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Here’s What CES 2016 Gave Us This Year
From drones to smart cars and smart home automation products, here’s what we saw at CES 2016.
Crunch these numbers – about 20,000 new products were launched in the past week by nearly 3,000 exhibitors spread over 2.2 million square feet of floor space. That’s why CES 2016 is the baap of consumer tech events.
From smart cars and drones to wearables and smart home appliances, here’s our take – reality check included – on some of the big trends we saw emerge out of CES, stuff that invariably shines a light on what will be hot in consumer tech in 2016!
Drones were practically everywhere at CES, despite the fact that you or I don’t really need them to go about our daily lives (they are cool, though). The batch of 2016 from the Drones Academy sported a bunch of cool new tricks – Parrot’s Disco could take off, fly around and land on its own while DJI brought 4K recording to a relatively cheaper version of the Phantom drone and E Hang’s 184 drone was large enough for you to ride inside!
But by far the smartest upgrade drones got this year was the ability to sense obstacles and avoid them automatically, making the process of actually flying one of these (and not crashing) much easier for the average person.
We fully expect drone usage to go up and spotting a drone to become much more commonplace this year. With this will come the inevitable regulations to govern them in Indian airspace.
It spent the better part of 2015 waiting in the wings, but 2016 is likely to be the year VR goes mainstream, with launches from Nikon, Ricoh and GoPro all offering 360-degree video capture devices and goggles from HTC, Samsung, Sony and Oculus looking to hit the market as early as March.
Unlike phone-based VR systems, Facebook-backed Oculus and HTC’s Vive have really pushed the category forward significantly, but at $600 (Rs 40,000 before duties) plus the inevitable PC upgrade they will require, you’re going to be asking yourself how much you really want this.
We’ve seen the TV industry’s (mostly futile) attempts over the last few years to get us to upgrade to the latest range – 3D TVs, Curved TVs, 4K TVs, SUHD TVs, 3D 4K Curved TVs… you get the drift. This year, the buzzword was high dynamic range (HDR) TVs. Much like HDR images shot on your phone, HDR TVs show you better detail in the shadows and a better range of colours and, not to forget, brighter whites and deeper blacks.
And much like the content challenges we’ve seen with 3D and 4K TVs, HDR TVs will need the production houses to get on board to shoot new HDR-ready content. Probably the best bit of news on the TV side of things was the Netflix launch for India, though whether that’s a cord cutter’s dream come true or not will have to be seen.
Self-driving cars are coming, and they’re closer to reality than you’d think. Practically any big name you can think of, including Ford, VW, Toyota and GM, have their fingers in the autonomous driving pie. And these aren’t just concept cars – they’re actually being tested in live traffic.
But clearly, CES showed that the here and now are electric cars, and stuff like the FFZERO1 concept car from Faraday Future wowed our socks off. It looks like a Batmobile on steroids, pushes out 1,000 horsepower and does 0-60 in under 3 seconds – not bad for something that runs off a battery, eh?
The average person may not be taking the bait, but that doesn’t stop the big guys from plugging the smart home concept. Samsung showed off a refrigerator with a touchscreen and – wait for it – dual internal cameras to keep an eye on how much milk and vegetables you have left.
Others had smart shower heads that would alert you if you’re using too much water for your morning shower while Whirlpool and LG focused on smart home hubs which allow you to control all these appliances centrally.
There’s even a new WiFi standard being developed, HaLow, that’s meant to work on low-power devices across your home. But the one product we’d want to buy right away is the joint effort by Intel, Xiaomi and Segway, called the Segway Advanced Personal Robot – it’s half hoverboard, half butler and wholly awesome!
(The Quint is available on Telegram. For handpicked stories every day, subscribe to us on Telegram)
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India will have one lakh startups by 2025, employing 3.25 million people, Manipal Global Education Chairman T V Mohan Das Pai said on the sidelines of Tech Conclave organized by National Stock Exchange (NSE).
He further said startup ecosystem will facilitate creating US$10 trillion economy in India by 2030. Besides, startups will help solve the country’s problems.
Currently, there are 32,000 startups and every year 7,000 companies are coming around.
“India will have one lakh startups by 2025 employing 3.25 million people and creating US$500 billion in value,” Pai said.
The event was organised by NSE to talk to startups as to whether they could access the markets, and to create a conducive capital market ecosystem for the new economy and technology companies in the country.
Pai, who is also an angel investor, asked new age technology companies to go public as listing will provide liquidity and create brand value for such entities.
He further said India has possibly got the third largest ecosystem for startups after the US and China. Notably, in Nasscom’s India Start-up Report 2014, it was revealed that< India is 3rd largest startup ecosystem in the world.NSE Managing Director and CEO Vikram Limaye also said the exchange is committed to building an ecosystem for efficient functioning and growth of startups in India.He also urged startups to go public once they have reached a certain scale as listing will provide them liquidity and also give exit options to private equity as well as venture capital funds which have invested in them.NSE, which provides Emerge ITP platform for listing of the new age companies in technology, data analytics, biotechnology or nanotechnology, said such companies will drive the economy growth in the coming years.In February 2017, it was revealed that India houses 4,750 tech startups — the highest number in the world after the United States and Britain.
To recall, last year in May, according to a new market map by CB Insights, there are 197 companies in the world that can be currently identified as “unicorns” as they have earned a valuation of $1 billion and above. Of these 197, 22 new unicorns were added this year (till 26/05/17) alone signalling a good time for the Global Startup Industry. The map also highlighted that India with 4 per cent of the world’s unicorns based out of its land, is ranked 3rd in countries with most unicorns.
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At Davos: India's pioneer electric car maker is pushing for action against climate change
Anand Mahindrasaid that India is not dialing down on its ambitions and is on track to meet the Paris commitment.
- He said the business community recognises this as a big opportunity.
- The Mahindra Group chairman said that India knows that recognising climate change is important for survival.
Mahindra & Mahindra has been at the forefront of India’s
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Mahindra added that the India is not dialling down on its ambitions and went on to cite a climate tracker report, which found that in a 32-country survey, only seven are on track to meet the Paris commitment and India is one of them. “The business community too recognises that this is not a problem they are solving alone or something you check on your CSR box. This is the biggest business opportunity for the next few decades,” he said.
AdvertisementHe reminded the audience at WEF that on behalf of his employees of all the 100 companies from his group had taken a pledge to be carbon neutral 10 years before the agreed deadline for the world in the Paris agreement.
The Mahindra Group chairman speaking at a session – Safeguarding our Planet – was also asked about India’s growing air pollution menace to which he replied that the Indian youth is conscious about this issue.
“They know it is their home and not a hotel and no one will be able to check out from here. Everyone’s got that message” he said.
Davos Digest: Raghuram Rajan lifts India's spirit and other stories from the World Economic Forum
Why the staggering costs of climate change on India are much more than monetary losses
Can latecomer Maruti Suzuki rev up electric car sales in India?
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Realme has unveiled a new mid-range smartphone featuring compelling specifications including quad-rear camera setup, 120Hz display, and Snapdragon 765G chipset. After launching X50 5G capable devices a few months ago, Realme has come up with a more affordable 5G smartphone called Realme X50m.
Realme X50m Specifications
The new Realme X50m smartphone comes with a 6.57-inch FHD+ LCD pill-shaped hole display with a 90.4% body-to-screen ratio and a 120Hz refresh rate for better gaming. The display improves the gaming experience with more fluidic animations.
The smartphone comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G chipset featuring an octa-core processor and Adreno 620 GPU. Realme has added an 8-mm ultra-large-liquid-cooled cooper tube aka a five-dimensional ice-cooled heat dissipation system.
Realme X50m smartphone features a 16MP wide-angle selfie camera and a 2MP depth sensor on the front. You will get a quad-camera setup on the rear side consisting of a 48-megapixel primary camera, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide angle sensor, a 2-megapixel macro camera, and a 2-megapixel depth sensor.
A 4200 mAh battery supporting 30W fast charging which can charge 70% battery within 20 minutes and 100% in 60 minutes. There’s a side fingerprint sensor along with the support for multi-function NFC, 1216 Hi-Res high-definition audio system with Dolby panoramic sound.
Realme X50 5G Pricing and Availability
Realme X50m has launched in China for the starting price of 1999 Yuan (~$280) for a 6GB version. However, the user needs to shell 2299 Yuan (~$325) for the 8GB version. The smartphone is available in two different colors of Galaxy White and Starry Blue from April 29.


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London design consultancy Springetts has designed the Football Association’s 2000 Christmas card. In addition to offering seasonal greetings, the card tells people about the FA’s move across London from its Lancaster Gate roots to new offices in Soho Square.
Design education, much like the wider industry, is lacking in diversity – here, Design Week speaks with some of the women who are working to change this through collective action.
Clwb Ifor Bach has been open since the 80s and now has a new identity, including logotype, typeface and design system for posters and flyers.
A one-size-fits-all approach means that disabled people are not being consulted on the design of products they use. We speak to the people who are trying to change this.
From an editorial influenced graphic style to a changing education landscape and a burgeoning international outlook, what defines design in New York?


