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[Rumour] Dead Space Might Be Revived; To Be Announced This July
[Update 2nd July: added new info about EA Motive’s involvement]
Fans who missed the spooky sci-fi adventures of Isaac Clarke may want to pay attention to this latest rumour mill.
EA will announce a Dead Space revival-slash-reimagining during its July EA Play Live digital event, according to a VGC article (via GamesBeat), which is followed up by claims from Eurogamer. The revival will be developed by EA’s Motive studio, which also developed last year’s Star Wars: Squadrons.
According to Venturebeat, EA Motive will be rebooting the franchise just like how Capcom made the Resident Evil 2 reboot. Motive is taking notes from Capcom’s recent RE remakes. The reboot will be using the original Dead Space as a strong foundation and upping the visual quality while introducing new gameplay mechanics inspired by the other Dead Space entries. It also helps that EA has warmed up to single-player games after experiencing the success of the EA-published Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.
We’ll have to wait until July until these rumours are confirmed or debunked. In any case, it’s high time the sci-fi survival horror series gets another lease in life. The Dead Space series launched back in late 2008 to much acclaim, until it was done dirty with the release of Dead Space 3 back in early 2013.
You can play all three of the games on PS3, Xbox 360 (or Xbox Game Pass), and PC. We suggest you just play the first two and pretend the third one didn’t exist.


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US: Pepsi offers chance to become a billionaire
Pepsi-Cola North America has teamed up with the ABC Television Network to offer one person the chance to become a billionaire. In the Pepsi "Play for a Billion" Sweepstakes, one finalist will be guaranteed to win US$1 million on national television, with the chance to walk away with an additional prize of $1 billion.
Actor Damon Wayans will host the culmination event on ABC on 12 September.
The promotion will feature on specially-marked Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Caffeine Free Diet Pepsi and Sierra Mist products, and on ABC during the summer.
In a statement, senior vice president and chief marketing officer at Pepsi-Cola North America Dave Burwick said: "We are thrilled to partner with ABC on what could be a record-breaking event. ABC's line-up of popular comedy shows and talented stars will introduce millions of viewers to our promotion and give Pepsi drinkers the opportunity of a lifetime."
In support of the promotion, a national television commercial featuring Wayans will begin airing next week.
Last year, Pepsi awarded $1m to West Virginia resident Richard Bay during the company's first "Play for a Billion" Sweepstakes. Bay missed the $1 billion grand prize - based on a six-digit random number selection - by two digits, but beat nine other finalists to win $1 million.
In the battle of the giants, PepsiCo has stolen a march on Coca-Cola over the last year or so and its performance in the first half of the current fiscal year suggests it is still has the upper hand. ...
A recent report on the UK soft drinks market showed that growth in non-carbonates at the expense of traditional carbonated soft drinks is much less marked in the on-premise sector than in the take-hom...
A departing PepsiCo executive is to be handed a US$4.56m package spread over the next two years for his consultancy services....
The Pepsi Bottling Group has signed a letter of intent to acquire Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company of Charlotte (Pepsi Charlotte) for an undisclosed sum....
The Pepsi Bottling Group today reported second quarter net income of US$148m, or diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $0.59. The results were up on the same period last year as the company grew volumes...
Pepsi-Co. has been removed from a Syrian blacklist of companies which have dealings with Israel, according to a report in the official Syrian newspaper al-Thawra....
Pepsi has launched a new 50cl silver-coloured bottle for its Pepsi light soft drink as part of a major advertising campaign to roll out this summer in Spain....
PepsiCo's president and CFO, Indra Nooyi, has been forced to apologise for remarks she made whilst speaking to the 2005 graduating class of Columbia University's Business School in New York City last ...
- Review of the Year 2014 - Part IV: Spirits
- Cuba-US Normalisation: Bacardi, Pernod Winners?
- Review of the Year 2014 - Part V: Wine
- just Five Years Ago - Belvedere Group's Bumpy Ride
- just the Ten - Editor's Viewpoints of 2014
- Belvédère to sell assets, streamline portfolio
- Campari to bag EUR19m with "non-core" assets sale
- Pernod agrees Caribe Cooler sale to Grupo Bepensa
- Pernod wins consent for Glenlivet upgrade
- Thailand pulls back from New Year alcohol ban

domain: news


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Friday, December 17, 2010
Total Immersion Ties With Firm On Holiday Gift Cards
Los Angeles-based Total Immersion, the developer of augmented reality technology, said today that it has tied with Credelis Media Group to tie its technology to holiday gift cards. The two said that Credelis and Ad-Dispatch have used Total Immersion's software to create augmented reality gift cards. The cards show personalized video messages when shown to a PC webcam.


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Alongside their love of hoodies and the word “disruption,” one way to recognize techies away from their computers is through their penchant for unusual foodstuffs. Whether it’s otherworldy recipes designed by AI, 3D-printed candy, or specially engineered red algae made to look like juicy shrimp, folks in tech like their culinary experience to be as cutting edge as their smartphones. Well, move over bleedable veggie burgers, because there may soon be a new snack in town: jellyfish chips.
Developed as part of physicist Mie Thorborg Pedersen’s master’s thesis at the University of Southern Denmark, the technique offers an alternative to the salting process that’s been used in Asian cultures for centuries. It involves extracting water from the jellyfish using a combination of kitchen salt and alum. Not only is the new technique considerably faster at producing an edible snack than the traditional 30-to-40-day drying-out process, but it also results in considerably tastier food — complete with crispy texture.
“It is fascinating how you can turn a very slimy gel into a crispy chip,” Pedersen told Digital Trends. “We developed a method for preparing jellyfish for eating with inspiration from how gels behave in different solvents. When we immerse jellyfish in 96 percent ethanol we observe how the gel of the jellyfish collapse, in line with theories concerning gels. After 2 to 3 days we can then let the alcohol evaporate and get this paper-like jellyfish chip.”
The reason why the creation is so promising to Pederson and others is because it offers a potential new food source whose population has — contrary to other sources of overfished seafood — exploded in recent years. Jellyfish numbers are so great that, in some parts of the world, jellyfish-killing robots have been deployed to deal with the problem. (And it really is a problem: Nuclear power plants have been shut down as a result of swarms of jellyfish clogging up the pipes!)
“What makes this exciting is that people in the Western world are starting to look for alternative food sources such as insects, and the jellyfish is a supplement to this,” Pederson said.
A paper on the work was recently published in the International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science.


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Global fab equipment spending will rebound in 2020, growing 20 percent to US$58.4 billion after dropping 19 percent to US$48.4 billion in 2019, according to the Q2 2019 World Fab Forecast update published by SEMI, the global industry association representing the electronics manufacturing and design supply chain.
The 2020 investment increase is a downward revision from the 27 percent growth forecast earlier this year, and the 19 percent drop in 2019 spending is deeper than the previously projected decline of 14 percent. Despite the healthy gains forecast for 2020, fab spending will still fall $2 billion short of 2018 investments.
Memory sector spending alone is expected to account for a disproportionate share of the 2019 falloff, dropping 45 percent, but should stage a strong recovery of 45 percent to US$28 billion in 2020. The 2020 increase in memory investments would mark year-over-year growth of more than US$8 billion and drive an overall expansion in fab spending. However, compared to 2017 and 2018 spending levels, 2020 memory investments will be considerably less if the forecast holds.
In two countertrends to the memory spending falloff this year, foundry sector investments are projected to increase by 29 percent, with micro growing by over 40 percent, fueled by the 10nm MPU launch. It’s important to note that overall micro spending is dwarfed by foundry and memory investments.
The World Fab Forecast update tracks investment projects of 440 fabs and lines from 2018 to 2020. A review of the SEMI data by half year (Figure 1) shows that memory spending will drop 48 percent in the first half of 2019, with investments in sector components 3D NAND and DRAM plunging 60 percent and 40 percent, respectively.
Despite this staggering drop in one sector, overall spending in the first half of 2019 will be partially offset by a 40 percent increase in investments by leading foundries. With MPU its key driver, micro spending is expected to grow 16 percent in the first half of the year and another 9 percent in the second half.
The SEMI World Fab Forecast report covers new, planned and existing fabs as well as fab spending for construction and equipping, capacity expansion, and technology nodes by quarter and by product type with more than 1,300 front-end fab listings. Since its previous publication in February 2019, 192 updates have been made to the report including the addition of 14 new facilities and lines.


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Whatever happens in Las Vegas doesn't necessarily stay in Las Vegas.
But that's a good thing when it comes to home buying.
During the National Association of Realtors Conference and Expo in Las Vegas last week, Realtors released a survey the reveals an overwhelming majority of consumers believe buying a home is a deal they can take to the bank.
Nine out of 10 consumers say buying a home in today's housing market remains a good deal.
The real estate association's National Housing Pulse Survey also revealed 59 percent of those surveyed said right now is a good time to buy a home.
Consumer optimism about the housing market doesn't come without some concerns.
When asked how easy it is to obtain an affordable mortgage, almost six in 10 consumers said getting a mortgage approved is not an easy task. And more than eight in 10 consumers said finding enough money for a down payment and closing costs are also obstacles to buying a home.
Affordability is also an issue.
Nearly seven in 10 of those surveyed said they are concerned about the cost of housing in their communities.
Pat V. Combs, president of the National Association of Realtors said even though consumers have financial concerns in today's soft housing market, they understand owning a home remains a good, tangible, long-term investment.
Sellers, on the other hand, would like a little less conversation and a little more action from the housing market.
Buying A Home Remains A Good Deal by Broderick Perkins
Spread the word.
Published: November 26, 2007


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As our country is now heading into the endemic phase, it’s important for us to come together with our #KitaJagaKita values to aid our economy, especially for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).
They have been at the core of Malaysia’s economic transformation since the 1990s, turning Malaysia into an upper-middle income nation as important drivers of employment and growth.
In the same spirit, REV Media Group (RMG) recently announced that they are partnering up with digital platform, MyMall.
A memorandum of understanding has been signed between the two through SME Bank, creating synergy in efforts to help entrepreneurs in Malaysia. The Ministry of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives (MEDAC) has elected RMG itself as a strategic partner for this initiative.
But what is MyMall?
MyMall is basically an entrepreneurial ecosystem development platform dedicated to entrepreneurs and local products. They focus on four main axes; e-commerce, training, financing, and marketing.
As a strategic partner, RMG will help SME entrepreneurs in Malaysia by giving them the opportunity to advertise with REV Ad Manager (RAM) advertising platform.
RAM is a collaboration between REV Media Group and Dattel Asia Group, a data analytics and consumer intelligence company that offers a unique solution for empowering brands and agencies to target audiences based on strategic consumer insights.
“RMG is giving free credit to SME entrepreneurs and members of the MyMall business community for them to start advertising their business products and services.
“RAM is powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology for better audience targeting. We believe that REV Ad Manager (RAM) can help these entrepreneurs get a wider reach and leverage the platform’s data to make more informed marketing decisions,” RMG’s Chief Operating Officer, Nicholas Sagau said.
What this means is SME entrepreneurs can directly advertise their products and leverage on the 15.8 million unique visitors on RMG’s audience network across leading brands such as Berita Harian, Harian Metro, New Straits Times and more.
Hats off to that and may Malaysian businesses flourish again!


