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Meet our sponsors: the blockchain companies disrupting games in 2018
Eight industry leaders back new b2b blockchain media venture
Welcome to BlockchainGamer.biz! We’re thrilled you joined us to discover the impact of the next games industry disruption.
Steel Media has launched this b2b web resource specifically to deliver quality journalism about the exciting new arena of blockchain-based gaming.
The editor of this site, veteran games journalist Jon Jordan, says: “Mobile games went from zero to become the largest sector of the $100 billion games industry. I expect blockchain’s impact to be even more significant.”
It wouldn’t be possible without the sponsors who have leapt on board from day one to support this venture. We’re joined right from the start by eight of the most exciting companies in this market.
It’s clear that we’re on to something here, given the calibre of patrons who are involved: Action Token, BitCrystals from EverdreamSoft, BitGuild, Dragonglass, Lucid Sight, Reality Group, Vreo, and WAX.
Our CEO, Chris James, comments: “I strongly believe that both BlockchainGamer.Biz and the Blockchain Gamer Connects events, together with support from awesome businesses like our launch sponsors, can play an important role in both helping to demystify the space and also stimulating connections and growth.”
Here’s a little more about these pioneers, in alphabetical order:
The Action Token team believe in an app development ecosystem that enables the best apps to surface and be discovered by users. In a world of almost limitless choice of apps, they want to connect the right users with the right apps. The key to unlocking wide accessibility of apps and opening up discoverability is democratizing mobile app data. By creating a decentralized marketplace for app data, developers are rewarded for participation, not being the biggest spender. App data is valuable, yet so few currently profit from it. Data should be owned by all developers to make better apps and improve experiences and also by the users to make their voices heard. By democratizing app data, Action Token aim to ensure a more secure and highly functional marketplace for data that isn’t possible under centralized, privatized data networks.
BitCrystals is a division of EverdreamSoft, a Swiss-based company specialising in the development of games, tools and applications for the blockchain. EverdreamSoft is also the publisher and creator of blockchain-based collectable card game Spells Of Genesis that has had over 20k cards bought and traded. CEO Shaban Shaame says: “We’re very pleased to be supporting BlockchainGamer.biz. The blockchain and its potential applications for games are growing exponentially, so it’s great that there’s a site dedicated to providing ongoing insight and education for this vital area of the games industry.”
BitGuild’s mission is to revolutionize the global gaming industry by creating a platform for a brand new class of games that live on the blockchain. Blockchain games completely redefine the relationship between players and developers by facilitating full and true ownership of in-game assets, cheap and safe item trading, cross-game compatibility of items and currency, and more. BitGuild’s team consists of cryptocurrency and gaming veterans with decades of experience building international large-scale gaming platforms and communities. BitGuild aims to host the best blockchain games and the largest blockchain gamer community online.
Dragonglass is the world’s first in-game cryptocurrency mining experience. Everyone can use it to mine Ethereum-based DGS tokens while playing an engaging mobile game. Since Dragonglass does not rely on computing power, players can use any iOS or Android smartphone, capable of running a 2D mobile game.
LA-based game studio Lucid Sight is managed by a team of successful entrepreneurs who sold AdColony in 2014 for $350 million. The development team consists of entertainment and gaming veterans from Universal, DreamWorks and EA. To date, the company has released games earning more than one million downloads on Steam, Gear VR, Oculus Rift, Daydream, and PlayStation. Its current focus is developing unique gameplay experiences that utilize the innovative advantages of blockchain technology.
The Reality Gaming Group is the developer and publisher of mobile AR combat game Reality Clash, which is due for release in late 2018 and utilises exciting blockchain technology. It’s also the creator of a ground-breaking AR geolocation platform for mobile, which can be deployed across a huge range of content types. The Reality Gaming Group development team has more than 20 years’ experience across mobile, PC, console, AR and VR games platforms. Co-founder, Tony Pearce, says: “We wholeheartedly welcome the launch of BlockchainGamer.biz. As pioneers ourselves in this fast-moving world of cryptocurrency and blockchain technologies, we know there’s a huge desire across the games industry for more information and practical advice. We’re delighted to be supporting this new site as a launch partner and look forward to sharing our experiences on the creation of our upcoming AR combat game Reality Clash, which utilises both blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies.”
Vreo is developing digital advertising solutions that not only address current issues of in-game advertising, but also strive to consolidate brands, developers, and gamers with mechanisms that ensure a fair distribution of advertising benefits.
WAX is a functional utility token that supports a decentralized platform, enabling anyone to operate a fully functioning virtual marketplace with zero investment in security, infrastructure or payment processing. Developed by the founders of OPSkins, the world’s leading marketplace for online video game assets, WAX is designed to serve the 400+ million online players who already collect and trade video game assets and crypto-collectables. With the inclusion of the WAX simple exchange widget, gamers will have access to a worldwide market with blockchain trust and transaction verification.
We’re enormously grateful for all their support. To join the line-up and be part of this new media launch in the b2b blockchain gaming space, contact [email protected] for partnership enquiries.
Editorial requests and submissions should be directed to [email protected]. Look out for announcements about the Blockchain Gamer Connects events we will be hosting, starting in San Francisco, May 14-15, 2018.


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Nissan Motor Co. began leasing the X-Trail FCV fuel-cell vehicle on Monday, following rivals Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. to promote the commercial use of environmentally friendly cars.
The first leased X-Trail FCV was delivered to oil refiner Cosmo Oil Co., which said it will use data collected from the vehicle to help develop its own hydrogen-supplying technologies and equipment.
Nissan said the leasing fee is 1 million yen a month. It plans to lease several more X-Trail FCVs this year.
Based on the Nissan X-Trail sport utility vehicle, the X-Trail FCV is equipped with a compact lithium-ion battery and features high power density, outstanding cooling performance and a compact design.
The latest model runs at a speed of up to 145 kph and has a high-efficiency fuel-cell stack developed with UTC Fuel Cells of the United States, Nissan said.
It is also equipped with an air conditioning system that uses carbon dioxide as the refrigerant, which was developed in a project between Nissan and Calsonic Kansei Corp., a Tokyo-based auto equipment manufacturer.
Auto industry officials said the latest step by Nissan will fuel competition among Japan’s top three automakers in the development and sale of pollution-free fuel-cell vehicles, which are powered by electricity generated through the chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen and emit only water.
In late 2002, Toyota and Honda unveiled their first commercially produced fuel-cell vehicles and began leasing them to government agencies and business corporations.

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WhatsApp has announce that starting 15 June 2020, they activating digital payments to WhatsApp for users in Brazil. Users will be able to send money securely through Facebook Pay and make purchases from local business without leaving their chat.
The over 10 million small and micro businesses are the heartbeat of Brazil’s communities. It’s become second nature to send a zap to a business to get questions answered. Now in addition to viewing a store’s catalog, customers will be able to send payments for products as well. Making payments simple can help bring more businesses into the digital economy, opening up new opportunities for growth.
In addition, WhatsApp is making sending money to loved ones as easy as sending a message, which could not be more important as people are physically distant from one another. Because payments on WhatsApp are enabled by Facebook Pay, in the future WhatsApp will make it possible for people and businesses to use the same card information across Facebook’s family of apps.
They have built payments with security in mind and a special six digit PIN or fingerprint will be required to prevent unauthorized transactions. To start, they will support debit or credit cards from Banco do Brasil, Nubank, and Sicredi on the Visa and Mastercard networks -and they are working with Cielo, the leading payments processor in Brazil. WhatsApp has built an open model to welcome more partners in the future.
Sending money or making a purchase on WhatsApp is free for people. Businesses will pay a processing fee to receive customer payments, similar to what they may already pay when accepting a credit card transaction.
Payments on WhatsApp are beginning to roll out to people across Brazil beginning today and we look forward to seeing it launch in South Africa and the rest of the world as they go forward.


