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MILAN, Italy—Pirelli & C. SpA has reported a 5.9 percent increase in first-half revenues to $3.3 billion, reflecting price increases in emerging markets, higher replacement sales and different geographic and product mixes.
Tires accounted for virtually all revenue, with organic growth of 6 percent due largely to a positive performance of the tire maker's consumer business. This contrasted with flat sales growth at Pirelli's industrial business due in part to a slowdown in South America.
Over the first six months of 2016, Pirelli's consumer business delivered 7.4 percent organic growth. This included a strong performance in the premium segment and mature markets, which more than offset weakness in tire markets in South America and other emerging markets.
In the premium segment, Pirelli reported volume growth of 13.4 percent—15 percent in second quarter and 11.7 percent in the first. Organic revenues increased by 11.3 percent to $1.8 billion. Premium tire sales accounted for about 65 percent of total consumer revenues, up from 62 percent a year ago.
Pirelli's operating result (EBIT) before non-recurring and restructuring charges of $29.4 million in the first half of 2016 fell 1.9 percent to $480.5 million. The one-off charges were linked to activities under way for the merger of Pirelli's Industrial segment with the Industrial assets of China National Tire & Rubber.
The EBIT margin before non-recurring and restructuring charges grew to 14.5 percent compared with the prior-year 14.2 percent. Pirelli benefited from efficiencies to the tune of $57.3 million—on top of $51.2 million in first half of 2015)—taking it to 68 percent along the way to a target of $390.9 million set by a 2014-17 corporate plan.
Regionally, profitability improved in Europe and NAFTA thanks to growth of the premium segment.
In the first half, Pirelli's total investments amounted to $174.2 million, mainly earmarked for the increase of premium capacity in Europe, NAFTA and China, as well as mix improvements.
As of June 30, the firm said it had 36,598 employees, compared to 36,753 a year ago.


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At the Toy Insider’s Sweet Suite @ Home event last month, attendees got a sneak-peek at something very cool. Following a petition to bring the brand back, MGA Entertainment (MGAE) — the company behind Bratz, Little Tikes, and L.O.L. Surprise! — officially revealed plans to relaunch Lalaloopsy for its 10th anniversary.
Following a surprise launch at select retailers over the weekend, Lalaloopsy is back with a collection of 25 dolls that includes reissues of fan-favorites along with new editions. With a focus on classic doll play paired with an emphasis on DIY crafting, each doll has a unique “sewn-on” date and comes with a pet. The dolls are packaged in low-waste packaging that becomes a playset that kids can use to create their own interpretation of Lalaloopsy Land. At launch, one of the biggest sets is the Sew Royal Princess Party large castle set that includes Lalaloopsy dolls in multiple sizes!
Following its successful content offerings for brands such as L.O.L. Surprise!, MGAE launched a new digital series, Lalaloopsy: Let’s Create on YouTube. Additionally, catalog titles including the Netflix Original Series We’re Lalaloopsy and a collection of animated films can be found streaming on Amazon Prime Video, cable, and more.

domain: news


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Samsung's Galaxy S2 is the fastest-selling smartphone from the South Korea-based company and it seems its successor, the Galaxy S3 may soon be on its way. While Samsung is still rolling out its Galaxy S2 in the U.S., details of the Galaxy S3 has been leaked to Phandroid, which received a snapshot of a slide allegedly within an internal presentation on smartphone evolution to carrier and retail representatives. The Samsung Galaxy S3 is expected to be released next year.
The slide notes that the third-generation Galaxy smartphone will feature specs such as:
- A 1.8GHz dual-core Exynos 4212 processory;
- 2GB of RAM;
- A 4.6-inch Super AMOLED Plus HD display;
- A 12-megapixel camera.
- A thinner device than Samsung's current Galaxy S II models;
- 4G LTE support;
- And a NFC chip.
But unlike the upcoming Nexus Prime the Galaxy S3 won't be using a curved display, according to Phandroid, and the design language of the phone will be different from the current Galaxy S lineup so as to avoid future legal issues. The handset will run on the upcoming Android Ice Cream Sandwich build, and will reportedly retain four physical buttons.
Google Inc.'s Nexus Prime won't make its debut on Tuesday, as the Samsung Mobile Unpacked event was allegedly cancelled because of Steve Jobs' death. The compabies didn't truly specify why there was a postponement, but others have speculated that its because of the Apple's former CEO's death.
Samsung and Google decide to postpone the new product announcement at CTIA Fall. We agree that it is just not the right time to announce a new product. New date and venue will be shortly announced, Samsung said in a statement.
But with all this reportedly leak on the next generation of Galaxy S smartphones, it must be noted however, that it is just unconfirmed information at this time. Phandroid also noted that there were glaring flaws in the actual image they received, as the original Galaxy S is listed as shipping with an Exynos CPU as well as other typos were found.


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There are a lot of rumors and speculations surrounding the upcoming Moto X (2017) smartphone. Ever since plans of the smartphone’s official launch in 2017 were revealed, a number of leaks have made their way all the way to the top. Another reason why this has been able to garner so much attention is because Motorola has its hope pinned on Moto X (2017). The company has experienced a lot of ups and downs in the recent past, with its Moto G5 and G5 Plus being successful at accumulating much of what was expected, the company also expects this one to do well in the market.
Moto X Specifications Features
Compiling all the details on the basis of numerous speculations and leaks, here is the set of all the features one can expect from the upcoming Moto X (2017) flagship smartphone.
According to a report published by Phone Arena, recently prolific tipster Roland Quandt took to Twitter to post a few features that might come packed in the speculated Moto X (2017) smartphone. As per the information published by him, the smartphone dubbed under model number, ‘XT-180x’ is been given the codename ‘Sanders.’
As far as the hardware of the device is concerned, the smartphone according to the tipster, is expected to pack Snapdragon 625 System-on-chip along with an octa-core chipset and Adreno 506 GPU. On the storage front, the smartphone will reportedly pack either 3GB of RAM or 4GB of RAM coupled with either 32GB of internal storage or 64GB of internal storage.
The smartphone, according to a report published by Gizbot, is also expected to pack a dual-camera setup. The rear camera will comprise of 13MP sensors.
Experts believe that the Moto X (2017) is aimed towards being a mid-range smartphone. In other words, while the smartphone won’t be competing with big daddies of the market such as Samsung and Apple, it surely will be challenging other mid-range consumer electronics manufacturers like Xiaomi, OnePlus and other such brands.
Design-wise, there aren’t a lot of changes that are expected in the device. As per the latest leak reported by iTechpost, the Moto X (2017) apparently sports a unique design. The smartphone packs an all-metal curved body. Moreover, sometime last week, four alleged images of the Moto X (2017) smartphone also surfaced online. The press render showcased the smartphone of flaunting an elegant gold design with both, the front and back sides of the smartphones being made out of metal.
Moto X Smartphone Price
The same report further confirmed the idea of the company trying to push the upcoming Moto X (2017) smartphone fitting the mid-range bill. And will cost approx Rs 29,000/-.
The company is in constant effort at delivering something that is affordable and even fulfilling the feature-specific needs of the users by constantly producing mods that can be attached to the device, thereby enhancing the performance of the same.
While none of the above-given information has been confirmed by the company yet. Therefore, it is best that the users take the information with a grain of salt.


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We Help Companies Find New Sales Opportunities
Curzon is to expand its London-based chain of 11 cinemas with six new sites, having secured funding of £16m from Avignon Capital.
Curzon Cinemas is to set up a 22,000 sq ft boutique cinema at the Westgate Alliance development in Oxford.
Curzon Cinemas is planning to open up to 25 new boutique cinemas across the country over the next five years.
Curzon Cinemas is to invest £6m in the expansion of its London-based boutique cinema chain, including a new site at Buckingham Gate in Victoria.
Curzon Cinemas is planning to open a new North Square Cinebar in Ripon in July, including a cinema, restaurant and live music.


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CEDAR HILL Texas McDonald’s franchisee who is in the process of selling his 63 Dallas-area units, is taking advantage of the economic downturn to expand his holdings in full-service dining. —Edward C. Bailey, a longtime On April 29, Bailey opened the doors to his first Bailey’s Prime Plus, a 250-seat fine-dining steakhouse in the new Uptown Village lifestyle center in this southern suburb of Dallas. His company plans to open three more ...
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Cargotec’s Kalmar and MacGregor have announced their joint participation in AEGIS (Advanced, Efficient and Green Intermodal Systems).
Ports & terminals
Following the COVID-19 crisis, there is an urgent need to co-operate and accelerate the pace of digitalisation, according to a number of leading maritime associations, including BIMCO.
With delivery planned for August 2020, the Konecranes’ mobile harbour crane will increase capacity in bulk materials and cargo handling services.
More Ports & terminals news
The total freight volume handled by the Port of Antwerp fell in April due to the corona crisis, but rose by 0.4% overall during the first 4 months of 2020 compared with the same period last year.
Rail Cargo Group is now also connecting Frenkendorf, Switzerland, to its intermodal network with a round trip as part of their direct transport routes between Wofurt and Rotterdam.
The British Ports Association has published the results of a survey completed by a wide variety of ports to determine the impact of COVID-19 on port businesses.
The Panama Canal has now emerged from its dry season equipped to ensure a competitive draft, and thus steady operations for months to come.
The British Ports Association has welcomed the recent announcement by the Chancellor that the government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme will be extended for an additional four months in the UK, which will help ports recover as the UK economy starts to reawaken.