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Japan Digital TV News
Vewd integrates support for BML and Hybridcast
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Nov 2, 2020 – ACCESS Europe has announced an enhancement to its NetFront Browser BML Edition for cars that extends support to Android. Broadcast Markup Language (BML) is essential for delivering interactive and TV services to the car in Japan.
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Asia Pacific to add 200 million SVOD subscribers
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The government decided to stop reimbursing the IVA tax on debit card purchases lower than AR $1,000 today. Even though consumption is still not showing signs of recovery and a large portion of the economy is still depending on physical cash transactions, voices from within the Treasury Ministry assured the public that the decision was made because the measure didn’t fulfill its goal to boost consumption and bring more people into the formal economy. “It had an extremely high fiscal cost and didn’t reach its goal of encouraging card use,” sources from the ministry told Clarín.
The government estimates that it was prevented from collecting AR $6 billion in taxes last year as a result of the policy. In an interview with Infobae, the newly-appointed Treasury Ministry, Nicolás Dujovne, said those who need the help the most will continue to have it: “It benefited a single sector of society that doesn’t need it. And we must consider the support of retirees who collect minimum pension, Universal Child Allowance (AUH) and Pregnancy Allowance recipients, who will still have the IVA tax deducted from their purchases with debit card until December 31st. That’s our goal. To reimburse the IVA tax to those who need it the most.”
The measure was put in place during 2001, shortly before Fernando de la Rúa’s administration collapsed, and was extended year after year. When taking office, the Cambiemos government made it clear it was considering eliminating it, and planned on extending it for four months initially, but with the economy dropping in April, they decided to keep the policy in place until December.


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Airlines rank lower in customer satisfaction — than the post office
Fliers are slightly more satisfied with the service offered by U.S.-based airlines since last year.
But with the airline industry ranked below the U.S. Postal Service for customer satisfaction, it still has a way to go.
The findings come from an annual survey of about 70,000 Americans and show that the airline industry ranks higher than only subscription TV and Internet service companies.


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Arrow Wine & Spirits, a Dayton-based, family-owned business that traces its roots to 1934, is headed south to add its third beer, wine and liquor store.
A spokeswoman for the Ohio Division of Liquor Control has confirmed to this news outlet that Arrow Wine & Spirits has been awarded the contract to open a state-agency liquor store at 6109 Radio Way in Mason. The store will be new construction.
“We have eyed expansion for several years now with our eyes primarily on the Columbus and Cincinnati markets,” said Arrow co-owner Mif Frank, grandson of one of the three Frank brothers who founded the company 84 years ago. “We decided on the Mason area because of the proximity to our Centerville and Kettering locations, and because the Mason-West Chester area is one of the fastest-growing regions in Ohio.”
Frank said the new store will be 15,000 to 20,000 square feet.
“Our plans are to make this location big enough to provide the largest selection of wine, beer, and spirits, as well as all of the other products we offer, in Ohio,” he said.
The goal is to open the store in early 2019. “We will work closely with The Ohio Division of Liquor Control to meet all of their requirements and to make sure that we are ‘Arrow Ready,’ Frank said.
Each existing Arrow store employs 25 to 30, with additional seasonal help during November and December. Frank said he expects the Mason store to create an equivalent number of new jobs.
Arrow was a pioneer in southwest Ohio in hosting drop-in wine tastings, which it launched in 1975. The new Mason store will offer weekly wine and beer tastings as well as special events, Frank said.
Arrow got its start in the Arcade in downtown Dayton in 1934, a year after Prohibition was lifted, when three Frank brothers — Malcolm, Irving and Sanford — launched a liquor delivery service that became Arrow Wine & Spirits. The young brothers — Malcolm was the oldest, at 23 — combined their $15 in savings and two cars to set up the delivery service. The Frank brothers called their service Arrow to assure customers they were fast and accurate. They subsequently moved across the street to 39 S. Ludlow St. to set up their own beer and wine shop.
At one time, Arrow operated six stores throughout the region, including on Salem Avenue near Grand Avenue in Dayton, in Page Manor in Riverside, and in Breitenstrater Square in Dayton.
Arrow’s Lyons Road store in Washington Twp. near Centerville was among the first “agency” stores to start selling liquor after state officials did away with “state stores” in the early 1990s. The Arrow store on Far Hills Avenue in Kettering followed soon thereafter.
The new Mason store is part of an effort by the Ohio Division of Liquor Control to expand and enhance sales in Ohio, which helps fund economic-development efforts across the state. The state is still considering bids on another proposed location in south Centerville, a spokeswoman for the division of liquor control said. And no final decision has been made regarding a proposed Piqua location, she said.


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If you're like us, you've never found the Eos to be a fitting replacement for the long-running Golf-based Cabrio. Well, rejoice, Cabrio fans – it appears that Volkswagen will be bringing back the diminutive droptop sometime next year. And with the current Golf providing the groundwork, it ...


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Dubai??s Scoopi Café has recently launched its latest invention: a scoop of ice cream at a price of Dhs3,000 or $817!
A scoop of their signature ice cream, the ??Black Diamond,? is made with exotic Madagascar vanilla ice cream, garnished with the world??s most expensive Iranian saffron and slices of black Italian truffle. And the most expensive ingredient is the 23-carat edible gold, which is sprinkled on the scoop.
The ice cream comes in a Versace bowl and spoon, which the customer gets to keep as a souvenir.
Head on to Scoopi Café in Jumeirah to indulge your sweet tooth with a touch of glamour!!You can even try other flavours which scoops out for as low as Dh15.


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Tesla valuation estimates have widened from a per-share low of $195 to a high of $4,000, after CEO Elon Musk tweeted plans on Aug. 7 to explore taking the electric car company private prior to announcing on Aug. 24 that it would stay public, writes Paul Dykewicz.
Tesla Inc. (TSLA) definitively indicated in a website blog that Musk and his board of directors agreed to keep the stock publicly traded, despite short sellers on the prowl to torpedo the company’s valuation. Indeed, Tesla valuation estimates from traditional stock analysts and other experts now diverge substantially and leave investors able to find reasons to sell shamelessly or to buy boldly.
JPMorgan Chase slashed its 12-month Tesla price target on Aug. 20 to $195 from $308, equaling a 36.69% cut.
Brian A. Johnson, an automobile company analyst with Barclays, wrote in an Aug. 27 research note that he projects a 35% downside to $210 a share from Tesla’s current price, partly due to “cracks” in the credibility of Tesla’s leadership after the Aug. 7 tweet by Musk about taking the company private and his Aug. 24 reversal. Barclays previously expressed doubt about whether Tesla could go private and still retain more than 2,000 non-institutional investors, including 500 non-accredited backers, if the company no longer traded publicly.
Tesla valuation concerns raised by Barclays
“One of the key tenets of confidence for Tesla bulls is that the Model 3 will be the iPhone of cars,” Johnson wrote in his Aug. 27 research note. “We have consistently maintained that the bull case around Tesla is more faith-based than fundamental valuation based.”
The first key element is that Tesla will gain a dominant market share position in the auto industry similar to the way the Apple Inc. (AAPL) iPhone became the rage in the mobile phone arena. Tesla aims to turn its Model 3 into the middle-class electric car of choice with a $35,000 price and has produced 400,000 reservations for the vehicle.
The second key element is that Tesla would “disrupt” other industries, including trucking/transport, mobility, energy, generation/storage and even insurance.
However, the Tesla valuation of $210 a share by Barclays in the next 12 months projects the company as a “large niche player” but its true present value is “only $143” a share, Johnson wrote. The focus now shifts to Tesla’s third-quarter financial results when its management has promised the company will be cash flow positive, Johnson wrote.
Tesla’s shares fell $7.41 on Tuesday, Aug. 28, to $311.86, down 2.32%. However, the stock is slightly above breakeven so far this year.
Chart Courtesy of stockcharts.com
Tesla valuation receives unbridled bullishness from ARK Invest
Catherine Wood, chief executive officer of ARK Invest, wrote an open letter to Musk and his board of directors on Aug. 22 that pleaded to keep the company public and fulfill its potential valuation within five years of $700 to $4,000 a share. If the company was privatized at the $420 a share price that Musk proposed, Tesla would be undervalued and deprive many investors of an opportunity to participate in its future success, she wrote.
“Our $4,000 per share price target assumes that Tesla evolves from a hardware manufacturer with 198% gross margins to a company generating most of its profits from Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS), a business that we believe will enjoy 80% gross margins,” Wood wrote in her letter. “In the $4,000 scenario, our assumptions are conservative: we incorporate profits only from cars and certain autonomous taxi networks, not from trucks, drones, utility scale energy storage or the MaaS opportunity in China.”
Wood, who also is the head of a technology-focused mutual fund company, ARK Investment Management LLC (ARK), said her Tesla valuation accounts for roughly $20 billion in dilution that might be necessary to “penetrate and scale” the latter four markets of trucks, drones, utility scale energy storage or the MaaS opportunity in China. In an ARK white paper that I obtained, the investment firm raised the possibility that the traditional automotive industry may be “subsumed” by Mobility-as-a-Service platforms that could become one of the most valuable investment opportunities in public equity markets.
Tesla valuation fueled by proliferation of autonomous taxi services
The ARK white paper predicted:
--Autonomous taxi services would become commercially available in 2019 and should be the dominant form of door-to-door mobility by the late 2020s.
--Self-driving taxis will cost consumers $0.35 cents per mile, or roughly half of the all-in cost car owners now pay to drive, thanks to much higher utilization rates. These “compelling economics” should drive widespread adoption of autonomous taxi networks.
--Traffic will rise almost three-fold by 2030, as autonomous taxis will allow the non-driving population, including the blind, elderly and young teens, affordable and convenient transportation options.
--Autonomous cars should cause a shift away from personally owned vehicles, depressing global auto sales volumes in the coming decades. ARK’s research shows that auto sales will fall by nearly half in developed markets. In the developing world, auto volumes likely will increase over the long term, but at a rate much slower than expected today.
“Clearly, most asset managers in the public markets do not agree with us, which is why I am writing to you now,” Wood wrote.
Tesla valuation of $4,000 a share draws unabashed skeptic
One of those skeptics is Hilary Kramer, a Wall Street investment professional who recently recommended the sale of Ford Motor Co. (F) in her Turbo Trader and Inner Circle advisory services. Kramer told me unequivocally that Tesla would not reach $4,000 a share in five years.
“It is outlandish to say that Tesla can be worth $4,000 a share because that would imply an $680 billion market capitalization,” Kramer told me. “That is simply not happening.”
Dr. Mark Skousen’s Forecasts & Strategies investment advisory service produced a 64.1 % return in then-struggling Ford between December 2009 and January 2011 but he is not investing directly in Tesla as the company seeks to become profitable. However, Skousen is recommending ARK Innovation (ARKK), which has zoomed more than 32 % since he advised his Forecasts & Strategies subscribers to buy it on December 18, 2017. Tesla is the fund’s top holding with an 8.75 % share at the close of trading on Aug. 28.
Skousen described ARKK as “one of the most successful ETFs in history.” It already has more than $6.6 billion assets under management and three of ARKK’s funds are among the ETF leaders ranked by Investor’s Business Daily. The actively managed ETF focuses on five current innovations: automation, energy storage, DNA sequencing, next-generation internet and blockchain technology.
Ironically, Musk faced fierce criticism for tweeting his interest in taking Tesla private but he showed open-mindedness by opting against it after input from Goldman Sachs (GS), Morgan Stanley (MS) and buyout firm Silver Lake. Legal advice came from prominent firms Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz and Munger, Tolles & Olson.
The use of Golden Sachs as a financial advisor led its auto analyst David Tamberrino, who previously had given Tesla a $210 price target, to announce on Aug. 15 that the firm would move the stock to “not rated.” As a financial advisor, Goldman Sachs gained access to information that is “fundamental” to a reasonable analysis of Tesla’s rating and 12-month price target, according to Goldman’s Americas Investment Review Committee.
Tesla short selling involves more than 25% of the company’s float
Tesla short selling interest is valued at $10.46 billion, totaling 32.77 million shares shorted, or 25.70 % of the overall 170.59 million shares outstanding through Aug. 27, according to S3 Partners, a financial technology company. Short sellers seek to profit when a company’s share price falls, while they lose money when the share price climbs.
Chart Courtesy of S3 Partners
Short sellers on paper collectively are down $839.86 million, or a fall of 7.82%, so far this year through Aug. 27, but are up $863.02 million, or 7.74%, on a mark-to-market basis since Musk’s tweet about potentially taking the company private on Aug. 7, S3 Partners found.
In the third quarter, Tesla short sellers have a mark-to-market gain through Aug. 27 of $859.86 million, or 7.75%. However, Tesla short sellers have a mark-to-market loss of $5.373.67 million, or 61.58%, since the start of 2016, according to data from S3 Partners.
The highest Tesla valuation depends on whether investors are willing to give its prospects for Mobility-as-a-Service the same lofty levels as ARK Invest. With the end of the third quarter coming on Sept. 30, Tesla will have its next chance as a public company to show its progress in manufacturing its Model 3 cars in sufficient numbers and selling them well enough to achieve Musk’s goal of becoming cash flow positive.
Watch Mark Skousen: Five stocks that could be the next trillion dollar companies here.
Recorded: MoneyShow San Francisco, August 24, 2018.