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On Thursday, a 25-kg sack of good variety tomatoes was sold at an average price above Rs 800 in Delhi's wholesale market Azadpur Mandi.
Updated : September 26, 2019, 8:20 pm
Manoj Tiwari said the Delhi government wants to sell onion at a price of Rs 24 per kg despite buying it at Rs 16 per kg from the Centre.
Updated : September 26, 2019, 11:27 am
As onion prices keep surging, it has been revealed that the real beneficiaries of the price rise are merchants and not farmers.
Updated : September 25, 2019, 8:50 pm
Retail prices of onion continued to remain high at Rs 70-80 per kg on Wednesday in the national capital and other parts of the country.
Updated : September 25, 2019, 8:30 pm
India's palm oil imports will rise as edible oil consumption is estimated to grow to a record 23.6 million tonnes.
Updated : September 25, 2019, 5:29 pm
Chirag Paswan will replace Ram Vilas Paswan's brother, Pashupati Kumar Paras, as the acting chief of the party's state unit.
Updated : September 25, 2019, 12:27 am
The Delhi government has requested the Centre to supply five truckloads of onion every day to tackle skyrocketing prices.
Updated : September 24, 2019, 10:01 pm
The Centre will consider imposing the stock limit on onion traders if retail prices continue to remain high even after exhausting the buffer stock, Food and Consumer Affairs Ram Vilas Paswan said.
Updated : September 24, 2019, 5:38 pm
The rise in onion prices is making consumers cry in India as the rates have now touched Rs 80 per kg in some places of the country. The crunch in onion supply has sent prices soaring with many places seeing an increase of nearly Rs 30-40 per kg. The surge in the onion prices is a repercussion of the incessant rainfall and flood-like situation that has lashed onion-producing states.
Updated : September 24, 2019, 12:26 pm
Onion grower Rahul Bajirao Pagar approached the police on Monday, saying he had kept a 'summer stock' of 25 tonne onions in 117 plastic crates at his store house in Kalwan taluka, police inspector Pramod Wagh said.
Updated : September 24, 2019, 12:23 pm
The crunch in onion supply has sent prices soaring with many places seeing an increase of nearly Rs 30-40 per kg. Heavy monsoons, low production have pushed onion prices to nearly Rs 80/kg in places.
Updated : September 24, 2019, 11:48 am
Petrol and diesel prices continued with the upward trend for the eighth straight day and petrol prices crossed the Rs 74 mark in Delhi on Tuesday.
Updated : September 24, 2019, 10:18 am
At the time when fuel price is at its all-time high, onions are being sold costlier than apples in Delhi. Increase in the price of diesel is fanning the onion price hike due to increase in transportation cost.
Updated : September 24, 2019, 3:56 am
Trade data showed retail onion prices skyrocketing to Rs 70-80 per kg towards the end of the last week from Rs 50-60/kg in the previous week.
Updated : September 22, 2019, 3:41 pm
Due to a shortage in supply, Onion was quoted 25 per cent higher on Friday at Delhi's Azadpur Mandi. Several other markets in the country too witnessed a steep rise in onion prices on Friday amid reports of crop damage and delay in arrivals of new crop.
Updated : September 21, 2019, 5:08 pm


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It was the 52nd straight month of year-over-year sales increases for Chrysler Canada and a record March for the Jeep and Ram brands and the Chrysler Town & Country minivan.
Overall industry sales of 157,060 vehicles for the month were up by just 0.2% from a year ago but still ranked as the second-best ever for March, surpassed only in 2012. Year-to-date sales of 358,392 units through the first quarter are up 0.9%.
"Being up by a sliver isn't shooting the lights out but when put in the context of a "never ending" winter and strong year ago sales, then current sales levels should be applauded," said industry analyst Dennis DesRosiers.
As positive as those results may seem, the seasonally adjusted annual sales rate (SAAR) for both March and the first quarter is well below that for the past nine months. But it is similar to that for the same period in 2013. The sales rate then began to take off in April, resulting in record sales for the year.
"We are now entering the peak selling season and the next three months will Tell us a lot as to whether this will be another record year," he added.


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The Macau Metro Monitor, June 7th, 2010
VISA TO LET UNIONPAY BE USED IN BOTH SAR'S Macau Daily Times, Intelligence Macau
Visa Inc. will allow Unionpay cards in Macau and Hong Kong. According to IM, merchants and banks prefer Unionpay to be the facilitator of cross-border payments and currency movements for Macau. Unionpay's influence in Macau could grow if it increases its transfer amounts between the mainland and the concessionaires (and junkets), which would reduce the influence of middlemen and loan sharks.
EDMUND HO GAVE CONDITIONAL 'YES' TO LVS APARTMENT SELLING: SHELDON ADELSON Macau Business
During the Sanford C. Bernstein Decisions Conference, CEO Adelson said that Edumund Ho "made a commitment to us that, if we started parcels 5 and 6 and if we did an IPO, then for sure we could sell [the Four Seasons apartment hotel as] strata condos..But now the old regime is out and a new is in.” According to Adelson, there are already several Japanese customers interested in buying a units there although.
Adelson continues to deny that there is a labor shortage at sites 5 and 6, despite the new government restrictions on employing foreign workers. He added that, “we are not employing the labor directly, except, perhaps for the locals. The laborers are being brought in by the contractors and subcontractors; they are responsible for getting the labor."
Adelson was also explicit that his goal for LVS is “to get the value of the company back to where we were when we were at the highest point” before the global financial crisis.
Good luck Sheldon...


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Amazon.com today announced financial results for its fourth quarter ended December 31, 2020 and for the full year 2020. Amazon is also announcing today that Jeff Bezos will transition to the role of Executive Chair in the third quarter of 2021 and Andy Jassy will become Chief Executive Officer at that time.
“Amazon is what it is because of invention. We do crazy things together and then make them normal. We pioneered customer reviews, 1-Click, personalized recommendations, Prime’s insanely-fast shipping, Just Walk Out shopping, the Climate Pledge, Kindle, Alexa, marketplace, infrastructure cloud computing, Career Choice, and much more,” said Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder and CEO.
“If you do it right, a few years after a surprising invention, the new thing has become normal. People yawn. That yawn is the greatest compliment an inventor can receive. When you look at our financial results, what you’re actually seeing are the long-run cumulative results of invention. Right now I see Amazon at its most inventive ever, making it an optimal time for this transition.”
The financial results for the full year 2020 show net sales increased 38% to $386.1 billion, compared with $280.5 billion in 2019. Excluding the $1.4 billion favorable impact from year-over-year changes in foreign exchange rates throughout the year, net sales increased 37% compared with 2019. The Operating income increased to $22.9 billion, compared with operating income of $14.5 billion in 2019 and the net income increased to $21.3 billion, or $41.83 per diluted share, compared with net income of $11.6 billion, or $23.01 per diluted share, in 2019.


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Childish Gambino’s “Because the Internet” is not on track for a blockbuster launch, but its opening week sales tally will definitely exceed that of predecessor “Camp.”
Based on opening day sales data, Hits Daily Double forecasts an opening week launch in the 80-90,000 range. “Camp,” which hit shelves in November 2011, moved 52,000 copies in its first frame.
Despite trailing on iTunes, R. Kelly’s “Black Panties” is presently on track for a stronger overall sales week. Preliminary data suggests a bow in the 90-100,000 range for the R. Kelly album.
“Write Me Back,” R. Kelly’s last release, opened to the tune of 68,000 sales in June 2012.
While the R. Kelly and Gambino albums will rank as the week’s strongest debuts by a considerable margin, neither is expected to contend with Garth Brooks’ “Blame it All on My Roots” for number one on next week’s Billboard 200.
As Christmas draws near, Kelly Clarkson’s “Wrapped in Red” and The Robertsons’ “Duck the Halls” are also poised for strong sales weeks.