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Despite rumours that Spotify may have been in trouble earlier this month when 200 independent record labels removed their songs from its servers, things seem to be looking fairly ship-shape for the streaming giant. The company has just announced that it’s number of paid subscribers has risen to 2.5 million.
The company struck the 1 million paid user number in March this year, but the recent launch in the US have helped more than double that. Spotify users can pay for two separate plans: unlimited streaming for $4.99, or unlimited streaming plus access to the Spotify mobile app. This means that at the very least, Spotify’s revenue must be in the region of $12.5 million per month.
Tight integration with Facebook has only helped the numbers grow also – the Spotify app for the social network has been an enormous success since its launch in September.
This, despite the recent rockiness with labels and the fact that Coldplay have refused to let their album be streamed, means the future of music streaming still looks bright. In fact, Spotify has plans to announce a big new launch next week in New York, which many believe to be a move into either music videos (to take on YouTube) or streaming of full movies (to take on LoveFilm and Netflix). Let us know your thoughts on our comments below or via our @Gadget_Helpline Twitter page or Official Facebook group.


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At approximately 11:30 pm, August 8th, London rioters looted and burned the Sony DADC distribution warehouse in Enfield, also used by PIAS, Beggars Group, Ninja Tune, Warp, Domino and around 150 other labels.
The facility in North London is essentially leveled, with merchandise largely stolen or melted. The following statement was sent to Digital Music News early Tuesday morning by the Association of Independent Music (AIM).
To all music fans:
You may have heard that the London riots have caused the destruction of a warehouse in North London housing many of the UK’s independent labels and artists. All the stock has been destroyed by fire.
This will lead to much hardship for the artists and labels affected. What music fans can do to show their support for the indie label community, and help them survive thisdisaster is to buy a digital download of an album from any one of the digital retailers in the UK, as well as going to their local record store while stocks last.
This way, the labels will be able to remanufacture their CD’s and vinyl more quickly, to resupply the record shops who are also affected by the riots.
Alison Wenham, Chairman and CEO of AIM, the UK’s Trade Association for the Independent Music Industry: “This is a disaster for the music community, but with the fans’ help, labels and artists will survive. Please show your support for the music community by buying a digital album from an independent label today”.
The Association of Independent Music (AIM)
musicindie.com, firstname.lastname@example.org, facebook.com/aim


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"You have to dream before your dreams can come true." This famous quote of former President APJ Abdul Kalam, who himself turned his dream into a reality as a nuclear scientist and has "ignited" many minds with his ideas, is perhaps the most appropriate theme for present day India aspiring to become an economic and knowledge superpower.It is the culmination of the dreams of 1.2 billion people that has led Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ideate his plan of making the $2 trillion economy a $20 trillion behemoth within the next two decades, eradicating poverty and making India a knowledge society.
Under the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), India along with other developing countries, has committed to eradicate extreme poverty. The deadline to achieve the goal is 31st December 2015. However, according to a recent United Nations report, nearly 300 million people still live in extreme poverty in India and face deprivation in terms of access to basic services, including education, health, water and sanitation.
The Indian economy is predominantly cash-driven with only 5 per cent of the country's Personal Consumption Expenditure done electronically. This shows that there is a huge unexplored market for payment companies. It will require all players across the payments value chain to create much greater innovation in payment services.


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Tesla Powerwall: Why the Solar Battery Is Hard to Get for Homeowners
Tesla faces a number of issues.
Customers looking to buy battery storage for their solar energy systems are overwhelmingly asking for the Tesla Powerwall, but only a small fraction of solar firms actually offer the product, according to a survey of more than 870 American solar installers. The finding reveals a major mismatch between what people want and what companies are offering.
“The Tesla Powerwall is a genuinely good option for consumers considering energy storage, and that quality is part of the reason why so many consumers are asking solar installers for it,” Nick Liberati, communication manager for EnergySage, a solar energy system price comparison site operating in over 30 states, tells Inverse. “However, it’s Tesla’s overall brand recognition and luxury appeal that really sets the Powerwall apart from other battery competitors.”
The Powerwall is a core component of Tesla’s solar business, which emerged after it subsumed SolarCity in 2016. Batteries enable solar panels to store up energy for use throughout the day. Tesla uses the Powerwall to supplement both its panels and the blend-in Solar Roof tiles.
Amanda Tobler, one of the first owners, told Inverse that consumers can track the system via a smartphone app. Tesla’s business-focused Powerpack has also made headlines, with the Hornsdale project in South Australia ranking as the world’s largest lithium-ion battery at the time of its completion.
EnergySage published its annual solar installer survey in February, and the results are surprising. Around 56 percent of installers reported that when their customers want a home battery storage system they ask for the Tesla Powerwall, though just 12 percent of installers carry and quote the product.
Tesla also ranked as the second most-requested brand from consumers with 42 percent asking about the firm, three percentage points behind LG and two ahead of SolarEdge.
Liberati suggested three reasons why more installers perhaps aren’t supplying the Powerwall.
The first reason could be a lack of supply on Tesla’s end. The firm’s chief technology officer JB Straubel said in an October 2018 earnings call that “we have had a period” where cell supply was tight for the Tesla Model 3, the company’s cheapest-ever electric car that underwent a major production ramp-up. This supply issue did not constrain the Model 3 in a significant way, but Straubel did note that “the impact was largely felt on the energy products, and that still is somewhat tight.”
A second reason could be that a difficult certification process is causing installers to look elsewhere.
“Unfortunately, we do not have any insight into whether or not Tesla will be adjusting its certification program to try and onboard more installers,” Liberati says. “Based on our survey finding that nearly three times as many solar installers quote and install the LG Chem RESU versus the Tesla Powerwall (32 percent vs. 12 percent), we would estimate that LG does not impose as many installer certification conditions as Tesla does.”
A third reason could be something more straightforward: Tesla offers its own solar installation services, so installers are not too keen on the idea as it may wind up promoting a competitor.
While the constraints could come from a number of sources, Liberati says that installers surveyed expressed frustration that other solar firms aren’t publicizing their brand as effectively as automaker Tesla and home appliances maker LG. One survey respondent said:
“There is very little brand recognition out there. The least available equipment (Tesla) has the best brand recognition. Advertising and marketing by solar manufactures is practically non-existent. Compare this to automobile manufacturers who advertise 7 ads per hour on prime-time.”
Tesla faces a number of competitors with products similar to the Powerwall, which for $6,700 before installation, allows users to store up to 13.5 kilowatt-hours. LG’s Chem RESU can store anywhere between 2.9 and 12.4 kilowatt-hours at a price of around $6,000 to $7,000. Pika Energy’s Harbor Smart Battery, on the other hand, offers up to 17.1 kilowatt-hours with prices including installation ranging up to $20,000.
Without installers supplying the Powerwall, Tesla could lose out on consumers who want one, but who are forced by constraints to look elsewhere.
Update 3/4 9 a.m. Eastern time: An earlier version of this story stated that “Installers report that consumers ask for the Tesla Powerwall 56 percent of the time.” It has since been clarified.


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Mobility app Free Now has said taxi trips were up 250% last weekend compared to the same weekend in 2021, with the biggest increase in service occurring in Cork.
The easing of Covid-19 restrictions on Saturday led to it being the busiest day in January on record for the company, which reported a 60% uplift in ride-hailing requests compared to the previous weekend.
Cork experienced the largest increase in service demand with requests for taxis almost doubling in the county last weekend compared with the previous weekend.
Corkonians also enjoyed the latest nights with 2am being the most popular time for ride-hailing requests on the app.
City centre nightlife hot spots in Dublin, Limerick and Galway came in just under Cork as the most popular drop-off locations.
1am on Sunday was the busiest hour of the weekend with over six requests made per second to book a taxi on the Free Now app.
“The past 20 months of the pandemic and national restrictions have weighed heavily on every aspect of life in Ireland - but it is uplifting to see the country opening back up again and regaining a sense of normality,” Niall Carson, general manager of Free Now Ireland commented.
“Free Now and our driver partners are committed to keeping the nation moving with flexible transport in the coming weeks and months as they get from A to B - whether it’s their workplace, local pubs and restaurants or various other destinations that we will be returning to in 2022.”
The company said it predicts that bookings will continue to rise as the month goes on as the end of January will mark the first payday of the year for many across the country.


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China faces rising economic challenges including high debt levels and an escalating trade battle with the US.
China has disclosed its slowest quarterly growth rate since the global financial crisis
The effect of the trade dispute with the US is expected to weigh on growth figures in the coming months.
Policymakers have moved to support the cooling economy in recent months.
The country is charged with extraordinary levels of debt so policymakers are hesistant to take measures to restore the economy the way they did after 2008.
While China watchers advise caution with Beijing’s official GDP numbers, the data is seen as a useful indicator on the country’s growth line.
For years China has pushed to wean off exports and rely more on domestic consumption for growth.
At the same time, the government has been fighting to contain ballooning debt driven by a wave of infrastructure development and a housing bubble without hurting growth.
In recent months Beijing has taken steps to support its economy, including cutting capital requirements to boost liquidity, and ease the slowdown.
Alongside its domestic challenges, China is also expected to feel the nip from a trade dispute with the US in the months ahead.
The third-quarter figures are the first to be liberated by Beijing since US President Donald Trump hit China with two sets of tariffs, targeting $250bn (£192bn) worth of Chinese goods.