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A polythene bag manufacturer has been left with seven million items of personal protective equipment (PPE) after being "dropped like a stone", it has claimed.
Polythene UK started making the aprons during the first lockdown.
Managing director James Woollard said its orders were cancelled "overnight" leaving it in a "horrendous" situation.
But the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said huge global demand had created a "highly competitive market".
Mr Woollard said the Witney-based company supplied the PPE packed loose, and was dropped once the NHS could get hold of PPE on a roll.
He said it was also impacted by cheaper PPE from overseas.
Mr Woollard first had the idea to start making aprons when orders for his regular products stopped during lockdown.
The company adapted a design used to make jackets for lambs, and soon had orders of 1.2 million.
He said: "We started manufacturing these things as fast as we could."
The company made 30 million items of PPE in total, but demand suddenly fell.
It has since given away a million items to care homes for free.
The company has already lost £160,000 because of the project, with pallets of PPE stockpiled "as far as the eye can see".
Mr Woollard said: "We naively thought that because we were there when the pandemic hit that these guys would be there to help us… [but there was] no warning at all."
Ian Hudspeth, leader of Oxfordshire County Council, called the situation "unfortunate".
He said: "It's disappointing that he has been left with all this supply because he changed his production so he was able to step up and manufacture aprons which were massively needed at the time."
A DHSC spokesperson said it received an "extraordinary response" to its call for PPE and "all offers were prioritised based on volume, price, quality and lead time, with proper due diligence carried out on contracts".


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Microsoft’s big Xbox One a few weeks ago left the gaming industry reeling from the lack of “gaming” news and unwillingness by Microsoft to address concerns about the console’s treatment of DRM and used game sales. Since then, Microsoft has essentially confirmed those DRM and used game sales fears, leaving essentially the gaming content as the last big question mark.
This morning Microsoft E3 2013 press media briefing promises to focus on games. Not television, not music, and not board entertainment. Games. The one thing attendees of E3 are interested in seeing.
That’s not to say that there won’t be some family-geared Kinect games that take up chunks of the presentation. These types of games are crucial to the Xbox One’s broad appeal, much like how they helped make Xbox 360 one of the bestselling video game consoles of the last generation. Core gamers may view them as “evil,” but they are a “necessary evil” in helping push console sales.
What we know Microsoft will show is more information and footage from Remedy Entertainment’s Quantum Break and the racing simulator Forza Motorsport 5, the only two Xbox One exclusives that appeared in the reveal event. We also know the first trailer for Ryse, the once Xbox 360 exclusive from Crytek that has instead made the jump to next-gen, is set to appear. And we also know that Call of Duty Ghosts will be shown in some form.
On the rumored list is EA’s Mirrored Edge 2 which may or may not be an Xbox One exclusive. Anything beyond that is speculation and we’ll have to wait until the event to see what Microsoft has up their sleeve.
The Microsoft E3 2013 press media briefing kicks off at 9:30am PST and can be viewed by visiting here at Xbox.com. It will also be broadcast via Xbox Live as well as on Spike TV.


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Layoffs at CD Projekt mobile studio as The Witcher: Monster Slayer shuts down
"Moving forward, we plan to roll Spokko into CD Projekt Red."
December 7, 2022
1 Min Read
The Witcher: Monster Slayer will be shut down in June 2023 by developer Spokko, resulting in job losses at the CD Projekt-owned studio.
The mobile studio, which is owned by The Witcher and Cyberpunk maker CD Projekt, explained the title will be pulled from sale on January 31, 2023, before it's eventually switched off next summer.
In an FAQ posted on its website, the developer noted that in-game purchases will be turned off at the end of January, and warned players that Monster Slayer will "go through some major changes" before it's closed down for good.
Spokko explained it's laying Monster Slayer to rest because the mobile title didn't meet its business expectations, and said its demise will ultimately result in layoffs as Spokko is rolled into CD Projekt Red.
"Following CD Projekt's most recent change in its long-term product strategy, we plan to start structural changes in the capital group. Moving forward, we plan to roll Spokko into CD Projekt Red, with a part of its staff given the opportunity to join core CD Projekt development projects," wrote the studio.
"During this transition, there will be some staff members who will, unfortunately, be let go—however, we will do our best to support all of our employees affected by this situation and ensure the transition to the next step in their careers is as easy and safe as possible."
Although Monster Slayer will remain playable until June 2023, Spokko noted that from February onwards no new content–including monsters, armor, quests, timed and daily tasks and events—will be added to the game.
About the Author(s)
News Editor, GameDeveloper.com
Game Developer news editor Chris Kerr is an award-winning journalist and reporter with over a decade of experience in the game industry. His byline has appeared in notable print and digital publications including Edge, Stuff, Wireframe, International Business Times, and PocketGamer.biz. Throughout his career, Chris has covered major industry events including GDC, PAX Australia, Gamescom, Paris Games Week, and Develop Brighton. He has featured on the judging panel at The Develop Star Awards on multiple occasions and appeared on BBC Radio 5 Live to discuss breaking news.
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As corporate logos go, Red Hat’s fedora-sporting “Shadowman” is about as iconic as they come, but he could be living on borrowed time.
The software company, based in downtown Raleigh, is in the midst of an “open brand project” and in October is due to roll out an all-new logo. The color red, and a hat, are likely to figure in it somehow presuming in-house designers follow the advice they’re getting from customers and employees.
But Shadowman’s survival is far from assured, as the company has already said its research suggests he’s “seen as more secretive than open, and more villainous than heroic.”
I hope not that an iconic logo I might cry.


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Family-owned toy retailer The Entertainer, which has stores in Crawley and Horsham, has partnered with The Salvation Army to launch The Big Toy Appeal to ensure as many children as possible in Sussex and across the UK have a gift to open this Christmas.
Running until Saturday December 8, shoppers at shops in County Mall Shopping Centre, Crawley and at Worthing Road in Horsham can buy an extra toy in store and donate it to The Big Toy Appeal.
Customers can also buy a gift online from TheToyShop.com.
Gifts will be distributed through The Salvation Army across West Sussex to families who might not otherwise be able to afford to put Christmas presents under the tree for their children.
Together with the help of its customers, The Entertainer hopes to put a smile on the faces of thousands of children this festive season and is encouraging consumers to pick up an extra gift for a less fortunate child, with The Entertainer doubling the total number of donations.
Gary Grant, Founder and Executive Chairman of The Entertainer comments, “It’s heart-breaking to think of so many children across the UK who won’t experience the magic of waking up to find a present waiting for them.
“Also, to think of their parents who will miss out on watching their face light up as they open it. That’s why we’re encouraging our customers to consider buying an extra present during their Christmas shopping to donate to a family in need via The Salvation Army. This will then be matched by The Entertainer allowing us to work together to transform Christmas for families who are really struggling across the country.”
Major Mark Herbert, Divisional Commander for The Salvation Army in The South East said: “The Christmas Present appeal is an opportunity for local communities to join with us in helping people in need at Christmas time. During the festive season, when many people are enjoying celebrations with friends and family, others are struggling to make ends meet. That’s why we are absolutely delighted that The Entertainer and its customers are generously supporting us this year.
“Christmas is an important time for The Salvation Army, but our work carries on all year round, providing a huge variety of support and care to people within many local communities across the UK and Republic of Ireland. Being at the heart of local communities and inviting them to partner with us to make a difference and a positive impact is what we strive for all year round.”


