Amazon HQ2 sweepstakes in early September and the nationwide frenzy to land an 8 million-square-foot office deal. And the more I looked into it, the more I found that the company is working its way into the multifamily residential space.
Look no further than the automated Hub by Amazon locker systems that the country’s biggest landlords are now installing at their properties, including some in New Jersey. It’s all happening very quickly, but that hasn’t stopped us from trying to break it all down for you in this month’s edition of Real Estate NJ.
In our cover story, “The Amazon Effect,” we offer some details on how the company has infiltrated every major asset class in New Jersey. That includes a closer look at Newark’s bid for Amazon HQ2, plus a reminder of just how important the company continues to be in the industrial market.
We also speak to local experts about how the Whole Foods deal could impact New Jersey’s supermarket industry and at Amazon’s growing role in the amenities arms race by apartment owners.
This is not to say that New Jersey is the only state that is feeling this impact. But I would argue that we have as much at stake as any other state in the country, given the heft of our industrial market, our location and our population. And you can bet that this story has much more room to run.
We also took the opportunity this month to highlight some other major players and stories in New Jersey’s retail sector. That includes a Q&A with Matthew Harding of Levin Management Corp., which is marking its 65th anniversary, and a feature on real estate veterans Andy Abramson and Alan Goldstein, who have joined forces to launch a new leasing and management platform for commercial properties.
We have those stories and more in the pages that follow, including updates on some of the state’s most interesting development projects. And, as always, make sure you’re signed up to receive The Briefing, our daily e-blast with the state’s top commercial real estate headlines. Thank you for your continued feedback, questions and story ideas. Enjoy the issue!


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- Greta Gerwig says she wanted every set and prop to look beautiful and like a Mattel toy in "Barbie."
- In an Architectural Digest video, Gerwig said audiences will want to reach out and touch everything.
- "Barbie" star Margot Robbie said many of the props were handmade and have '50s and '60s aesthetics.
The "Barbie" world may be plastic, but every set, costume, and prop looks fantastic, says the film's director, designers, and star.
In a new interview with Architectural Digest, "Barbie" director Greta Gerwig said she wanted every set piece and prop to look beautiful enough that audiences would want to grab them.
"I wanted everyone to feel like they can reach onto the screen and touch everything," Gerwig said, adding that she hopes watching the movie will bring people back to standing in Toys 'R' Us, looking at Barbie, and wanting to buy the toys, "take everything apart and touch everything."
The Architectural Digest video shows the intricate and very pink set for "Barbie," including Barbie's Dream House, which set designers said was built to evoke styles of the 1950s and 1960s when Barbie dolls were first released.
At one point in the video, "Barbie" star Margot Robbie said Barbie's wardrobe in the movie was inspired by Cher's closet in the 1990s classic film "Clueless."
Robbie also said that many of the props in the film were handmade to bring iconic Mattel toys and accessories to life.


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Moreover, the national average price of gas has tumbled for 36 straight days and by 25 cents, the longest streak of daily declines since fall 2008. The largest weekly price drops occurred in the Midwest and central U.S., led by discounts of more than a dime in Michigan, Indiana and Ohio; that's compared with South Carolina and Washington, D.C., where prices fell less than a penny.
Those same Midwestern and central states also enjoyed the greatest month-over-month relief, with 10 states seeing 30-cent dips. The smallest monthly declines — less than a dime — have occurred west of the Rockies in Alaska, Arizona, Washington, Oregon, Wyoming, Idaho, Nevada and California. Still, year-over-year, California’s gas prices have dropped by a whopping 80 cents since last year, a 30-cent better discount compared with the Midwest's year-over-year figure.
And the price plummet is not expected to end there. "AAA expects that retail prices will continue lower in the coming months, as sufficient supplies, flat demand and cheaper winter-blend gasoline mean motorists are likely to pay less to fill their tanks," AAA said in a statement.Related


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The metaverse is reshaping digital commerce, enabling businesses to create more personalized, immersive, and seamless experiences for their customers. Different technologies including augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning (ML) are powering the metaverse, allowing users to interact and shop in a highly customized, virtual landscape on a new, never experienced level.
Expert forecasts offer a glimpse as to how the metaverse will grow, what opportunities may abound and the economic impacts that will ripple throughout markets. By 2026, Gartner reports a quarter of us will be working, studying, shopping, and socializing in the metaverse for at least an hour a day. The metaverse technology market alone is already projected to hit $224 billion by 2030.
But before we dive into the future, it’s important to reflect on the past. Thanks to innovation and digital transformation, digital commerce has undergone a complete evolution in the last decade. The strides made by ecommerce technology will pave the way for metaverse’s success.
The Ecommerce Evolution Over the Last Decade
Many factors have contributed to the progress of ecommerce over the years, including:
Phones and mobile apps have led to increased brand awareness, easy anywhere online access to products and services thereby driving online sales.
The playing field for many has been leveled when it comes to ecommerce due to the Increased number of internet connections backed by high speed 4G data available at cheap cost. These connections have brought people and businesses closer.
Modern consumers seek fast and connected experiences. This has rendered brick-and-mortar establishments less and less popular. This shift has sent vendors and shoppers alike straight towards their digital devices.
In addition, the covid pandemic accelerated a shift in the behavior of shoppers. With the closure of businesses and the convenience of contactless payment options, shopping experiences increasingly moved online. There was an ecommerce boom during the pandemic. According to the latest Annual Retail Trade Survey, ecommerce sales increased by $244.2 billion or 43% in 2020, over the previous year.
Unlike in-person shopping where consumers are limited to stores in their proximity, ecommerce knows no geographic boundaries. As long as international shipping is offered, buyers and sellers from across the globe are connected via ecommerce.
Increased number of digital campaigns targeted at smartphone users have helped businesses to increase sales. Apps have also added to the convenience of mobile shopping.
Platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest serve not only as digital storefronts, but also as customer service hubs. This helps retailers connect with customers at every stage of the buyer journey and improve customer satisfaction.
Zion Market research projects the mobile wallet industry will be $750.3 billion by 2028. Widely used in online stores, these wallets offer seamless and advanced payment services, helping to reduce abandoned cart sales.
Ecommerce giant Amazon has played a huge role in transforming ecommerce. A massive array of products delivered at lightning speed has resulted in an organization valued well above $1 trillion in market capitalization. Amazon has set a new expectation for delivery and customer service.
Ecommerce websites use product recommendation engines that predict and serve customers what they are likely to purchase, helping to enhance the personalized experience.
Technological Innovations and eCommerce
Innovations have changed the entire ecommerce experience, causing the industry to rapidly evolve over the past decade. These innovations have helped to revolutionize how businesses interact with customers and vice versa, but also how humans interact with machines and devices:
Automation has been a game-changer when it comes to customer engagement. Chatbots provide high levels of customer service 24/7. Businesses leverage this technology to exceed marketing objectives, increase sales and improve customer experience.
Voice commands are quicker than typed searches and help to enhance the overall shopping experience. Customers can quickly navigate websites, search for products more efficiently, and enjoy a hands-free shopping experience.
PWAs help to enhance the user journey by providing a native app-like experience without the hassle of downloading or installation. These apps also use significantly less space and data, providing a seamless user journey. Users encountering better mobile experiences can easily convert to customers, leading to higher sales for businesses. It’s a win-win for entrepreneurs and consumers alike.
Impacts of Metaverse on Ecommerce
While the last several years have brought significant changes to ecommerce, the metaverse is poised to revolutionize shopping in ways we can only imagine—for now. Early makers and adopters of the technology powering the metaverse continue to unveil new products and build excitement for the virtual universe.
The metaverse will combine the best of in-person shopping and ecommerce. How? By interacting with customers within the virtual shopping malls, companies will learn more about individualized shopping and product preferences. Based on shopping behaviors, companies can use data gathered from prior customer visits to the metaverse to customize shopping experiences. Additionally, personalization leads to product recommendations or discounts to help further customize shopper experiences.
Within the metaverse, consumers will be able to utilize their senses of sight and touch while shopping—from the comfort of their couch. As both are so integral to the buying process, the experience would rival the immersive feeling of being in a physical store.
Online shopping can be viewed as a relatively individual activity. However, the metaverse is changing this aspect by making it a more social activity as people can freely interact with one another. As immersive experiences will be the norm in the metaverse, brands can invite customers to actively participate in social activities.
Research indicates that AR increases shopping times and yields higher conversion rates amongst consumers. Research by Vertebrae, a company specializing in AR and 3D ecommerce, reports conversion rates for customers increases by 90% when engaging with AR versus those that don’t. The increased capabilities for product visualization can help brands achieve higher profit margins.
Brands will know how much merchandise to produce based on customer use and interaction in the metaverse. According to Google, 66% of individuals would like to get help from AR when shopping. In the metaverse, improved customer interactions will enable companies to get a better sense of customers, allowing them to tap into buying emotion. Overall, the customer will be happier in their experience and buying journey.
Embracing the Metaverse
Market dynamics, global connectivity, and technology have all impacted the ways retailers connect with consumers and vice versa. Changing customer expectations have been a driving force behind the transformations to ecommerce over the last several years. Retailers are chasing innovations that enable fast, seamless, and personalized experiences. Metaverse is the most recent innovation to impact the ecommerce industry. With it still emerging, we can only predict the impact of the metaverse on ecommerce, but we are excitedly anticipating the future.
Apexon personalizes engagement across commerce channels to increase revenues and improve customer satisfaction. To learn more about implementing the right digital commerce solutions for your company, check out Apexon’s Digital Commerce capabilities.
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Under Armour Inc. says it will open its downtown Detroit "Brand House" on April 13.
The new store at 1201 Woodward Ave. will offer "game-changing apparel and footwear, including the latest in Under Armour technology and design innovations," according to a media invitation to tour the space ahead of the opening.
It described the 17,000-square-foot store as one that "pays homage to the incredible history and relentless aura of Detroit."
The Baltimore-based sports apparel retailer (NYSE: UA) describes its Brand House locations as selling its "best collection of innovative sports clothing, athletic apparel, running and training shoes and accessories." The company also has Factory Stores, with Michigan locations in Howell and Birch Run.
UA Chairman and CEO Kevin Plank and landlord Dan Gilbert, founder and chairman of Quicken Loans Inc. and Rock Ventures LLC, announced the new location during a charity benefit in November.