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Emirates Aluminium Rolling (Emiroll), a joint venture between Dubai entities and Singapore-based industrial group Mars, is set to build a new plant in Abu Dhabi, UAE, at an investment of Dh440 million ($120 million).
The facility will be located on a 900,000-sq-ft area in Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi (Kizad) amidst surging demand for flat-rolled aluminium products designed for applications in downstream industries across the UAE and GCC countries.
Alumetal SA has partnered for 15% with SKTB Aluminium.
The objective of this partnership is the rapid establishment of common synergies and the study of a potential future investment on the site of SKTB in Gorcy Lorraine.
Both companies believe that mutual cooperation and exchange of experiences will strengthen their market position on the European market of secondary Aluminium alloys.
A group of leading U.S. manufacturing associations today announced the formation of a new coalition, Manufacturers for Trade Enforcement, to oppose China’s designation as a market economy at the end of 2016.
China has claimed that it should be automatically accorded treatment as if it were a market economy after the 15th anniversary of its accession to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in December 2016. U.S. law requires that the Department of Commerce make a market economy status (MES) determination based on established criteria, which many experts...
Manufacturers for Trade Enforcement Says China Has Not Met Criteria for Market Economy...
An oil and gas developer has taken delivery of the world’s biggest ballistic glass test cell in Scandinavia.
The 8m x 8m x 8m high-pressure test cell will be used to test offshore equipment.
Having announced the modular design earlier in 2015, UK manufacturer Boldman has seen demand from across the world for test cells that can safely contain ever larger structures, under test at increasingly extreme pressures.
The new design, manufactured from the Boldman Aluminium Profile System and patented safety glass can be bespoken to suit...
Novelis has announced a change in the management of its Automotive and Can businesses in Europe.
Michael Hahne, who previously served as Vice President and General Manager Can in Novelis Europe, will assume the position of Vice President and General Manager Automotive in Novelis Europe effective April 1, 2016. Michael succeeds Pierre Labat, who has been appointed as Vice President, Sales and Marketing Global Automotive and will move to the company’s global headquarters in Atlanta, USA.
Michael Hahne joined Novelis in 2008 and served in various management...
Alcoa has unveiled the name, logo and tagline of its future Value-Add company: “Arconic. Innovation, Engineered.”
The future upstream company will operate under the Alcoa name. The company’s separation into two, independent, publicly-traded companies in the second half of 2016 remains on track.
China Hongqiao has announced plans to raise the annual capacity of the lightweight industrial metal by around 15% this year if the market recovery continues.
According to reports, the Shandong-based company aims to spend up to 15 billion yuan this year on expanding its output capacity of aluminium, alumina, bauxite and electricity, besides retrofitting its coal-fired power plants to meet future carbon emission requirements.
Last year’s spending totalled 14 billion yuan.
Travartec has opened a 12K-ton production capacity plant in Rodengo Saiano (Brescia), to focus on aluminium conductors for automotive applications.
The plant covers a 5,000m2 area and is equipped with a new 12K-tpa capacity line for the production of aluminium and aluminium alloy conductors and is focussed to develop technological materials for the automotive sector.
The engineering and research division is crucial for the company since it develops turnkey technological solutions in close association with the production and quality departments to meet the...
Constellium N.V. has announced that the company intends to record an impairment charge of approximately €400 million in the fourth quarter of 2015 against the carrying value of the Wise Metals asset.
This charge, which has no impact on cash flows, reflects management’s view of the future expected performance at Muscle Shoals in light of the challenges for the can/packaging business as previously disclosed.
The execution of the company’s Body-in-White (BiW) strategy is progressing as planned, and the company has today separately announced an expansion of...


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| Sep 22, 2014
| 1:57 AM
Google Inc has selected HTC Corp to make its upcoming 9-inch Nexus tablet, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
Google had been mulling HTC as a potential Nexus tablet partner since last year and HTC engineers have...
| Sep 19, 2014
| 12:06 PM
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - By promoting its two presidents to serve as co-chief executives instead of founder and CEO Larry Ellison, database-and-software behemoth Oracle is setting itself a course that has confounded other big companies.
| Nov 13, 2012
| 12:07 PM
Consumers who purchased laptops, flat-screen televisions or computer monitors with LCD screens from 1999 to 2006 could get money back, thanks to a $1.1 billion settlement.
But consumers and businesses have less than a month to file claims at LCDclass.com...
| Sep 22, 2014
| 4:39 PM
SAN JOSE Calif. (Reuters) - ARM Holdings Chief Executive Officer Simon Segars on Monday defended the British chip designer's smartphone graphics technology connected to a patent suit by Nvidia Corp against Samsung Electronics and Qualcomm.
| Sep 22, 2014
| 9:29 AM
The best solution to help the Connecticut economy grow would be to attract foreign investments. In the coming year, many U.S. governors will visit Asia, specifically South Korea and China. Governors will be visiting Korea's Hyundai Motors, Kia Motors,...
| Sep 23, 2014
| 7:47 PM
SEOUL (Reuters) - Samsung Electronics Co Ltd's mobile business will recover quickly due to its strong fundamentals and technological prowess, a senior company executive said on Wednesday.
Samsung Electronics President D.J. Lee, speaking at a press...
| Sep 24, 2014
| 4:48 PM
Broadcom Corp Chief Executive Scott McGregor said on Wednesday he is confident that high-end smartphone makers will keep using his company's wifi chips even though it is no longer pursuing 4G cellphone technology.
Broadcom said in July it was winding...
| Jun 13, 2013
| 5:30 AM
Just hours before they were scheduled to meet with representatives from four leading phone manufacturers Thursday, two public officials announced they have lined up support from 40 government leaders and scholars urging phone makers to make devices with...
| Jun 14, 2013
| 5:00 AM
Two prosecutors leading a nationwide campaign urging cellphone makers to embed a powerful antitheft feature in smartphones credited Apple and Samsung for moving in the right direction after a summit on the issue Thursday.
New York Atty. Gen. Eric...
| Jun 17, 2013
| 10:06 AM
Hip-hop star Jay-Z has figured out one surefire way to sell a million albums -- by finding a customer in Samsung.
Samsung Electronics Co. has bought 1 million copies of the rapper's upcoming album to give away to owners of the company's Galaxy...
| Jun 30, 2013
| 9:03 PM
Standing between 1,300 product manufacturers and hundreds of thousands of retailers and businesses is Ingram Micro Inc., the world's largest wholesale distributor of computer hardware and software.
The 34-year-old Santa Ana company buys technology...


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The first Android Wear devices launched last week, the LG G Watch and the Samsung Gear Live, Google also announced Android Auto and Android TV.
All of the three new Android based systems from Google will use Google designed user interfaces and apps, and the manufacturers will be able to tweak them slightly, but not replace the user interfaces with their own, which is great news for consumers.
This will allow for uniformity across devices from each manufacturer on each platform, it will also allow for another important thing, which Android does not have on mobiles and tablets, the ability for Google to update these devices with the latest software.
What happens at the moment on Android is that Google releases the latest version of their software, and then it takes the manufacturers months to tweak it to their custom settings, before releasing the update.
This will not happen on Android Wear, Android TV and Android Auto, as Google are looking to have the updates available to each devices on the various platforms at the same time.
This is definitely a step in the right direction for Google, as consumers will be able to buy their devices based on the hardware the need to suit their requirements, and they will not have to worry about the software differences between each device.
Source Ars Technica
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Has COVID-19 guaranteed the end of cash?
Two aspects of the pandemic have changed the way we spend – and neither of them is good news for cash. Let’s set aside an underlying fact: consumer spending was hit hard in general by the pandemic. But the spending that is still happening, is happening in a different way than it did 12 months
SE… Ohhhh — where to begin a search engine optimisation strategy
Before we get started, let’s first answer the question: how important is search engine optimisation? Well, simply put, very! According to a study conducted by TechJury, a mammoth 93% of online experiences start with a search engine. It’s safe to say then, appearing on platforms like Google and Bing is vitally important if you want
5 ways Coronavirus will change the way we work
As each of us adapts to life in lockdown, without particularly realising it, we’ve changed the way we work — perhaps permanently. The first few weeks of life working from home was a scramble full of awkward video conference calls, self-motivation struggles and regular trips to the kitchen. But people are adaptable, and as the
Celebrating Metronome’s female leaders
Sunday 8th March is International Women’s Day and, at Metronome, we would like to take this opportunity to highlight the amazing women within our company and the clients we work with. On a global scale, the unfortunate fact of the matter is, despite a significant change and attitudinal shift, women are still not paid equally
How to write an online article
The ever-growing prevalence of smartphones and tablets means we’re reading content from a screen more than ever before as we continue to travel head-first into this digital age. This means, as creative agencies, we have to alter our writing style to adapt to the growing needs of today’s engagers. It’s a change not exactly to
Content is still king, but it’s evolving.
We’ve all heard the term ‘content is king’ before, and as we begin a new decade, the phrase is only going to become more prominent for businesses trying to grow their brand. Content has always been an important arm in any marketing campaign, because it helps a specific brand grow without deviating from the company’s
PropTech — what is it and why is it growing?
Technology is all around us and improving all the time. So, it should come as no surprise that, over the past few years, the property industry has become more tech-focussed. Throwback to 2015, ‘PropTech’ was a relatively unknown term, especially for the country’s biggest developers. But as real estate startups began to introduce more technology
Tempo Top Five : Jan 16
We find, we think, we share : links that caught our eye. This week’s Tempo Top Five features the latest consumer tech from CES 2018, a startup using Airbnb to power first home buyer mortgages, plus an ad from IKEA that requires bodily fluids to activate… 1. Startup helps you buy a house in return
Tempo Top Five : Nov 30
We find, we think, we share : links that caught our eye. This week’s Tempo Top Five features coffee-powered buses, a luxury magazine’s foray into the global apartment market, and the latest retail use for VR… 1. Lifestyle magazine Monocle set to launch luxury apartments Source : The Guardian After carving out a