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Nook, by Barnes & Noble. But for how much longer?
Over the weekend The Digital Reader ran an insightful post on the future of Nook, the ebook arm of America’s biggest bricks & mortar bookstore chain.
“Len Riggio has just dashed the hopes of everyone who had been praying for a Nook turnaround.”
Nate Hoffelder at The Digital Reader is no friend of Barnes & Noble, so the opener came as no surprise. But on this occasion Hoffelder was citing Publishers Weekly, in turn citing Barnes & Noble chairman and power behind the throne Len Riggio, who it seems had “assured shareholders that B&N is no longer in the tech business.”
Acknowledging Barnes & Noble doesn’t have “the culture or financing to compete with the likes of Amazon and Google,” Riggio apparently plans to “partner with technology companies to keep a presence in the digital space.”
As Hoffelder notes, that partner is likely as not to be Rakuten Kobo. Kobo has a long track record of stepping in to take over the customer base of terminated ebooks stores (Flipkart and Waterstones among many) or of stepping in as the tech operating-partner (Tolino) or running the Kobo store as a bolt-on (most Indiebound stores) or…
At The Digital Reader Nate Hoffelder sees this as a backward step.
“B&N will go from being a potential player to being little more than one of Kobo’s retail partners – think Indigo, only in the US.” (Hoffelder is not one of Kobos’s biggest fans either).
Personally I don’t see that as a bad thing.
What I see as interesting about the Nook proposition is that a near-future engagement with Kobo (i.e. before Nook loses even more customers) could put Rakuten in a strong position as an ebook and audio-book player in the US.
Here’s the thing: According to the February Author Earnings Report Barnes & Noble saw just shy of 20 million ebook sales in 2016. Kobo pulled in just 1.25 million (Kobo is focussed elsewhere and sold more in the UK and Australia than in the US, and substantially more in Canada).
But Kobo parent Rakuten also owns OverDrive, and is currently looking to mesh the two operations. OverDrive landed some 200 million ebook and audio-book downloads in 2016 and is on target to comfortably beat that number in 2017. Library downloads and sales are not the same thing, of course, but by any measure Rakuten’s US presence in the ebook and audio-book market would be significantly enhanced by a partnership with (or buy-out of) Nook.
That said, we shouldn’t rule out other possibilities. With a 20 million-strong sales base Nook would be an attractive proposition for other savvy overseas digital operators looking to get a foothold in the US.
That might seem suicidal, spending money on a failing ebook store to go up against Amazon on Amazon’s home ground. But if a player had deep enough pockets and enough ambition…
Three players spring to mind. China’s Alibaba, China’s JD and China’s Tencent. All have a proven track-record in e-commerce, all have eyes on the US market, and any of them could from their loose change make an offer for Nook that Barnes & Noble could not refuse.
In July Tencent’s ebook arm China Publishing filed for an IPO to raise funds to “expand its mobile reading market and for potential acquisitions.”
At the start of the year Tencent partnered with Thailand’s ebook giant Ookbee as part of its thrust into SE Asia and beyond.
Just this past week comes news that Amazon China has partnered with its biggest rival, Alibaba, to sell Kindle devices across the nation on the Alibaba site. Alibaba already has some small-beer involvement with ebooks, but this move selling Kindle devices in China on its own site may remind Jack Ma of the possibilities ebooks offer.
Whether it’s Japan’s Rakuten, a Chinese player, or some other white knight that steps forward, deep pockets will be needed, because no matter what way we try to spin it, Barnes & Noble singularly failed to give Nook its full attention and adequate funding to compete against Amazon, and it’s now paying the price.
Over at The Passive Voice “PG” (alias Passive Guy alias lawyer David Vandagriff) listed the two “big reasons” Nook bombed:
- Riggio didn’t want to pay for top online talent
- The Nook Store set ebook prices at a level designed to support the print book prices in its (bricks & mortar) stores
For me, the latter point resonates the most. From day one of Nook Barnes & Noble has faced the all-but impossible challenge of selling ebooks online cheaply while not cannibalising its print sales online and in its bricks & mortar stores.
I’ll end this post on Nook’s future with this observation from Vandagriff (“PG”):
“One of PG’s least favorite things to hear during a product planning meeting is, ‘We don’t want to cannibalize our existing business.’
The problem is that, if your business is cannibalizable by you it’s cannibalizable by somebody else. Jeff Bezos has always been a happy cannibal.”
In Part 2 we’ll take a look at Barnes & Noble’s future, if indeed it has one at all, as a print-book retailer.


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WORKERS at a Merseyside vehicle parts plant have been put on an indefinite four-day working week.
Halewood-based Getrag Ford makes gear boxes for vans, mostly Ford Transit models, in a factory next to the Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) site.
It is a joint venture between German company Getrag and US motor giant Ford, which owned JLR.
Getrag Ford employs 1,200 staff, including 800 production workers.
Last month, staff contacted the ECHO to reveal bosses had told them to take a month off over Christmas – twice as long as normal – due to falling orders.
They also claimed they were told they would be put on a four-day working week when they returned on January 12.
When the ECHO contacted Getrag bosses at their Cologne headquarters at the time, they denied the switch to a four-day week.
But today a spokeswoman admitted: “We can confirm that, due to the present economic situation, we will work a four-day week.
“We cannot say when we will return to a five-day week.”
Getrag Ford workers also claimed the plant is set to shut for a week of “down-time” on Monday to match output to customer demand, but the spokeswoman said: “We cannot confirm down-time from January 26.”
The ECHO, our sister paper the Liverpool Daily Post and our stablemates in the Midlands, where JLR has two car plants, are campaigning for government support for car producers, but also for the sector’s many suppliers.
Unite The Union joint general secretary Tony Woodley has warned the industry’s supply chain, including plants like Getrag Ford, also need protection from the economic downturn, which has seen car and vehicle sales plummet.
Mr Woodley claims if the government fails to act, thousands of UK car jobs, including up to 70,000 manufacturing jobs in the supply chain, could disappear.


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After having a year filled with constant delays and poor earnings, RIM has finally made good on its promise that BlackBerry 10, its next-generation mobile operating system, will be launching in 2013.
In fact, it’s towards the very beginning of the new year, as RIM’s BB10 launch event will be held on January 30, 2013. In addition to the new OS will be two brand-new BlackBerry handsets.
Along with a self-praising quote from CEO Thorsten Heins, RIM writes in its press release that BlackBerry 10 will “offer a large catalog of the leading applications from across the globe and across all categories,” not to mention that it has “achieved FIPS 140-2 certification,” meaning that government agencies can use the OS right away without having to worry about or wait for security.
Come January 30, RIM hopes to once again be in the smartphone game – this time, with an operating system that is worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as Android, iOS, and Windows Phone. If the flailing company can achieve that, however, is yet to be seen – and it’s got only a couple more months to do so.[RIM via Engadget]


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LONDON -- J. Sainsbury here has established an international consortium of food retailers to eliminate all genetically modified ingredients from their private-label food products.
The consortium also includes Marks & Spencer, Carrefour of France, Superquinn of Ireland, Delhaize (LeLion) of Belgium, Migros of Switzerland and Effelunga of Italy.
The consortium has arisen against a backdrop of continuing controversy over genetically modified foods. Most other U.K. food retailers, such as Tesco, Asda, Safeway and Iceland, have banned GM ingredients in their private-label lines over the last few months. Meanwhile, the British government and European Union have announced additional limitations on the use of GM ingredients.
The British government recently announced that restaurants, caterers and cafes would have to label any foods containing GM ingredients. Food preparers face fines of up to $8,100 for each instance of noncompliance. The new regulations are part of the U.K.'s move to enforce the EU's rules on labeling GM foodstuffs. Jeff Rooker, the British food-safety minister, predicted other European governments would soon institute similar regulations.
The retail consortium led by Sainsbury's also aims to audit and test raw materials from food growers. An independent group of experts headed by Law Laboratories will verify that products are GM-free, Sainsbury's said. The group will work with growers and commodity producers to ensure that standard and GM crops are segregated, both in transportation and during the production process.
"This is a world first," said Alison Austin, Sainsbury's environmental manager. "A consortium like this is the only way Sainsbury's and other food retailers can establish GM-free sources of crops and derivatives. By establishing verified non-GM sources in the farmer's field and ensuring segregation through the supply chain, we will be GM-free."
Austin said Sainsbury's and the other retailers always wanted GM and standard crops to be segregated and were disappointed when this was not done with soya crops from the United States.
Sainsbury's has worked over the last 18 months to establish non-GM soya alternatives for its private-label products and has cut the number of its private-label products using GM ingredients from about 1,500 to 50. The retailer plans to discontinue the remainder if it cannot find GM-free ingredients for them, Austin said.
At the same time, Sainsbury's and the other retailers will continue to sell major brands that use GM ingredients.
Under EU rules, manufacturers must label any foods that contain GM ingredients, except derivatives such as soya.


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Tayto Crisps is back in pole position and has reclaimed the number one spot from Kerrygold butter and has been named the ‘most missed’ food by Irish emigrants, according to the sixth annual ‘Diaspora Decides’ study, undertaken by Behaviour & Attitudes on behalf of Checkout magazine.
The popular crisp brand held the top position for four years running until Kerrygold came out on top in 2017.
According to the data, 32% of the returned Irish emigrants surveyed said that they missed the iconic crisp brand ‘a lot’ while overseas, 18% ‘miss it a little’.
Other brands that made the top five most-missed products by Irish people living abroad, or who have lived abroad are: Cadbury chocolate is missed a by 31% of those surveyed, Barry’s tea by 28%, Kerrygold butter by 27%, and Denny rashers and Guinness both by 19%.
Online Editor at Checkout, Donna Ahern, commented: "Tayto crisps, Cadbury chocolate, Barry’s tea, Kerrygold butter, Denny’s rashers, and Guinness are the brands that we miss the most when living abroad, which hardly comes as a surprise. For those of us that have lived overseas or have visited family living abroad, the aforementioned items are always the products that are mentioned the most.”
“Interestingly, Tayto remained in pole position for the first four years that this research was conducted. While Kerrygold pipped the iconic crisp last year to come out on top, this year, Tayto has reclaimed its number one position yet again, so it continues to be at the forefront of expats minds when Irish food nostalgia sets in.”
“However, the big tea brands are this year’s big surprise, with Barry’s edging out Lyons as the most-missed tea brand by quite a significant 11%. This is in sharp contrast to last year, when the two brands were neck and neck.”
Better Quality at Home
Stout (66%) tops the list of products that are considered to be of better quality in Ireland than they are abroad.
This is followed closely by other firm favourites, such as milk (58%), butter (58%), meat (58%), tea bags (54%), prepacked bacon/rashers (52%), prepacked sausages (51%), and dairy spreads/margarine (40%).
This indicates that when it comes to the most-missed meal of the day for Irish expats, the research reveals that the Irish abroad are very loyal to their breakfast-table favourites, as a number of products on the list are vital ingredients in the first meal of the day for many Irish families.
About The Methodology:
An online survey of 282 respondents was carried out among those who have returned to Ireland having lived abroad for at least 6 months. Fieldwork was conducted 22nd – 29th October, 2018.
© 2018 Checkout – your source for the latest Irish retail news. Click subscribe to sign up for the Checkout print edition.