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Central Group Vietnam inaugurated its first Go!Market supermarket in Viet Nam on Friday.
Located on Nguyen Xien Street, Thanh Tri District, Ha Noi, the 5,800 square metre supermarket showcases a wide range of products including food, consumer goods, home appliance and fashion. It also offers a playground and entertainment services.
In her speech at the opening ceremony, Central Group Vietnam deputy general director Nguyen Thi Phuong described the launch of the first Go!Market in Viet Nam as a milestone for her company in the development of its retail business.
Yesterday also saw a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between Central Group Vietnam and the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Domestic Market Department, and another MoU inked between the enterprise and the Department of Cooperatives and Rural Development under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Under these agreements, the three sides will team up to implement programmes on purchasing safe farm produce directly from local farmers.
During the ceremony, Central Group Vietnam also donated essential goods worth VND30 million (US$1,280) for orphans in BIRLA Children Village in Ha Noi. It also gave away scholarships valued at VND70 million ($3,000) for minority students living in difficult circumstances and studying at the capital city's Hoa Sua School. – VNS


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By Jessica Salerno-Shumaker, OSCPA senior content managerCraft brewers might not realize they get what they pay for when it comes to the specialized accounting and tax work they need, one CPA said.
“It's like comparing Bud Light to craft beer,” said Kayla Emanuelson, manager at SSB CPAs & Strategic Advisors in Canfield. “You pay for what you get, and the quality can be really good if you recognize the difference between the two.”
Emanuelson said she became interested in craft beer after college and eventually started attending monthly meetings of a women’s beer club with a partner at SSB. She said she eventually realized there was an opportunity in the niche for her firm.
“Back in 2018, we started making the right moves to see how we could serve the brewery industry in a way that is beneficial,” Emanuelson said. “A lot of times when you have breweries that are just getting started, they know they don't have all the tools or things that they need.”
To better understand the industry, SSB has been a member of the Ohio Craft Brewers Association since 2013. They’ve been a vendor at the annual conference and even spoke at the 2020 conference shortly before the pandemic began.
Emanuelson said breweries often start out by having their tax returns done by a friend or family member – someone who might not be able to offer the business the unique expertise needed.
“Most of our brewery clients don't have as many accounting or attest services that they need,” she said. “So, we are talking with them about tax credits, like the research and development credit, or the tip credit for their employees, if they have tipped employees. We also spent a good bit of time doing some employee retention tax credits for our clients.”
Because SSB has a sizable number of clients in manufacturing, Emanuelson said they were able to transfer their knowledge of manufacturing and apply it to breweries, which often include a restaurant or tap room.
As COVID restrictions begin to loosen, Emanuelson said the future is becoming bright for breweries. The pandemic forced them to be more innovative and create processes they might not have considered before.
“Brewers are always thinking about what's coming next and how they can grow,” she said. “It really depends on what their growth plans are and where they want to go. And I think it can only get better from here.”


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Sacred Hearts kicks off shoe drive in Sun Prairie
Sacred Hearts had to cancel it’s rummage sale due to the pandemic this year, however the 60 day campaign kicked off Saturday with the goal of collecting 2500 pairs of shoes to make up for lost revenue.
For more information about how to donate shoes, visit Sacred Heart’s website.
COPYRIGHT 2020 BY CHANNEL 3000. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.


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- A few Hawaii electric utilities looking to foster electric vehicle adoption have offered rebates as high as $10,000, making a significant dent in the new purchase price, particularly when paired with other incentives.
- In Hawaii, both Kauaʻi Island Utility Cooperative and Hawaiian Electric Co. are offering rebates for a new Nissan Leaf, with the offer running through March.
- Kansas City Power & Light offered a similar deal last year with Nissan, but its incentive expired earlier this month. According to Fortune, the deal made a new Leaf available for less than $12,000 last year.
As battery prices decline and utilities see electric vehicles as an opportunity, more are offering hefty rebates to get consumers behind the wheel. Combined with federal incentives, a $10,000 rebate and in some areas free charging, the affordability could entice more customers.
Kauaʻi Island broke down the math for customers, touting $17,500 in total rebates, a 107-mile range to the 2017 Leaf model, "which needs no gasoline, no oil changes and very little maintenance." The vehicle lists at about $31,000.
Hawaii, with abundant solar energy and a relatively small geographic area, is looking to harness the power of electric vehicles. In urban areas, there is also the opportunity for consumers to purchase them as a second vehicle, experts say.
Hawaiian Electric senior vice president Shelee Kimura said the utility's offer is an example of its Drive Electric Hawaii efforts, a part of the state's 100% renewables goal. The rebate can help customers "save money, reduce tailgate emissions and help break our state’s dependence on fossil fuels," said Kimura.
KCP&L's generous rebate has now expired, but the utility is known for its aggressive move towards EVs. It started with just 50 drivers in its territory in 2015, and now has more than 1,200, the result of a broad charging station rollout.
There are about 500,000 electric vehicles on the roads in the United States, a tiny amount compared to 250 million total vehicles. EV sales peaked in 2014, at 0.72% of total sales, and fell slightly in 2015 when gas prices fell. California leads the country in electric vehicle adoption, with about 20% of the nation's emissions-free vehicles on the road.