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Q: My fall menswear sales have started off with a bang, and I read in the news this week that bigger retailers are expecting strong sales this Christmas. Do you have any forecasts for the Christmas season yet? If so, how do you think smaller menswear merchants will do?
Steve Pruitt: It’s good to hear that your season has started strong. We have seen moderate gains over the last 90 days. Holiday sales should be decent, as the economy continues to move forward with most indicators pointing up. The exception is the stock market, but at this point we are hearing that the volatility is not affecting business.
One caution to keep in mind: the last two falls were very strong and it’s hard to beat back-to-back winning seasons. It looks like online retailers are expecting strong business again this year, but they are in a unique position because of their convenience and the fact that they aren’t affected by weather events, like we were last winter.
Keep up the good work and let us know how the season progresses. Also, make sure that your services are on point with convenience as a driver.
Note: MR-Mag.com collects promotional fees from site experts.


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It’s been a big day for Google and Android so far, and the excitement shows no signs of slowing down.
Google is now pushing out an update to Google Keyboard that brings with it two new Material Design themes: Material Light (left) and Material Dark (right). Those themes are a bit different than the Holo themes that Google Keyboard originally shipped with, most noticeably being that they’ve got no borders around the keys. Thankfully, Google has also kept its old Holo themes around.
Additionally, Google Keyboard includes an option to adjust the long press and a refreshed app icon.
The Google Keyboard update bumps the app up to version 4.0.21173.1569296, and it’s now rolling out to users. If you want to give those Material themes a try now, though, you can hop over to Android Police and grab the APK right now.
Along with the Google Keyboard update, Google today showed off a new version of its main Google app. The update brings a Material Design look, reminders for events that you may have forgotten about as well as for upcoming trips and to-do lists, the ability to search inside of other apps and a coin flip feature. Google also says that Nexus 6, Nexus 9 and Galaxy Note 4 owners can activate the “Ok Google” voice command without their phone being unlocked or plugged in.
There’s no word yet on when this updated Google app will begin rolling out, as it doesn’t appear to be in the Play store quite yet. Here’s to hoping it rolls out soon, though, because it sure does look nice.


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When Allegiant Airlines announced a new $42-million base of operations at Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids back in January, they added two new routes to the airfield taking travelers to both Nashville and Savannah this summer. Yesterday, they doubled that number of routes by adding in Jacksonville, Florida and New Orleans.
Allegiant announced this week they’re adding service from Grand Rapids to those two new cities in the lineup, and to celebrate, the company offered limited time, introductory, one-way fares on the new routes as low as $59.
Drew Wells is Vice President of Planning & Revenue for Allegiant. He says, “We’re excited to add two more exciting destinations to our service in Grand Rapids with these two new cities—Jacksonville and New Orleans,” and adds, “We’re certain that area travelers will love having a convenient, affordable option to get away to enjoy sunny Jacksonville or the vibrant culture of New Orleans.”
New seasonal service from Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GRR) includes:
- New Orleans, Louisiana via Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) – beginning October 3, 2019 with fares as low as $59.
- Jacksonville, Florida via Jacksonville International Airport (JAX) – beginning October 4, 2019 with fares as low as $59.
Those new routes will operate twice weekly. With the addition of these new routes, Allegiant will now serve 11 cities from Gerald R. Ford International Airport. Flight days, times and the lowest fares can be found only at Allegiant.com.
Brian Picardat is Interim President & CEO at Gerald R. Ford International. He says, “Allegiant is not just a vested partner in providing air service in western Michigan, but the company has shown its dedication to our community by establishing a base here earlier this month.”
Picardat adds, “Allegiant has created over 60 jobs, they have now added their 10th and 11th routes out of the Ford Airport, and they continue to provide an affordable, fun travel experience to new and popular destinations.”
Allegiant offers a unique option to Grand Rapids-area travelers with low base fares and savings on rental cars and hotels, and they tell travelers they can book their entire vacation with Allegiant for less.
Las Vegas-based Allegiant says they are focused on linking travelers to world-class leisure destinations, telling us, “The airline offers industry-low fares on an all-jet fleet while also offering other travel-related products such as hotel rooms and rental cars. All can be purchased only through the company website, Allegiant.com.”
Beginning with one aircraft and one route in 1999, the company has grown to over 80 aircraft and more than 400 routes across the country with base airfares less than half the cost of the average domestic round-trip ticket.
The photo accompanying this story on Moody on the Market is courtesy of Allegiant Airlines.


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The Chinese multi-goal social media, messaging and mobile payment application WeChat has revealed that it would cease supporting cryptocurrency payments. The operator in addition created it clear that it does not help online gambling and promoting pornography.
As revealed by WeChat, cryptocurrency payments will no longer be out there from May well 31st, 2019.
The policy adjust was confirmed by a single of the crypto investment firm Primitive’s founding partners, Dovey Wan, in a tweet on May well 7th. A screenshot of the policy adjustments was displayed in the tweet, from which it became clear that the platform’s customers engaged in cryptocurrency trading will see their WeChat accounts terminated. Apart from that, it also became clear that the updated policy of the platform openly warns its customers against any promotion of online gambling solutions, as nicely as against any pornography sale or sharing.
Urgh, Wechat just updated its payment policy .. merchant cannot serve any token issuance/fund raising or crypto trading activities, otherwise account will be terminated
Provided most OTC transactions are taking place in wechat, this might effect neighborhood liquidity to rather some extent pic.twitter.com/TdNIO6cggS
— Dovey Wan 🗝 🦖 (@DoveyWan) May 7, 2019
Wan shared a concern that the move could have a severe influence on the neighborhood liquidity of WeChat to a considerable extent since of the truth that most more than-the-counter transactions are at present getting carried out on the platform. To date, WeChat is a extensively-utilised payment service and messaging provider in the nation, as it also options some game integrations. Beneath the updated guidelines, merchants might not engage in unlawful transactions such as virtual currency, advertising online gambling, promoting pornography and the issuance of tokens.
New Policy With regards to Cryptocurrency and Online Gambling Would Not Be All Undesirable
The new update is set to influence corporate customers and merchants only, and not retail customers. As the text of the announcement reads, such customers will no additional be permitted to engage in Online sales lottery platforms, online gambling, illegal foreign exchange, unlawful securities, valuable metals investment trading platforms, pornographic platforms.
Of course, the reactions to Wan’s tweet came flooding. Changpeng Zhao, founder and Chief Executive Officer of Binance, a big cryptocurrency exchange, has shared that in his opinion, the new restrictions have been forcibly brought on the business. According to him, the policy upgrade was anticipated to have a lengthy term acquire, in spite of the truth it was inconvenient for persons in the brief term. He explained that the step would be the sort of restriction of freedom that would push persons to use cryptocurrency in the lengthy term.
This is a classic instance of brief term discomfort, lengthy term acquire.
It is inconvenient for persons brief term, and they take a hit. But lengthy term, it is precisely this sort of restriction of freedom that will push persons to use crypto. Not a terrible point.
— CZ Binance (@cz_binance) May 7, 2019
Not too long ago, all kinds of poker video games have been suspended by Chinese authorities. The nation had also been rather strict about producing confident that no type of gambling is permitted, apart from the ones permitted in the specific regions. For the time getting, gambling is forbidden in mainland China, like Mahjong-connected video games and poker.
In addition, the country’s authorities have taken a strict strategy to ICOs, STOs and mining lately. Cryptocurrency mining is totally banned in China for the time getting, whilst ICOs and STOs have been described as solicited illegal monetary activities.