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Mystery villager wins €11.1 million Irish Lotto jackpotLottery24 - Mystery Irish villager wins €11.1 million Irish Lotto jackpotA mystery lottery player from a village of 300 people in Ireland had won an $11.1 million Irish Lotto jackpot on Saturday August 20th draw with a ticket purchased at a store that sold another jackpot winning ticket a year ago.Most recently, we told you about a winning Irish Lotto ticket that the winner found in their car, and the ticket for Saturday night’s Irish Lotto jackpot was purchased from the Spar store on Main Street in Kinlough, a village of around 300 people, in Co Leitrim, but the ticket holder has not yet come forward to claim their prize. A spokesperson for the store, however, did tell the Irish Lotto that the winner has been the talk of the town ever since villagers found out that one of their own was to become a millionaire, just like when a family won a top Irish Lotto prize for the ninth time earlier this month.“Apparently everyone was talking about it in the pubs last night,” the spokesperson said. “They couldn’t believe it, that it was in our village, so small you know.” The store spokesperson continued to say that the store previously sold a winning Irish Lotto ticket just under a year ago, although the last one wasn’t worth quite the same amount. “It’s actually our second win in the past year,” she explained. “We had a €250,000 win in October or September.”The Spar store is apparently a popular place for locals to buy their lottery tickets, and the spokesperson said that more than a few people purchase their tickets for Wednesday and Saturday Irish Lotto draws on a regular basis. She also continued to say that more locals than usual were in the store buying tickets on Sunday morning for the next draw, following the news of the winner who had purchased their tickets there, just like at a store in Rochester, Massachusetts that sold a $1 million winning lottery ticket recently. “There’s really great excitement. Everyone’s so happy. It’s really a buzz in the town,” the spokesperson added.However, nobody yet knows the identity of the winner, just like when County Clare celebrated a mystery Irish Lotto winner, and the store spokesperson added that even they don’t know who purchased the ticket. “No, we actually don’t have a clue who won. We probably never will know but it was definitely bought in the shop.”The winning numbers on Saturday were 10, 11, 12, 15, 18 and 19 and the bonus ball was 35.Why don’t you try your luck and purchase your lottery tickets online at Lottery24.com.


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WA Beer Week is coming to its finale, one that includes a trio of The Crafty Cabal events. And there's plenty happening for our supporters elsewhere too, with a ballot just opened for a birthday tasting with Old Wives Ales.
It's all eyes to the West this week, as The Crafty Pint lines up a long-mooted WA launch party at the Dutch Trading Co, while new offers abound in South Australia, Queensland, and Victoria, where we've got a couple of exclusive new events coming up too.
Following our saison blind tasting last month, food and beer expert Paul Kasten has put together a few dishes perfectly matched to saisons for you to try at home, including two featuring the top two beers from that blind tasting: Boatrocker Saison du Bateau and Saison Dupont.
Morrison Brewery turns five this week. It's a family affair based in Launceston that launched with a focus on Old World styles but has since expanded its scope. Here's head brewer Paul in a birthday Brew & A.
It's a style that's much loved at Crafty Towers and a favourite of many brewers, as well as one that's broad and complex. So, 40 months on from last time, we assembled another blind tasting panel to assess a lineup of saisons.
Costa Nikias is the face of La Sirène, Melbourne's "urban farmhouse" brewery. But, through 2016, a brewer previously at Beavertown has become central to all things La Sirene. He's Ben Turley and is the focus of this Brew & A.
It's Australia's longest brewed saison, a style that's becoming increasingly popular, and continues to charm drinkers and judges alike. Will Ziebell brings us the story behind Bridge Road's Chevalier Saison.
The flurry of new brewing companies opening in Tasmania continues apace. Yet it's fair to say that Ocho stands out. Not just because it opened with a barrel-aged saison, but because its means of getting beer to punters is rather unusual.
For our latest Who Brews feature, we find out all about Little Bang, a small Adelaide startup with plans to make a rather bigger bang over the coming years.
We catch up with Brisbane man about town Gavin Croft as he prepares to launch his first beers under the Croft Brewing banner. It comes after years working in and around the beer industry and sees him launch with the pink and fruity Saison Grenade.


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SeaWorld is the priciest park in Orlando -- at least for now.
Starting today, the price of a single day's admission will climb $2 before taxes. Prices for adults will be $49.95, or $52.95 with the 6 percent sales tax. Children age 3 to 9 will pay $40.95 plus tax, and people 55 and older will pay $46.95 plus tax.
The park also announced that people who purchase tickets online will get a 10 percent discount.
SeaWorld is the first of Orlando's Big Three to raise prices this year. Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando haven't announced price increases, but that's usually how it works.
Ordinarily, Disney is first to raise prices, but after SeaWorld raised its prices last January, Disney and Universal announced price increases within a week.
Orlando's parks typically raise prices around the first of the year. But SeaWorld's latest increase comes at a difficult time for Central Florida's tourist economy. Business was soft in 2001 because of the recession but fell swiftly after the Sept. 11 attacks.
Business has picked up since then, but experts say that it will be 2003 before the tourism economy fully recovers.
SeaWorld, which historically attracts the smallest crowds of Orlando's big parks, suffered the least during last year's slump. Its attendance dipped only slightly to 5.1 million, according to the trade publication Amusement Business.
In comparison, traffic at Disney's Magic Kingdom slid about 4 percent to 14.8 million people, and attendance at Universal Studios fell 10 percent to 7.3 million.
Disney spokesman Craig Dezern on Tuesday wouldn't say whether the company will raise prices soon at its four parks. "We don't comment on the way others conduct their business, and we don't react to moves they might make," he said.
Universal spokesman Jim Canfield wouldn't rule out an increase. "We are always analyzing the market," he said.
SeaWorld spokesman Nick Gollattscheck said the park's latest price increase is justified. "The cost of operating a theme park continues to rise, and that's for everything from labor to material to food," he said.
Still, tourism expert Abe Pizam said raising prices now is risky. "Of course, the big question is whether it will hurt [attendance], and that's something that's yet to be determined," said Pizam, a tourism professor at the University of Central Florida.
"You know, $2 isn't a lot of money," he said, but as tourists tally the cost of a day at the park, "it may hurt."
He said, however, that the park's online discount should blunt any negative reaction to the overall increase.
SeaWorld is the only Orlando theme park to discount single-day admission tickets purchased online. People can save 10 percent by buying tickets at SeaWorld.com and printing them at home.
Orlando-based tourism consultant Peter Yesawich said "the strategy of trying to push more business online is a prudent one."
Yesawich, chief executive of Yesawich, Pepperdine & Brown, said selling tickets online reduces the park's customer-service expenses.
SeaWorld also is bringing back its Florida Fun Card. State residents who purchase tickets by April 30 will get unlimited admission to the park through Dec. 31.


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News / 01.07.2019
2019: The Year Virtual Reality Gets Real
Virtual reality has come a long way in a short time, and it’s still advancing at a rapid rate.
Yes, 2018 was a challenging year – growth slowed substantially compared to 2017 – but a new report from Futuresource Consulting confirms that the future of VR is bright. Worldwide, VR market volume is expected to reach 98.4 million sales by 2023, generating an installed base of 168 million units with a worldwide population penetration of 2%. Growth is forecast across all regions and countries, with China leading the way.
2019 is already turning out to be a strong year for VR, providing a solid base for growth. Oculus Quest, Facebook’s standalone headset, is creating a lot of interest and momentum. The headset launched in May and sold out across multiple stores a week after launch. Facebook’s VP of AR/VR, Andrew Bosworth, says that in the first two weeks of Oculus Quest headset sales, there were $5 million worth of content sales. Despite a lack of official sales stats, some estimate that Facebook could sell more than 1 million units in 2019—this would be huge if it happened.
The shift from tethered to standalone VR headsets represents a paradigm shift within the immersive ecosystem. Now, we have a truly mobile platform that is good enough to facilitate compelling user experiences.
It’s not just the standalone category that is making good progress.
This month, Road to VR reported that the monthly-connected VR headsets on Steam have surpassed 1 million for the first time. Ben Lang commented, “After correcting for Steam’s changing population, we find that May 2019 was the first month on record to see more than 1 million monthly-connected headsets on the platform. Year over year, monthly-connected headsets on Steam are up 80%.”
In March, Sony announced it had sold 4.2 million PlayStation VR (PSVR) headsets. Earlier this month, Playstation lead Jim Ryan told CNet, “The current generation of VR has exceeded our expectations. When you step back and look at it – and this is the way I like to look at it – one in 20 of the people who found the money to go out and buy a PlayStation 4, and all the games and peripherals that they enjoyed with that, have also found the money to then go buy the PlayStation VR and all the games and peripherals that go on top of that.” AR Insider commented, “Extrapolating from the nearly 100 million PS4s sold, PSVR is approaching five million units in the market.”
Major companies are still jumping into VR. Nintendo entered the race with the Labo: VR kit for Nintendo Switch on April 12 this year. This low-tech, playful VR is for all the family, and it gives you VR compatibility with two of the Switch’s biggest titles: Super Mario Odyssey and Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
In March, it was announced that a VR title had become the first to sell over 1 million copies in under a year – Beat Saber. Meanwhile, companies like Superhot have announced they have made more revenue from their VR than non-VR titles – further validation of the opportunity for developers.
These successes give a clear indication that VR is relevant and established. It’s real and it’s here to stay.
As I look to the future, and the arrival of 5G, my hopes for VR become even brighter. Some of VR’s outstanding obstacles to growth will be overcome. The low latency, super-fast speeds and stable connections that 5G brings will herald in a new era of VR. Experiences will be more accessible, more reliable and ultimately more immersive.
This article was written by Sol Rogers and originally appeared on Forbes.com.
To read about the top VR headsets check out the top 8 headsets here: Recent VR, AR, and MR News – Eight Headsets You Need To Know About
PORTFOLIO: Don’t miss our award winning VR project BBC Home: A Space Walk
If you have a VR project you’re working on check out our VR Services to see if we can help.
Technology can be considered a disruptor to a healthy, balanced life – but new technologies like virtual reality are actually being used to enrich the spa and wellness industries and add an extra dimension to wellbeing.
With an estimated 3.5 billion users globally, social media has revolutionized how we connect with each other. Through the likes of Snapchat, Facebook, and Twitter, people from different parts of the world can share snapshots of their lives and hang out in the digital world. But, where will people connect in the future?
While technology has sprinted ahead at an unprecedented rate over the past few years, it feels like sports viewing has been left behind. Unless you can afford increasingly expensive tickets, you’re usually just seeing the action from a single camera angle, struggling to keep up.
HTC unveiled its “most impressive headset yet,” the Vive Cosmos, at CES back in January. We’ve been awaiting more details ever since.
The origins of advertising can be traced back to newspaper advertising in the 19th century. Since then, the industry has experienced many changes. It has adapted to new technology and changing audience demands to remain relevant and effective.
Working with the BBC and Top Gear, REWIND has created three original 360° films that allow anyone with a smartphone or tablet to experience the thrill of taking three petrol-fuelled vehicles airborne over a music festival, a petrol filling station, and a supermarket car park!
Forms of entertainment, and how we consume them, are constantly evolving and progressing.
The Oculus Quest is a fantastic starting point for showing the capabilities of VR to those new to the technology, but it’s also exciting seasoned VR users.
The last couple of months have been pretty hectic for the immersive industry – with the announcement of Hololens 2, release of Oculus Quest, and teasers of other groundbreaking hardware due to release later this year. There’s quite a lot to digest! Here’s a roundup of the news.