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Thousands of Companies Sue US Over China Tariffs
International Trade Partner Nasim Fussell was quoted in a Financial Times article describing lawsuits filed against the U.S. government over tariffs on Chinese imports. As of October 2020, more than 3,500 companies have filed lawsuits. Ms. Fussell commented that she was "blown away" by how many cases have been filed, adding that the sheer number of lawsuits is indicative of how much the tariffs have affected companies.
READ: Thousands of Companies Sue US Over China Tariffs (Subscription required)


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Soylent meal-replacement products will be sold at Walmart stores across 14 states starting this month, according to Rosa Foods, which makes Soylent. The Walmart locations will stock the product in Cacao, Vanilla Latte and Coffiest varieties.
Soylent is also being sold in more than 2,500 7-Eleven stores, was the No. 1 grocery product on Amazon in January, and continues to expand customers on its e-commerce site, the company said.
"By working with Walmart, Soylent has the unique opportunity to build presence offline with a leading force in the grocery sector," Melody Conner, Soylent's vice-president of sales, said in a release. "We are committed to making our offline experience as robust as our thriving online business and Walmart marks a significant step in bringing our product to new consumers across the country."
Once considered a curiosity, Soylent has reinvented itself in bottle form and has been slowly rolling out to retailers over the past year. With the drink coming to Walmart, it’s no longer merely a niche item — the drinkable meal replacement appears to be going mainstream.
Consumers say the taste can take a little getting used to — it's been described as tasting like unsweetened soy milk — but clearly the product comes across as convenient and flavorful enough to attract busy people who don't have time for a nutritious meal.
The company says each 12-ounce bottle contains 20% of daily nutritional requirements, along with 400 calories and 20 grams of protein. That protein level compares to a scoop of some protein powders, although others contain less than that.
Selling the product online to subscribers, getting into 7-Eleven stores, and being carried at 46 H-E-B stores in Texas certainly helps the bottom line, but being sold by the largest retailer in the country is another thing altogether. Walmart has the scale and reach to introduce Soylent to millions of new customers, so if things go well during this initial period, it might make sense to stay there before trying to expand too far too fast.
This is the first major expansion of Soylent under CEO Bryan Crowley, who replaced founder Rob Rhinehart in December. Despite raising $72.4 million, the company has had a bumpy ride. Its powdered formula and its Soylent Bars reportedly sickened some consumers, which the company blamed on an algal flour ingredient. After reformulating both products, Soylent brought them back to the market. Trouble struck again last fall when Canada banned the products because they failed to meet requirements as replacements for conventional meals.
Through all of the problems, the company has had a devoted fan base, and now has the opportunity to reach a much wider consumer audience. Despite some complaints about high retail prices, the trial sales have gone well. And although Walmart doesn't have as much of a problem attracting shoppers as some other grocers might, a popular and buzzy product like Soylent may do a good job pulling more consumers to the store.


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As all retailers will know, high profile product launches are one of the most exciting and challenging times of the year.
Whether it‘s the latest iPhone or the most anticipated video game release of the year, creating buzz and managing the flurry of excitement that comes with a launch means that for retailers, all the normal rules for engaging with customers are put on hold.
As a partner of leading retail brands across the UK, On the dot sees this a lot. We call it “the Harry Potter effect” – a moment in time when customer anticipation peaks and retailers have to think fast and work hard to meet exceptional demand.
This week, we are going to see the effect in full force, when the newest version of the football video game FIFA is released. Like every year, sports and gaming fans alike have been waiting for FIFA 2017 with excitement and for many, the race is on to get their hands on the game as quickly as possible after the launch.
Capitalising on the e-commerce effect
In recent years, we‘ve witnessed changes in the way people shop. No longer restricted by fixed opening hours and high street queues, ecommerce has become a customer favourite and naturally, a golden opportunity for retailers.
In this increasingly digital world, more people are turning to ecommerce to get the latest products. Thanks to online retail outlets, customers can order goods at their own convenience – often months before they arrive on the shelf – with the guarantee they‘ll be delivered to coincide with the launch. This is something FIFA fans will be taking advantage of this week – having ordered the game online early, some could expect it to arrive just hours after the midnight launch.
Getting fulfilment spot on
With more people shopping online, delivery is playing a greater role in product launches than ever before and it is important retailers get it right. When it comes to new products, consumer expectations are high, and a late or missed delivery is likely to infuriate far more than usual.
How then, can retailers use delivery to give shoppers what they want and preserve the magic in the lead up to and during product launches? Planning is key to the success of any product launch – and it‘s never too early to start.
Retailers need to ensure that everyone in their fulfilment chain is aware of the launch timetable, that delivery networks are well structured and equipped to cope with the demand, and that contingencies in place should anything go awry. The “sorry we missed you” card simply doesn‘t work when it comes to product launches, so it‘s important for retailers to make sure they‘re using a hyper-convenient service to work around their customers‘. Failing to get the goods into shoppers‘ hands as soon as possible can pose serious risks to a brand‘s reputation.
It‘s also likely a product launch will trigger a huge surge in demand, with hundreds, or even thousands of consumers rushing to make the same purchase at the same time. Retailers need to take control of this situation – or risk it taking control of them.
By planning ahead to ensure stock levels are more than sufficient to deal with a rush, retailers can ensure they aren‘t caught off guard during a launch. It is much easier to plan ahead for a surge than to have to deal with the backlash when you run out of product on launch day.
Most importantly, retailers must remain transparent and honest with customers throughout a launch.
While working with Flubit.com on the FIFA 17 launch, we offered a limited number of timeslots for delivery the night before, opening up a wider selection for the following day.


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SAN FRANCISCO Dell Inc DELL.O on Friday, responding to independent investment fund Southeastern Asset Management, said the proposed buyout deal offers immediate premium for stockholders and shifts the risks facing the business to the buyer group.
"The Board concluded that the proposed all-cash transaction is in the best interests of stockholders," Dell said in a statement.
(Reporting By Poornima Gupta)
Trending On Reuters
Facebook's trademark "Like" button is set to get more expressive. The social network said on Thursday it is launching a pilot test of "Reactions", which will allow users to express a range of emotions including love, happiness, anger and sadness. Full Article