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What will consumers do to save a nickel or two?
To find out, Suffolk County and the Nassau County town of Long Beach have been conducting a behavioral experiment that intertwines politics and economics.
Both jurisdictions imposed a 5-cent tax on plastic and paper bags in recent years, and both saw big drops in the disposable bags and big increases in reusable bags.
“At the beginning, 50 percent of the customers were pissed off, and the other 50 percent were happy,” said Chelo Urena, who manages a Key Foods supermarket in Long Beach. “Now, we’re probably 90-to-10 [happy], which is mind-boggling to me.”
Going into the Earth Day kick-off of the local ordinance in 2017, Urena’s store aggressively doled out reusable cloth bags to churches, PTAs, soup kitchens and other local institutions. Now, cashiers give grocery shoppers fewer than 2,000 free plastic bags a week, a fraction the 10- to 15,000 they doled out before the fee.
Listen to Fred Mogul's report on WNYC:
“I was very iffy on the whole thing,” he said. “I don’t like taxes. They take money people can use to buy things. But now I feel it's great for the environment and for the children.”
In Suffolk County, where a 5-cent tax on paper and plastic bags took effect at the beginning of 2018, a study found a roughly 80-percent decrease in usage for both kinds of bags, and a 42-percent drop in plastic bag pollution.
Now the experiment moves to the rest of the state, but with a twist: New York will soon follow in California’s footsteps and banish plastic bags altogether, while taking a different path on paper bags, which are also bad for the environment. The Golden State imposed a state-wide 10-cent fee on those, but the Empire State is giving counties and municipalities the option of charging consumers 5 cents for each paper shopping bag.
Albany was poised to blanket the state with that tax, and let local areas opt out. But late in last month’s budget talks, Governor Andrew Cuomo ripped the mandatory paper bag tax to shreds.
“My understanding is he was pretty adamant about not having a state-wide fee on paper,” said Judith Enck, who negotiated environmental legislation for previous Democratic governors and led the EPA regional office under President Obama.
Suffolk County giveaway bag, is intended for the body of the story. (WNYC)
Enck and other sources told WNYC that Cuomo had an ally in Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, who was also ambivalent about taxing paper bags. With the 2020 budget introducing a new internet sales tax, a high-end real estate transfer tax, and the elaborate and expensive series of Manhattan tolls known as congestion pricing, the two men apparently were wary of imposing yet another fee on New Yorkers.
“It’s really too bad, but I also think that once the plastic bag ban takes effect, it’ll be a learning moment for New York consumers,” said Enck, who now teaches at Bennington College and is leading a national crusade against single-use plastics.
The plastic bag ban goes into effect next March, and local elected officials across New York have started staking out positions on the paper bag tax. The New York City Council has passed a bill instating one, and Mayor Bill de Blasio has said he’ll sign it. But in Nassau County—home to Long Beach—Republican legislators say the measure is “dead on arrival.”
“As long as the Republicans have the majority in Nassau County, there will be no paper bag tax," said Richard Nicolello, the county legislature’s presiding officer.
Environmental groups are pledging a grass-roots campaign to encourage consumers to get reusable bags—and politicians to impose the ‘nickel nudge’ to incentivize the shift. Julie Tighe, president of the New York League of Conservation Voters, thinks that the state might initially be a patchwork quilt of places with and without the fee. But she predicts many will opt in, even relatively conservative suburban and rural ones.
“I actually think in some of those other places it'll be easier, because people are more dependent on cars, and they can just keep bags in their cars for when they're out shopping,” Tighe said.
She also envisioned alliances with hunting and fishing groups.
At Long Island’s Gala chain of supermarkets, it might not matter what the local politicians decide about fees. Whether a store is in Nassau or Suffolk county, managers will be pushing reusables and staying away from paper.
“There’s a reason why the grocery industry moved away from paper bags years ago,” said Jenny Jorge, the Vice-President of Operations at the Gala in Freeport. “They’re expensive. They attract vermin. And you’re killing trees, so what's the point of that?”
She’s also keen to avoid another regulatory “liability,” with government inspectors adding bag tax collection to their checklist.
“It just opens up a whole new problem,” Jorge said. “Our cashiers are anywhere from a 16-year-old high school kid to an older-age retired person, and if they make any type of mistake counting bags, we're going to get fined for it.”
Only a revolt from customers could get her to offer customers paper bags, Jorge said. But she isn’t worried.
Her family’s stores in Suffolk County have seen dramatic uptake in reusable bags, thanks to giveaways and public events, giving her hope that the strategy will succeed in Nassau County, too — fee or no fee.
“We give them out at customer appreciation days, health screenings, you name it,” she said. “And now we’re going to amp that up.”


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Cause marketing has become the must-have strategy for large companies and new programs are being launched every day. These nation-wide programs are raising millions of dollars, but how do brands maximize their return on investment (ROI)? Smart companies are listening to the latest research and prioritizing localized employee and consumer engagement strategies. The result is bigger impact for all stakeholders. Read on for more on why this works, plus three examples.
Where’s the ROI in local engagement of cause marketing partnerships?
According to the recent study by HAVAS Worldwide Project Super Brand: 10 Truths Reshaping the Corporate World “going local pays big dividends.” Why? Because “consumers want their favorite brands to play a bigger role in local communities.” Check out this post to learn more about why local activation is so valuable to companies, such as:
Personal Relevancy: When consumers and employees experience your brand helping the people and places they know and love, it brings the partnership to life for them in a deeper way – increasing the emotional connection. “Oh wow, BRAND is actually making things better for MY neighbors in need. This feels really good. I love BRAND!”
Authenticity: Going the extra mile to develop local-level engagement opportunities showcases a deep commitment to making positive change – something of particular interest to Millennials. “This feels like a real commitment. BRAND really cares, and totally gets it. My friends need to know about this.”
Three companies increasing their cause marketing ROI via local engagement
Here are three national companies that are hitting a cause marketing bullseye by aiming for local engagement.
With 1,500 stores in the U. S., Jersey Mike’s is a sub sandwich chain on the upswing. And cause marketing is playing a crucial role in its success.
This spring, Jersey Mike’s hosted its 6th Annual Month of Giving and raised more than $4 million. Since its inception in 2011, Jersey Mike’s annual fundraiser has raised more than $12 million for causes.
The key to the program is Jersey Mike’s local focus. Each store owner can pick his or her favorite cause to support. This year’s fundraiser supported 180 nonprofits.
“Store owners know their community and which nonprofits they should support,” said Dave Altmann, Senior Vice President, Strategic Initiatives, Jersey Mike’s. “More importantly, they know which nonprofits will really get behind the program.”
Jersey Mike’s cause marketing efforts also help corporate identify the best franchisee owners. “In meeting with potential franchisees, if they don’t understand the value of cause marketing, it’s probably not going to work,” said Dave. “Cause marketing is just too big a part of what we do.”
Domino’s Pizza has a decade long partnership with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). As part of Fire Prevention Week, Domino’s and NFPA partner twice a year to promote home fire safety.
In the spring, Domino’s distributes pizza box toppers with electrical safety tips.
However, in the fall, Domino’s ramps up local engagement by working with fire departments in the communities where they have stores. Domino’s delivers pizzas on the fire truck! At the home, firefighters offer to check the home’s smoke detectors. If they’re working, the homeowner gets their pizza for free! If the smoke detectors aren’t working, firefighters replace them for free.
“The firefighters love this program because it helps them get the message out on fire safety,” said Jenny Fouracre, Director, Public Relations and Charitable Giving, at Domino’s. “These deliveries are also a popular local media stories. And, of course, customers love it! It’s a win for everyone.”
Alex and Ani
Alex and Ani creates meaningful, eco-conscious jewelry and accessories to positively empower and connect humanity. The brand’s Charity By Design program recently celebrated it’s 5 year anniversary. This milestone marks over $30M donated to charities, including 44+ design program partners that receive 20% of the proceeds from specially designed items.
In addition to its core proceeds program, Alex and Ani engages with thousands of causes at the local level by hosting Charmed By Charity In-Store Events. The brand donates 15% of the total sales at these events to the charity partner, supporting over 3,500 nonprofits this way, all while building brand loyalty, awareness and driving sales.
Their Charity By Design Bangle Bar offers a similar local fundraising and engagement opportunity for charities, hosted at alternative locations. In this case, the shopping fundraiser experience happens off site at locations like charity galas, on college campuses, in hospitals, and at large corporations.
Team (+) Impact, launched in 2013, rounds out Alex and Ani’s employee engagement initiative. Employees have logged more than 3,200 hours of paid time off volunteer hours thus far. This video is pretty powerful.
Are your cause marketing strategies aligned with the “go local” cause marketing trend?
Consumers and employees have made it clear that they are thirsty for opportunities to join with their favorite brands to make a difference in their local communities. Are your cause marketing strategies aligned with this trend? Should you be doing more?
Check out this Infographic, Toolkit, and the HAVAS Worldwide Research referenced above to learn more about the power of local engagement, and get started!