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The Business of Fashion
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
2020 has been full of surprises.
In China, last year’s Covid-19 outbreak went on to take over 4,600 lives. In its wake, the country’s financial and fashion markets have witnessed unprecedented volatility as well as unrivalled growth and resilience.
This time last year, BoF recapped the decade ending 2020, from trends that shaped consumer behaviour to missteps global brands made when traversing the world’s biggest fashion market. But for many, 2020 has felt like years in itself. Below are the forces that shaped China’s fashion, beauty and luxury sectors over the past 12 months and what to expect in the year ahead.
From record-breaking decline to rapid recovery
Following a 6.8 percent GDP drop in the first quarter of the year — the biggest contraction since quarterly GDP records began — China’s economy returned to growth between April and June, a “V-shaped” recovery few other economies have managed.
Chinese shoppers, incentivised by digital vouchers and other strategies, have since revisited physical stores and domestic travel hot spots, with pent-up demand post-lockdown culminating in sales-boosting revenge buying. Life in cities like Shanghai has returned to normalcy, where masks are few and far between; large-scale events like fashion shows, following a fully virtual Autumn/Winter 2020 season of Shanghai Fashion Week, are once again drawing hundreds of attendees.
The rebound wasn’t enjoyed equally. One of the few things that hasn’t recovered, to the chagrin of global duty-free companies and daigou agents, is international travel. On the flip side, China’s department stores largely survived, even as some of their counterparts in the UK and US shut down. The comparative strength of the Chinese market has experts forecasting that the M&A spree of the mid-2010s is set to resume.
Online shopping flourished, with uptake accelerating across lower-tier cities; lockdowns and a pause on flights to destinations like Milan, Paris and London meant a further boost to online fashion and beauty sales, accelerating the repatriation of luxury spending to domestic stores.
With global brands relying on local channels to fuel growth and offset losses suffered in other markets, agile, digitally-savvy retailers and brands will go on to own 2021, meaning an already hyper-competitive space market is only getting more crowded.
Big tech’s blockbuster year
Like Amazon in the West and India’s Flipkart, China’s tech and retail giants had a good run in 2020.
Alibaba and JD.com grew their user bases, launched multiple record-breaking shopping festivals and upgraded their logistics networks while growing other business arms, like health and education, to become even more indispensable to almost 1.4 billion people. According to quarterly results, Alibaba and JD.com’s third quarter revenues increased 30 percent and 29.2 percent from 2019 respectively.
While the big e-tailers got bigger — the Alibaba-Farfetch-Richemont tie-up being a recent example — other tech firms bid on social e-commerce. Tencent’s WeChat, Bytedance-owned Douyin, Sina’s Weibo, Bilibili and Kuaishou are among those trying to chip away at Alibaba and JD.com’s dominance by peddling shopping functions to their highly engaged users. Livestreaming continued to drive sales, allowing brands like Burberry to market to home-bound shoppers and emerging designers to reach buyers over fashion week.
However, recent events cast a shadow over the year ahead. Last month, Alibaba affiliate Ant Group’s blockbuster $37 billion IPO was halted by regulators, followed by new live streaming rules that could limit spending by younger users. Meanwhile, Chinese apps became collateral following a border spat in India that resulted in more than 40 getting banned. While tech players can do little to avoid becoming ensnared in geopolitical conflicts in 2021, they will need to avoid raising regulatory eyebrows if they want to keep up the momentum.
Luxury doubled down on digital
According to Bain and Altagamma, luxury sales will have contracted 22 percent this year to 2014 levels. China’s recovery and digital acceleration have forced brands to explore new formats, channels and partnerships as sales lag behind elsewhere.
Beyond Farfetch and Richemont, the likes of Prada, Tiffany, Louis Vuitton and Valentino are counting on the Chinese market. Despite progress made on vaccines in the UK and US, uncertainty looms and it appears that a China-first luxury strategy isn’t going out of fashion anytime soon.
From exhibitions to live talks to video games, 2021 will see the top players experiment with new ways to sell their stories and products to consumers domestically. Beyond staging shows in Chinese cities and tapping into the KOLs of the moment, diligent brands will invest in channels over which they have more control and ownership, from clienteling to the private traffic messaging groups homegrown brands found success with this year. Top players will build up their data capabilities by monitoring behaviour and customer demographics — factors like age, location and digital platform — and creating a stronger omnichannel shopping experience to tie their China strategy together.
Trade tensions spiked
In addition to years-long animosity with Washington, 2020 saw relations with countries like India and Australia deteriorate. In fashion and beauty, local brands have been largely unaffected — many cater to local, rather than global, customers — but domestic tech firms and US apparel and footwear brands got caught in the crosshairs.
The year began with a trade “truce,” but Sino-US tensions soared amid the pandemic as leading officials in both superpowers blame the other side for the outbreak. They then spiked again after China expelled American journalists and the US imposed sanctions on China over human rights issues in Hong Kong and Xinjiang. President Donald Trump also tried to force the sale of Bytedance-owned TikTok.
Meanwhile, the escalation of a border spat with India led to over 40 Chinese apps being banned in the country, which had become a major growth driver for the likes of TikTok.
To be sure, the above has not made a material impact on China’s fashion sector. And despite the deterioration of relations with Australia in the latter half of 2020, trade between China and both the US and Australia broke records in November. Next year, eyes will be on trade in the Asia-Pacific region following the signing of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership in November (expected to add 11.4 percent to China’s already significant exports) and Sino-US relations following the election of Joe Biden. Most expect that the incoming US President will keep the pressure on China during his term.
Supply under scrutiny
Though fashion manufacturing has been moving out of China (and into lower-cost Southeast Asian countries like Cambodia and Vietnam) for years, 2020 has accelerated this shift as brands dealt with the fallout of depending on a single country for their supply chain needs.
But that’s not the only reason global businesses are reevaluating where they source and manufacture products. Sino-American trade tensions saw Trump encourage American companies to re-shore their Chinese partnerships and reimpose tariffs on Chinese goods. Meanwhile, the US ban on cotton imports from China’s largest producer (citing the alleged use of forced Uighur labour) is creating pressure on global brands to clean up their supply chains.
Still, China’s manufacturing sector has made a swift recovery post-pandemic, with November factory activity expanding at its fastest pace in a decade, according to the Caixin/Markit manufacturing purchasing managers’ Index. In 2021 and beyond, more brands will make moves to reshore, but the country’s strong manufacturing infrastructure and assets will keep many tethered to China.
Homegrown players thrived
Despite a rocky start, many domestic brands in China have had a good year.
The pandemic spurred the rise of nationalism, which manifested not only on social media but in consumption as pro-China sentiment gave homegrown brands a much-needed boost. Major mass-market names from Peacebird to Li Ning saw their revenues soar; emerging designers received the full attention of local buyers at Shanghai Fashion Week, where the absence of global attendees didn’t make a dent on sales.
The C-beauty sector in particular gained ground. Billion-dollar businesses like digitally native beauty player Perfect Diary, Chando and Hedone stunned onlookers by rapidly growing highly engaged communities with new tactics like private traffic messaging. In November, Perfect Diary’s parent company Yatsen Holdings celebrated its US IPO, which saw shares soar 66 percent in their debut. While smart global brands will surely hone in on the Chinese market next year, they’ll face strong competition.
FASHION & BEAUTY
Peacebird’s Womenswear Business Surpasses 5 Billion Yuan in Annual Revenue
The Chinese mass market giant’s womenswear arm saw sales increase 28 percent year on year to hit approximately $763 million, a record high. Though 2020 has proven challenging for most brands, the brand drove growth by hosting 17 shopping festivals it live-streamed to customers; the highest-performing event recorded 670 million yuan (around $102 million) in sales. This year has also seen the business focus on data to revamp its product strategy: differentiating consumer groups, rethinking product design, improving sales integration and honing in on fast-selling hero products has proven successful. Post-’90s are at the core of Peacebird’s plan moving forward: the combination of A-list KOLs like celebrity Nana Ouyang and a multi-channel approach to social media is already helping the brand reach a broader group of young shoppers. (Texnet)
China Nearly Doubled Its Overall Share of the Global Luxury Market in 2020
Growth for the mainland Chinese luxury market is expected to climb by 48 percent to reach almost 346 billion yuan (around $52 billion) by the end of the year, according to Bain’s annual China luxury report released today in partnership with Tmall Luxury Division. Despite a global luxury slump, this meteoric growth, driven in part by the repatriation of luxury spending and acceleration of e-commerce adoption, is forecasted to continue through 2025. But growth hasn’t occurred evenly. China’s north and northeast regions underperformed in contrast to the south, east and southwest; categories like leather goods and jewellery led the way, followed by ready-to-wear clothing and shoes, beauty and timepieces. It’s also worth noting that repatriation has only managed to offset around half of the heavy losses luxury brands are feeling in Europe and elsewhere; tourist consumption, which has fallen by an estimated 70 percent is far from fully recovered. (BoF)
The C-Beauty Player Betting on Brick-and-Mortar
Despite the digital-first strategy being touted by the likes of Perfect Diary, Chinese beauty company Kans is focusing on its physical retail touchpoints. The brand, which develops products inspired by Japanese beauty technology, is launching an exclusive capsule collection for shoppers visiting its offline stores that features ingredients like royal jelly, collagen and gold. The key, however, lies in how Kans will use online channels to increase in-store foot traffic: the brand’s plans include amping up marketing strategies via KOLs and product placement in TV dramas, as well as gaining exposure through social media platforms like Kuaishou, Douyin, Bilibili and Xiaohongshu. In turn, investing in the in-store experience (like staff training and the provision of spa services) will also serve to build loyalty and strengthen its overall retail game plan. (Jiemian)
TECH & INNOVATION
Beijing Fines Alibaba, Tencent Unit Under Anti-Monopoly Laws
China’s antitrust watchdog fined Alibaba and a Tencent subsidiary over a pair of years-old acquisitions and said it’s reviewing an impending Tencent-led merger, signalling Beijing’s intention to tighten oversight of internet sector deals. The State Administration for Market Regulation said Monday it’s reviewing the combination of DouYu International Holdings Ltd. with Huya Inc., which could create a Chinese game streaming leader akin to Amazon’s Twitch. It fined Alibaba 500,000 yuan ($76,500) for failing to seek approval before increasing its stake in department store chain Intime Retail Group Co. to 73.79 percent in 2017, according to a statement. The penalties come after regulators last month declared their intention to increase scrutiny of China’s largest tech corporations with new anti-monopoly rules. (Bloomberg)
China’s Internet Regulator Targets Forced Data Collection
It’s not only Alibaba and Tencent that are facing tougher scrutiny. This week, China’s cybersecurity watchdog started seeking comment on the range of user information that apps are allowed to collect by releasing a number of draft rules. This comes in the wake of a proposed data protection law that was announced in October and is currently under review. Local platforms often bar access to their apps when users decline to provide personal information; the draft rules released this week aim to curb the practice by defining the types of data collection that are “legal, proper and necessary.” They don’t, however, give details on how they will be enforced or how offenders will be penalised. (Techcrunch)
CONSUMER & RETAIL
Chinese Retailer Suning Pledges Shares to Alibaba To Secure Loan
Suning Holding Group’s shareholders have pledged all of the company’s equity, worth one billion yuan, to Alibaba’s Taobao division in order to secure a loan. Suning is one of China’s biggest retail chains, in addition to owning 37 department stores it acquired from Wanda Group last year and concept stores under its Jiwu brand. After taking a loan against its equity, Suning could be taken over by Taobao or be sold if the company fails to pay back the sum. A Suning representative has told local media outlets that the share pledge won’t change its e-commerce and retail strategy. The news points to China’s uneven recovery post-Covid-19 and highlights the market consolidation that could occur in the wake of the crisis. (BoF)
China Reports Consumer Deflation for the First Time Since 2009
China’s consumer inflation dropped into negative territory for the first time in 11 years. Its consumer price index (CPI) dropped to minus 0.5 percent in November year-on-year, down from 0.5 percent growth in October; prices were driven down by a rebound in pork supply. Deflation is often associated with periods of stagnant economic growth and has been known to dampen spending. However, experts say that the data doesn’t necessarily point to a slowdown in China’s economic rebound from Covid-19 and that the drop in prices will be temporary. Lower prices can also be traced to weak global demand. (Bloomberg)
How J-Beauty’s Cosme Is Coping Without Chinese Tourists
Anyone who has been shopping for beauty products in Japan will recognise Cosme, the customer review site that crowns the best Japanese drugstore beauty products from sunscreens to smudge-proof eyeliners by way of its eye-catching stickers. The pandemic dealt it a hard blow — Chinese tourists are traditionally enthusiastic patrons of Japanese beauty chains like Matsumoto Kiyoshi. But Cosme may have found a solution through a deal announced this week between parent company iStyle and Tmall: the partnership will see Cosme open a flagship on the e-commerce marketplace; the site will ship products directly to China from Alibaba’s Japanese warehouse facilities, with the two parties splitting shipping costs and tariffs. Some 300 brands are expected to sign up. (Nikkei Asia)
POLITICS, ECONOMY, SOCIETY
New Report Warns Forced Labour May Impact Majority of Xinjiang Cotton Production
More than half a million people from ethnic minority groups in the region have been coerced into cotton picking, according to a new report from Washington-based think tank the Center for Global Policy, which suggests the impact on the cotton supply chain of China’s controversial labour transfer scheme runs deeper than previously thought. Xinjiang accounts for 20 percent of global cotton supply and is currently the focus of international scrutiny over the alleged coercion of ethnic minorities into forced labour. Earlier this month, the US banned cotton imports from the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, a paramilitary organisation that counts as one of China’s largest cotton producers. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said the allegations are “completely fabricated.”(BoF)
OECD: China will Lead Economic Growth in 2021
China is forecast to be the first major economy to recover from the global pandemic recession, with Europe lagging behind, according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The OECD predicts that China will see its gross domestic product grow 9.7 percent in the fourth quarter of 2021 compared to the same time in 2019, followed by South Korea, Indonesia, Turkey, Russia and the US. Argentina is expected to fare worst, with the UK coming second owing to a forecasted GDP drop of 6.4 percent over the two-year period. On the upside, a vaccine could speed things up globally: the OECD believes that rapid deployment could push global growth up to 5 percent in 2021 and 5.5 percent the following year. (Pymnts)
China Decoded wants to hear from you. Send tips, suggestions, complaints and compliments to our Shanghai-based Asia Correspondent email@example.com.