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Digital taxi drivers went on strike demanding that online hailing firms raise the prices of rides.
The Monday strike, which was later suspended amid negotiations with transport sector stakeholders, resulted in higher prices, longer waits and ejection of riders from taxis that continued to operate.
The Digital Taxi Association of Kenya (DTAK) said prices are so low that they can neither maintain their cars nor earn salaries from them.
After Uber drivers went on strike in September, the company increased the prices of rides to Sh 42 per kilometre. However, in the absence of a written agreement, they have been reducing them since.
Currently, Uber takes the highest commission at 25 per cent, charging riders Sh16 per Kilometre for Uber Chap Chap and Sh27 per Kilometre for Uber X. Taxify charges as little as Sh14 per kilometre and 15 per cent commission.
The drivers want that hiked to at least Sh60 per kilometre and for commissions to be slashed to 10 per cent. They say many of the cars cost at least Sh 45 per kilometre to fuel and maintain.
“We constantly monitor fares and examine rider price sensitivities to ensure fares are correctly priced so that riders continue to take trips and drivers have access to more fare paying passengers,” an Uber spokesperson said in a statement.
The drivers say they are not against discounts companies offered customers to stay competitive, but insist they want to be consulted because in combination with already low prices and high commissions they have affected their earnings adversely.
DTAK petitioned Parliament last month to regulate price warfare among digital taxi companies but were directed to the Ministry of Transport.
In a letter delivered to the ministry on Monday, the drivers also flagged poor working conditions that include long working hours required to make ends meet and the resultant insecurity.
“So far at least thirty-five drivers have died while on duty. Neither a word of consolation nor any recompense has been given by any of the taxi hailing companies. Due to the ease of signing up as a rider without the need of any background checks, drivers ferry all kinds of dangerous persons,” they said in the letter.
“In addition, due to low fares the drivers are forced to spend at least 20 hours behind the wheel to make anything meaningful, this not only endangers the drivers and the riders but also other road users,” they added.
Last month, Uber reduced the maximum working hours from 18 to 12 hours but the drivers want the company to address the underlying issue of their low wages.
Last week, Taxify sent drivers a text forbidding them from asking riders where they were headed before picking them up, amidst concerns that drivers cancel trips that cost very little. However, the drivers said trips to certain areas such as Kayole, Kiambu and Gachie could turn deadly for drivers.
The drivers said they would not stop cancelling rides for customers paying via card unless companies make payments available to drivers immediately, a move they say taxi app Little has managed to implement.
They say they cannot fuel, buy mobile data or access the money since it is sent to the car owner's bank account rather than their own.
On Monday morning, the predicted cost of a 1.1 kilometre trip within the CBD on Uber Chap Chap was Sh310 with required wait time of 12 minutes.
The drivers' lobby is currently in talks with the firms and officials from the Ministry of Transport to resolve the issue.


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To promote the DVD release of Frozen Planet, BBC partnered with Appshaker for its first Augmented Reality Tour in the USA. Visitors of three malls in New Jersey, Illinois and California had the opportunity to watch themselves on a giant screen and interact with virtual polar bears, orcas, penguins and seals. It looks as awesome as it sounds:
National Geographic and Appshaker have set up a live augmented reality system in a mall in Hungary. Visitors could watch themselves on a giant screen and interact with virtual dinosaurs, astronauts, dolphins and leopards.


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Mammograms are "still the best method" modern medicine has for early detection of breast cancer and giving patients the best chance of beating it, a health expert told Good Morning Britain.
Dr Sarah Rawlings from Breakthrough Breast Cancer urged women to continue to have regular checks, despite research suggesting mammograms only prevent one death in every 368 patients who are screened.
More top news
Some 26% of online shoppers complained of poor delivery service.
Salisbury has been named among the top 10 cities in the world to visit by travel guide Lonely Planet.
Adverts targeting benefits claimers will remind them to notify authorities of any changes - or face a criminal record.


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Microsoft has announced two farewells scheduled for the end of December on Xbox Game Pass .
From time to time, it happens that the Redmond giant has to remove, for the expiration of agreements with developers and publishers or for other commercial reasons, some titles from the on-demand gaming service library.
This month it’s up to:
- Tecmo Bowl Throwback li>
In case you are interested in continuing to play with it even after their farewell to Xbox Game Pass, you can buy them now with a 20% discount on their full price.
Subscribers can console themselves this week with other thick new entries, including The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Untitled Goose Game.


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Best Buy, Apple Head in Different Directions with E-Cycling Programs
The days of bringing in your old and dusty electronics to trade them in for store credit appear to be over—sort of.
In a statement on its website this week, Best Buy announced several changes to its in-store electronics recycling program, which used to offer consumers a way to get a little “cash” for safely recycling their old computers, batteries, and other electronics. Now, with the cost of recycling those products skyrocketing, the tables have turned.
Best Buy began charging customers $25 this week for each TV and computer monitor that they recycle in their 1,400 stores nationwide. Meanwhile, laws in two states that prevent collection fees—Pennsylvania (thank you, Lord) and Illinois—will prevent Best Buy from accepting those items for recycling. For now, all other products—batteries, printers, computers, ink cartridges, etc.—will continue to be recycled for free.


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Every tech company that comes to market does so with its own intriguing set of metrics that are distinct from what's in standard financial filings. And that's certainly true of ride-sharing service Lyft, which a week-and-a-half ago released its IPO prospectus.
The one number that will be hammered home repeatedly, as Lyft goes on its roadshow shortly, is "contribution." That number, as distinct from the massive losses noted by Eric Jhonsa last week, shows a sliver of hope this can be a highly profitable entity -- someday.
Lyft's prospectus filing comes after the company initially filed for its IPO confidentially with the Securities & Exchange Commission back in December, at the same time as its much larger rival, Uber, whose exact finances remain a mystery.
Contribution, which is not in accordance with "generally accepted accounting principles," or GAAP, is a metric that Lyft management describes as a "key measure" of the company's "ability to achieve profitability and increase it over time."
Contribution is the difference between a profit of $921 million last year, and the actual net loss of $911 million that the company reported on a GAAP basis, on revenue in 2018 of $2.2 billion.
The company arrives at it by stripping out all the normal costs of business after the immediate cost of revenue -- i.e., the cost to pay and insure drivers, process charges and pay hosting and other fees to run the Lyft ride-sharing network.
That means ignoring operating costs, research and development, sales and marketing, and general and administrative costs. The company even strips out three items from its actual cost of revenue -- the amortization of intangible assets, stock options expense and insurance reserves, making the cost of revenue appear less than it actually is.
In other words, contribution is rather like gross profit but sweetened up a little bit, with none of the annoying operating expenses that go with running a company.
On that basis, the company had a contribution margin amounting to 43% of its revenue in 2018, up from 38% the year prior and 24% the year before. That's a nice profit trend if one has no other expenses save for those attached to the immediate ride itself.
All in all, it's a brazen tactic that paints a picture of a company that almost doesn't exist as a company.
Imagine a giant computer in the sky, with no human employees, just a bunch of contractors out there on the road being directed by smart software to pick up customers. It's a far more attractive picture than the big loss last year that resulted from Lyft actually having to lease and maintain office space, pay salaries to employees, run R&D programs, buy advertising and do all the other things that usually go with actually being, you know, a company.
How will it play with investors? As stated earlier, companies have for years embedded such fake financials in their materials. The point is to show that there is underlying "leverage," as they say on Wall Street -- hypothetical pure profit streams that never actually exist but that come closer to existing as the total volume of business overwhelms the day-to-day operating costs.
While "bookings," the gross amount of dollars Lyft made from fares, rose by 76% last year, its contribution number rose by 130%, as the expanding contribution margin retained more of those dollars booked.
That's the kind of thing that for years bulls on Amazon (AMZN) - Get Amazon.com Inc. Report gushed about. Despite Amazon's razor-thin retail profit margins, the company was always posited by fans as a company that could yield substantial profit as its volume of business began to outstrip its fixed costs.
Eventually, it did, in fact, pay off for Amazon. These days, it generates tremendous cash flow annually -- $19.4 billion last year, after paying for property and equipment, according to its 10-K filing.
However, in the case of Amazon, over half of the company's operating profit in 2018 was made on its cloud computing unit, Amazon Web Services, which has a 28% operating profit margin, versus a 5% profit margin for Amazon's North American retail sales business, and a negative profit margin in its international sales.
In other words, when Amazon became the cloud titan starting in 2007, thirteen years after its founding, it changed the company's finances.
Is something similar in the works, someday, for Lyft?
It's hard to see it. Right now, the company consists of one computer application for routing drivers. That one application brought in $2 billion in revenue for the company las year, versus $26 billion in revenue at Amazon's AWS.
If Lyft is someday going to look more like Amazon's big cloud outfit, there has to be something else that's going to increase that top line dramatically for the company, in order to yield gross profit that ultimately ends up being real and significant net profit.
Right now it's not clear what that something else will be. So remember to ask about it -- all year-round -- when you hear the company endlessly talking up its contribution profit.
How Much Money Will I Need to Retire?
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Tiernan Ray neither owns nor trades any shares of any companies discussed in this article.


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StubHub Becomes New Naming Rights Partner For The Home Depot Center In Carson, Calif.
StubHub, the world’s largest ticket marketplace, entered into an
agreement with AEG in which the San Francisco-based company will become
the new naming rights partner of The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.
StubHub, the world’s largest ticket marketplace, entered into an agreement with AEG in which the San Francisco-based company will become the new naming rights partner of The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills. Effective June 1, 2013, the 125-acre multi-sport facility will become ‘StubHub Center,’ which represents the first-ever naming rights partnership for the ticketing company and leading consumer brand. Just as StubHub has utilized technological innovation to revolutionize the ticketing industry, StubHub will do the same in transforming the live event experience at StubHub Center, with a focus on providing several ‘fan-friendly’ activation components at the facility. In addition, the long term multi-year agreement will provide StubHub on-site assets including prominent, permanent signage of two giant digital freeway marquee signs as well as throughout the entire 125-acre facility, on-site interactive fan experience activities, integration into the official venue website and LA Galaxy team marketing assets. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. “As leaders in the ticketing industry, providing the highest levels of customer satisfaction and as an increasingly popular consumer brand, this partnership is groundbreaking for our company. We look forward to the relationship with millions of fans at StubHub Center,” said Danielle Maged, Global Head of Partnerships and Business Development at StubHub. “At StubHub, we have an unyielding focus on the fan experience and with our partners at AEG, we intend for StubHub Center to be the embodiment of that focus as we work to create one of the most fan friendly stadiums in the world.” StubHub’s partnership with a major sports facility represents the first-ever ticketing company to add its name to a public venue. The industry’s leading online ticket marketplace started in 2000, and through global partnerships with more than 100 sports properties and brands, including AEG, ESPN, Barclays Premier League Football teams, as well as numerous teams in MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL and now MLS, StubHub has quickly become one of the country’s leading entertainment brands. It has also partnered with primary ticketing companies AXS, Paciolan and Tickets.com. Its singular focus on fans and customer service has accelerated its adoption as a trusted brand about which consumers feel passionate.