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Latest news about Bitcoin and all cryptocurrencies. Your daily crypto news habit.
Bitcoin core developer Peter Todd defended Blockchain art startup Verisart against Terence Eden June 13 after claims the company believed he had painted the Mona Lisa.
In a Twitter discussion, Todd alleged Eden, who currently runs Open Standards for the UK Government Digital Service (GDS), “misunderstood what Verisart is” after the company uploaded the famous painting to the Blockchain with Eden as the creator.
Verisart began trading in 2015 and describes itself as “applying blockchain technology to combine transparency, anonymity and security to protect your records of creation and ownership.”
“Verisart is a tool to collect and timestamp evidence, not an authoritative blockchain; his Mona Lisa claim is obvious fraud [without] evidence,” Todd wrote.
Eden had originally published details of his experiment with Verisart in a blog post June 12.
Allegedly, Verisart had required only “an email address” and “a photo of the Mona Lisa from Wikipedia” as “proof” he had painted it.
“I don’t understand the blockchain hype,” Eden subsequently wrote on Twitter.
A startup has certified my artwork & placed their verification on the bitcoin blockchain. Now art dealers & auctioneers can feel secure that I am the original artist. One small problem… I am not Leonardo da Vinci!
I don't understand the blockchain hype.A startup has certified my artwork & placed their verification on the bitcoin blockchain.Now art dealers & auctioneers can feel secure that I am the original artist.
— ꧁Terence Eden꧂ ⏻ (@edent) June 11, 2018
Blockchain ‘A Big Improvement’
Blockchain’s ability to tighten up the art sales process have formed the focus of a growing number of business initiatives in recent years, with high-profile schemes targeting the upper echelons of the collector world.
Critiquing Eden meanwhile, Todd nonetheless suggested the real value of Blockchain at Verisart lay beyond the benefits Eden claimed did not exist.
“What Verisart’s tech – specifically [open timestamps] – prevented… [Eden] creating backdated evidence. If he tried to forge that evidence, it’d still show up as being created recently, and thus be suspicious,” he continued.
That simple guarantee is a big improvement over the status quo.
What do you think about Terence Eden vs. Verisart? Let us know in the comments section below!
Images courtesy of Shutterstock, Twitter
The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not reflect the views of Bitcoin Insider. Every investment and trading move involves risk - this is especially true for cryptocurrencies given their volatility. We strongly advise our readers to conduct their own research when making a decision.


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The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, and Byju’s clearly believes it shouldn’t be any different for students around India.
Byju’s has begun offering a month’s access to its courses for Classes 4-12 with 500 gram packs of Bournvita. Students can purchase these jars, which have a code on the inside, and enter it while registering on the app. This will let them unlock a month’s worth of lessons for free. This isn’t even the first time Byju’s has tagged along with food products to sell its educational courses — last year, Byju’s had been offering courses worth Rs. 999 free with bottles of Kissan ketchup.
It’s an unusual marketing strategy — ed-tech companies don’t usually rely on FMCG products to promote their services. But it’s not hard to see why such a strategy could work, especially in India — seeing a free educational course just lying around with a product they’ve just bought will make most parents ask their kids to try it out, and Byju’s will hope that some percentage of these users will end up becoming paying customers.
And it’s not just food products — Byju’s has had an unconventional approach to TV advertising as well. Its television ads feature founder Byju Raveendran himself, as he explains concepts like the Pythagoras theorem with snazzy graphics and moving lines and shapes. Last year,the company had upped the ante even further, when it roped in Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan as its brand ambassador, and ran commercials featuring him in the lead. And smartly, Byju’s ads seem to target parents, not the kids who’ll use its products — the company sponsors cricket tournaments that parents will likely watch, and also has a tagline that says that Byju will help kids fall in “love with learning.”
It’s not a marketing strategy that many startups can emulate, but Byju’s has the resources to pull off a multi-pronged approach that includes everything from TV ads to free codes with Bournvita. Byju’s is the best funded startup in the ed-tech space in India, having raised more than Rs. 1,500 crore through big name investors including the Chan Zuckerberg initiative, Sequoia, and Tencent. And Byju’s is doing pretty well for itself too — the company makes around Rs. 400 crore a year from the sale of its educational products, and founder Byju Raveendran says it’ll soon be profitable.
And no small part of its success will be because of its marketing plan. Byju’s is primarily a marketing business — once its courses are created, all that remains is to sell them to as many people as possible to make the most money. Not many companies would’ve thought of selling their online services with ketchup, but Byju’s gone ahead and done it, and seems to be doing pretty well for itself.


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Declared by the most sought after holiday destination in the world by TripAdvisor’s users, Bali is indeed offering abundant of amazing offerings to pamper its visitors. One of the groups that Bali’s tourism industry practitioners are paying attention to is those who are seeking a better balance in their wellness whilst having their holiday in […]
Its natural beauty that perfectly combined with abundant cultural heritage constantly keep tourist to coming back. Various events that showcase them amplify the attractiveness even further, giving an even more reason for them to return. Among those events is the significant Bali Spirit Festival 2018.
Bali Spirit Festival 2018 is is held annually and this year […]
The annual event Ubud Food Festival will be held between 13th to 15th of April this year. The festival will present approximately 100 culinary experts both from Indonesia and abroad. If you are a food lover and have a plan to spend a holiday in Bali within the next few month, then you are advised […]
If you come to Bali these days, you will be “welcomed” by a lot of campaign materials in different forms. Signs, banners, backdrops, flags, many of which in amazingly gigantic size as well as people wearing similar kind of clothes and accessories. The general election will be held on June 27th when Bali will then […]
Being the world largest travel community on the cyberspace, TripAdvisor has been considered as one of the most respectable barometers in global tourism industry. With its significant number of users accessing from every corner of the globe, its insights are quite accurate. Recently TripAdvisor published the most searched destinations in Thailand.
The Most Popular Destinations in […]
Do you know how many tourist has made their travel trips this year? Within the first 8 months of 2017, which means from January to August, the whole world welcomed 901 millions international arrivals. It is 7% up from the same period of 2016. UNWTO World Tourism Barometer records that the number has been continuously […]
Turkish Airlines has just established its 300th routes to connect the Thai premier tropical island to Turkish capital Istanbul. The inaugural flight safely touched down at Phuket International Airport on July 17th, 2017. Afterward, the airline will provide 4 times a week service using Airbus A330-300.
Turkish Airlines will depart Ataturk International Airport of Istanbul every […]
As almost the whole of its archipelago lies on the world’s “ring of fire”, Indonesia has a vast number of active volcanoes. Despite of its small size, Bali has active volcanoes too. Being the most notable active volcano is Mount Agung. Physically it has the highest peak of the island. Spiritually Balinese Hindu believes that […]


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Fresh fruit, vegetable prices skyrocket in Turkey amid harsh winter conditions
AA photoThe price of fresh fruit and vegetables has soared dramatically across Turkey as harsh winter conditions hit the country.
In some products, the prices even skyrocketed by 400 percent.
According to sector players, producers do not win from this unusual price moves, which are caused by some speculative actions by a few middlemen.
Burhan Er, the head of the Vegetable Gardens Commissioners and Tradesmen Federation, suggested that “some people’s opportunistic moves” led to surging fresh fruit and vegetable prices.
“We are seeing a sort of monopolization in the market, as only three or four people set the prices. There are increases in prices of around 300 to 400 percent. Peppers are sold for 7 to 8 liras per kilogram in some places, but for 10 to 15 liras in others,” Er said.
“There is a huge problem with transporting the products due to heavy snowfall. For instance, some of my trucks are stuck on the roads in the inner Aegean region as they cannot move. But such incidents should not lead to highly speculative rises in prices,” he added.
One agricultural producer told state-run Anadolu Agency that although a cauliflower is sold for 6 or 7 liras in the market, producers earn less than 3 liras per product.
A fruit and vegetable commissioner told the Doğan News Agency that they faced serious problems with transporting goods.
“Heavy rain falls and floods have hit agricultural products in the Mediterranean region, Turkey’s main fresh fruit and vegetable producer. We cannot carry the products due to heavy snowfall now,” he said.
Marketers from Istanbul’s main fresh fruit and vegetable wholesaler market in the Bayrampaşa district told daily Hürriyet that there is not any shortage in the products, but they cannot find retailers to buy and sell them due to transportation problems.
“Only representatives from big supermarkets come and buy our products. As street bazaars cannot open across Istanbul due to the heavy snow, small and medium retailers do not buy products now. If these conditions continue, we will stop buying products from producers and middlemen,” one said.