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David Brancaccio: You may have have never sat at the bar, staring at the Diageo on offer. The alcoholic drinks giant owns brands that are more famous -- including Guinness and Johnnie Walker. Diageo says that its profits rose 15 percent last year -- this despite flat sales in beleaguered Europe.
From London, Christopher Werth explains how they did it.
Christopher Werth: Today, nearly one-third of the demand for alcoholic drinks comes from big emerging markets like China.
And Olly Wehring of JustDrinks.com says there's one kind of drink everyone loves.
Olly Wehring: When you look at China, when it comes to spirits -- they love it international, and they love it brown.
In China, sales of bourbon and Scotch and Irish whiskeys are doing very well. Big drinks companies like Diageo and its rival, Pernod Ricard -- owner of Jameson -- are competing to capture as many whiskey drinkers as possible.
I asked Trevor Stirling, an analyst at Sanford Bernstein, if this is the start of a "whiskey war".
Trevor Stirling: Well I don't think war is quite the right phrase. But ten, fifteen years ago, let's say scotch was viewed as an old man's drink, and clearly there's been a huge turnaround.
And that includes the U.S. Diageo says its sales in North America are up 5 percent, athough American tastes are changing. Stirling says last year marked the first time Irish whiskey outsold Scotch.
In London, I'm Christopher Werth, for Marketplace.


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Samsung says batteries caused Note 7 fires
By Hyunjoo Jin and Se Young Lee, Reuters SeoulElectronics Power Supply / Management Engineering Samsung smartphone
Samsung Electronics Co Ltd indicated on Monday that its latest flagship Galaxy S smartphone could be delayed as it pledged to enhance product safety following an investigation into the cause of fires in its premium Note 7 devices.
Wrapping up its months-long probe, the world’s top smartphone maker said faulty batteries from two suppliers were to blame for a product failure that wiped $5.3 billion off its operating profit.
Samsung mobile chief Koh Dong-jin said procedures had been put in place to avoid a repeat of the fires as the South Korean firm prepares to launch the Galaxy S8, its first premium handset since the Note 7’s demise.
“The lessons of this incident are deeply reflected in our culture and process,” Koh told reporters at a press briefing. “Samsung Electronics will be working hard to regain consumer trust.”
Koh said the Galaxy S8 would not be unveiled at the Mobile World Congress trade show in Barcelona beginning Feb. 27, the traditional forum for Galaxy S series launches. He did not comment on when the company planned to launch the handset, though analysts expect it to start selling by April. Investors have said Samsung needs to reassure consumers that it is on top of the Note 7 problem and can be trusted to fix it.
Samsung’s reputation took a hammering after it announced a recall of fire-prone Note 7s, only for reports to emerge that replacement devices also caught fire. Images of melted Samsung devices spread on social media and airlines banned travellers from carrying them on flights. The handset, Samsung’s answer to Apple Inc’s iPhones, was withdrawn from sale in October less than two months after its launch, in one of the biggest failures in tech history.
Samsung said later on Monday it has not decided whether to reuse parts in the recovered Note 7s or resell any recalled phones. A person familiar with the matter told Reuters reselling some Note 7s as refurbished phones was an option. The firm said it has recovered 96 percent of the 3.06 million Note 7s sold to consumers.
Investigations by internal and independent experts ruled out problems with the Note 7’s hardware and software. Instead, they said the batteries, which came from two suppliers, featured different manufacturing defects or design flaws that caused them to short-circuit.
“The odds that two different suppliers had issue with the same phone is an extremely low likelihood and may signal we have reached an inflection point in smartphone battery technology,” said Patrick Moorhead, president of technology analyst and advisory firm Moor Insights & Strategy.
Samsung did not name the suppliers on Monday but previously identified them as affiliate Samsung SDI Co Ltd and China’s Amperex Technology Ltd (ATL). SDI said separately it would invest 150 billion won ($129 million) to improve product safety and expected to continue supplying batteries for Samsung phones. ATL declined to comment. Samsung said it accepted responsibility and would not take legal action against suppliers. The company touted longer battery life and fast charging as major improvements when it launched the Note 7.
“The current situation is not largely different from that of the first recall, when Samsung pointed the finger at battery defects,” said Park Chul-wan, a former director of the Centre for Advanced Batteries at the Korea Electronics Technology Institute.
Among other measures to boost safety, Samsung said it had implemented an eight-point battery check system to avoid any such problems going unnoticed again. While Samsung’s mobile division is widely expected to have bounced back from the Note 7 failure during the fourth quarter, experts remained cautious about the outlook for sales of future flagship devices.
“Consumers will accept the results (of the probe) only if there are no problems with the S8,” said Park.
Moorhead, however, said he thought Samsung had done enough to convince consumers that it can prevent future issues. Samsung Electronics shares ended up 2.3 percent in a flat wider market. Analysts said the rise was mainly due to a healthy outlook for makers of tech components such as memory chips but also boosted by hopes the firm will be able to put the Note 7 fiasco behind it.
The firm expects fourth-quarter operating profit to hit a more than three-year high when it reports earnings on Tuesday, driven by booming chip sales.
(Additional reporting by Dahee Kim in Seoul and Sijia Jiang in Hong Kong; editing by Stephen Coates)


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Posted by ZIGGX
New features in PHP 7.4
PHP 7.4 is set to be released in November 2019. It comes with a ton of awesome new features that enhance productivity and performance. Read this article to find out what's coming...