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A group of Portland-area lawmakers say they'll sponsor the Natural Hair Act in Oregon's next legislative session, the Associated Press reports. But don't let the name fool you — it's not that African-American women's ongoing dialogue about the pros and cons of relaxers has taken a legal turn. Rather, the goal is to ease licensing requirements for people who braid hair. Currently, they must hold cosmetology licenses in order to engage in the age-old and often home-based practice, which means thousands of hours of beauty school and thousands of dollars in tuition.
Rep. Alissa Keny-Guyer says right now the state is criminalizing hair braiders or forcing them to go to Washington.
The Oregonian reports (one of them is Amber Starks who started a hair-braiding business in Vancouver after she discovered she needed a cosmetology license to do the work in Oregon. That could mean spending up to 1,700 hours in a beauty school with tuition of more than $10,000.
Starks says braiding is a way for African-American women to start to feel comfortable with wearing their hair naturally, without chemicals.
Braiders typically do not use chemicals, heat or scissors.
Read more at the Oregon Statesman Journal.
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OSSIAN — Three Nebraska farmers have been charged in a scheme that allegedly passed off regular corn and soybeans as organic.
The grain was transferred to an Ossian company that marketed it as organic, according to authorities.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for Iowa’s Northern District filed documents charging Tom Brennan, James Brennan and Michael Potter with one count each of wire fraud Wednesday.
Attorneys for the three waived indictment on the charges and filed notices the men plan to plead guilty, according to court records.
The charges pertain to an alleged scheme to circumvent the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Organic Program, which uses third parties to certify “organic” grain is grown through approved methods without certain pesticides.
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According to court records, the three operated certified organic farms as well as non-organic farms in Nebraska. Prosecutors allege the organic certification for the fields was owned by a “co-schemer” who also operated the organic grain marketing business in Ossian, which was identified in court records only by the letters “J.S.”
Court records allege the three Nebraska farmers sold non-organic grain — or non-organic grain mixed with organic grain — to the Ossian company and to others knowing it was being marketed as organic between 2010 and 2017.
Prosecutors allege the three received $2.5 million from the scheme during the seven-year period.
No other charges have been filed in connection with the investigation.


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Peco hails new machines
PECO in Beer is pleased with its new machinery.
The model railway product manufacturer, in Underleys, has had its own engineering toolroom department and plastic injection moulding shop since the 1970s.
In the latest upgrade, the firm took delivery of an Engel 50 ton locking machine, hailed as the very latest in moulding equipment. It replaces a machine that has been in regular for the past 30 years.
Made in Germany, it can produce a large range of plastic mouldings for Peco products. Having been commissioned by specialist engineers on Monday, it was hoped to be up and running this week.
The engineering toolmaking department has also recently taken delivery of a high-speed milling machine – the Mikron AgieCharmilles. This will speed up the manufacture of toolmaking considerably since it is now possible to machine direct into metal, including hardened steel.
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When the machine is suitably programmed for a particular task it can run for 24 hours a day unaided, meaning that some mould tools will be made in a few days rather than weeks as in the past.
Engineering and development director Ben Arnold said it was important to invest in new equipment to help prevent manufacture moving overseas.
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He added the machinery had created a buzz, especially among the toolmakers.
He said: “It’s cutting edge machinery, and we really hope it’s going to take us forward in our ability to develop new products.
Peco has also taken on six extra full-time members of production staff.


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Prices Staying Ahead of Production
Milk production continues to climb in the U.S., and areas around the globe are starting to recover from adverse weather and other actions that have impacted productivity. Global farm gate margins are generally positive, which should continue to drive higher production levels.
So far, the U.S. and global markets have been able to soak up the extra production. “We have been producing more than we are consuming domestically, and we’ve been putting surplus into inventory,” says Nate Donnay, director of dairy market insight with FCStone. “It looks like we are going to get the chance to clear some of that onto the world market over the next couple of months. U.S. dairy prices are competitive with a lot of major exporters and we continue to see exports improve.”
Donnay says the unsung hero in the demand picture is China. “China hasn’t gotten the credit they deserve for driving global demand in the last 12 months,” Donnay says. “It hasn’t been spectacular growth, but if you subtract China out of global imports, demand has been basically flat. China has been contributing all marginal growth on the demand side.”
Looking at supply as it relates to demand opportunities, long term Donnay sees prices staying flat if not down a bit. “This doesn’t look like the start of another big cycle like we saw in 2013 – 2014,” Donnay says. “Demand looks good enough to absorb the 2% to 2.5% production growth globally but it doesn’t look a whole lot better than that.”
Short term outlook is a little more bullish. “Production in France and Germany hasn’t been what we have expected,” Donnay says. “We thought that they would recover from the cool spring with the recent rain and warmer weather, but it hasn’t picked up.” That’s helping support the market short term.
Of course, weather could change everything. Hot, dry weather in the U.S. that curbs production and hurts feed inventories, or adverse weather events in New Zealand that impacts production, could support our current prices. “Without some sort of weather event or outside force that holds back milk supply it gets hard to see current prices being sustainable into the third and fourth quarters.”


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Sometimes a great idea all comes down to design. There are many smartphones on the market, but many people are attracted to the iPhone and pay a premium because of its great design.
And so it is for sustainable office furniture startup Reces.
The Sydney-based company launched its new ergonomic office furniture line six months ago, focusing on furnishing home working with its core range of standing desks, chairs and accessories.
But co-founders of one idea had in 2019 is a game-changer for Recess.
Fans of 1960s spy comedy Get Smart know the soundproof booth is not a new idea, but they took the idea to the next level with the cornerwhich won an Australian Good Design Award for its “integration of sustainable materials and high-quality design”.
The Nook is fully ventilated and equipped with a desk, whiteboard, sockets and LED soft lighting. It is delivered and assembled in less than 60 minutes without wiring and is made of FSC-certified wood and insulated with recycled plastic bottles.
The idea for their startup was first conceived during a walking tour in Tasmania, as the couple got tired of working in open-plan offices with no private spaces to make phone calls. The Nook was the result. They launched as Nook in early 2020 after 12 months of design and prototyping.
The naturally the pandemic struck. Despite the offices being mostly empty, the pair sold their limited supply of Nook’s to fast-growing startup offices, such as Eucalyptus, Prezzee, Unyoked, Qwilr and Dovetail.
Delivering them in person gave the co-founders of Recess the opportunity to speak to their customers and hear first-hand what other issues they were experiencing with their office spaces. The most common complaint was that buying office furniture was worthless, and it was expensive for budding startups.
From corner to niche
Armed with new insights Chambers and Ellice-Flint knew their next step: expanding Nook to Recess — office furniture that helps businesses and their employees build a beautiful hybrid office that isn’t expensive.
They raised $1 million in late 2021, led by mostly angels and private investors.
“The increase allowed us to make the right hires, launch new products and build technology around the furniture and other inventory, so there is a new way to buy, deploy and manage this inventory without the supply chain and management headaches,” Chambers said. †
As Australians began to return to the office, while also maintaining a WFH approach, Chambers and Ellice-Flint launched Recess in February a revival of interest in their soundproof booths. Sales have tripled in the past six months.
Total sales have doubled month-over-month since launch.
The company’s furniture line includes ergonomic chairs, standing desks, team workstations, filing cabinets, conference room furniture and space division. Prices range for chairs between $250 and $400, desks from $500 to $2500.
Chambers said the sweet spot for the company’s products is a company with between the ages of 20 and 200, employees and customers who tell their office managers about the furniture are an important motivation.
“We also get commissions from property landlords who want to pre-decorate their spaces,” he said.
“With more and more employees moving back to the office, Recess hopes to address the need for more affordable and flexible furniture solutions in the new world of hybrid work.”
He sees the technology of Recess interacting in two ways.
“One is on the employee side, including ergonomics and a smoother purchasing experience that guides customers in setting up their chair or desk,” he said.
“On the business side, the company has seen a gap in the way office managers can manage their office furniture – both for their headquarters and for employees’ WFH setups; for example, reporting damage or the layout of the floor surface.”
For more information see recess.com.au


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Rokk3r Labs, a Miami Beach, FL-based platform for entrepreneurs to partner with strategists, creatives, and engineers to cobuild and launch exponential companies, has teamed up with Jon Gosier and RJ Joshi to launch a new $20m venture capital fund.
Called Cross Valley Capital, the fund will invest in early-stage startups across a variety of industries through deals that range from $25k to $600k per company.
Based in Miami and Philadelphia, the vehicle will back technology companies that are considered exponential organizations (ExO), a definition by Singularity University’s founding Executive Director, Salim Ismail, which refers to a new breed of company that leverages assets like crowd-sourcing, big data, algorithms, and other new technologies to achieve performance benchmarks at least 10 times better than their competitors while using fewer resources.
Jon Gosier is a native of Atlanta who moved to Philadelphia in 2011 when DreamIt Ventures and Comcast co-invested in his company MetaLayer. He also co-founded Predictive Pop and D8A Group, and is the former director of Data Products at crowdsourcing Ushahidi.
In 2014, Gosier co-founded Third Cohort Capital, an investment fund focused on early-stage technology companies.
RJ Joshi co-founded nanotech company VisiChem Technologies, consulted for hedge funds and private equity funds, was an investment banker for JPMorgan Chase, a network data engineer for Verizon, and Marketing Director for PR Newswire.