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Business and financial news readers are now given a free of charge access to the widely established international daily, the Wall Street Journal, via their Apple iPhone. The hundred-year newspaper published by Dow Jones & Company has lately released a free iPhone app which allows iPhone users to read the online content for free. This open-up online content for free reading was earlier released for the Blackberry last August and has now been extended to Apple iPhone.
Wall Street Journal is not the first “branded” newspaper available in Apple iPhone. Apple iPhone users also can find others newspaper such as Bloomberg, CNN, AP, New York Times, etc. Giving the free online content to particular mobile users will definitely broaden the readers’ catchment without necessarily jeopardizing the subscription model on its own online wsj.com site. It can tap on the popularity of Apple iPhone to enlarge its reader group worldwide while getting advertisers to pay and hence reduce its cost substantially. In the long run, this is a win-win strategy for both Wall Street Journal and also the reader.
iPhone users who want to read the free online content of Wall Street Journal can download the app, The Wall Street Journal 1.0, via the link here. iPhone users can also read free magazines such as U.S. News & World Report, Playboy, Popular Photography, Men’s Health, Kiplinger’s, Popular Mechanics, Penthouse, Car and Driver, PC Magazine, Elle, Macworld UK, Reader’s Digest and etc.


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In the one-upmanship going on between device makers, Samsung is trying to move straight to the endgame. The device maker's Emerging Technology Lab is working with the University of Texas to develop a thought control interface.
The joint project uses a cloth cap with electroencephalogram (EEG) electrodes to control interaction on tablets and smartphones, including the company's Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet. Samsung is aiming the technology at users with disabilities, but reports indicate that the interface could be taken mainstream. Samsung is working with Roozbeh Jafari, assistant professor of electrical engineering at the University of Texas, Dallas.
The EEG cap measures electrical activity in the scalp. Users focus on a specific icon that is flashing at a given frequency, and the system can detect when the brain's electrical patterns are reacting to that frequency. Different frequencies convey different patterns, and the researchers say they currently have an 80 percent to 95 percent response accuracy. The system can respond quickly enough to enable a user to make a selection as fast as every five seconds.
The current research is focusing on the ability to launch an application, choose a song or turn a Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet on and off. The research has successfully demonstrated the ability to open applications by concentrating on one of the blinking icons.
The researchers said they planned to develop a detector component that was easier to use all day long than a cap with electrodes and wires, such as a hat, but there was no indication as to a timeline for commercialization of the research. No manufacturing prototype has been created.
Laura DiDio, an analyst with Information Technology Intelligence Consulting, said the "possibilities for technology like this are endless" beyond the niche market of helping those with disabilities, although she cautioned that real-world use was still many years off.
There's been an explosion of new-to-market products and research in computer control that go far beyond mouse, keyboard and touchscreen. Siri and other intelligent voice agents are pioneering intelligent voice control, and Leap Motion, Microsoft's Kinect and others are leading the way for in-the-air gestural control.
Other experiments in thought control, beyond Samsung's, have also been moving that technology forward. Earlier this month, for instance, a research team at the University of California at Berkeley's School of Information presented their findings in using brainwaves of subjects who are thinking of a song, an image or other mental imaging.
A sensor on the subject's forehead detects the unique brainwaves of that specific image or song, which are then identified and used as a "passthought," or mental password. The researchers utilized a commercially available headset, the Neurosky MindSet, that retails for $100 and transmits the patterns via Bluetooth to a computer. The researchers noted that, except for the EEG sensor, the headset is otherwise "indistinguishable from a conventional Bluetooth headset" that is used with mobile phones or music players.


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Fortnite is now developed in Unreal Engine 5, Epic Games has recently revealed.
Tag - Fortnite
Epic Games has acquired Rock Band, Fuser and Dance Central's Harmonix, the two companies have today announced.
Star Wars' Boba Fett will head to Fortnite just in time for Christmas, Epic Games and Disney have recently revealed.
Resident Evil's Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine are the latest additions to the ever-popular Fortnite, Capcom and Epic Games have recently announced.
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has stated that Apple has rejected a request to reinstate Fortnite on the Apple App Store following a legal battle between the two...
Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 8 has started and brings with it multidimensional cubes... and fun! Find out more about the Fortnite cubes inside.
Rick and Morty fans will be pleased to know that Morty is coming to Fortnite over the weekend and will be bringing some cool new items with him in the process.
Stevivor’s Ben Salter and Steve Wright are back and ready to talk video games! Welcome to Friendly Fire Show 181!
Among Us developers at Innersloth have taken to social media to speak out against Epic Games' Fortnite Imposters, a mode that looks to liberally borrow from...
Fortnite Imposters is a new mode within the popular game, and players have been quick to notice it plays a lot like Innersloth's Among Us. Ironically, Epic...
It's official: Wonder Woman heads to Fortnite later this week and joins the likes of Batman and Superman inside the popular battle royale experience. To...
Wonder Woman will be added to Fortnite later this week, completing DC's Trinity in-game and joining iconic characters Superman and Batman.
The iconic Superman is now available inside Fortnite, and players are able to complete a series of quests to play as the character.
Epic Games has just announced that later this week, LeBron James will soon become a playable character in Fortnite.
Rick & Morty and Superman are the latest big franchises to enter Fortnite as thanks to its Season 7: Invasion.
Gabriel Picolo's Beast Boy is the latest character to be added to Fortnite and joins the Picolo-designed Raven to boot.
Epic Games' Tim Sweeney has said that PlayStation's Sony charges some publishers a fee to implement cross-play in certain circumstances.
The requirement of Xbox Live Gold has been removed from close to 100 online, free-to-play games as of today, Microsoft has confirmed.
Fortnite on Switch has been given a boost in terms of both resolution and framerate consistency, Epic Games has today confirmed.
Fortnite is surveying its players, asking them which franchises they'd like to see new crossovers with. Potential franchises include the likes of Resident...


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Samsung Electronics Co. said Tuesday it named new executives to head its business divisions in line with steps to adopt new leadership amid the absence of heir apparent Lee Jae-yong.
Samsung said it named President Kim Ki-nam to head the device solutions division, which oversees the company's chip business.
President Kim Hyun-suk was named to head the consumer electronics division, while President Koh Dong-jin was tapped as the new head of the IT and mobile division, effective immediately, the company said.
Samsung said it will maintain the current three co-CEO management structure.
The company said the announcement came as Samsung's CEO and Vice Chairman Kwon Oh-hyun, who also headed the chip business, offered to resign earlier this month, along with President Yoon Boo-keun and President Shin Jong-kyun, who headed the consumer electronics and mobile divisions, respectively. Kwon, Yoon and Shin will remain as members of the board until March.
"The next generation of leaders is well-suited to accelerate the pace of innovation and address the demands of the connected world. They have proven track records with extensive experience and outstanding expertise in their fields," Kwon said in a statement.
Samsung added while President Lee Sang-hoon will step down from the seat as the chief financial officer, he was recommended to succeed Kwon as the chairman of the board in March. The company said it marks the first time that Samsung will separate the chairman of the board and the CEO roles. (Yonhap)


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The BlueCool air conditioner offers a 15 percent improvement in efficiency in a unit that takes up 29 percent less space and weighs about 10 percent less than previous models, thanks to new compressors that use R410a refrigerant. The new air conditioner is also 25 percent quieter. The BlueCool series features a PC diagnosis interface for easy maintenance.
When you’re a boat designer, you deal with all kinds of people, from hard-charging CEOs to dreamers. But they all must follow the laws of physics. Our Sightlines columnist Michael Peters lays down the law.
See what he has to say here. ▶