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A new problem has been found with Takata Corp. air bags, prompting Toyota Motor Corp. and Nissan Motor Co. to expand their recalls by 6.5 million vehicles.
In the U.S., about 637,000 Toyota vehicles are being recalled. Nissan has not yet released the U.S. numbers for its vehicles.
In total, Toyota said Wednesday that it was recalling nearly 5 million more vehicles across the globe for the air bag inflator problem.
The recall affects 35 models, including the Corolla subcompact, RAV4 sport utility vehicle and Tundra pickup, produced from March 2003 through November 2007.
In the latest recall, front passenger and front driver-side air bag inflators can deploy abnormally, or rupture, and put a person in a crash at greater risk of injury.
This is different from an earlier problem with Takata air bag inflators that deployed with too much force, which has affected a range of automakers including Honda Motor Co., Chrysler, BMW and Ford Motor Co. At least six people have died worldwide due to that defect.
When combined with the earlier recalls, Toyota’s Takata-related recalls have increased to 8.1 million vehicles.
Nissan recalled an additional 1.56 million vehicles globally for the new Takata problem, increasing the company’s Takata-related recalls to about 4 million.
The latest recall affects the Sentra compact, Caravan van and X-Trail sport utility vehicle, made from 2004 through 2007, Nissan said. The automaker said it will test the inflators and replace them as needed.
Toyota said it will replace the problem inflators on the driver side with inflators made by Daicel Corp., another Japanese supplier.
Toyota will continue to use Takata “since we have not at this point identified parts from a different supplier that are compatible,” the company said in a statement.
Karl Brauer, senior insights director at Kelley Blue Book, said the scale of Takata’s air bag recall “represents the worst-case scenario when a single supplier controls a large portion of the global automotive market.”
“This particular recall has been gestating for over a decade, which raises a troubling question,” he said. “How many more massive, single-supplier recalls are waiting to be discovered, even as the full scope of this one becomes clear?”
Takata has not been able to keep up with the demand for replacement inflators.
Tokyo-based Honda, which has recalled the most vehicles because of Takata air bag problems, said it was studying the new problem and hasn’t made a decision yet about expanding its recalls.
Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times
9:48 a.m.: This post has been updated with U.S. recall numbers and comment from Kelley Blue Book.
This post was first published at 6:48 a.m.


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New Formats, Dates for Industry Trade Shows
From July 21-23, 2020, the outdoor community will gather online in an interactive environment. The Outdoor Retailer Online platform is designed to replicate the Summer Market experience with exhibiting brands showcasing product lines for F/W ‘20 and S/S ’21, along with live educational sessions and tools to enhance networking and personal connections via scheduled events throughout the three day show.
Like the in-person summer show, Outdoor Retailer Online will open with the Industry Breakfast hosted by the Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) on the morning of Tuesday, July 21. The 10th annual Outdoor Retailer Inspiration Awards will be hosted on the platform on July 22.
Outdoor Retailer Online will allow for exhibitors to host multiple live video conversations simultaneously within their page, and to book appointments or interviews within the platform.
More information on the July event is available at www.outdoorretailer.com
Looking ahead, the OR Winter Show is scheduled for January 27-29, 2021 in Denver – as of now anyway.
Thin Air’s inaugural digital event is now slated for September 15-17, 2020. According to show organizers, the revised dates “make space for other voices that need to be heard right now, and ensure we do not take focus from long overdue conversations and efforts on the systemic racism and oppression of our Black friends, neighbors and colleagues.”
Thin Air said it will grow from 400 booths to 500. The extra 100 booth opportunities will be donated to nonprofits and affinity groups who have been doing this work for a long time, and deserve to be seen and celebrated, according to a statement from Show executives.
“As you know, we built the Thin Air Show not only because the industry needed a media show that inherently connects brands directly to consumers, but because a virtual show cannot be stopped by a global pandemic or anything else the world throws at us,” said founder Erik Boles. “Anything but one thing: systemic racism and injustice against our friends, colleagues, partners, and fellow outsiders, which deserves our immediate attention and action to rectify.”
The Fabric Show Atlanta will take place August 4-5th and feature American suppliers and producers with low minimums, in-stock programs. “The AmericasMart / Atlanta Apparel is partnering with us to ensure the best experience for our buyers and exhibitors,” said show founder Susan Power. “Visitors to the AmericasMart will be using the many escalators to move up and down within the market center (no elevator, except service elevators will be in use). Registration areas are being expanded to make sure everyone has their space!”
In addition, The Fabric Show has increased square footage to allow for plenty of space between exhibitors, plus more room between racks, said Power. Double back-to-back tables will also be available for exhibitors wishing to space attendees six feet across from them when seated. The planned set up also includes small round tables spaced throughout the exhibit floor so buyers will be able to sit in their own space and review samples and write orders.
“Now more than ever it’s important to have the right size show, in the right place, at the right time,” Power said.


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Beijing Automotive taps Boston-Power of U.S. for lithium ion batteries
Boston-Power Inc., a closely held U.S. maker of lithium ion batteries, will provide systems to a unit of Beijing Automotive Industry Co. for an electric car that will be available in China this year.
The deal with Beijing Electric Vehicle is Boston-Power's first with a Chinese carmaker, and the company expects the automotive industry to be its most important market, according to Christina Lampe-Onnerud, its international chairman.
"Most of Boston-Power's revenue will be in the automotive segment," she said.
Westborough, Mass.-based Boston-Power's batteries also can be used in laptop computers and for utility energy storage. Lampe-Onnerud expects the bulk of sales to be for vehicles.
The company expects to complete a manufacturing plant near Shanghai this year that will produce battery cells with as much as 400 megawatt-hours of storage capacity annually. It initially will supply Beijing Electric Vehicle from a 120 megawatt-hour a year production line in Taiwan, Lampe-Onnerud said.
There is "significant policy support" for electric vehicles in China, where adoption of the technology has been slow, said Shu Sun, an energy smart technologies analyst for Bloomberg New Energy Finance.
Sales of battery-powered and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles in China totaled 8,795 in 2011.
"This is still very low compared to the government target of 500,000 cumulative sales by 2015," he said.


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(CANADIAN PRESS) -- TORONTO – Brendan Richmond created a viral sensation with his hoser comedy song “Out For a Rip” in 2013, but he was surprised to recently find his popular catchphrase gracing the side of a Coca-Cola bottle.
The Kingston, Ont.-based comedy rapper’s “Out For a Rip” video went on to rack up more than 12 million views on YouTube, convincing him to trademark the saying that made it so popular. That’s why he wasn’t expecting to see it printed on the side of one of the world’s most popular beverages at a Toronto grocery store.
“I just pulled it out of the cooler — and it was literally in my hand before I saw what was on it,” said Richmond, whose rapper persona is B. Rich. “I definitely did a double take.”
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Osage Beach is looking to capitalize on their marketability to attract new businesses to the area. The Board of Aldermen last week heard a proposal from the Buxton Company, who provides market assessments based on mobile analytics. City Administrator Jeana Woods says the goal is to put the city in the best position to appeal to retail businesses.
Buxton uses mobile data and other information to formulate lists of the businesses best suited to the market, which the city can then use to try to attract the businesses here. They’ve worked with several major cities and retailers and are among the leading businesses in the industry nationwide. Woods says the city will benefit from the data in other planning areas far beyond just the retail needs.
No decision has been made yet on the plan, but it could likely come soon as the city prepares to enter their budget planning cycle.


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Wargaming.net is responsible for the World of Tanks MMO as well as the upcoming World of Tank Blitz mobile version of their tank combat game which is heading to Android soon. The company is also working on what was once called World of Warplanes. A similar game called War Thunder by Gaijin Entertainment is now in a US open beta for the PC version of the game and the company is now working on a mobile version for it as well.
Day: 19 April 2013
DogByte Games has announced that their next game will be a 3D racing title called Redline Rush. This particular racing game is more along the lines of Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit type of racing and not of the racing track or city streets type where you’re just competing with other racers.
OUYA has come out today with an announcement regarding the content which will be arriving soon for their Android-powered game console. According the to company, they already have around 10,000 developers signed up and working titles for their game console.
It’s about that time again where we would like to giveaway some free games to our readers. This time we have 25 copies of Scribblenauts Remixed and 25 copies of Batman: Arkham City Lockdown up for grabs for our readers to enter for a chance to win. So, are you ready for details on how to enter?
22Cans’ social experiement game Curiosity has gotten updated and this update brings with it a new optional feature players can purchase which makes this game a slight bit more challenging. For those of you trying to be the lucky person to get the last hit in order to win whatever the secret life changing prize is inside the cube, if you think things are not going in your favor, you can now do an IAP that will let you add blocks back onto the Cube.
Linden Labs, the folks behind the rather popular MMO game Second Life, recently launched Creatorverse onto Google Play. Creatorverse is a game where players can create whatever it is that they want with the tools provided and then, if you want to, you can actually add motion to them so they actually do something instead of looking pretty.