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At Gyeonbokgung Palace in Seoul, Gucci presented its 2024 Cruise collection. In the brief gap between the brand’s former creative director Alessandro Michele‘s whimsical reign and before the beginning of Sabato De Sarno‘s new chapter, the house took inspiration from a new setting.
On a site that has stood for over six centuries in the South Korean capital, the Gucci creative team brought forward a collection that embraced where it’s been, where it is and where it’s going. Blending signature design touchpoints with clever nods to the country’s multicultural style, Cruise 2024 was a referential amalgam of aesthetics, expertly honed by the brand’s brilliant eye.
Kicking off with a floor-length bomber coat and vamped-up Horsebit accessories, the show was an ode to the street style that has made the country a major inspiration for fashion insiders. From Karen Elson in a sorbet coat that fastened with a traditional Jeogori style bow to a chartreuse gown with a pink jello print by local artist Ram Han, Gucci did not overlook its host’s rich heritage.
Athleisure and streetwear featured prominently, with skateboards, surfboards and plenty of neoprene present in the collection. Also notably included was a throwback to the brand’s past with a rejigged iteration of lilac embellished trousers famously worn by Madonna at the 1999 Grammys and designed by Tom Ford during his tenure at the house.
Naturally, the front row was filled with celebrities, both international—including ambassador Dakota Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen and Saoirse Ronan—and domestic stars like NewJeans’s Hanni and IU, Lee Jung-jae.
Though the finale surprised with a simple oversized coat instead of the usual glitzy gowns, the look read as a sentimental, offering a warm farewell to one chapter, and clearing the way for a fresh new era.
Seoul has been swarmed by the fashion world lately, with reports of its luxury buying skyrocketing in the past year, in comparison to slumps seen elsewhere. Cementing the South Korean capital as a home of high fashion, designers have flocked to stake their claim, with Louis Vuitton recently showing their Pre-Fall 2023 show at the iconic Jamsugyo Bridge earlier this month.
Ahead, some of our favourite looks from the Gucci Cruise 2024 collection.
This article originally appeared on Grazia International.


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Santander Bank’s application, One Pay FX has extended its payment service support to Poland from the United Kingdom. In essence, the Santander bank is one among the Ripple’s partners.
Ripple partner Santander bank is a Spanish bank which is a UK subsidiary of Spanish financial service giant Santander Group. The bank with its Ripple-powered application, One Pay FX has finally started its banking support to another region – between the UK and Poland. On July 11, the bank has released a new version, 1.3.1 of One Pay FX application. Following the upgradation, customers in both the region can access to the transfer of 10,000 Euro per day using One Pay FX.
According to a twitter user Jeremy Light who shared a screenshot of completed payment using One Pay FX, users can send funds without fees and best exchange rate. This tweet got the quick attention of Ripple’s Global Head of Strategic Account, Marcus Treacher – who took twitter and added “Powered by Ripple and great to see this important payment corridor go live.
Powered by Ripple & great to see this important payment corridor go live https://t.co/wVBJlQ1aZT
— Marcus Treacher (@marcus_treacher) July 14, 2019
The ripple-powered One Pay FX application is now accessible for Santander UK’s retail customers to make transfer payment of up to GBP 10000/day in Euros to 19 Euro-zone countries in Dollars to the US and in Zloty to Poland. Since launch, the application has received pretty good reviews and insights, subsequently, one such review on Apple’s UK app store read that;
Needed to make one payment in Euros to a Spanish bank account… Without this app, it would have cost me £25 for quick payment or £15 fir a slower payment. This app did the transfer free!
The application is associated with xCurrnet product, backed by Ripple – in early this year, Santander Group’s executive chairman had stated that;
You can do FX transfers, real-time, between the UK and continental Europe. And you can actually do Poland, Brazil, and Chile – through Santander – for the same cost as Transferwise.


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Bicycles to move locations
In late 2015 Bicycles of Shelby opened its doors with a vision of creating a place that would encourage people to get up on two wheels and ride their way toward a healthier lifestyle.
Nearly five years later, having cultivated a community of regular cyclists going on three group rides per week, the shop is preparing to move locations and expand the scope of what it can offer.
“It’s been a good run. We opened in 2015, we’ve experienced steady growth in the last four years and we just outgrew the space we are in,” said Henry Herzberg, co-owner of Bicycles. “We needed a better variety of bicycles, we needed more room to work on and service bicycles.”
Located at 507 S. Lafayette St, the soon-to-be new home for bicycles is walking distance away from their current spot, but more than double the size.
Over the last three months Herzberg, along with co-owners Scott Moss and Howard Liss have been busy converting an old garage into what will be, as Herzberg affectionately calls it, Bicycles 2.0.
A former auto mechanics shop, converting the garage has been a lengthy process for the trio. A large dividing wall meant to separate customers from work areas had to be removed and all of the shops walls needed cleaning and resurfacing.
“One of the cool things we did was we recycled a lot of the material we took out. The wall is made of wood from the rafters we took down.” Moss said.
The garage’s former showroom will soon be filled with bicycles for sale and the space where cars were once lifted in the air for service now houses both the bicycle service area and a lounge area for cyclists.
“(The showroom) will let us do more with mountain bikes and hybrid bikes. We’ve also got electric bikes, which are very popular right now and we want to do more with them,” said Herzberg.
The new lounge and a rear deck behind the store, will serve as a meetup point and resting place for cyclists, Herzberg said.
A waiting area where people used to sit and wait while their car was being fixed has been converted into a showroom for cycling clothes and helmets, as well as exercise bikes for use during inclement weather.
In the rear of the shop is a staging area for rental bicycles, which the shop hopes to offer once the city rail trail project is complete. That trail, Moss said is a big factor in the shops future business plans.
Work on the new Bicycles location is not yet complete. The owners estimate they’ll need at least another week of work and about a week of downtime to move all of their inventory from the current location to their new one.
They expect to open on May 1, but due to the current shutdown related to the coronavirus, they are forgoing any kind of opening celebration until later in the year.
“Once this is all ended and we can get everybody together again, we will do something special, I think,” Moss said.
For more information about Bicycles or their new location, call 704-406-9833.


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Sales of luxury homes in Calgary’s resale housing market has already set a record this year, surpassing the boom of 2007.
The city experienced a record-breaking month in October with 51 MLS sales of properties over $1 million in Calgary, which was the most ever for an October, and that pushed year-to-date sales in the luxury market to 459, one more than previous record set in 2007 for the entire year.
“Calgary luxury home sales remain strong as consumer confidence soars,” said Rachelle Starnes, a realtor with Royal LePage Foothills. “Calgary remains one of the best places to live in the world from the quality of services offered to shopping to schools, arts and entertainment.
“Buyer’s in the ‘Carriage Trade’ luxury home market are very confident about the economy in this province and in this city. The high-end ‘Carriage Trade’ buyers do not speculate, they buy because they are expressing a great deal of confidence in the future ... We are feeling the momentum building again as we had seen in 2007.”
Last year, there were 35 luxury home sales in October and year-to-date in 2011 there were 395 sales in the luxury market up to the end of October.
According to the Calgary Real Estate Board, the following are the highest sales for luxury homes outside of this year: 2007 — 458; 2011 — 446; 2008 — 369; and 2010 — 365.
“Our city has seen a strong economy and we continue to post job growth and migration growth into the city,” said Corinne Poffenroth, a realtor with Sotheby’s International Realty Canada. “Sotheby’s global clients are seeing these opportunities in Calgary’s luxury real estate market. This leads to growing consumer confidence and myself as an agent at Sotheby’s can attest to this business remaining strong with continued national and global interest in our higher-end properties located in beautiful settings next to the Rocky Mountains. My high-end inventory has had record number of inquiries and interest in the last quarter.
“With mortgage rates forecasted to remain low, the economy stable and this growing consumer confidence, Sotheby’s International Realty Canada anticipates this healthy real estate market to remain.”
Richard Cho, senior market analyst in Calgary for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp., said demand for higher-priced homes has increased this year in both the new and existing home markets.
“Prospective buyers have been getting good paying jobs that have come about from Calgary’s growing economy, and there is a good selection of luxury homes on the market, which has appealed to many buyers,” he said.
The booming upper-end market these days is also giving a boost to the overall resale housing market in the city. In October, total MLS sales in Calgary of 1,665 were 23.24 per cent higher than a higher ago and the average sale price rose by 6.95 per cent to $437,109.
“At the end of last year, the Calgary economy was growing and continued to post job growth,” said Ann-Marie Lurie, chief economist with the Calgary Real Estate Board. “However, global economic uncertainty was increasing, impacting overall consumer confidence and contributing to a significant amount of caution in the resale market.
“While many of these global economic risks remain this year, consumers’ concern regarding the impact on our economy has lessened. Calgary has continued to record relatively strong economic, employment and migration growth. This combined with improving affordability has encouraged consumers to purchasing real estate in Calgary.”