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At this time of year, lots of people will be eating out at restaurants across the Harrogate district celebrating the festive period with family and friends.
It is perhaps more important than ever at this time of year to ensure that the food businesses people will be using for dining out and purchasing food from have high standards of food safety and hygiene.
Harrogate Borough Council’s Food Safety Team has been operating the Food Standards Agency’s Food Hygiene Rating Scheme since April this year. This scheme, which is fully accessible on line to members of the public, awards each business a rating after a food safety inspection has taken place. The highest possible rating is a 5 (very good) with the lowest 0 (urgent improvement needed)
The scheme allows individuals to make an informed decision about where they might be planning to eat or purchase food especially over the Christmas period according to the rating. It also places an extra responsibility on food business operators to maintain and improve their standards.
Since its launch earlier this year, over 1300 premises have received a rating. Over sixty seven per cent of those inspected have received a 5 rating (very good).
Cllr Margaret Atkinson, Harrogate Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Protection and Rural Affairs, whose portfolio includes public and community health matters, said:
Customers are now free to make a choice about where they eat or purchase food based on food safety and hygiene standards. This not only gives customers the power to make informed choices it also provides an incentive for under performing businesses to improve. Since the launch of the scheme in April there has been a steady increase in standards.
Members of the public can access the food hygiene rating scheme on the council’s website – www.harrogate.gov.uk and search for Food Hygiene Rating mobile phone apps are also available http://ratings.food.gov.uk


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02 July 2019
Google appears to be bringing the Google Assistant access to third-party Chromebooks and accessories as well as a commit in the Chromium repository reflects the same. As spotted by Chrome Unboxed, all Chromebooks will have a quick shortcut to the Assistant via the Search+ A key combo. Note that Pixel Slate and Pixelbook already have dedicated Google Assistant keys on their keyboards and now Google looks to be working on bringing this virtual assistant to more and more Chromebooks so as to give rise to desktop-based assistants.
Also, accessories with similar buttons, for instance, third-party keyboards may also be able to connect to Chrome OS devices and be able to launch Google Assistant. Think about a mouse as well and a stylus that could let you trigger Google Assistant.
Going by the commit from the Chromium repository, it seems that the work is being done to democratize the Google Assistant hardware button.
With the change, manufacturers will be able to add Google Assistant right into their accessories. So, this would help Google’s efforts in getting the Assistant into as many hands as possible.
Google Assistant, unlike other virtual assistants in its competition, has a strong foothold in the market. It is already been embedded into so many devices and form factors so that the users could search their query by mere voice. From smartphones, tablets, Google Home, headsets, and now Chromebooks, Google Assistant is just rising and while its greater expansion is happening in the outside world, the virtual assistant is also growing from within by gaining new features via updates.


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Preserving Independent, Flexible Work in California
Californians have voted yes on Proposition 22, ushering in historic new offerings for on-demand workers while maintaining their independence and flexibility. We believe this outcome is a win for shoppers, customers and retailers in California.
Proposition 22 was created to unlock a better, more progressive solution for all Californians that reflects the preferences of app-based drivers. With this important vote, shoppers in California who have delivered groceries and goods with Instacart will stay independent and continue to earn when they want and where they want. They’ll also receive guaranteed earnings, as well as additional protections and benefits that support a more modern workforce. Over the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing more information directly with our California shoppers about the new offerings they can expect as a result of Proposition 22 passing.
For our customers, more Californians than ever before are now relying on Instacart — from parents with full-time jobs and seniors who can’t get to the grocery store to individuals with mobility limitations. With the passing of Proposition 22, we’re able to preserve what’s best about our model for shoppers, while continuing to serve as an essential, affordable and accessible service for customers statewide.
Instacart has also emerged as an integral ecommerce partner for brick-and-mortar grocers. In California alone, we partner with 117 retailers across more than 4,700 grocery store locations. These are national, regional and local retailers that many Californians have shopped from for decades. Now, more than ever, grocers need solutions like Instacart to connect with customers, bring their stores online, and grow their business. With the passage of Proposition 22, we can continue to serve as the chief ally to grocers across California.
We know that many policymakers across the country recognize that the future of work looks different and requires new thinking. We look forward to continuing to work with policymakers nationwide to find progressive solutions that acknowledge the flexible income opportunities shoppers want while providing them with new earnings guarantees, protections and benefits.
Thank you to all the communities we serve across California for your ongoing support — we look forward to continuing to serve as an essential service statewide for years to come.
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With Instacart Ads, we’re helping more than 4,000 CPG brands of all sizes connect with consumers while they’re online grocery shopping. Instacart currently offers self-service and managed advertising services to equip brands with the tools…...Jan 26, 2022
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Capcom has revealed a new gameplay trailer for co-op dinosaur-murder action game Exoprimal, and it’s looking stranger than ever. We’ll get to experience how strange in a closed network test ahead of its 2023 launch.
In a trailer shown at Capcom's 2022 summer showcase, we get hints at the game’s story, gameplay, and see many of the dinosaurs themselves. Suffice it to say, the upcoming PvPvE game is looking action-packed, and more than a little odd. The trailer also showed off a little more of the game’s PvP elements, showing how players will not just be taking on hordes of dinosaurs, but whole other teams of heavily armed and armored players.
During the course of the trailer, we see raptors, triceratops, ankylosaur and T-Rex AI enemies – shots of raptors falling like rain from the sky continue to look truly bonkers. We also glimpse less natural forms of threat, with at least two forms of dinosaur firing projectiles from sacs on their backs. We also see a glimpse of a massive enemy type that looks even less true-to-prehistory, but it's not clear what that will be just yet.
The gameplay also seems to show different activity types, from the self-explanatory Dinosaur Cull, to VTOL Defense, Data Key Security, Energy Taker, and Omega Charge (the latter of which appears to have players wielding a giant hammer). We hear a little more of the story too, showing how the AI Leviathan appears to be putting Exosuit pilots through deadly training on a Bikitoa Island – with the story characters looking to destroy the AI in return.
The trailer ends with a simple message promising that a Closed Network Test is on the way, but offers no dates or means of sign-up just yet.
Exoprimal is scheduled to arrive in 2023 for PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One. It was announced in March, and suffered some backlash from Capcom fans who really hoped the next dinosaur battling game from the developer would be a new Dino Crisis.


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In het Verenigd Koninkrijk is er een beweging die reclame op billboards vervangt door kunst. Reclame is volgens hen ‘visuele vervuiling’.
Inside the anti-advertising movement that’s recruiting ad agency workers to destroy billboards and replace them with art
To understand Brandalism — a movement that illegally replaces outdoor ads from billboards and bus stops with art — you need to look back to the UK summer riots of 2011.
For five days that August, thousands of Britons demonstrated their frustration at the establishment by rampaging through city-centers, looting or destroying whatever consumer trinkets stood in their way. Overall, across the country, the rioters caused around £100 million ($142 million) of damage.
One of the people who participated wrote in The Guardian that the riots resulted from anumber of frustrations: at the politicians for their greed with expenses, at the media for hacking phones, at the government for bailing out the banks, and at the police for abusing its powers to stop-and-search black and ethnic minority citizens. And, of course, there were simply some opportunists who simply wanted to join in to be part of the moment or to steal goods.
However, Brandalism founder Robert Marcuse says that the advertisement and marketing industries were also partially to blame.
Marcuse told Business Insider: “Advertising tells us we want and need these goods. Mixed with Britain’s class structure, social inequality, and financial exclusion, the riots became an opportunity … so it’s not as simple as to say ‘Oh, advertising caused the riots,’ but it’s one of the factors,” he added.
Out of this anger, Marcuse and a group of his artist friends spawned Brandalism: a movement dedicated to reclaiming the outdoor, visual realm from corporate control.
According to Marcuse, it’s not very hard to “brandalize.” All you need is a high-visibility jacket, a “H60″ allen key, and a correctly-sized piece of artwork. Brandalism’s first major project came in 2012, in an effort to undermine the “brand mania” surrounding the London Olympic Games.
“By and large, we’ve been able to use globalization and standardization to our advantage in that all the models in the advertising cabinets are largely the same,” Marcuse said.
But why outdoor advertising in particular? Marcuse explained that when buying a magazine, or watching a particular TV channel, the consumer is to some extent consenting to being shown ads. By contrast, in the outdoor space, there’s often no choice.
Marcuse said: “It’s part of the rebellion against corporate control of the visual realm, meaning those with the most amount of money can put their messages in front of everyone, without our permission. This particularly applies to outdoor advertising, so the bus stop, and road-side billboards.”
Brandalism takes inspiration from Sao Paolo, Brazil, which banned outdoor advertising in 2007.
“They deemed it visual pollution, just like exhaust fumes polluting our airwaves or industrial pollution in our rivers,” Marcuse said.