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B&M has revealed its 'must-have' Christmas toys for 2017 ahead of the festive rush.
The chain, which operates stores in Coventry and Warwickshire, has fast become a firm favourite with shoppers.
B&M is promising customers its prices are much lower than rival toy stores.
Currently, B&M is offering the lowest prices on these items, as catalogue retailer Argos is selling the Spiderman Tech Suit for £44.99 and the NERF Retaliator for £36.99.
While Tesco is selling the Cars Piston Cup Racing Garage Playset for £29.99.
By picking up some of B&M's products shoppers will be able to save themselves around £65 on their Christmas shopping, according to the Liverpool Echo.
B&M is now stocking products similar to Hatchimals, Paw Patrol and Star Wars products.
Below is the full round-up of the products and more importantly the huge price differences
This Christmas prices are similar to last year, which means parents will be paying out around £69.99 for one.
B&M is now selling a mini Hatchimal plush toy for £4.99. This means a saving of £65.
Savings can be made of £15 by opting for the PAW Patrol playset.
B&M has released its own version for £2.99.
B&M is helping shoppers save £20 with its version of the Enchantimals playset.
You can shop all of B&M's versions on its website here .
Or you can find your nearest store here.


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According to what we understand, this is still the case, with more than 100 journalists having the chance to attend a behind-the-scenes presentation and play the game firsthand. On December 7, the embargo on the occasion and firsthand accounts will be lifted.
Rod Fergusson invited everyone in attendance to watch The Game Awards because there would be announcements during the presentation.
The announcement is anticipated to include the game’s release date, as Sikmamikanico of Xbox Era previously stated. According to Jez Corden of Windowscentral, Diablo 4 will be released in April 2023.
It’s almost certain to be announced because an internal Activision Blizzard document leaked earlier this year indicated that pre-orders would be made available at The Game Awards.
A PlayStation Store API also mentions a Diablo 4 open beta on the backend.
As a little trivia question you might get asked in 5 years, Diablo 4’s codename is We Love Dogs.
Jez has clarified that the April release target date could have been a launch window with an 8-week variance.
Give me that BETA, baby! https://t.co/ZxcJJEwJrv
— Tom Henderson (@_Tom_Henderson_) December 2, 2022


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Digiday Research: 94 percent of European publishers will increase their video output
This research is based on unique data collected from our proprietary audience of publisher, agency, brand and tech insiders. It’s available to Digiday+ members. More from the series →
Digiday’s “Research in brief” is our newest research installment designed to give you quick, easy and digestible facts to make better decisions and win arguments around the office. They are based on Digiday’s proprietary surveys of industry leaders, executives and doers. See our earlier research on the publisher pivot to video here.
At the Digiday Publishing Summit Europe in October, we had the unique opportunity to compare U.S. publishers’ video strategies with that of their European counterparts. You can read our full breakdown on the U.S. publisher pivot to video here.
After surveying 35 publisher executives in Europe, one trend stood out. European publishers are pivoting more aggressively to video than publishers in the U.S.
In the U.S., 84 percent of publishers are planning on increasing their digital video output, compared to 94 percent of European publishers. This 10 percentage-point gap is not particularly noteworthy; what is notable is the extent to which European publishers are increasing their video output.
European publishers are 3.5 times more likely than their U.S. counterparts to increase video output by over 50 percent; 42 percent of European publishers are planning such an increase, while this figure is 12 percent for U.S. publishers.
The majority of U.S. publishers projected incremental increases to their video output. Over 70 percent of U.S. publishers said they would likely to increase their video output between zero and 25 percent, compared to 41 percent of European publishers.
Publishers chasing video for the increased ad revenue is a well-established trend. However, unlike U.S. publishers, European publishers have a much shorter deadline to make the pivot to video. With the looming enforcement of the General Data Protection Regulation, Europeans face losing valuable audience data, which will likely damage digital ad revenues. It could be that European publishers are pre-emptively adopting video to soften the blow of GDPR enforcement.
More in Media
Lacking financial incentives, sustainability remains a hope, not a promise, in digital advertising next year
Reducing carbon emissions from the digital ad ecosystem is an important priority, but various players are skeptical that much can — and is — being done to practice sustainability.
Google’s vp of global ads is confident that cookies will be gone from Chrome by the end of next year, despite all the challenges currently facing the ad market.
Mythbuster: How the inconsistent definition of click-through rates affects publishers and their advertisers
Some email newsletter platforms’ click-through rates are actually click-to-open rates, which are measured against the number of emails opened rather than the emails sent. But buyers seem to prefer it that way.


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MADISON, Wis. (BRAIN) — Saris Cycling Group, the parent company for Saris Racks, CycleOps, and PowerTap, has announced new distributors for its brands in Australia.
HEERENVEEN, Netherlands (BRAIN) — Sales of performance e-bikes continue to drive sales increases for Accell Group, the parent company of Raleigh, Diamondback, Haibike and other bike brands.
KUNSHAN, China (BRAIN) — Jeffrey Winterkorn, SRAM’s vice president of global manufacturing, told employees at the company’s Kunshan factory Monday that closing the plant was a “difficult decision.”
TAICHUNG, Taiwan (BRAIN) — The global slump in bicycle sales, especially in the U.S. and China, has taken a toll on Giant's first three quarters of 2016 with overall revenue down 6.5 percent.
GIRONA, Spain (BRAIN) — Early exhibitor registration is now open for the first Sea Otter Europe in Girona, which is planned for June 2-4 next year.
CAPE TOWN, South Africa (BRAIN) — Protective gear maker Leatt Corporation is seeing strong growth in the U.S. market this year, with sales up 33 percent in the third quarter and 19 percent for the year to date.
KETCHUM, Idaho (BRAIN) — Pro cyclist Rebecca Rusch will lead a bike tour along the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Laos next week, to raise awareness about unexploded ordnance that remain from the Vietnam War and raise funds for the safe removal of ordnance from war zones.
TAICHUNG, Taiwan (BRAIN) — Jerry Huang, who retired from Jagwire after 25 years with the cable-housing manufacturer, has launched his own line of products under the Ciclovation brand.
RICHMOND, Australia (BRAIN) — The Australian accessory brand Knog, which had a successful Kickstarter campaign for its Oi bike bell, ended its campaign for a new backup battery after pledge momentum stalled.
BENTONVILLE, Ark. (BRAIN) — The International Mountain Bicycling Association's board of directors has elected Dave Wiens as its new chairman at the IMBA World Summit being held here this week. Previous board chairman Robert Winston served as chair for six years.
BOULDER, Colo. (BRAIN) — Next week's IMBA World Summit in Bentonville, Arkansas, is the first of the organization's biennial events to sell out and is expected to have the highest attendence in history.
MESQUITE, Texas (BRAIN) — Sports drink maker The Pickle Juice Company has added distribution in Central and South America and Australasia, including Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea and neighboring islands.
WATERLOO, Wis. (BRAIN) — Trek is making live video streams available for the DVV Insurances Trophy cyclocross series, starting with the Koppenbergcross race on Tuesday.
The videos will be streamed lived on Trekbikes.com at no charge. Replays will not be available.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (BRAIN) — U.S. visitors to European-based e-commerce sites like Wiggle and Chain Reaction have seen something new when they searched for SRAM products in recent months: nothing.
POOLE, United Kingdom (BRAIN) — Muc-Off is claiming its sales grew 32 percent in the last year, on the strength of an expanded product line, international sales growth and sponsorship of major pro cyclists including Team Sky, British Cycling and Trek Factory Racing.
FRIEDRICHSHAFEN, Germany (BRAIN) — Organizers of the Eurobike show are asking its exhibitors to vote on the length of its 2018 event. The show will be held in July for the first time that year, moving up from its traditional timing in mid- to late-August.
OSAKA, Japan (BRAIN) — Shimano pointed to weak sales in Southeast Asia, Japan, China and South America as contributors to another steep decline in bike product sales. The company’s sales through the first nine months of this year were down 18.8 percent according to figures released this week.
TAICHUNG, Taiwan (BRAIN) — Just a week after Eurobike announced plans to move its show from late August to early July in 2018 the organizers of Taipei's Cycle Show announced an even larger calendar shift: from its current dates in March to late October.
TREVISO, Italy (BRAIN) – Pinarello has issued a statement following various news reports that the LVMH Group, parent company of Louis Vuitton and other luxury brands, was in talks to acquire the high-end Italian brand.
BERN, Switzerland (BRAIN) — The World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry said it appeciates the UCI's decision to resume testing of disc brakes in the pro peloton next year.