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Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer, the world's 44th-richest person, has seen his net worth jump $786 million (R8 billion) since announcing his retirement from the largest software maker.
The 57-year-old is the second-largest individual shareholder of Microsoft, after co-founder and chairman Bill Gates, the world's richest man. Ballmer's net worth is $16.8bn, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. On Friday he said he planned to step down within the next 12 months after serving as chief executive since 2000.
"Investors want new leadership to navigate the company in a world that doesn't rely on the PC anymore," said Jack Ablin, the chief investment officer of BMO Private Bank in Chicago. "In a big picture sense, he's done a good job."
Microsoft rose 7.3 percent to $34.75 at the close of trading in New York on Friday. The stock has gained 30.1 percent this year, driving up Gates's fortune by 15.4 percent and Ballmer's by 21.5 percent.
Gates co-founded Microsoft with billionaire Paul Allen in 1975, and is still its largest individual shareholder with a 4.8 percent stake.
Ballmer, who joined Microsoft in 1980, holds 4 percent. Allen, who controlled as much as 28 percent of Microsoft's shares, now holds 2 percent, according to the index.
The world's richest man derives about 19 percent of his $72.4bn fortune from Microsoft shares and saw his net worth increase by $1.1bn on Friday.
Almost 70 percent of Ballmer's fortune is derived from Microsoft shares. The rest of his fortune stems from stock and dividends.
Allen left Microsoft in 1983 before beginning his career as a media, technology and sports team investor. He has about 25 percent of his $15.4bn fortune tied to Microsoft shares, which added $251m.
Microsoft has lost almost half its value under Ballmer's leadership and the shares have not closed above $50 since his first year on the job.
Ballmer attended Harvard University with Gates. Unlike his schoolmate, who left the Ivy League institution before graduating, he stayed and received a bachelor's degree in applied mathematics and economics.
Before joining Microsoft he worked as a marketing executive for Procter & Gamble, the world's largest consumer goods producer.
Since taking over the chief executive role from Gates, Ballmer has been working to bolster Microsoft's performance in areas like mobile computing and away from the PCs that have long been powered by Microsoft's flagship Windows software.
Last month, he presided over the biggest reorganisation of Microsoft in a decade in a bid to speed up development of hardware and services as the company's Windows business suffers from the shrinking PC market and poor demand for Windows-based mobile devices.
"This is a time of important transformation for Microsoft," Ballmer said in his resignation announcement. "This is an emotional and difficult thing for me to do. I take this step in the best interests of the company I love."
He planned to remain one of the company's largest owners. He has the fifth-largest stake. - Bloomberg


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Foot Locker opened the doors of what it says is its biggest store in Europe this morning.
The store is the latest addition to Liverpool ONE and is based inside the former HMV building, split across two floors.
It is a flagship for the brand.
The ECHO revealed it was moving into the massive site earlier this year, with huge anticipation mounting around its opening ever since.
Despite its name, the store stocks much more than just footwear, offering a huge range of clothing from some of the biggest sporting brands.
Brands stocked include Nike, Adidas, Vans, Under Armour and Puma.
Inside there is also a barbers offering shoppers a haircut while their browse the latest collections.
Decorative features include photographs of the city, showing Foot Locker's pride at opening in Liverpool.