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- Food grown using regenerative agriculture practices has higher nutritional content, according to a new University of Washington study published in science journal PeerJ. Regenerative farming is a way to restore the soil and water used for food production and reduce climate change through practices including increasing soil biodiversity and adding cover crops to keep carbon in the soil. Farms that engaged in practices associated with regenerative agriculture over five to 10 years produced more nutritious food with higher amounts of vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals.
- The study collected data from 10 different farms across the country with differing climate and soil properties. Soil from farms with regenerative agriculture had higher quantities of nutrients than neighboring traditional farms. Beef and pork raised using regenerative grazing techniques had higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids than conventionally grown meat, according to the researchers.
- While the researchers note that the findings are preliminary because of the small sample size of soil analyzed, the results could bring increased interest in regenerative farming from both CPG manufacturers and consumers.
These findings follow years of research into the nutritional content of soil on American farms. As farmers have produced higher yields of crops in recent decades, the nutrition density of food declined, according to California State University Chico researchers. A University of Texas in Austin study tracking USDA data between 1950 and 1999 found the content of phosphorus, iron, calcium, protein, ascorbic acid and riboflavin in the crops declined through the years by 9% to 38%.
Soil scientist Christine Jones, cited in the CSU study, said the lower nutrition of today’s conventionally grown produce stems from non-biologically active soil that is “not conducive to nutrient uptake.” Heavy levels of tillage on behalf of farmers, according to Jones, removes nutrients and leaves soil bare in between crops being planted.
Regenerative farming practices that improve the variety of bacteria and fungi within the soil can make food more nutrient-dense, according to University of Washington researchers. Soil health is linked to properties including the microbes and fungi that boost healthy elements in crops, David Montgomery, lead author of the University of Washington study said in an accompanying statement. Montgomery said improved soil can lead to significant health benefits for consumers.
“The biology of the soil was really the part that got overlooked in moving to chemistry-intensive farming,” Montgomery said. “It may be that one of our biggest levers for trying to combat the modern public health epidemic of chronic diseases is to rethink our diet, and not just what we eat, but how we grow it.”
Regeneratively grown food's health halo could make it more appealing, but focusing on that aspect may prove controversial without more evidence to back it up. The purported health benefits of organic produce, a food group seen by a majority of consumers as healthier according to Pew Research, have been questioned by some academics. Researchers on Harvard University’s health blog said while organic foods are generally safer, with higher phosphorus levels and less pesticides, there is scant evidence that they offer higher levels of nutrients, including minerals. They cited a 2012 study published in Annals of Internal Medicine that found evidence that organic foods are not significantly more nutritious than their conventionally grown counterparts.
Food CPGs have embraced regenerative practices in recent years as a way to signal their commitment to sustainability issues, but research like the University of Washington's could make it appealing as a way to court health-conscious consumers as well. However, in order for regenerative agriculture to prove itself as healthier, more continuous research is needed to document its impacts across growing regions, which was noted by the University of Washington researchers. This way, researchers and farmers can gauge how significant its nutritional improvements are.