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Oppo has reported their OPPO Inno Day 2019 occasion in Shenzhen, China. This occasion is sort out for the developments which have been a year ago and going to come one year from now. Along these lines, in the Inno Day 2019, Oppo has declared some energizing devices for the clients which will accessible in 2020. A year ago, the organization reported the 10X Periscope Zoom in their cell phones and Under-Screen Camera innovation. Presently, this year we will see the Oppo Smartwatch, Oppo 5G Hub, new Oppo Earbuds, AR and the sky is the limit from there. By this, we can expect that the coming year will be loaded with advancements. In this manner, read the full article to find out about the up and coming devices and their highlights and furthermore look at Oppo Smartwatch dispatch date in India and Oppo Smartwatch cost in India:
Oppo Inno Day 2019:
In the Inno Day 2019 occasion which was sort out in China. Numerous new tech advancements have reported, for example, the Oppo Smartwatch, Home, AR, Earbuds, 5G Hub and that’s only the tip of the iceberg. This all gadgets will we accessible in the up and coming year 2020. In this manner, read every one of the highlights and significant updates about the contraptions:
Oppo has prodded its up and coming Smartwatch which will be more productive than the Apple and Xiaomi Smartwatch. In the picture, plainly the watch configuration is fundamentally the same as the Apple Smartwatch. Additionally, we are expecting that it will include the Qualcomm Snapdragon 3000 Processor that we are finding in the Xiaomi Smartwatch. It is probably going to run on the WearOS by Google. There is no information despite about the screen size and manufacture quality. The Smartwatch will be on AI and profound realizing which will be useful to the clients and last to their cell phones. We are expecting that the Smartwatch will prone to include 5G/Wi-Fi Connectivity however there is no data about it.
Oppo Earbuds and AR Glasses:
Oppo has additionally declared two new contraptions which are energizing for the clients. The first is the Earbuds and the subsequent one is AR Glasses. There will be new really remote earbuds which have been declared subsequent to seeing the rage of the clients. As we have seen that Realme will disclose their genuinely remote earbuds then Oppo has likewise reported it. In the main picture, you can see the Oppo Earbuds are a lot of like last the toothbrush structure. We are expecting great availability with it and likely that it will give great UI.
The other device is AR Glasses which is in progress for giving another tech to the clients. It will accompany the fisheye camera, 3D Reconstruction and diffractive guide innovation which will help the clients in despite works of Augmented Reality (AR). Thus, by it clients can do there works in the field of illustrations easily.
Oppo 5G Hub:
The following contraption that is declare is Oppo 5G CPE Hub. As every one of the organizations are moving to 5G cell phone and the 5G is advancing in the coming years. In this way, there is an uplifting news for the individuals who would prefer not to change to 5G Phones due to there spending plan. Oppo 5G Hub will help in the conncetivity of 5G Network. Truly, by utilizing this contraption you will have the option to surf 5G on your portable by interfacing with it. It will function as a switch in the Home or any work environment.
You can find in the pictures that there are 5 Ports and two catches comprise of USB, LAN1, LAN 2/WAN, Phone, Charging Port. The two devoted catches are Switch On/Off and WPS. The WPS catch will assist you with joining your telephones and gadgets fastly and simpler. On the front, there is warnings light and on the top marking of Oppo. Its structure is a lot of like the Google Home. In the Hub, you can put your 5G SIM and you can interface 1000 gadgets simultaneously.
It will be fueled by the Snapdragon X55 Modem and supports sub-6Hz 5G network. You can associate your gadgets with Bluetooth, Wi-fi and the sky is the limit from there. On the front, you can see the warnings light for the 4G, 5G, Wi-fi and Power On/Off light. It will help the clients in knowing all the data about the availability all the more effectively.
Oppo Smartwatch Launch Date in India:
As every one of the gadgets have reported in the Inno Day 2019 which was composed in China. In this way, we are expecting that every one of the gadgets will be accessible in 2020. Accordingly, the organization will dispatch the gadgets in the Q1 2020.
Oppo Smartwatch Price in India:
As every one of the devices have declared yet there is no information about their estimating. Along these lines, the Smartwatch is required to come around Rs. 15,000 and the AR Glasses is probably going to come around Rs. 30,000. The other contraption, the Oppo Hub is required to come around Rs. 10,000 and the Truly remote earbuds are relied upon to come around Rs. 5,000.


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Point Breeze restaurant opens with comfort food served 7 days a week
POINT BREEZE – After several successful years of owning two marinas and a restaurant in Point Breeze, Gatlen and Danielle Ernst have gone out on a limb to open another restaurant.
Located at the end of Route 98 in Point Breeze, Gilligan’s Galley opened its doors Thursday.
Several restaurants were in business there in recent years, but since the pandemic it has remained closed. John Brown and Dave Tuft of Batavia were previous owners. A year ago Brown approached Gatlen and asked if he would be interested in buying the place.
“I thought, ‘Am I nuts,’” Gatlen said.
He and Danielle are the owners of Lake Breeze Marina, which they purchased in 2014, and the former Four C’s Marina, which they purchased later that same year.
Gatlen had worked at Lake Breeze for 10 years and Danielle was a stay-at-home mom when they became owners of the marinas. They immediately started making improvements, redoing the docks, updating the cottages and adding two more cottages. Four C’s had a small restaurant with outdoor seating overlooking the docks, which has been very popular during the summer.
They finalized the purchase of the new restaurant last October, but didn’t start renovations until March. They replaced table tops and the counter top, added beams made from trees in their yard, and created a tiki theme with thatching and bamboo in the ceiling.
The name for the new restaurant, Gilligan’s Galley, comes from Gatlen’s childhood, when his friends called him “Gilligan.” Galley, of course, is the nautical name for a kitchen on a boat, and what could be more appropriate for a restaurant within a few steps of Lake Ontario and the Oak Orchard River.
The Ernsts plan to be open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week. They may add breakfast later on. They will serve nightly specials, featuring home cooked comfort food. They hope Friday night fish fries will be a big hit, being offered Buffalo style, potato chip crusted, blackened grilled or plain.
Gatlen said they have applied for a liquor license and would like to have Bills parties, seeing they have several televisions in the restaurant.
Among the customers on opening day were Teresa Poler and her neighbor Paul Kenyon of Lyndonville.
“It’s lovely to have something like this close by,” Poler said. “Everything was very good.”
Gatlen said the area is getting a boost from increased traffic from Canada. That was curtailed during the Covid pandemic.
There are also picnic tables for outdoor dining, and Danielle said next year she would like to do something interesting with the back yard.