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Vaishnaw said that such actions by Google are unacceptable and the government will not let it happen
The tech giant removed apps of 10 Indian companies on March 1, including some popular apps like Bharat Matrimony, Christian Matrimony, Muslim Matrimony, Jodii and Naukri due to the ongoing dispute
The latest development comes weeks after startups sought pause on the delisting process till March 19
A day after tech giant Google took down several prominent Indian apps from its Play Store over non-compliance with billing policies, IT and Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday (March 2) said that such delisting cannot be permitted.
“Government takes a strong view of Google delisting some apps from the Play Store. We will not allow delisting of apps,” Vaishnaw told PTI.
On Friday (March 1) Google removed 10 popular Indian apps, including Bharat Matrimony, Shaadi.com, Kuku FM and Naukri, from its Play Store and warned several others about possible actions for failing to comply with its billing policies.
People Group’s founder and CEO Anupam Mittal told Inc42, “The government needs to intervene now and direct CCI to ensure Google is in compliance with their order and immediately restore all apps that were delisted including Shaadi.com. In any event, CCI is hearing the matter so what’s the urgency to delist? Shows the arrogance and impunity with which they operate.”
Meanwhile, Info Edge cofounder Sanjeev Bikhchandani has said that they were intimated about the move just a few hours before the take down.
Google also delisted five of Info Edge’s apps — the flagship Naukri app, Naukri Recruiter, Naukrigulf Job Search App, 99acres and Shiksha — from the Play Store. However, the company’s matrimony business Jeevansathi is still available on the app marketplace.
“The app in contention was Jeevansaathi. We complied with that on February 9. We never received any notice or communication from Google about any of our other apps being non-compliant. We finally got communication just a few hours before 99acres and Naukri were delisted. We were taken totally by surprise. We are in touch with Google,” Bikhchandani told Inc42.
Cofounder and CEO of Matrimony, Murugavel Janakiraman told Inc42, “Google yesterday night deleted all our apps. Over 100 of our apps have been deleted. We are completely out of Play Store, which means out of the business. Whether you are big are small, what Google is saying is that if you don’t accept their monopoly behaviour they will delist.
The latest development comes weeks after some startups sought pause on the delisting process till March 19.
According to media reports, around 30 concerned startups wrote to Google requesting to put a halt on the delisting until the hearing of the special leave petition (SLP). This development followed the Supreme Court’s nod to hear the pleas of the startups challenging the billing policy.
However, notably, a bench of judges led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud refused to pass an interim order in favour of these startups to protect them from being removed from the Google Play Store.
However, days before that the Madras High Court asked Google to not delist some of these companies from the Play Store for at least three weeks. This was the second such dismissal by the HC since August 2023, after it dismissed 14 out of 16 pleas filed by the homegrown startups against the tech giant.
The debate over the billing system of Google emerged after the tech giant reduced its commission to 11-26% following CII’s intervention over the former commission range of 15-30%, for apps requiring in-app purchases.
Earlier, addressing Google’s new billing policy, Mittal termed the tech major ‘Digital East India Company’. In addition, he also compared Google’s billing policy with that of lagaan (tax) imposed by the British rulers on the Indian farmers during the colonial era.


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Tag Archives: cnet
Ever dropped your phone in water and thought you were doomed? Well, with the newest Sony phone, you’ll no longer have to be extra careful around pools and toilets.
The Xperia ZR can be submerged underwater for 30 minutes and withstand depths up to five feet. And with a 13-megapixel front-facing camera and 16x digital zoom, users can create full HD underwater videos and photos. (Via YouTube / Sony Xperia)
The director of Xperia Marketing at Sony Mobile Communications said the new phone “ … pushes the boundaries on where and how consumers can use the full potential of their smartphone.” (Via CNET)
A writer for Mashable explains this phone’s water resistance is a little better than the Sony Xperia Z that came out in April. You could only take that phone into 3.3 feet of water. The writer also points out…
“ … for both devices, this specifically means ‘fresh water,’ meaning you probably shouldn’t take it with you for that ocean dive, but it’s still a very nice feature to have, especially with the summer approaching.”
Just last week, Sony reported its first return to annual profit in five years. The fluctuating yen and sale of assets like a Manhattan skyscraper are said to have helped. According to The Telegraph, the Xperia is “crucial to its future success.”
No word yet on if you’ll be able to talk or text underwater; besides we don’t know how those muffled conversations would actually sound. Sony is expected to release the phone in select markets by the end of June.


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Daimler developing new dedicated architecture for battery-electric vehicles; debut at Paris Motor Show in September; 500 km
Daimler is developing a dedicated, multi-model electric vehicle architecture for battery-powered vehicles. (Earlier post.) The global debut will take place at the Paris Motor Show this fall, and the first model is to be launched onto the market before the end of the decade.
Mercedes-Benz said it will benefit not only from its internal development and production expertise but also from the group’s multi-model series modular strategy for alternative drive systems and direct access to key components for electromobility.
|Drivetrain for the new BEV platform. Click to enlarge.
With the lithium-ion battery pack supplied by Daimler’s subsidiary Deutsche ACCUMOTIVE and the intelligent operation strategy, Mercedes-Benz expects to deliver purely battery-driven ranges of up to 500 km (311 miles).
|The ACCUMOTIVE battery pack will support a range of up to 500 km. Click to enlarge.
Rapid charging using the Combined Charging System (CCS) will make charging and operation of the new BEVs as convenient as possible.
Our road map has been clearly defined. In addition to hybridized vehicle models and vehicles powered by fuel cells, we are now taking the next step and using a dedicated vehicle architecture for purely battery-driven vehicles. We are investing heavily in electromobility, and we are convinced that the market is now ready. With the new vehicles we offer, we want to impress the benefits of the new mobility on car owners who have not yet opted for an electric vehicle.—Prof Dr Thomas Weber, Member of the Daimler Board of Management, Group Research and Mercedes-Benz Cars Development
The smart fortwo coupé electric drive, smart fortwo cabrio electric drive and smart forfour electric drive will also make their latest global debuts at the Paris Motor Show in September 2016. With the debut of the fourth generation of the electric smart, smart will be the only automotive manufacturer in the world to offer its entire range of models with either combustion engines or fully battery-powered.
The new smart fortwo electric drive is being launched onto the US market by the end of this year, where approximately 25% of all battery-driven smarts have been sold recently. This will be followed by the European market launch of the two and four-seaters in early 2017.


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Blazing Rangers, from developer Karu_gamo and publisher First Press Games, is the latest NES title to get a physical release. It was originally released on
Battle Kid: Fortress of Peril has blasted onto the Xbox. It was released on physical NES carts over ten years ago and has been resurrected
If someone had told me back in the mid 90’s that an 8-bit game featuring Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes’ alter egos would be released
Early Famicon and NES games were very hit and miss but Excitebike was a staple of any collection worth its salt. Two game modes and
Nintendo’s retro revival has started to gather pace recently. They have fully embraced the benefits of allowing gamers access to their older back catalogues.


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Conquer Online Windwalker Commentary
Conquer Online offers some official tips and tricks for playing its Windwalker class.
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The decision to hand the tournament to France, which was voted through by the International Rugby Board (IRB) by 18 votes to three, is a significant blow to the Rugby Football Union (RFU) as it tries to boost interest in the sport.
The English bid, which included a promise to spend £5.5m on marketing the World Cup, was rejected because of its proposals to restructure the competition.
The IRB decided the World Cup should remain in its current format, and awarded the tournament to France, which has pledged a marketing spend of just £2.5m.
Firms including O2, Rover and Nike are among the brands that have commercial partnerships with the RFU. The IRB's decision comes on the back of England's Grand Slam success in the RBS Six Nations Championship.


text: (700 WLW)- General Mills says it is voluntarily recalling 120 thousand 5 pound bags of Gold Medal Unbleached All Purpose Flour. That after a sampling found the presence of a strain of E.Coli. The company says there have been no reported illnesses so far related to the recalled flour. The date of the recalled bags of flour are best used by September 6, 2020. The FDA along with CDC urging consumers once again, not to eat raw products made with flour, like cookie dough, and to clean surfaces, utensils and hands when cooking.