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NOKIACan CEO Ollila keep the cellular superstar flying high?
Behind his gentlemanly demeanor, Jorma Ollila, CEO of (NOK.A), is a man of extremes. As his wife, Liisa Annikki, tells it, her husband fires up the Finnish sauna a good 15 degrees warmer than she likes it, all the way to 212F--hot enough to boil a pot of tea. It was a week after Easter when the Ollilas drove north from Helsinki for their first trip this year to the family's lakeside cabin. Ice was still floating on Lake Pukala, and the kids challenged their father to dive in. Emerging from the sauna, Ollila paused, then plunged naked into the icy lake.
Ollila, a 47-year-old former banker, lives by the plunge. He believes people get comfy and complacent and that it takes a dive into the unknown, or a push, to tap into their strongest instincts--those that guide survival. Six years ago, as an untested CEO, he bet the 133-year-old Finnish conglomerate on cellular phones, challenging rivals Motorola Inc. (MOT) and L.M. Ericsson (ERICY). In the struggle that ensued, Ollila's Finns outdid themselves. Fast and focused, with a canny eye for design, Nokia wrested market share from entrenched competitors and emerged as the most profitable player in the industry.
GOOD NEWS. Sales in Nokia's twin engines--the mobile phones and base stations that make up the bulk of its revenues--more than quadrupled, from $2.1 billion in 1993 to $8.7 billion last year. And the good news keeps pouring in, with operating earnings for the recent June quarter surging to $616 million, up 76% from the same quarter in 1997. These days, the $9.8 billion Nokia has one of the hottest cell phones on the market--the 6100 series--whose battery and unique circuitry support a whole week of standby time. It's the first supersmall phone with that kind of battery life. And Nokia is the first company to develop a mobile phone that surfs the Web.
All told, Nokia is providing troubled Motorola Inc., the leader in old-fashioned analog phones, with a humiliating tutorial on digital communications. Motorola CEO Christopher B. Galvin glumly concedes that ''the analog business is trending down.'' Ollila, for his part, predicts that Nokia will be ''No.1 in the world in the number of phones sold, in growth, and return on capital employed.''
The company's startling climb has provided the Continent with something it was sorely lacking: a new high-tech superstar. What's more, that triumph is in a crucial technology--mobile communications. That's the next frontier for the Internet, and one of the few areas where Europe is racing ahead of the U.S.
AVALANCHE. Smack in the middle of Nokia's success stands Ollila, whose name is accented on the ''O.'' He's a self-avowed nontechie who hasn't even put plumbing in his lakeside cabin. But it's Ollila who is improvising a brand-new style of high-tech management. Refuting the common ''slip-and-you-die'' thinking, Ollila sticks with slip and you grow.
In a sense, this model is a variation on the man's freezing plunge at the lake. Ollila views disasters as education, and he fires almost no one. While others rush to the world's high-tech hot spots, Ollila created one of his own in an underpopulated stretch between Russia and the Arctic Circle. From there, he nurtures a network of suppliers around the globe. And just when Nokia seems to be performing in top gear, as it is now, Ollila risks disarray by switching the jobs of all his top managers. He even muses that if he could, he'd switch his own job.
That's mere idle thought, though, as Ollila and Nokia face an avalanche of work. To keep the company's sales and earnings growing at 25% to 30%, he must push the company to churn out new models of phones at a dizzying rate. He must fight off a welter of cell-phone rivals while coping with market gyrations in Asia. And he must deal with shortages bred by too much success. The 6100 phones are so popular that AT&T (T)--Nokia's most important U.S. customer--can't satisfy all of its subscribers. But AT&T CEO C. Michael Armstrong doesn't seem worried. ''I met personally with the CEO of Nokia,'' he says. ''They have what they call a two-month recovery plan.''
NEW DAWN. While fighting the handset wars, Ollila must also contend with heavy hitters such as Alcatel Alsthom (ALA) and Northern Telecom Ltd. (NT), which compete against Nokia in cellular base stations, or so-called infrastructure. Looking beyond the consumer cellular market, Nokia and its rivals foresee an enormous business market developing in which many of the data networks that connect the world's PCs will go wireless. That's one reason big infrastructure players are spending billions to swallow data-networking companies, and Ollila may be forced to join the fray. As if all that weren't enough, Ollila already is turning his phones into tiny computers and Web surfers, which is bumping him up against some of America's high-tech bruisers in Silicon Valley and Redmond, Wash.
Far from fretting about the future, though, Ollila passionately embraces it. Sitting in his summer cottage a few months after his spring plunge, the lake shimmering behind him, Ollila describes a breathtaking new dawn in the wireless world. Imagine all of the information in the world, he says--all the voices, pictures, movies, music, news, every item on the Internet--all of this available through a wallet-size device.
This future isn't so far away. Ollila believes it will begin in Japan in about three years, when the country finishes laying infrastructure for a new wireless technology wave. Europe and the U.S. should come a year or two later. Techies call it the Third Generation, the first two being analog and digital cellular. The new generation will be marked by dramatic increases in bandwidth. Wireless phones will send information at up to two megabits per second. That's 40 times faster than today's computer modems--fast enough for teleconferencing on a mobile phone. Researchers at Nokia, as well as its competitors, already have most of this technology in hand.
For the winners in this market, the growth prospects and potential rewards seem boundless. Eventually, radio capability will be built into all manner of household appliances. That will let consumers set their VCRs from the road and enable machines to notify their manufacturers of parts failures. Conventional cell phones will shrink in size and price, eventually becoming embedded in watches or earrings, Nokia executives predict. At that point, cell phones may well outnumber the population in rich countries. Much of the phoneless developing world, meanwhile, will leapfrog the traditional poles and wires and move straight to cellular.
Rapid growth should about double the worldwide number of cellular subscribers, now equally divided among Europe, Asia, and the Americas, to 550 million by 2001, according to a conservative estimate from Dataquest Inc. This benefits the big three--Motorola, Ericsson, and, of course, Nokia--which rule three-quarters of the cellular market with nearly equal shares. Motorola, though, is struggling to escape from dying analog, where prices are collapsing. And Ericsson, while fully in stride with Nokia in digital sets, is far larger and more diverse and is burdened with less profitable old-line businesses. When Ericsson declared 24% earnings gains on July 27, the market compared that to Nokia's far greater second-quarter growth and drove the stock down 13%.
For now, it's the Finnish company that is seducing investors. Of the three contenders, Nokia has the highest operating margins--about 18% in the second quarter--and is the most focused on the booming cellular market. The stock, which is traded in Helsinki, Stockholm, London, and New York, already is up 130% this year. ''They are executing almost flawlessly,'' says Mark McKechnie of Nationsbank Montgomery Securities.
But the challenges the company faces are formidable. First, phone prices are likely to head down--way down--a trend that is likely to spook cell-phone stocks. Even Nokia executives say that in a few years, knockoffs of its whizzy 6100 phones, which sell for as much as $500 now, will likely be sold at Wal-Mart Stores (WMT) for $19.95. To keep fetching top dollar for its phones, Nokia must keep developing the zippiest features. Indeed, it's this pressure that's pushing Ollila toward Internet phones.
CONVERGENCE. Ollila's strategy fits right into the much-ballyhooed digital convergence--the joining of telephones, TVs, computers, even kitchen appliances, into brainy do-it-all contraptions. Of all these devices, the computer-with-cell-phone is a natural. Ollila will push this vision aggressively in the U.S.--the biggest market today. But he's also spreading the gospel in China--the world's fastest-growing market and Nokia's largest--as well as in Net-obsessed Japan.
Trouble is, Nokia isn't the only one searching for a digital El Dorado in the form of convergence. While Ollila's sharp and nimble Finns ambushed Ericsson and Motorola in the telephone market, they're now converging right into a Silicon Valley traffic jam. To sell pocket-size Net devices, Ollila must maneuver his way among the brightest stars of America's high-tech economy, where everyone from Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) to 3Com Corp. (COMS) wants to own a piece of the same business.
And few of them are convinced that this next revolution is going to be conducted through mobile telephones. Who's to say, after all, that mobile Web surfers won't use palmtop computers equipped with telephone chips? And there's always the chance the public will shrug at the entire selection of these tiny devices. ''You have to think hard,'' says Richard Howard, director of the wireless research lab at Lucent Technologies Inc.'s (LU) Bell Labs. ''Do you really need full-motion video in a car phone?''
So despite his laid-back manner, Ollila has no time to catch his breath. He must prepare Nokia for a metamorphosis. Like a snake growing out of its skin, the company has to emerge sleek and strong in the next generation, when simple handsets are stocking stuffers and mobile phones molt into powerful new be-alls.
Ollila's tried-and-true motivator is the plunge. In the past, there have been plenty of crises around which to rally the team. Ollila recalls them with great fondness. But now, Nokia has become synonymous with success, with giddy growth and a soaring stock. It even has its name on America's Nokia Sugar Bowl.
So how does Ollila conjure up a sense of fear and urgency? For starters, on July 1, he reached into Nokia's sparkling glass-and-steel headquarters on the shore of the Baltic, took the inner circle of four fortysomething Finns who run the company's main divisions, and switched all their jobs. His infrastructure executive, Matti Alahuhta, was rotated from his customer-schmoozing position into the marketing vortex of handsets. Asia-Pacific chief Sari Baldauf was told to head up infrastructure, as well as development on the Third Generation. Handset chief Pekka Ala-Pietila, who oversaw the spectacular development of the 6100s, became vice-chairman, charged with exploring new ventures. Later this year, Ollila will bring back his chief executive for U.S. operations, Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, to be chief financial officer. In short, except for Ollila, every top person at the company is getting ready for a brand-new job--all in the name of ''removing people from their comfort areas,'' as Ollila puts it.
Despite the upheaval, Ollila is determined to preserve a corporate culture in Helsinki dominated by Finns. He jokes about this, explaining that the best brains in Silicon Valley, London, or Hong Kong recoil from moving to icy Helsinki, where it's dark all winter. The trick is to give his new recruits autonomy and let them pursue their careers in Nokia's big markets, where taxes are far lower and the lakes thaw by Easter. But Ollila also believes that Nokia draws strength from its understated collegiality, which he associates with the Finnish character. ''We don't snap our suspenders,'' he says in his fluent British English.
The culture Ollila struggles to preserve goes back a ways. Founded in 1865 in a mill town 100 miles north of Helsinki, Nokia has made just about everything at one time or another. Many Finns still associate the name with the rubber snow boots they wore as children. A hundred years later, Nokia had grown into a regional conglomerate.
GOOD TIMING. In the mid-'80s, the company made perhaps its best acquisition, landing a local hotshot from Citibank named Jorma Ollila. The son of an electrical engineer in Seinajoki in Western Finland, Ollila was chosen at age 17 for a scholarship at Atlantic College in Wales. After returning to Helsinki for a political science degree, he went to the London School of Economics and then joined the British headquarters of Citibank. At 34, the young father of three children moved to Nokia. He started out in finance but was determined to learn about industry. One colleague recalls the tall, thin financier circulating through the nearly deserted headquarters on a Saturday, introducing himself to the few people there, in his low-key way, as ''the cashier.''
In 1988, as Nokia was getting steamrolled by Japanese and American titans, management underwent a generational shift, drawing Ollila and a group of other thirtysomethings into positions of power. Ollila, then 38, got his first taste of industry, heading the tiny cellular-phone division.
What he learned fired up his engines. Europe was heading toward a digital standard for mobile phones. This would provide European manufacturers with a vast unified home market. If Nokia could concentrate its resources on mobile communications, it could seize a leadership role.
Ollila got a chance to test this plan in 1992 when the board abruptly named the 41-year-old CEO. He claims he wasn't hungry for the job, or even ready for it. But he had a vision of Nokia that inspired his colleagues. In short order, he pumped up research in Helsinki and Tampere, 100 miles to the north, and even in distant Oulu, near the Arctic Circle. He tightened bonds with key suppliers, building up the U.S. headquarters in Fort Worth, Tex., near chip supplier Texas Instruments Inc. (TXN). At the same time, he unloaded pieces of the old conglomerate, selling off computers, cables, and TVs.
GENTLE CORRECTION. Ollila's timing was perfect. As the digital phone standard called GSM took off in Europe, Nokia was ready with easy-to-use cell phones, all equipped with the trademark TV-shaped screen. The company engineered its phones so that the same models, with small variations, could be adapted to the varying frequencies and standards around the world. Motorola, meanwhile, concentrating on the splintered U.S. market, was still pumping research into analog technology. That left Europe and the growing digital markets in Asia largely to the two Scandinavians, Nokia and Ericsson.
Right on cue, mobile-phone growth exploded. Ollila quickly expanded capacity by enlisting parts suppliers across Europe, while barging into China and Mexico. Then, in late 1995, Nokia hit a speed bump. The stock plummeted by half, and calls for executive firings echoed from Wall Street to Helsinki. But Ollila resisted the pressure. He and his colleagues chopped up responsibility for inventory, logistics, and design, and divvied them up by region. After a few months, they had the company back on track. Ollila now views the crisis as a precious lesson, vindicating his vision of gentle Finnish management. ''In that situation, a typical American company would have fired 12 people,'' he says.
Sitting in his simple summer cottage, a tennis book on the coffee table and his wife, Liisa, up the hill hoeing the garden, Ollila sometimes contemplates retirement. But he has little time to indulge such fantasies. Nokia is riding high on a host of new handsets, including the 6100, the centerpiece of an AT&T nationwide campaign. To all other cell-phone players and wannabes, that makes Nokia the company to beat. Soon, both Motorola and Ericsson will come out with racy new products of their own. Ericsson is preparing a multiband ''world phone'' that should extend roaming across oceans. And analysts expect Motorola's new digital phones to grab back some share in the U.S. market.
Such competition could erode some of Nokia's recent gains. But the company thinks it can outrun rivals by doing what Nike Inc. (NKE) accomplishes with its sneakers. Ollila hopes to turn one product into dozens of niche offerings, each one targeted to different moods, occasions, and age groups. Already Nokia pumps out new models every 35 days.
The testing ground for this approach is Japan--home of the world's most gadget-happy consumers--where Nokia launches many of its niche systems. New ones include a tiny $950 steel-encased phone that has the look and feel of the ever-popular Zippo lighter. That one targets executives. For the fast-growing market of teenage girls, there are chameleon phones: By changing a panel, you match the phone's color to your clothes or fingernails. And for the techno crowd, Nokia will soon release the second version of its $995 Communicator, a phone that folds open into a tiny Web-surfing computer. It's still painfully slow, with cellular data transmission stuck at 9,600 baud. But Ollila is hoping that the Communicator's fleeter, more powerful offspring will carry Nokia into the Third Generation.
To win in this uncharted territory, Nokia and its competitors will require more than fabulous cyberphones. They'll need to offer customers network knowhow in their base stations. These are the transmission stations, costing from $75,000 to $300,000, that account for 35% of Nokia's sales. Operating companies buy them by the hundreds and scatter them through their coverage areas. For customers to extend their data networks into mobile telephones, as the industry expects, all the players are going to have to pack these stations with network smarts.
To pick up this expertise, Nokia last December bought Ipsilon, a Silicon Valley systems company, for $120 million. But since then, its rivals have been buying far bigger outfits. In June, Alcatel Alsthom snapped up DSC Communications Corp. (DIGI) for $4.4 billion. Weeks later, Nortel (NRT) nabbed Bay Networks Inc. (BAY) in a $9.1 billion deal. Analysts think Nokia may shop for a big systems company of its own. But it is still toying with developing the expertise in-house, according to Ala-Pietila.
While Nokia, Ericsson, and Motorola are all preparing to battle one another with Internet phones and intelligent base stations, they've been forced to join forces on the Third Generation. Their worst nightmare: All the new features arrive on schedule--on palmtop computers instead of cell phones. To avoid that scenario, in June the three companies formed a London joint venture with British computer maker Psion PLC. The deal establishes a common software platform--Psion's operating system--for the coming generation of mobile Net devices.
In linking up with tiny Psion, Ollila and his competitors jilted none other than William H. Gates III. Earlier in the year, the Microsoft chairman toured Europe, plugging Microsoft's Windows CE software for Third Generation machines. He lost out. His software, phonemakers complained, was wrenched from the PC and not created for next-generation machines. Gates's loss, though, means that cellular phones could eventually be battling a slew of Microsoft-powered handheld devices in the same mobile market.
Ollila claims not to be worried. ''The market will be big enough for all of us,'' he says. But don't misread the man. He's plenty competitive: He can recite the exact ages of his two sons when they finally beat him in tennis. When it comes time to plunge, Ollila is extreme--a man of fire and ice, leading Nokia into cyberspace.
By Stephen Baker in Helsinki, with Roger O. Crockett in Chicago and Neil Gross in New York
Updated July 30, 1998 by bwwebmaster
Copyright 1998, Bloomberg L.P.


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Kisumu slum women were treated to rare kings occasion when the CEO of Amsha Mama Initiative, Joe Kariuki payed an impromptu visit.
The empowerment program kicked off from Kibuyu market where a woman’s stock of charcoal was increased by one sack.
The same script was applied to Kondele women who sell different cereals and vegetables.
Creative artists also had a reason to smile as they were also uplifted.
The process reached far and wide as women who sell fish, a major commodity in Kisumu region, were given cooking oil. The same applied to chapati and chips vendors.
Amsha Mama is an initiative which helps women with financial difficulties in Micro Business to ‘Amsha Women’- Wake Up Women. The women can then have a good platform for their business to grow up.
The event dubbed ‘Amsha Mama Kisumu’ is thus happening in Kisumu this coming 4th, June 2016.
Earlier before some women had taken to their heels when Joe Kariuki stormed the open market business. They had thought that Joe Kariuki was one of the city council hawk-eyed askaris who was in to arrest them.
Check out the photos