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Yes, you read it right -- it's being rumored that Verizon and HTC may be joining forces to give us all the Android world phone we've been asking for sometime early next year. For those wondering, a world phone is a dual-radio CDMA/GSM device (CDMA is what Sprint and Verizon use; GSM is what T-Mobile, AT&T and the rest of the world use.) That means the phone can be used outside the USA with a local SIM card, and it's something that Android is sorely lacking.
We're still dealing with a bunch of unknowns, but the rumored specs are a 4-inch screen, horizontal sliding qwerty keyboard, and a minimum 1.2 GHz processor. Bring it, I say! There's a couple more pictures after the break if one just wasn't enough. [The Droid Guy via @matrix2004 on Twitter]
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The Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce is celebrating its 25th anniversary next year with a dinner program recognizing 25 of the most powerful women in Denver on Jan. 16.
“CWCC Top 25 Gala: Recognizing Limitless Leaders” will be from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at The Four Seasons Denver, 1111 14th St.
Go to cwcc.org to see a list of the honorees and to buy tickets. Sponsorships also are available.
SBA taking award nominations
A new online portal has been launched by the U.S. Small Business Administration to accept nominations for its 2013 National Small Business Week Awards. Guidelines and nomination forms are available at http://nationalsmallbusinessweek.sba.gov. The deadline is Jan. 3.
Nine SBA awards are given in celebration of National Small Business Week, which will mark its 50th year in 2013. Among them are: National Small Business Person of the Year (chosen from among state award winners), Small Business Prime Contractor of the Year, Small Business Subcontractor of the Year and the Dwight D. Eisenhower Award for Excellence (for large prime contractors that have used small businesses as suppliers and contractors).
Awards: Julie Ekstrom, founder and CEO of Kanga Care in Golden, won a Gold Stevie Award as Entrepreneur of the Year and a Silver Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in the annual Stevie Awards for Women in Business. The awards are known as the world’s top honors for female entrepreneurs, executives and the organizations they run. The 2012 awards program received more than 1,200 entries from 17 nations and territories. Award winners were selected by more than 200 executives worldwide. Kanga Care makes baby products such as cloth diapers and diapers made out of organic cotton, bamboo and recycled water bottles, and it also sells baby gear and toys.
Aurora-based Merrick & Company received two national awards at the Management Association of Private Photogrammetric Surveyors Geospatial Excellence Awards Program. Merrick took first place for remote sensing for an airfield obstruction survey at Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta, Ga. It received another award for surveying at Luke Air Force Base in Glendale, Ariz. The survey covered 1.7 million acres, and was one of the largest boundary surveys ever performed by Merrick as well as one of the largest completed within the United States in 2011.
Blake’s Remanufacturing of Denver won the 2012 Denver Award in the Grinding Castings For The Trade category given by the Denver Award Program. The program identifies companies that achieved exceptional marketing success in their community and business category. Blake’s sells new and remanufactured parts for diesel and natural gas engines.
Denver-based Novinda Corp., a provider of mercury emission-control solutions, announced that its flagship product, Amended Silicates, was named a 2012 Product of the Year by Environmental Protection Magazine. The company’s reagent for removal of mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants was the winner in the Air Quality and Climate category. Novinda was formed in 2009 as a spinoff of CH2M Hill to commercialize environmental technologies for the power utility industry.
Terry Minnick, general manager of Mercedes-Benz of Littleton, was honored with the 2012 President’s Award by the Colorado Section of the Professional Golfers’ Association. For the past two years, Minnick has named the Colorado PGA Foundation as the beneficiary of the Mercedes-Benz Dealership Championship, raising thousands of dollars for the foundation. He also supported the Colorado PGA Get Golf Ready program by donating the use of a Mercedes Sprinter Van.
Done deals: NextMedia Group Inc. of Greenwood Village completed the sale of NextMedia Outdoor Inc., its outdoor advertising subsidiary, to Lamar Advertising Co. of Baton Rouge, La., for $145 million. NextMedia is majority owned and advised by funds Strategic Value Partners LLC (SVP) and Angelo, Gordon & Company LP. The outdoor advertising platform was expanded in the last couple of years through acquisitions and the addition of digital billboards. The sale has eliminated NextMedia’s debt and will add to the company’s cash balance, the firm said in making the announcement. NextMedia now is focused on its radio broadcasting business, which operates 33 stations in eight U.S. markets.
Colorado State University has a new five-year partnership for radio coverage of the Rams’ football and men’s and women’s basketball teams. The partnership includes live coverage on 105.5 FM ESPN Radio in Denver of all football and men’s basketball games, and selected women’s games.
Denver-based Garbanzo Mediterranean Grill awarded franchise development rights to its first Florida franchisee, Garboca LLC. With the rights to develop up to 20 locations, the franchise group plans to begin opening restaurants in South Florida in late 2013. Garbanzo has 14 Colorado restaurants and new company-owned locations opening soon in the Denver, Washington, D.C. and Baltimore areas. Franchise locations are opening in San Antonio, Austin, Oklahoma City, Southern California and Dallas.
Openings: Mountain Medical Injury and Pain Professionals will hold a grand opening at 14707 E Second Ave., No. 260, in Aurora starting at 5 p.m. Dec. 4.
Send Briefcase items and color photos to Sharon Wright, associate editor, at firstname.lastname@example.org.


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Moon Hunters Approved for Sale on Steam & Kickstarting with Square Enix
Kitfox Games has announced progress in its pursuit of publication for its upcoming co-op adventure, Moon Hunters.
First: Moon Hunters has been approved for sale on Steam without the use of a Greenlight campaign – meaning there’s a guarantee the game will be available through the platform as soon as it’s ready.
Second: Square Enix Collective (a collaborative platform for developers) will be assisting Kitfox in boosting the word about the game.
Third: Moon Hunter’s Kickstarter will be launching next week, on Tuesday August 26. Support plans will include copies of the game and awesome branded merchandise. The team’s goal is $45,000.
Stay tuned for more news next week about the Kickstarter, including the first video preview of the game!
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Highlights from the proposed NSW building regulation reforms The NSW government is consulting on an enormous package of reforms to over eight Acts and regulations. The reforms also propose … [Read more...]
Welcome to our new website and blog!
After a couple of months of planning, we are delighted to announce the launch of our new website. We hope you like its fresh new look. We’ve designed the website to allow you to find the … [Read more...]


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LONDON, August 3, 2009 (AFP) – The price of sugar reached a record high here on Monday, aided by a weaker dollar amid more positive signs of economic recovery and the commodity’s weak supply situation, traders said. In London trade, white sugar for delivery in October reached 505.9 pounds a tonne — the highest level since the commodity was first traded in this form in 1983.
In New York, unrefined sugar for October hit a three-year high of 19.43 US cents a pound.
“Amidst markedly improved sentiment regarding the US economic recovery in particular, which has given significant support to all commodity prices, we have also witnessed several sugar market-specific developments,” said Barclays Capital analyst Nicholas Snowdon.
He cited “the continuation in (supply) problems in the India sugar sector” and added: “What has given the added boost is the increasing uncertainty concerning the Brazilian production” in 2009 and 2010.
In economic data on Monday, it was announced that the US factory sector moved within striking distance of growth in July.
The Institute of Supply Management said its index of the manufacturing sector, also known as the purchasing managers index, rose to 48.9 percent f


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With the addition of 40 million users in 2016, Spotify grows its formidable user base to a robust 140 million.
The people want their music
Spotify has announced its milestone achievement with a plethora of new users, 50 million of which are paid subscribers.
The accelerated growth is allowing for the popular music platform to grow their marketing practice by 50% per year.
But that’s not all
The growing music streaming source is getting better at understanding its individual users through musical taste, making their analytics appealing to partnered advertisers.
Just as Apple Music and Google Play learn tastes and make suggestions, Spotify is able to market beyond music. Not all users are paying subscribers, meaning the vast majority are receiving ads on the regular through advertisers.
Do you use Spotify? Do you pay to stream? Let us know your experience in the comments below.


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Despite some speculation in the build-up, there was no mention of the next generation of handsets at an event last month, which instead focused on a new raft of Apple Watches, iPads and services.
Instead, the delayed new iPhone range is expected to be unveiled at an event on 13 October which, like September’s showcase, will be online-only – here’s how to watch it, and what you can expect.
What time is the Apple event on 13 October?
The Apple event starts on Tuesday 13 October at 10am Pacific Time – which translates to 6pm in the UK’s British Summer Time.
You’ll be able to tune in online from the UK or anywhere else in the world via the live stream on Apple’s official event page, which gives you the option to add the launch to your calendar so you don’t miss out.
What can you expect from the Apple event launch?
The virtual invitations Apple sent to members of the press contained the strapline “Hi, Speed”, hinting heavily at widely-circulated rumours this year’s handsets will be the first iPhones to support 5G connectivity, which is significantly faster than its 4G predecessor.
Alongside support for the new technology, four prospective models are reported to sport a refreshed design and variety of screen sizes: two basic and two more expensive Pro devices.
The two smaller handsets are expected to measure 5.4-inches and 6.1-inches respectively, while the two Pro smartphones are set to come in 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch sizes. The latter would be the largest iPhone to date.
The squared edges of the most recent iPad Pro, released in March, are likely to be replicated in the design of all four models, although the two higher-end devices are likely to still consist of stainless steel, while the cheaper two will be made from aluminium, people familiar with the matter say.
Another iPad Pro feature likely to appear in the new Pro iPhones is the LiDAR (light detection and ranging) camera system, designed to create sophisticated augmented reality (AR) experiences, alongside an upgraded A14 processor to make the devices faster and more power efficient.
While last year’s iPhone Pro models were available in midnight green, this year’s shade is reported to be a dark blue. This would tally with the new navy blue shade the Apple Watch Series 6 was announced in.
A new smaller HomePod smart speaker, Apple’s first pair of over-ear headphones outside of the Beats product line and new Bluetooth-tracking devices AirTags are also rumoured to be confirmed during the event.