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South Korea to widen Takata air bag recall by 110,000 vehicles
- Futures flat as oil rally pauses
- Roper Industries (ROP) to acquire Deltek in $2.8B Deal
- GoDaddy (GDDY) to Acquire Host Europe Group in ~$1.8B Deal
- Amazon (AMZN) Could Open Over 2,000 Brick-and Mortar Groceries if Tests Succeed - DJ; Kroger (KR) on Watch
- Trump's corporate tax holiday could spur pharma M&A
A sign with the TAKATA logo is seen outside the Takata Corporation building in Auburn Hills, Michigan May 20, 2015. REUTERS/Rebecca Cook/File Photo
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SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea said on Wednesday that 13 automakers will recall some 110,000 vehicles equipped with Takata Corp's <7312.T> defective air bags, the latest development in a long-running safety crisis involving the Japanese company.
The United States in May announced a new round of recall of Takata's air bag inflators which have been linked to at least 14 deaths and more than 100 injuries and triggered the largest-ever auto recall. Since then, other countries have been announcing their own national recalls.
South Korea's transport ministry said a total of 221,870 vehicles made by 17 automakers have faulty Takata air bags. While 13 companies including Honda Motor <7267.T>, Toyota Motor <7203.T>, BMW
The ministry said those companies could face a fine or a 10-year prison sentence should they delay recalls.
In 2013, South Korea started recalls of some 50,000 vehicles with defective Takata airbags, with nearly 45 percent of the models having replacement airbags by June this year.
A number of global automakers are working to replace as many as 100 million defective air bag inflators worldwide. Takata airbag inflators can explode with too much force and spray metal shrapnel into vehicle passenger compartments.
(Reporting by Hyunjoo Jin; Additional reporting by Naomi Tajitsu in TOKYO; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)
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We’re at the London Value Investing Conference, soaking up all the different ways to approach the buying of stocks for less than they might be worth.
Don’t be a sissy, that’s my key takeaway from this morning and it feeds directly into my Napoleonic complex.
*CISION: RECEIVED FINGERPRINT RELEASE FROM CONTACT AT FINGERPRINT
That would be the release announcing a $650m acquisition of Fingerprint Cards by Samsung, which – regrettably – has turned out to be completely made-up, and possibly a matter for the Swedish authorities. Read more
On Monday, the UK’s High Court ruled against Apple in its lawsuit against Samsung, which Apple accused of copying its designs with the latest Galaxy tablet.
But part of the rationale given for the ruling by Judge Colin Birss was… unusual: Read more
Samsung has approved a plan to spin off its loss-making LCD business into a new company by April 1, Bloomberg reports. Samsung Display Co will receive $668m of capital under the proposal. The new entity may eventually merge with the company’s more profitable OLED business, which creates brighter and faster screens for the TV and tablet markets at a high margin, the WSJ adds. LCD manufacturers have struggled in recent years as the technology became ubiquitous.
In a further twist in the global legal battle waged by technology giants around the use of patents, Samsung Electronics is to be investigated by the European Union to assess whether it breached antitrust rules by refusing to provide rivals access to its technology at reasonable prices. Brussels will be looking into whether the South Korean technology giant, the world’s biggest smartphone manufacturer but also a key supplier to rivals such as Apple, had distorted the market by withholding “standard essential patent rights”, reports the FT. The European Commission, acting as the EU’s antitrust enforcer, said its investigation stems from Samsung’s lawsuits against competing groups, notably Apple, launched in several EU member states in 2011.
Samsung Electronics on Wednesday denied it was interested in buying ailing Blackberry maker Research In Motion or licensing its operating system, reports Reuters, refuting a tech blog report that RIM was seeking to sell itself to the South Korean company. Shares of RIM, which has been the subject of continuous takeover speculation with its stock valuation lingering at multi-year lows, jumped more than 10 per cent on the report before falling back after Samsung’s denial. Product delays and profit warnings have eroded confidence in Canada-based RIM, once at the cutting edge of smartphone technology for business users, and its management. “We haven’t considered acquiring the firm and are not interested in (buying RIM),” Samsung spokesman James Chung said. Chung also said Samsung had not been approached by the Canadian firm for a takeover and was not interested in licensing RIM’s mobile platform.
Samsung Electronics is merging its homegrown Bada operating system into a platform backed by Intel, the US chipmaker, to bolster its weak software and reduce its dependence on Google’s Android, says the FT. The move by the world’s largest technology company by sales comes as South Korean groups have privately expressed concern about Google’s $12.5bn acquisition of Motorola Mobility last year, warning of a long-term threat if powerful software producers make their hardware effectively in-house. Samsung builds successful hardware but software is its Achilles heel as it relies on Google to run its premium smartphone models. Analysts have predicted Samsung will seek to both diversify its portfolio of operating systems and acquire outside technology.
Shares in Samsung Electronics rose more than 2 per cent on Monday, reports Reuters, after Apple’s bid to halt US sales of its Galaxy line of products was rejected, easing concern of slowing growth in its telecom business. The US District Court in San Jose, California, ruled on Saturday against Apple’s plea to ban Samsung from selling its 4G smartphone and Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet computer in the country, says Bloomberg. The victory builds on an Australian court ruling in November that lifted an earlier injunction on the tablet in the country. Samsung and Apple have filed at least 30 suits against each other on four continents since April.
Samsung managed to avoid yet another injunction of its Galaxy Tab, this time in the US, writes Forbes. On the same day that saw a ban on Tab sales in Australia, a case was filed in the US that will examine whether the tablet infringes on patents held by Apple on its iPad. The judge, however, declined issue a preliminary injunction, as Apple’s request for one was based on the claim of infringing a “utility patent”, which is for an actual invention, as opposed to a “design patent” that relates to “new, original and ornamental design for an article of manufacture”.
Apple has won an important legal battle in a Sydney court to block rival Samsung Electronics from selling its Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Australia ahead of the crucial Christmas shopping season, the FT reports. In a blow to Samsung, Justice Annabelle Bennett in the Federal Court on Thursday granted a temporary injunction sought by Apple, maker of the iPad, to delay the launch of its rival’s product in Australia. Apple claims that Samsung’s tablet, one of the iPad’s biggest rivals, infringes its technology and design patents. Apple also is seeking a sales ban on Samsung’s mobile devices in the US, which is one of Samsung’s biggest markets. A court hearing is slated for later on Thursday in California. Samsung and Apple are locked in about 20 legal disputes over patents in nine countries including the US, South Korea, Japan and the UK. Last month, a German court upheld a complaint by Apple that its South Korean rival copied the design of its iPad, and banned the sale of Samsung’s newest Galaxy Tab tablet computer in Europe’s largest market.
Samsung said it will try to stop the sale of Apple’s iPhone 4S in France and Italy, the WSJ reports. Samsung, which is competing with Apple for the lead in smartphone sales, is trying to gain an upper hand in a legal battle that started in April when Apple accused the South Korean company of copying key design elements. A Samsung spokesman said it chose France and Italy because they are “key markets” in Europe, citing also “the local legal system and processes.” Courts in Germany and the Netherlands have temporarily halted sales of Samsung smartphones and tablets pending hearings on patent-infringement claims. Courts in Australia and the US next week are expected to decide on other Apple claims for injunctions against Samsung products. An Apple spokesman said Samsung was engaged in “blatant copying” and the company needed to protect its intellectual property.
Samsung Electronics is seeking to block sales of the iPhone 4S only hours after it was launched, in a sign that it is shifting from defence to attack in its rapidly worsening patent dispute with Apple, reports the FT. The South Korean company on Wednesday said it planned to seek injunctions against the iPhone 4S in France and Italy by filing suits in Paris and Milan, accusing Apple of infringing its patents for wireless technology in 3G mobile handsets.
Speaking of a patent war in the smartphone industry…
Compared to the massive Google-Motorola deal, Samsung’s ongoing battle with Apple is more like a skirmish, but it probably shows just how disruptive Google’s strategy could be, if they can pull it off. Read more
Apple has won a preliminary injunction barring Samsung‘s sale of its Galaxy Tab in every European Union member nation but the Netherlands, the FT reports, in the most significant victory so far in an escalating legal clash between the two technology powerhouses. The ruling came in a case brought by Apple in Germany, where the judge found that the maker of the iPad tablet was likely to prevail at a full trial of the issues that the largest tech company by sales was infringing on Apple’s design rights. Samsung said it would contest the ruling and complained it had not had a chance to defend itself. Apple has claimed that “design rights” – the shape of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab, its user interface and even its packaging – copy from the iPad. European Commission regulations establishing design rights allow for certain national-level courts to enforce them. A separate case will be heard in the Netherlands on Wednesday. The battle is part of a wider conflict between Apple and the various companies supportingGoogle’s Android operating system, says CNet.
Apple will soon launch a new model of iPhone, the WSJ says, which will be thinner and lighter with a more powerful camera. Citing people familiar with the situation, the newspaper says Apple has ordered key components for the device and is aiming to launch by the end of September. The new phone will use Qualcomm chips rather than those made by Intel-owned Infineon, which appear in most versions of its current iPhone 4. Apple is said to be upping the ante against rival Samsung. Meanwhile Reuters reports that a security flaw has been revealed in Apple’s iOS operating system, which is used in iPhones, iPads and iPod Touch devices. The vulnerability could be exploited to gain remote access to the devices, security consultants said.
Samsung has filed a lawsuit against Apple, Bloomberg reports, claiming the US company infringed patents for technology used in iPhones and iPads. “Apple has copied many of Samsung’s innovations in its Apple iPhone, iPod and iPad products,” Samsung lawyers said in a lawsuit filed in federal court in Delaware. The Korean company is already involved in litigation with Apple in at least four countries amid intense competition in the mobile device market. Apple has alleged that Samsung’s Galaxy devices copy the iPhone and iPad. Samsung has also filed a complaint with the International Trade Commission seeking to stop the sale of iPods, iPads and iPhones in the US, the WSJ reports.
Apple has filed a suit against Samsung Electronics alleging that the company’s Galaxy smartphones and tablets infringe patents on the iPhone and iPad, Bloomberg says. Samsung ‘slavishly’ copied Apple designs with earlier products less redolent of iPad features, the suit argues, according to Reuters. The suit pits the tablet market’s two largest competitors each other and marks a new stage in litigation over smartphones, says the FT. Apple’s relatively small portfolio of patents puts it at a disadvantage to rivals. The Samsung case is the first Apple has brought over ‘trade dress’ or product appearance. Its suit even covers the Nexus S phone, a Google Android product that has no Samsung software, Daring Fireball notes.
Apple has filed its first lawsuit over patents and trademarks for the technology and appearance of its iPad tablet computer, accusing Samsung Electronics of copying the look and feel of the hit product, reports the FT. The suit, filed on Friday and seen by Reuters alleges Samsung “slavishly” copied the Apple products’ look, product design and user interface, violating patents and copyright.
Apple filed a lawsuit in California on Friday claiming Samsung’s Galaxy line of mobile phones and tablet devices are copies of the iPhone and iPad, according to court papers seen by Reuters. The suit alleges Samsung “slavishly” copied the Apple products’ look, product design and user interface, violating patents and copyright.
Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics, the world’s two largest flatscreen television makers, have in recent weeks been embroiled in rare public mudslinging about their rival 3D TV technologies, reports the FT. The clash is not simply normal competitive tension between South Korea’s largest consumer electronics makers. They are major suppliers of the panels used for making 3D televisions and each company is backing a different technology. Only one type of panel will become industry standard.
As the share price of Nokia continues to sink in the wake of Friday’s distinctly underwhelming tie-up with Microsoft…
Samsung Electronics has bought a Dutch maker of display technology for e-readers, signalling that the world’s biggest tech company by sales is overcoming a long-held aversion to M&A, reports the FT. The deal to buy Liquavista illustrates Samsung’s strategy shift from making components in-house and its recognition of the need to grow through international acquisitions. Samsung has been notoriously wary of such expansion since its unsuccessful purchase of AST in the late 1990s. The South Korean company was forced to close the US computer-maker after a mass defection of research talent and a string of losses. Liquavista’s display technology is used for devices such as e-readers and mobile phones.
It seems somebody doesn’t believe Apple, Intel, Samsung or some other big company is going to launch a cash offer for the UK chip designer.
That somebody is actually several Arm executives and a handful of non-executive directors who have just declared the sale of around 725,000 shares. (Note that these disposals follow a flurry of selling at the start of August). Read more
Powered by big names such as Samsung Electronics and Hyundai Motor, the Kospi index of leading shares, which has a foreign holding of about 30 per cent, has recouped the deep losses of the economic crisis to ride two-year highs. It also still looks cheap in terms of price to earning ratios, reports the FT. But the Kospi’s volatility also demands hardy punters, and South Korea’s authorities are highly defensive about a “portfolio” effect of investors bailing out when times get tough, undermining stocks and the won. State officials argue that foreign investors – who must also be steeled to be public scapegoats in a hostile political culture – can collapse markets through their ignorance of the Korean peninsula.
The United Arab Emirates’ threat to block BlackBerry services has left businesses in the Gulf’s commercial hub baffled and frustrated as they tries to come to terms with the implications for their local operations, the FT reports. The effect of a suspension would be considerable. Though figures vary, it is generally accepted that there are about 500,000 BlackBerry users in the UAE. Almost half of all such subscriptions in the Gulf state are corporate, according to some analysts’ estimates.
Samsung Electronics, the world’s second-largest handset maker by sales, is looking to the GalaxyS, its latest Android-based smartphone, to regain market share in the fast-growing smartphone market, the FT reported. The South Korean company — expected to announce its second-quarter earnings guidance on Wednesday – hopes the GalaxyS can become an iPhone killer. Meanwhile, rival handset-maker HTC said its Q2 unaudited net profit rose 33 per cent.
EU competition authorities have fined 10 producers of memory chips – including Samsung, Infineon, Hynix and Toshiba – a total of €331m, in their first settlement deal over cartel offences, the FT reported. The biggest single penalty of €145.7m will be paid by Samsung, followed by Infineon (€56.7m) and Hynix (€51.4m).
Prosecutors from a special team set up to investigate Samsung Group, South Korea’s top business conglomerate, on Monday raided an office of chairman Lee Kun-hee and homes of other executives as part of an official probe into bribery allegations, reports Reuters on Monday, citing a team official.South Korea last week launched a special probe into the group on suspicions it bribed public officials to squash investigations into its management practices.
Prosecutors and staff searched one of the offices Mr Lee uses in Seoul and homes of seven other Samsung executives, the official at the prosecutor team said. Officials at Samsung Group and flagship Samsung Electronics could not confirm the report. Read more