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How to Buy Chocolate for Easter Without Killing Sloths Consumer Guide
It’s Easter. The holiday season is chock-full of scenes of celebration: bunnies, decorations, and eggs. And chocolate. Lots of chocolate. The week surrounding Easter has the highest consumption of chocolate in the year.
This sweet season obscures a bitter truth: the primary areas where cocoa is grown—Ivory Coast, Ghana, Cameroon, Indonesia, Peru and Ecuador—have experienced a dramatic decline in forest cover and biodiversity as a result of cocoa cultivation. For example, when I interviewed Ivorian poachers during an undercover investigation to film illegal cocoa inside parks, they told me the national parks were so decimated that there were no animals left to hunt. ‘Nothing is left,’ said one poacher who requested anonymity.
Though the industry has long been known for child labor, slavery, trafficking, and other labor abuses, Mighty Earth first uncovered cocoa’s deforestation challenge last spring, when trying to assess causes of forest loss in West Africa. The findings from satellite maps surprised us: Cocoa turned out to be the top driver of deforestation in the Ivory Coast and Ghana. These nations rank #1 and #3 for the highest rates of deforestation in all of Africa. The Ivory Coast lost more than 85 percent of its forests since 1990 alone. After learning of this problem, we went to the field, documented how illegal deforestation cocoa was finding its way into Easter eggs, Kit Kats, and Snickers and alerted local governments and 50 major chocolate companies.
Following the report and hard work behind the scenes by IDH, the Prince of Wales International Sustainability Unit, and the World Cocoa Foundation, most major players in the chocolate sector joined the Ghanaian and Ivorian governments to commit to No New Deforestation for cocoa in West Africa.
This commitment by industry and West African offers the basis for addressing these issues, but now the real work must begin: companies must quickly set up systems to fully monitor forests, exclude suppliers that engage in destruction of forests, and invest in restoration of national parks and protected areas.
One major step that would make Easter beautiful would be a plan to shift the world’s 9 million hectares of cocoa to more sustainable, shade-grown cocoa that can provide habitat for birds and other animals, instead of just monocultures.
Second, the cocoa industry needs to clean up its act for chocolate worldwide, not just in West Africa. The pledges made to reform in West Africa only cover two countries. What will happen to chimps in Cameroon, dwarf buffalos in Indonesia, or sloths in Peru also facing threats from cocoa expansion? While progress in Ivorian and Ghanaian cocoa has been remarkable, chocolate companies should protect the rest of the world as well.
It’s up to us to hold the industry accountable this holiday season. Hundreds of thousands of consumers have already acted by signing petitions, and chocolate lovers can help shift the industry by buying holiday chocolate with deforestation in mind. We made a purchasing guide to help consumers understand which major chocolate companies are doing the best job so far to protect forests, and which are lagging behind. We give companies “good” green eggs for leadership, yellow eggs if the company needs to step up their game, and red or “bad eggs” for companies failing to do the right thing. Each company is scored based on three simple criteria: first, have they signed onto the West African pact to overhaul all environmental practices for cocoa there, and turn the page on deforestation? Second, are they on board with “shade-grown” bird-friendly cocoa with a real agroforestry policy worldwide? And third, has the company extended its commitment beyond West Africa to protect forests all over the world, refusing to buy deforestation cocoa no matter where it’s from?
We urge you to buy with your heart this Easter, and make sure you purchase chocolate only from companies that do their part to protect forests and wildlife.


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HOLLYWOOD — McDonald’s announced yesterday the launch of a new fast food cinematic universe, starting with a ‘Hamburglar’ origin movie starring Timothée Chalamet in the titular role and Ralph Fiennes as Mayor McCheese.
“We think this new, edgy, sexy take on the Hamburglar is going to be a huge opportunity for our brand,” said McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski. “We have an entire backlog of characters ready to go. Phase one will tell the origin stories of Hamburglar obviously, but we’ll also introduce Grimace as a crack-addicted prostitute, and Officer Big Mac as a corrupt cop similar to Harvey Keitel in ‘Bad Lieutenant.’ And Travis Scott is doing the soundtrack. We really think we can compete with Marvel on this.”
Fans quickly took to Reddit to express their enthusiasm for the upcoming franchise.
“You know, I grew up with these characters in the ’80s and ’90s. I’m so glad they’re finally getting the stories they deserve,” said McDonald’s superfan and man with severely clogged arteries Jake Chipman. “There really is a lot of depth and creativity that went into creating McDonaldland, and I think we’ll see that on the big screen. The Hamburglar could do for advertising mascots what the ‘Dark Knight’ did for comics: elevate it to art. Rumor has it that they’re even teasing a certain flame-haired, disgruntled clown appearing in a post-credit sequence. I can’t wait.”
The most shocking revelation from the announcement, however, was that McDonald’s has tapped Martin Scorsese to direct.
“I know what I said about comic book movies. And I stand by it. These films won’t be roller coasters; they’ll be nourishment for your soul,” said Scorsese. “I knew I could trust McDonald’s to tell this story, as obviously this isn’t their first foray into moviemaking — remember ‘Mac & Me?’ Pure genius. And when I read the ‘Hamburglar’ script, I was blown away. Blown away. I also think you’ll be really surprised who Leo ends up playing.”
Not to be outdone, Burger King has since announced a horror-inspired, R-Rated BK Kids Club film for release next summer.


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Football kit news from Sweden as a special AIK 1891 white edition shirt made by Nike has been released.
AIK have a habit of releasing stunning shirts in the last few seasons and this one is no different!
Only last month a limited edition AIK ‘Black Edition’ jersey was released which sold out straight away. Now the reigning Swedish Champions have revealed an AIK ‘White Edition’ jersey that will be worn in today’s friendly against New York City FC.
The 2019 AIK white edition 1891 jersey is predominantly white with a gold Nike Swoosh on the right breast whilst the AIK badge on the left breast is also coloured gold.
In the centre of the football shirt is gold ‘1891’ numbering referring to the year the club were formed.
You have to act fast though if you want this shirt as only 128 will go on public sale!


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WASHINGTON, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- U.S. producer price index (PPI) in July fell 0.5 percent amid lower energy prices, marking the first decline since April 2020, the Labor Department reported Thursday.
The decline followed growths of 1.0 percent in June and 0.8 percent in May, according to the report released by the department's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
The PPI, which gauges the prices for final demand products, moved up 9.8 percent over the past 12 months, after advancing 11.3 percent in June.
For the 12 months through July, the core PPI, which excludes food, energy and trade services, increased 5.8 percent.
In July, the PPI decrease is attributable to a 1.8-percent decline in goods prices, with a 9.0-percent drop in energy prices, the report noted.
Bucking the downward trend, food prices rose 1.0 percent, while goods prices excluding foods and energy ticked up 0.2 percent, indicating continued inflationary pressure.
The PPI data came one day after the BLS reported consumer price index in July surged 8.5 percent from a year ago, down from the previous month's fresh four-decade high but still at elevated level.
Some analysts believe that the latest data shows that inflation has peaked and will continue to come down, noting that the Federal Reserve still has a long way to go to bring elevated inflation under control.
Monetary policymakers have made clear that they need to see "clear evidence of a sustained slowdown in inflation" before pivoting on monetary policy, Sarah House and Michael Pugliese, economists at Wells Fargo Securities, wrote in an analysis.
"In our view, it will take several more soft inflation prints before the Federal Open Market Committee begins to feel confident that it is getting price pressures in check," said House and Pugliese.


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Nissan’s announcement that it will build the new Qashqai in Sunderland is a boost to Brexit Britain. If the decision had gone the other way, critics would have been quick to claim this was proof that Brexit was going to total the British car industry and that the people of Sunderland had self-harmed when they voted to leave. But Nissan has decided to not only build the new Qashqai in Sunderland—as we reported it would on Saturday—but also the X-Trail SUV.
Theresa May has been straight out of the traps to hail the decision as a ‘vote of confidence’ that ‘shows Britain is an outward looking, world leading nation’. This is probably the most important industrial announcement post Brexit as it secures the future of a plant that produces more cars than the whole of Italy.
Huge credit for the deal should go to the Business Secretary Greg Clark who flew to Japan to see Nissan last week. Clark will hope that he can be as successful with Hitachi and other Japanese firms concerned about Brexit.
The Government won’t say whether it offered to compensate Nissan if the EU imposed tariffs on British-made cars, post-Brexit. But as I wrote on Saturday, the Government is sufficiently sure that there won’t be tariffs that it could, in the words of one well-placed source, make ‘robust assurances, but be fully confident they won’t be called in’.


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Digital publisher Issuu is now making the more than 15 million publications in its library available through a new app for Android users. The free app dishes up a personalized collection of magazines, newspapers and even catalogs based on your reading behavior. Users can collect “stacks” of their favorites, select brands to follow and share items through social media.
A diverse range of publishers turn to Issuu to digitize their magazines and newspapers, which means the reader will find a wealth of niche and local publications to the more mainstream. The publisher just inked a deal with Huffington Post to bring the digital weekly Huffington magazine into its library as well.
Issuu says it has 1.5 million publisher partners and more than 83 millions users.


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Martin Scorsese‘s The Departed, like all of the director’s crime films, is a modern classic, popular among cinephiles, gangster freaks, and dads all over the world. So it’s a natural fit to be remade as a TV show, which is exactly what’s happening according to a report in Variety.
I don’t know if it’s common knowledge or not, but The Departed is actually itself a remake of the excellent Hong Kong cop thriller Infernal Affairs and its two sequels. So if you see anyone complaining about Hollywood remaking a sacred text like The Departed, you know they are automatically full of it. The small-screen reboot will follow “a young cop who infiltrates a Latino gang in Chicago and battles the gang’s own plant in the police department,” and it’ll be written by Jason Richman.
As an Amazon production, The Departed 2.0 will probably be available on Amazon Prime, but it’s in its very early stages so you probably shouldn’t hold your breath waiting. Stay tuned for more information, though, and shore yourself up in the meantime by checking out those Infernal Affairs movies if you haven’t already.


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Internet of Things (IoT) market spending is forecast to grow 15.4 percent to $745 billion in 2019 from $646 billion in 2018, according to IDC.
IoT spending will maintain a double-digit annual growth rate throughout the 2017-2022 forecast period and surpass the $1 trillion mark in 2022.
IoT services in 2019
$258 billion in traditional IT and installation services
$250 billion in hardware
$200 billion in module/sensor purchases
$154 billion in IoT software
IoT connectivity $83 billion
IoT markets in 2019
United States $194 billion
China $182 billion
Japan $65.4 billion
Germany $35.5 billion
Korea $25.7 billion
France $25.6 billion
United Kingdom $25.5 billion
“The next chapter of IoT is just beginning as we see a shift from digitally enabling the physical to automating and augmenting the human experience with a connected world,” Carrie MacGillivray, vice president, Internet of Things and Mobility at IDC, said.
Discrete manufacturing will be spending $119 billion on IoT solutions in 2019, followed by process manufacturing $78 billion, transportation $71 billion, and utilities will be spending $61 billion on IoT.
Consumer IoT spending will reach $108 billion in 2019 – driven by smart home, personal wellness, and connected vehicle infotainment.
Manufacturing operations with $100 billion, production asset management with $44.2 billion, smart home with $44.1 billion, and freight monitoring with $41.7 billion are top IoT use cases.