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Nathaniel, Matt, Miles or virtually any other TFB writer could drop pages of knowledge on the development and use of the M1A rifle. Instead, you’re stuck with me and my incidental stories; I’ve lusted after a proper M1A ever since I first saw a print of the iconic rifle hanging in an old supervisor’s office, signed by legendary Scout Sniper Carlos Hathcock himself. It may be heavy and outdated, but the M1A certainly is a beautiful firearm.
Springfield Armory is giving us another behind the scenes look, this time involving a rifle that has been made in-house since 1974. The video, links and additional information can be found below.
Springfield Armory M1A™ LOADED – 6.5 CREEDMOOR
Springfield Armory® Celebrates the Legendary M1A™ Series with a Behind-the-Scenes Video
A look at Springfield Armory’s storied M1A rifle platform
GENESEO, IL, March 21, 2018 – Springfield Armory has released a short video detailing the history of its M1A series, and what goes into the creation of an American icon. The M1A product line has been produced by Springfield Armory since 1974.
Not only is Springfield Armory one of the only manufacturers currently producing this civilian version of the M14 rifle, but it is also incredibly proud to continue the tradition of building such a demanding rifle.
“The careful hours, scrupulous effort, expert machining and meticulous tool work needed to complete an M1A from start to finish, make it a labor-intensive yet wholly worthwhile process,” says CEO Dennis Reese. “The end result honors the tradition and legacy of the M1A. It is truly an exceptional rifle and a beloved American firearm.”
Take a closer look behind-the-scenes at how Springfield Armory’s M1A is crafted by watching this video: https://youtu.be/vST2ANyRHjM
Any M1A purchase made between February 1st and May 31st, 2018 will qualify for the M1A Gear Up promotion. Submit your proof of purchase online to receive three, 20-round magazines in addition to the single 10-round magazine that ships with each rifle. Consumers in restricted states will receive magazines compatible with their local laws.
To view Springfield Armory’s lineup of M1A rifles, find out more information by visiting https://www.springfield-armory.com/m1a-series/


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Ivory Coast’s Cocoa Coffee Council (CCC) has decided to auction all of its cocoa production to exporters in advance in order to set a guaranteed price throughout the season for producers, CCC sources said on Wednesday.
Approximately 1.7 million tonnes of cocoa export contracts have already been sold in mid-August, which should allow the CCC to set a guaranteed price of between 750 and 800 CFA per kg in October, the sources said.
One CCC source said it had already sold 1.4 million tonnes of the main and 320,000 tonnes of the mid-crop.
“We think that by selling all the harvest before the beginning of the season, it gives us more guarantee in case of falling prices and allows us to set a guaranteed price for planters unchanged between the main and the mid-crop,” the source told Reuters.
“We have been forced to change our sales methods to adapt to the current environment. There is too much fluctuation and instability in the market,” added another source.
Ivory Coast cocoa production is expected to remain stable at around 1.8 million and 1.9 million tonnes in the next two to three years, compared with 2 million tonnes last season, due to swollen shoot development, according to CCC sources.
The government, through the Ministry of Water and Forests, has also undertaken to clamp down on illegal cocoa farming, which would also reduce cocoa production.
“Production is expected to remain stable between 1.8 and 1.9 million tonnes between now and 2020 because diseases like swollen shoot are progressing, forcing us to pluck out hundreds of thousands of hectares, which drives production down,” said one source.


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The price of Bitcoin, which was able to break the resistance of $ 10,000 yesterday, rose this morning to a significant increase to $ 10,300. Bitcoin is currently trading at $ 10,218, up 5.7 percent from yesterday.
According to many analysts, the increase in positive news about Bitcoin and the break from the long-standing range of $ 9,100 to $ 9,200 is related to the recent growth.
The announcement of another $ 1 trillion in funding from the US government can be considered one of the main reasons for the rise in bitcoin prices.
Other digital currencies in the market also had a good day. Meanwhile, ether, the number two currency in the market, rose 7.3 percent to $ 324. On the other hand, currencies such as Ripple and Cardano were accompanied by 2.77 and 3.90% price reductions, respectively.
Digital currencies are currently valued at $ 311 billion, with Bitcoin accounting for 60.33%.


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12 Minutes is Getting Close to “the Last Stage of Development” in New Developer Update
The developers of 12 Minutes, the upcoming interactive thriller, are preparing for a final build of the game sometime later this year.
With its initial reveal all the way back in 2015, the upcoming 12 Minutes from Annapurna Interactive stuck out for its unique premise as an interactive, narrative-driven thriller that brings players into a time loop. While it’s been some time since we last heard about the game, a new developer update from the team working on the game gives some insight into how the game is progressing and where it stands in development.
Developer Luis Antonio shared a new blog post on the official website for 12 Minutes that gives an update on the game’s status at the start of 2021. Specifically, Antonio gives a thorough breakdown of “the last steps” that are needed to finish the game, indicating that (hopefully) it won’t be too far off from releasing sometime later this year.
According to Antonio, “quite a few things are happening” in terms of the actual production of the game, highlighting that one of the biggest focuses on the project right now has been on tweaking and finalizing animations, along with incorporating final sound effects, voice acting, and music. Additionally, Antonio highlighted that optimization will also be a key part of the development process to integrate all of the game’s content, and to complete more platform-specific features like controller support, profile switching, and more.
Ultimately, Antonio mentioned that the team behind 12 Minutes is working to complete a “final build” for the game that “can be played from start to end without any major bugs,” which will then lead into the playtesting process. He added that once the game’s content is “in place and ‘locked,'” then the game will move into “the last stage of development” that will bring it closer to release, including localization and submitting the game for certification. For anyone interested in the behind-the-scenes process of how games are made, the full blog post is worth a read for a closer look at what development has been like for 12 Minutes.
Aside from the development blog post, the most recent update for 12 Minutes was back in August when Annapurna Interactive revealed that Willem Dafoe, James McAvoy, and Daisy Ridley will be voicing the game’s main characters. Following its re-reveal at E3 2019, the title was initially expected to release sometime in 2020 before ultimately being delayed to 2021.
12 Minutes will release for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC sometime in 2021.


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The Taylor Swift of automobiles: get in line for the Cadillac Celestiq
For those who think that getting hold of a pair of Taylor Swift tickets is a challenge, consider the prospective buyers seeking to lay out $300,000 for a Cadillac Celestiq, who’ve been told that wait time is at least a year and a half.
The exotic electric Celestiq, a halo car flagship for General Motors if ever there was one, is scheduled to go into production in the GM Global Technical Center in Michigan in just about a year. But Tony Roma, the car’s chief engineer, says that output for the hand-built machine will likely be limited to two units per day.
“We have quite a few hand-raisers. Many, many more than we’re going to be able to build in the first year, 18 months.” he said in a wide-ranging interview with Autoline After Hours. He said that Cadillac has quite a few interested customers, including Lenny Kravitz, looking to get their hands on the bespoke luxury vehicle. Translated, that means, don’t expect to find discounted demo units of a Celestiq on a Cadillac showroom floor for some time.
The all-wheel-drive Celestiq was developed “to pay interesting dividends in other products” down the line, Roma said. It’s the first hand-built car from GM since the long-gone EV1 from the late 90s, he added. Roma said that Celestiq prototypes are now testing in various hot weather/cold weather regions of the U.S.
The Celestiq will be equipped with a pair of motors sending 600 horsepower and 640 pound-feet of torque to all four wheels. Cadillac estimates the Celestiq will be able to hit 60 mph in 3.8 seconds. Electricity is supplied via a 111-kWh battery pack.


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SAN FRANCISCO (CBS.MW) -- Cirrus Logic said after the market closed Wednesday that its fiscal first-quarter loss widened from a year ago on decreased demand for its semiconductor products and a restructuring charge.
Shares of the Austin, Texas-based company
Cirrus said its loss was $24.3 million, or 29 cents a share, compared to a loss of $15.8 million, or 19 cents a share, in the same period last year. The latest figure includes a $7.6 million charge related to restructuring and other costs.
Analysts polled by Thomson First Call were looking for a loss of 14 cents in the latest quarter.
Revenue dropped to $40.7 million from $76 million; its earlier forecast was $40 million to $45 million, and respondents to First Call's survey had expected $42.4 million.
Looking to the September period, Cirrus said it expects revenue of $45 million to $50 million, vs. $73.3 million in the year-earlier period. The average analyst estimate was for $47.9 million.


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Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) has seen cargo volumes fall by one per cent in May despite transhipments growing strongly.
Total volumes in May were down from 366,000 tonnes in 2015 to 362,000 tonnes this year. Transhipments were up by six per cent but volumes were hit by imports falling four per cent and exports dipping two per cent.
HKIA says North America saw the most significant fall.
During the first five months of 2015, cargo volumes were down by two per cent to 1.7 million tonnes by 1.3 per cent to 4.34 million tonnes over the past 12 months.