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Apple Computer Rescinds Price Hike
By David E. Kalish
AP Business Writer
Friday, Oct. 15, 1999; 7:31 p.m. EDT NEW YORK Bowing to a surge of customer complaints, Apple Computer Inc. backed off Friday from a decision to retroactively raise prices on some computers that customers already had ordered and paid for.
The controversy had threatened to blemish Apple's public image, which has greatly improved over the past year as the company delivered a string of popular new computers and strong financial results.
"This will probably go down in the record books as the most customer-unfriendly act this year, if not the last few years," said Rob Enderle, an analyst at the Giga Information Group, a consulting firm in San Jose, Calif.
"It should be No. 1 on the list of how to send people to other companies."
It's not the first time Apple has faced criticism for its selling practices. On two occasions in the past two years, the computer company has reached settlements with the Federal Trade Commission over charges that it misled customers.
The controversy over computer pricing erupted on Wednesday when the company said it would delay the launch of its fastest G4 model, which sports a 500 megahertz microprocessor, until early next year due to a shortage of the computer chips from Motorola.
Apple also said it would cancel orders from customers who prior to Wednesday had ordered slower models of the G4, but hadn't yet received their machines.
When customers tried to reorder the machines, they learned that the same units would cost up to $350 more. And those who had ordered 500 megahertz machines were offered slower units for the same price.
Web sites quickly filled up with protests from angry customers, and Apple fielded complaints as well.
One customer, Jon-Paul Kelly, a video editor and graphic animator based in San Francisco, had ordered a 500-megahertz machine for $4,750, and was told he could get a 450-megahertz machine instead.
"I was a bit disappointed to find out I had to pay the same price for basically a lesser machine," he said.
By Friday morning, Apple formally reversed its decision. A memo from The Apple Store, Apple's Web site for online sales, informed customers Apple decided to honor the original price "after a good night's sleep and digesting emails from many upset customers." Apple also said it would offer discounts on slower machines to people who had ordered the top model.
"If you ordered a Power Mac G4 configured with a 400 MHz or 450 MHz processor prior to October 13, we will honor the original price quoted for your order," the memo said.
"We apologize for any inconvenience we may have caused you," it added.
Rhona Hamilton, a spokeswoman with Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple, said the pricing reversal also affected retail stores and other online distributors of Apple products.
Apple tried to downplay the impact of the tiff. Mitch Mandich, head of worldwide sales for Apple, said that only a "very small percentage of customers" were demanding the same price.
Customers "are not really pleased with the decision but for the most part they understand," Mandich said. "We're trying to do the best job we can do under the best circumstances."
The incident isn't Apple's first brush with controversial selling behavior. Early this year, Apple, in a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission, agreed to reimburse customers for a $35 fee it charged them for a technical support package that it had said would be free. And in 1997, Apple settled FTC allegations that it overcharged for upgrading some computers.
Lee Peeler, the FTC's associate director for advertising practices, would not comment on whether the FTC was taking a look at this week's incident. Mandich of Apple declined to comment on legal matters.
While many customers were upset by Apple's move to raise prices, some Apple loyalists were not overly fazed by the turn of events.
"If they charged $300 more, I would have absolutely no problems paying that," said Sanjay Sakhuja, president of Digital Pre-Press International. a printing company based in San Francisco.
His company ordered 10 G4s prior to Wednesday, and looked forward to the speedier performance of the new machines.
"The machines we are replacing with these new machines are 2-3 years old," he added. "To pay 10 percent or 15 percent more, for us it's worth it."
© Copyright 1999 The Associated Press


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DELORME inREACH™ earnes prestigious BACKPACKER magazine 2102 Editors’ choice award
YARMOUTH, Maine — (March 6, 2012) – The DeLorme inReach 2-way satellite communicator has been honored with a 2012 Backpacker magazine Editors’ Choice Award. This is the most prestigious award in the outdoor industry, given annually in recognition of outstanding innovation in design, materials, and performance.
inReach is one of only 13 products to be so honored for 2012. The Backpacker Editors’ Choice Awards, bestowed each year since 1993, recognize the products that Backpacker editors have chosen as the best of the year based on months of trail testing by teams of highly experienced hikers and climbers. With no set categories for the awards and no set number of recipients, the products and the testing process drive the award categories.
“No other magazine or website conducts in-depth field-testing as vigorously or impartially as the crew led by Gear Editor Kristin Hostetter, ” said Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Dorn. “The results are reviews that lead consumers to smart, durable products that consistently prove their worth with years of best-in-class performance.”
With 90 percent of the Earth’s surface lacking cell phone service, inReach is a full-featured communication alternative for remote or high-risk environments. It is the first consumer-affordable satellite communicator with two-way SOS and personal text messaging, delivery confirmation, “follow me” online GPS tracking, and worldwide coverage via Iridium, the world’s furthest-reaching satellite network. It can serve as a standalone device or be paired with an Android smartphone or DeLorme Earthmate PN-60w GPS for send-and-receive messaging.
In its product review, Backpacker called inReach a “game changer.” “The two-way text messaging enabled me to maintain a running dialogue with friends and family, ” said Dorn, who had first-hand experience with inReach during recent trips to the Andes and Tetons.
Gear Editor Kristin Hostetter described how inReach helped her stay connected while doing field testing. “My kids’ classes followed my progress in Chile and fired me questions.” Keeping friends and families updated is one of inReach’s key attributes.
inReach communication and tracking capabilities, coupled with the ability to describe an SOS situation and exchange updates with responders, make inReach a must-have for anyone who spends time in the outdoors beyond cell phone range.
“inReach’s two-way communication can eliminate one of the most vexing issues search-and-rescue authorities face – false alarms, “ said Patrick Shay, DeLorme Vice President and General Manager for Connected Solutions.
“We are delighted to be honored for innovation by such an esteemed publication, ” said Jim Skillings, DeLorme Vice President for Commercial Products. “This award is a further validation of how important this product is to outdoor enthusiasts.”
Since last Fall, inReach has received numerous other prestigious awards from the National Marine Manufacturers Association, Popular Science, National Geographic Adventure, Men’s Journal, the Consumer Electronics Association, Outside magazine, and Gear Junkie.
inReach is available at a suggested retail price of $249.95. For more information or to find a retailer, go to www.delorme.com.
About DeLorme: DeLorme is a longtime leader in innovative mapping and GPS products, and most recently the company has earned numerous prestigious awards for its groundbreaking integration of GPS navigation and satellite communications. The ability to develop all the critical components necessary to compete in these fast-changing technologies distinguishes DeLorme as a provider of unique solutions for both the commercial and government markets. DeLorme is based in Yarmouth, ME, U.S.A., and is home to Eartha, the world’s largest revolving globe. To learn more, visit www.delorme.com.
About Backpacker: Backpacker (www.backpacker.com) brings the outdoors straight to the reader’s doorstep, inspiring and enabling them to go more places and enjoy nature more often. The authority on active adventure, Backpacker is the world’s first GPS-enabled magazine and website, and the only outdoor media whose editors personally test the hiking trails, camping gear, and survival tips they publish. Backpacker‘s Editors’ Choice Awards, an industry honor recognizing design, feature, and product innovation, has become the gold standard against which all other outdoor-industry awards are measured. And the magazine recently launched mobile media applications that allow users to text-message hiking maps and directions to their phones. In the last four years, Backpacker has won five National Magazine Awards, the publishing industry’s highest honor. In 2008, the magazine won the NMA for General Excellence, joining The New Yorker, Mother Jones, GQ, and National Geographic as top winners in their respective size categories. In 2009, it won three awards, including General Excellence Online. Backpacker has also won numerous other print, design, and digital awards, and its writers have been recognized in prestigious contests and best-of-the-year anthologies