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Smartphone leader, Samsung has reportedly begun to roll out the Android v4.3 Jelly Bean to the Exynos variant of the company's 2013 flagship model Galaxy S4.
Samsung dedicated blog SamMobile has confirmed that the Galaxy S4 (GT-19500) models, featuring Exynos 5 Octa-core processor have started receiving v4.3 Jelly Bean updates in Russia. So far the firmware release is limited to only the northern Eurasian nation.
The Exynos chipset based Galaxy S4 in India and other developing markets in South East Asia and Middle East are also expected to receive new OS update in few days time, as it is being released in phases.
The news comes just a day after Samsung began Android v4.3 Jelly Bean rollout for the snapdragon Galaxy S4 (GT-19505) variants in Europe (Germany).
[Update: Samsung has also begun rolling out new Android v4.3 Jelly Bean update to the Galaxy S4 in India]
Once installed, the new OS update is said to make the Galaxy S4 compatible with recently released Galaxy Gear smartwatch and is also reported to bring in company's custom security apps Samsung Wallet and Samsung Knox . Other improvements include TRIM support (makes smartphone faster), ANT+ support as well enhanced display colour reproduction, TouchWiz launcher, new camera application, new keyboard feature, bring in efficiency in RAM management, and other minor improvements in the overall functioning of the smartphone.
Description of Key enhancements to be seen in Android v4.3 Jelly Bean:
Keyboard and input: The keypad is said get an improved algorithm for tap- typing making text messaging less cumbersome. It is also said to enhance gamepad.
Dial Pad: enhanced Auto-complete feature will predict more accurate phone-number and names. Users can go to phone settings to enable or disable the option.
Location: Feature will detect hot-spots without turning on the Wi-Fi mode all the time.
Settings: New tab is introduced to let users check which apps are disabled or enabled.
Language support: More dialects have been enabled in the new Jelly Bean OS and now it can support Hindi as well.
Network: Bluetooth Smart (Low Energy) support will help the smartphone use less power while transferring data.
Daydream: This new feature will enable users to browse through the photos via easily accessible albums.
Restricted Access: Once updated with 4.3 Jelly Bean, users can create profiles for guest user with restricted access to apps and other contents.
According to reports, Samsung's 2012 marquee smartphones- Galaxy Note 2 and Galaxy S3 are also expected to get the new v4.3 Jelly update around late November or early December this year.


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HTC has made plenty of accessories in the past, but it has never really been an “accessory maker.” Similarly, the Taiwan-based smartphone maker has a long and storied history of building terrific software experiences, but it has never been a “software company.” Now, things are changing.
On the heels of the release of its most beautiful and capable smartphone in the company’s history, HTC reported second-quarter revenue that continued to decline. The company’s high-end Desire phones have also been selling well, but HTC’s return to profitability is thanks largely to its cost-cutting efforts over the past few quarters.
Something has to change.
HTC continues to focus mainly on refining its smartphone lineup, but phones will no longer be the only business that matters at HTC. The company is now starting to dabble outside of phones, and is working on some unique apps — including its first stand-alone iOS app, Zoe, which will launch this fall after the Android version exits beta on Wednesday.
On the hardware side of things, the new RE is HTC’s first attempt at a truly unique and useful accessory that will draw new eyes to the HTC brand. More →


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World production in coffee year 2019/20 is estimated at 168.55 million bags, which is 1.6% lower than in 2018/19. Production of Robusta increased by 3.2% to 72.82 million bags with the largest increases in Viet Nam, Indonesia, and Uganda. Arabica production fell by 5.1% to 95.73 million bags, as increases in Colombia, Ethiopia, Indonesia, and Mexico could not offset losses in output from Brazil and Honduras.
Production in South America fell by 4.6% to 78.87 million bags and accounted for 46.8% of global output. The regional decline is largely due to the decrease in Brazil’s output, which fell by 6.1% to 59.5 million bags in 2019/20. Brazil’s Arabica output declined by 9.9% to 38.7 million bags, while Robusta rose by 2% to 20.8 million bags. Production in Colombia rose by 1.7% to 14.1 million bags, as replanted trees came into production and higher prices in several months encouraged farmers to harvest coffee. Peru’s output in 2019/20 declined by 4% to 4 million bags due to adverse weather and low prices leading farmers to turn to other crops with better returns.
Output from Asia & Oceania rose by 4.1% to 50.07 million bags. Viet Nam’s production increased by 4% to 31.5 million bags in 2019/20, of which around 5% is Arabica coffee. Indonesia’s production increased by 11.7% to 11.19 million bags in 2019/20, after three years of falling output. India experienced another fall in production in 2019/20 due to unfavourable weather, reaching 4.97 million bags, which is 6.7% lower than in 2018/19 and the third consecutive year of decrease.Central America & Mexico’s harvest declined by 4.5% to 20.76 million bags. Production from Honduras dropped by 15.4% to 6.2 million bags in the 2019/20 as a result of falling prices, adverse weather, and an outbreak of coffee leaf rust. Mexico’s output increased by 8% to 4.7 million with support from the Mexican government to promote coffee plantation renewal, value addition and biodiversity conservation. Meanwhile, Guatemala’s production decreased by 6.4% to 3.75 million bags.
Africa’s output remained stable at 18.86 million bags in 2019/20. Increases in production from Ethiopia and from Uganda were offset by declines in the region’s next three largest producers. Ethiopia harvested 7.7 million bags, 2.1% more than in 2018/19, due to beneficial weather and adequate rain. Uganda’s production increased by 11.6% to 5.25 million bags as result of good weather and higher yields from new trees coming into production. Côte d’Ivoire’s output decreased by 18.4% to 2 million bags, Tanzania’s by 17.3% to 926,000 bags, and Kenya’s by 8.6% to 850,000 bags.
Global consumption from October 2019 to September 2020 is estimated to have fallen by 0.9% to 167.59 million bags, following an increase of 4.6% in 2018/19 to 169.11 million bags. As a result, a surplus of 961,000 bags is estimated for coffee year 2019/20, which limited recovery in the ICO indicator price for 2019/20 to an average of 107.25 US cents/lb, 6.7% higher than in 2018/19.


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The OnePlus 7's camera keeps getting better with latest update
First noticed by a user on the XDA-Developers forums, OxygenOS 9.5.5 is now rolling out to the OnePlus 7. The update comes in at 125MB and with build tags GM57AA for the India variant and GM57BA for the Europe variant.
OxygenOS 9.5.5 includes the May 2019 security patch, which puts the OnePlus 7 slightly behind the Pixel phones and Essential Phone that have the June 2019 security patch. More significantly, the update includes the following camera improvements:
- Improved overall contrast and color performance
- Improved accuracy and stability of auto focusing
- Improved clarity and color of Nightscape
- Improved brightness and clarity in extreme low light scene of Nightscape
The camera improvements are welcome, even if we didn’t encounter much of an issue with image quality. We were more disappointed at the lack of versatility due to the OnePlus 7 not having the OnePlus 7 Pro’s super wide-angle camera.
OxygenOS 9.5.5 is rolling out now as an incremental update. That means the update will initially be available for a few OnePlus 7 owners before eventually rolling out to more.


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Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet, the first new main entries in the Pokémon series since 2019, have become the fastest-selling games in Nintendo history, theverge reports.
The two games sold 10 million units between them globally in their first three days on sale, including both physical and downloadable versions.
And while it’s not a perfect comparison, Nintendo previously said that Animal Crossing: New Horizons was the “best start ever for a Nintendo Switch title” after it sold 17.37 million units in the 11 days after its release on March 20, 2020.
And the latest Pokémon titles seem to have sold more than half that in a third of the time, which puts it on pace to overtake Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield, which sold 6 million copies in a weekend, with lifetime sales of over 25 million.
In contrast, Sony recently boasted that God of War Ragnarök has become the fastest-selling first-party launch title with just 5.1 million copies sold in its debut week.


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The Stockton Record
STOCKTON, Calif. – There was more than one way to buy a piece of Stockton history on Saturday.
Johnny Rose of Stockton showed up with his children at Stockton Ballpark on a cold and cloudy Saturday morning and bought tickets for the Stockton Thunder’s opening game on Dec. 10 at the new downtown arena. Others decided to stay home and make their purchases on the Internet on the first day individual game tickets were available.
Thunder President Dan Chapman announced the team sold 1,127 tickets on Saturday, exceeding the team’s projection of 1,000. The ultimate goal is to sell out the event, and the team has already sold 2,076 season packages.
Although not every ticket purchased was for the Dec. 10 event, Chapman said the vast majority were for the opener.
“At least 90 percent or more were for the opener, and we knew it would be like that,” Chapman said. “We’re very pleased in the turnout, and I think a lot of people want to come out and see what the team is about and see the new facility on the first night.”
The Thunder brought out its mascot, Thor, to entertain those who waited in line, and Thunder player Tony Johnson was at the ballpark to sign autographs. But most of the sales were made online.
Rose decided to come out and buy the tickets in person. He stood in line with his son, Zachary, 15, and daughter, Emily, 2.
“I’m a hockey fan, and this is going to be great for Stockton,” Rose said. “I wanted to make sure we got tickets. I’m thinking about buying season tickets, but I want to check out how good the environment is at the games for the youngsters.”
Those at the ballpark were split among avid hockey fans and those who wanted to be part of the event.
Patrick Ferguson and Gary Holderbein of Tracy aren’t big hockey fans, but they are willing to learn and want to see the first event at the arena.
“I’ve only been to one hockey game, about 15 years ago, but we’re going to check it out, and I think it’s going to be great,” Ferguson said. “You just want to be a part of a unique thing in our local area. It’s historic.”
While the new arena was a lure for many of the customers, others just want to go see a hockey game.
“The new arena will be beautiful, but for me it’s about hockey,” said Peggy Sage of Stockton. “My kids grew up playing it, and there’s no better sport.”
Chapman said there’s many reasons fans want to show up on Dec. 10, and he hopes it all adds up to 10,000 filled seats.
“I do believe we can sell it out,” Chapman said.


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Everyone is learning a lot about supply chains in 2020. As we work, study, and intern from our living spaces, we are getting new insight into the importance to the economy — and to our daily lives — of the organizations, people, and resources involved in moving needed products or services from manufacturers to consumers. The “middle man” — retail — has largely been sidelined, and the coronavirus pandemic has brought the supply chain directly to our front doors.
How companies have managed this transition, and how they have managed another, more long-term change — the move to grater social responsibility — is the theme of the 16th year of its ranking of the world’s top supply chain companies by research and advisory company Gartner. Rewarding the adaptable and resilient in a time of unprecedented disruption, Gartner highlights companies with these qualities in the Gartner Supply Chain Top 25, released this month.
The ranking is not just a way for chief supply chain officers (CSCOs) to gain insights into “people, process, and technology” that they can use to compete. It is also a finger on the pulse for MBA programs. In 2020, as Gartner says and repeats throughout its report, organizations that are leading the race to define the post-pandemic world get bonus points; at the same time, the ranking’s methodology places new importance on being “purpose-driven,” which it defines as a recognition “that solving the world’s largest problems only works through a partnership with others in the broader community,” and through total transparency.
Who met and exceeded these criteria in 2020? Coming out on top is a new No. 1, Cisco Systems, the Silicon Valley telecommunications giant. Rounding out the top five are last year’s No. 1 Colgate-Palmolive, followed by Johnson & Johnson, Schneider Electric, and Nestlé.
THE TOP SUPPLY CHAIN COMPANIES ARE ALREADY DEFINING THE POST-COVID FUTURE
Gartner’s report includes a category for “Masters,” companies that “lead the way with lessons for all,” and that are not ranked like the rest — sort of a hall of fame, though not a permanent honor. This year five were named to the prestigious list: Amazon, Apple, McDonald’s, P&G, and Unilever, with P&G a newcomer that dislodged Procter & Gamble, a listee from 2019. Each 2020 Master has at least nine years of top-five composite scores in previous rankings. On the opposite side of the scale, making their first-ever appearance in the ranking, are six companies: Lenovo, AbbVie, British American Tobacco, Reckitt Benckiser, Biogen, and Kimberly-Clark.
Covid-19 has upended traditional metrics in many ways, at least in the short term. Perhaps Gartner’s most important methodology change introduced in 2020 (see below) is an increase in weight given to environmental, social, and governance (ESG), part of its effort to reflect “the voice of the community on emerging facets of supply chain leadership.” It’s about being purpose-driven, greater emphasis on which makes sense in the midst of a coronavirus pandemic, though Gartner had already collected much of its data for the ranking when the U.S. and other major economies began shutting down in March. Notably, however, 13 of the top 25 ranked companies in 2020 earned a top score in ESG. “Many organizations felt the financial impact of the disruption beginning in early 2020, after we pulled all the financial information used as part of the business measurement component of the methodology,” Gartner’s report reads. “The peer and analyst voting components occurred in March and April of 2020 and reflect voters’ perspectives on how companies dealt with the pandemic. It is instructive to see how many of the Top 25 companies have reacted and positioned themselves for success during and post disruption.”
2020 has seen negative economic factors on a scale not experienced since the first half of the the 20th century, Gartner’s report notes, and huge uncertainty remains about the viability of measures to achieve economic recovery. But here again is where the top supply chain companies are leading the way. Already, Gartner says, they are defining what the post-coronavirus future will look like for markets and consumers.
“Leading companies are defining scenarios to predict how markets will recover post-lockdown with a focus on accelerating competitiveness in the recovery curve, while also building in risk-mitigation strategies in case of a second wave of COVID-19,” Gartner’s report continues. “Leaders need an agile, or adaptive, strategy that allows the supply chain organization to sense and respond to changes in the business context as they happen. They also need to think long term and forecast for the upturn.”
HOW GARTNER HAS CHANGED THE WAY IT RANKS COMPANIES
GOOD CORPORATE BEHAVIOR ACKNOWLEDGED
High-tech leader Cisco Systems earned its No. 1 spot on the Gartner list this year based on “strong revenue growth, strength in ESG, and recognition of leadership in the community opinion polls.” Cisco was No. 5 in 2019 and No. 3 in 2018. The San Jose, California-based company’s transformation from product-centric to offer-based “continues to drive multiple business models within the company,” Gartner’s report reads. “These digital businesses are supported by a digital supply chain that can take advantage of data and is predicated on security as a foundation. Supply chain security needs evolve, and Cisco has been on an improvement journey of its own, operationalizing the ability to monitor and mitigate partner IT security capabilities. In addition, Cisco has driven significant value in predictability in lead-time, cost savings, and inventory reduction, while launching many new products, offers, and services.”
Cisco also gets kudos for its ESG efforts, particularly in regards to the concept of circular economy (CE), part of a larger trend toward ethical and sustainable supply chains. Gartner research shows that 70% of companies are making some level of investment in CE models.
Consumer products leader Colgate-Palmolive is ranked No. 2 in 2020. Colgate was No. 1 last year and No. 4 in 2018. It was lauded by Gartner foremost for a commitment to reducing its impact on the environment, “evident in its effort to go beyond zero waste and be certified as ‘TRUE Zero Waste'” through certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. In the last three years, Gartner reports, 15 of Colgate’s manufacturing sites have achieved TRUE Zero Waste certification, with 10 achieving platinum status, the highest level of recognition.
Johnson & Johnson, the healthcare conglomerate, climbs five spots to No. 3 this year; J&J was No. 8 last year and No. 18 in 2018. The company, a mainstay in the Gartner ranking, “continues to look for ways to advance, seeking to define what a high-maturity supply chain looks like for the life science industry. J&J’s embrace of supply chain innovation is unparalleled in the life science industry, where innovation is usually reserved for product development.” Gartner also praises J&J’s Supply Chain Innovation Engine, located in New Brunswick, N.J., as an example of the company putting innovation into practice. “People who work there,” Gartner’s report reads, “prioritize disruptive ideas that will improve healthcare.”
But J&J’s laudable corporate behavior does not end there. “To support the effort to treat Covid-19 patients, J&J is leveraging its 3D printing expertise,” Gartner reports, “through which the company is helping to alleviate the constraint of a limited supply of ventilators. These manifolds, designed by Prisma Health, allow two patients to share the same ventilator.”
See the next page for the Gartner top 25. Read the complete Gartner study here.


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Music streaming services are all the rage lately, with European crossover Spotify leading the pack. Now, The Verge reports that the beloved free program may soon cost you a few bucks a month.
As detailed in Spotify's original terms of service, early U.S. sign-ups gave users six months of unlimited free streaming from its launch on July 14, 2011. As of this January, the Swedish company has ended the honeymoon phase and will soon implement a 10-hour monthly cap on all free accounts.
According to Billboard (via Social Times), Spotify's earnings jumped from just under $18 million in 2009 to $99 million in 2010. Despite the tremendous increase, Spotify still lost $41.5 million due to the extreme costs of licensing thousands of songs.
This has put the streaming service in a bind. If Spotify can't drastically increase its number of paid subscribers, the industry's biggest record labels will continue to charge very large fees. Though Spotify's new business model may come as a surprise to many torrent-crazed music fans, this is old news for subscribers in Europe, who experienced the monthly cap for free accounts since last year.
Besides the 10-hour limit, free accounts can stream a single song a maximum of five times per month, so you might want to hold off on playing the Pointer Sisters' "I'm So Excited" too often. As Spinner previously reported, blues rockers The Black Keys have opted out of being featured on Spotify. Drummer Patrick Carney told VH1, "For a band that makes a living selling music, it's not at a point where it's feasible for us." Currently, it takes 64 streams of a single song for a band to make 99 cents from Spotify.
Users that need more than 10 hours will now have to pay up $4.99 a month for unlimited access and $9.99 per month for higher-quality music and mobile access. Hopefully, Spotify won't make the same mistakes as Netflix did in 2011.
Thanks for the report to Spinner.com.


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Electric car company gets shot in the arm
Just over a month ago, the future of electric car venture Better Place in Denmark was in serious question, with CEO Jens Moberg resigning over what sources claimed were a power struggle within the California-based firm.
But the project to put up to 100,000 of the battery-powered vehicles on the country’s roads was given a huge boost this week through a new partnership with US industrial giant General Electric.
Less than 350 electric cars have been sold in Denmark, and the now three-year-old project has had difficulty getting in gear.
But as part of the new agreement, a pilot project will be implemented with GE providing 10,000 batteries for the first two Better Place markets, Denmark and Israel.
According to engineering weekly Ingeniøren, GE’s ‘Wattstation’ charging docks will be used and made compatible with the Better Place network.
According to Better Place Denmark’s new CEO, Morten Leth, the partnership with GE helps validate the Better Place model.
Better Place, which was founded by Israeli software mogul Shai Agassi, is an investor-based private project. It presently has industry partnerships with French automaker Renault and British bank HSBC.
The primary investor in the company’s Danish branch is Dong Energy, which is committed to putting 370 million kroner into the venture.
Originally, Better Place had a goal of putting half a million electric cars into operation in Denmark by 2020 but has lowered its expectations to between 20,000 and 100,000 for the period.