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The fintech company Tassat launched its new blockchain product, the Digital Interbank Network, on Saturday, onboarding three banks and completing over $800 million in transactions during its first three official days of operation.
While blockchain projects usually conjure ideas of decentralization, Tassat has taken a different approach. The New York–based company created TassatPay, a private, blockchain-based solution for commercial banks that allows its business customers to send instantaneous payments 24/7, 365 days a year. Since 2019, TassatPay has processed over $500 billion for clients such as Signature Bank.
TassatPay enables a bank’s customers to transact with each other, although it doesn’t allow for payments between customers of different banks. With the launch of the Digital Interbank Network, B2B customers at any member bank will be able to transact with each other. Currently, there are three participating banks: Cogent Bank, Customers Bank, and Western Alliance Bank. Customers conducted around 400 transactions totaling over $500 million within eight hours at the beginning of the launch weekend.
Tassat may lack the name recognition of a few other crypto fintech disrupters, but its traction demonstrates the varied use cases for blockchain technology. As CEO Kevin Greene explained to Fortune, a lack of hype among average crypto followers is intentional—Tassat’s product is exclusively for commercial, nonconsumer clients, with the understanding that the vast majority of payments are between businesses, rather than business-to-consumer, or B2C.
The landscape of B2B payments is still quite antiquated. Although digital solutions are advancing, an estimated 40% of B2B payments in the U.S. are still made via paper checks, with payments restricted to business hours.
Greene said he saw the potential of blockchain and realized financial institutions could apply the technology to digital payments but without the risks of decentralized systems. Instead, Tassat has built a permissioned, proof-of-authority-based blockchain—a concept that may repel early boosters of cryptocurrencies, but one that’s proved attractive to Tassat’s customers.
“We think banks are well equipped to disrupt the disrupters,” Greene said.
Major banks have long sought their own blockchain solutions. There was the startup R3, a consortium backed by some of the most powerful global banks, including Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase, although it didn’t gain much traction. J.P. Morgan now has its own blockchain team called Onyx, as well as a digital currency—JPM Coin—to facilitate global payments.
Greene said Tassat specifically targets smaller regional and community banks with the understanding that they’re less likely to develop their own, bespoke payment options. “We think it’s important for traditional banks that are not megabanks to get empowered with blockchain,” Greene said.
“The theory is that all creativity exists in the Bay Area and Silicon Valley,” he added. “What we see is, when we empower banks with blockchain, they’re creative, because they know their customers.”


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Federal and Central Bank Currency May be on the Way
With the advent of FedNow, the U.S. Federal Reserve tossed around the idea of issuing a digital currency Oct. 2, according to a recent article in Reuters. Philadelphia Federal Reserve bank president Patrick Harker said during a community banking conference the implementation of a digital currency "is inevitable," but he does not want the U.S. to be the first country to experiment with digital currency.
Central banks and the Fed have been exploring what the rise of private cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin mean for an inevitable public cryptocurrency. This notion emerged on the heels of a question relating to FedNow, the government's real-time payment system set to launch in a handful of years.
The mood of the conference in relation to this comment was skeptical, according to Reuters. Many are unsure whether private cryptocurrencies will become large enough or act enough like true currencies for central banks and the Fed to regulate these alternative currencies.
—Christie Citranglo, editorial associate


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Greenpeace claims that Wal-mart, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) and other major brands are contributing to the destruction of the rainforest and extinction of Sumatran tigers and orangutans by using paper products from Indonesia, reports Irish Times. The environmental group is calling on these big brands to stop doing business with the paper and pulp division of Sinar Mas.
The Greenpeace report, “How Sinar Mas is Pulping the Planet” (PDF), shows how major brands are destroying Indonesia’s rainforests and carbon-rich peatlands by using or selling paper products from Asia Pulp and Paper (APP), part of the Sinar Mas group.
The report finds that APP uses the logs from two rainforest areas — Bukit Tigapuluh and Kerumutan — for its Sumatra-based pulp mills, which export paper products worldwide.
Several leading companies have already responded to Greenpeace evidence of the Sinar Mas conglomerate’s “illegal” environmental and deforestation practices in Indonesia and are canceling their contracts with the Indonesian palm oil and paper giant.
Carrefour says it has already stopped buying from APP for its own brands and Tesco will follow suit by the end of the year, while Kraft will phase out APP paper and packaging, reports Irish Times.
Kimberly Clark, Kraft, Nestlé and Unilever are in the process of implementing global sustainability policies for pulp and paper, which will exclude paper products from APP unless it makes substantial improvements to the sustainability of its fiber supplies, according to the report. Kimberly Clark says it has never sourced pulp from APP.
Greenpeace also reports that Staples, Office Depot, Woolworths (Australia), Franklin Covey, Fuji Xerox, Ricoh, Target, Unisource, H&M and Gucci have all decided to stop buying from APP, while PaperlinX, WHSmith, Corporate Express and Hewlett Packard are sourcing from APP in some regions.
Indonesia accounts for about one quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions caused by deforestation, reports Irish Times. A study released last year shows that Indonesia is one of the biggest emitters due to peatland degradation.


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Could your cell phone be a ticking time bomb that could put you in danger?
You may think you’re good at monitoring your teen’s texting activities, but there are new apps and texting lingo designed to keep parents in the dark.
Samsung has unveiled two new smartphones that push the envelope of screen size in the smartphone space.
Verizon has kicked off a new prepaid plan to lure in feature phone buyers.
T-Mobile subscribers can now preorder the iPhone 5 before it officially hits stores in another week.
Facebook just pulled the wraps off of a new and specially branded smartphone today. Crafted in partnership with mobile hardware manufacturer HTC, the HTC First will run the Facebook Home, a custom version of Google’s Android software tied in tightly with the Facebook social networking service.
T-Mobile continues to rev up the changes it’s got in store for customers.
After several delays, broken promises, and doomsday prognostications, BlackBerry’s next-generation smartphone, the BlackBerry Z10, hits U.S. stores tomorrow.
The brand-new flagship smartphone, which runs the latest Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, improves hardware significantly and it piles on the features.
Facebook is finally jumping on the hashtag bandwagon, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal today.


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» LONDON/NEW YORK: As bitcoin raced to another record high on Tuesday, one of the biggest providers of digital currency wallets, Coinbase, went down under the weight of traffic, leaving many of its more than 10 million customers unable to access their funds.
» SINGAPORE: Just a street away from Singapore's central bank, a cryptocurrency firm has set up what it claims is the first cafe in the city-state to be owned and operated by a business promoting its own digital coin.
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