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Despite Hyundai’s early success story in China, sales there have been steadily dropping for the past few years, as they do in the United States.
That’s mainly because the Korean car maker missed the shift in consumer tastes, particularly the SUV surge, and started commanding higher prices than its brand image could command, at least according to four Chinese dealers and half a dozen former and current US dealers, executives and employees, who spoke to Reuters.
Back in 2009, Hyundai and Kia’s combined sales in China placed the company in third position, following General Motors and Volkswagen. The Korean manufacturer now ranks ninth, with a market share in China dropping to 4 percent last year, from over 10 percent in 2009.
Industry experts and executives say that Hyundai conceded its stronghold in the low-end market to fast-growing Chinese rivals such as Geely and BYD. In addition, other foreign carmakers defended their market share in the more premium segments but also kept pricing competitive for mainstream models, squeezing Hyundai’s position in the market as an affordable foreign brand in the world’s largest auto market.
Hyundai is facing similar woes in the United States, where its market share fell to 4 percent last year, near a decade low for the Korean automaker.
Hyundai SUVs accounted for just 36 percent of its total US sales last year, compared to GM’s 76 percent and the industry average of 63 percent. The carmaker has already announced its plans to launch more SUV models, including the new Santa Cruz pickup truck for 2020, and to give its regional units more autonomy in order to quickly develop vehicles that are better suited to local tastes.
“One of our challenges back then, and I know it would continue to be a challenge, was that the management at (headquarters) was really big on sedans,” said Ed Kim, a Hyundai U.S. product manager between 2004-2008, now the vice president for California-based auto consultancy Auto Pacific.
“(U.S.) product planning staff, marketing staff really wanted more truck products, more SUVs, but in so many cases, it was very difficult to convince management,” Kim said to Reuters.
The task of reviving Hyundai’s success in the world’s top two car markets will fall on Euisun Chung, the company’s third generation leader. Chung was promoted to executive vice chairman, bringing him closer to succeeding his father and current chairman, Mong-koo Chung.
The younger Chung has already faced some setbacks as he was the one to unveil Hyundai’s “modern premium” brand vision back in 2011 to revamp the image of the company. Clearly this didn’t work as planned, but Euisun Chung is now hiring outsiders, investing in start-ups and forming partnerships with autonomous driving companies in a bid to return Hyundai back to its glory days.
Hyundai’s brand image has certainly gone up the past few years but still is “not anywhere near a premium brand”, according to Nick Reilly, a former chief executive of GM Korea. “So I think they have to go back to the mentality to be very price-competitive in order to maintain the volumes,” he added.


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A busy holiday shopping season is projected, with e-commerce transactions expected to rise 15 per cent from October through December 2022. These findings are according to data analysis from millions of transactions conducted by ACI Worldwide, a global provider of real-time digital payments software.
ACI Worldwide’s e-commerce research shows that consumer optimism is holding strong, despite inflationary pressures and limited inventory, and beat last year’s predictions for the same period (14 per cent).
“Consumers are quietly optimistic with their holiday season spending, but will be more price-conscious this year as inflation and economic uncertainty loom,” said head of merchant, ACI Worldwide. “We’re seeing shoppers spend more on experiences rather than physical items as pent-up demand for travel, events and concerts remains strong post covid.”
ACI’s e-commerce intelligence reports that the main sector driving growth during the 2022 holiday season will be gaming (34 per cent). Travel and ticketing (29 per cent) takes second place, telco (18 per cent) third, home improvement (13 per cent) fourth and fashion retail (seven per cent) fifth.
Mobile payments slightly increase and preference for digital wallets grows
Mobile payments are projected to increase five per cent during the 2022 holiday season, compared to the same period in 2021, while the average ticket value (ATV) is expected to grow by 45 per cent ($123), according to ACI e-commerce intelligence. Moreover, digital wallets are anticipated to be among the popular payment methods, with a projected 11 per cent increase in transactions.
The ATV for buy now, pay later (BNPL) is expected to grow 10 per cent. As inventory shortages persist, ACI forecasts a revival of the gift card industry with an expected two times increase in ATV. Furthermore, spending within the gaming sector is predicted to rise 34 per cent in transaction volume.
“Consumers are savvier on payment methods like BNPL as they look to delay spending by breaking up their purchases into smaller installments,” Singh continued. “In addition, consumers are showing a strong preference for digital wallets as a payment method as they shop more online and less in stores this holiday season.
“Merchants may want to consider improving the BNPL checkout experience for people with higher credit-approval rates. In addition, ensuring a smooth experience with digital wallet acceptance and strong fraud prevention in place will be beneficial.”
As merchants instil shipment cut off dates for last-minute shoppers, the volume of transactions is expected to increase 24 per cent for shipment cut off: priority, 15 per cent for shipment cut off: ground and 10 per cent for shipment cutoff: express.
However, buy online, pick up in store (BOPIS) is forecasted to go up nine per cent during the 2022 holiday season compared to 2021, as consumers consider this alternative to paying for shipping. “With inflation driving shipment costs up, we can expect to see shoppers turning to other delivery channels like BOPIS to curb their expenses,” Singh concluded.
Fraudsters targeting high-value items
According to ACI data, the volume of friendly fraud increased 22 per cent. The data also found the average transaction value grew 39 per cent from January through September 2022, when compared to the same period in 2021. The data also shows that account takeover fraud doubled in the same time frame versus 2021.
“We’re seeing a significant increase in the average ticket value of friendly fraud. This indicates that fraudsters are targeting high-value items like electronics and travel,” said Erika Dietrich, head of fraud management and payments analytics, ACI Worldwide. “We expect this trend to continue into the 2022 holiday season and encourage merchants and shoppers to be vigilant.
“Orchestration between merchants’ fraud prevention and payment strategies will be crucial to protect all entry points and adapt to changing fraud behaviors and payment channels at the same time.”


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BANGKOK, 30th July 2018, (NNT) – According to the Department of Land Transport (DLT), car owners registered more than 1.5 million new vehicles in the first half of 2018.
Deputy Director-General of the DLT Jongrak Kitsamrankhun says that the total number of vehicles registered from January to June 2018 under the 1979 Vehicle Act and the 1979 Land Transport Act is 1,614,576, an increase of 1.9% year-on-year.
Full story: NNT
Reporter: Nuppol Suvansombut,
Rewriter: Thammarat Thadaphrom
National News Bureau of Thailand


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The day's stellar performer was FTSE 250-listed Home Retail Group, whose shares rose 3.5 per cent to 159.2p. The company unveiled plans to return £200m to shareholders after it sealed a deal with Australian retailer Wesfarmers to sell its Homebase chain for £340m.
"Markets [kicked] off the third week of 2016 on a far more bullish note than the first two... thus [shunning] the safe havens of gold and silver," said Michael van Dulken, head of research at Accendo Markets.
"In short, investors just aren't worried enough to want to hold the traditional safe havens which is required if we are to see prices shoot higher. Confidence remains strong in central banks riding to the rescue."
Other European equities rose, with the German Dax rosing 0.64 per cent, while the French Cac rose 0.63 per cent.
Some Asian markets finished today's session sharply lower, with the Nikkei falling 0.5 per cent and the Hang Seng falling 1.5 per cent.
However, China's Shenzhen and Shanghai composite indexes both rose, finishing 1.9 per cent and 0.4 per cent higher respectively.
But oil is expected to be the week's watchword, after the lifting of trade sanctions against Iran over the weekend was expected to boost reserves in an already supply-heavy market. Both Brent and WTI crude fell below $29 over the weekend, and this morning they edged closer to $28.


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This week’s key macroeconomic data for the main developed economies start on Tuesday with the UK’s December unemployment figures. The number of vacancies rose for the first time in seven months in November, with those in employment climbing at its strongest pace in over 50 years at 208,000. That said, December’s election may make it difficult to get a true gauge of the resilience of the jobs market.
UK inflation and retail sales data for January follow on Wednesday and Thursday respectively. Inflation fell to a three-year low in December, hitting 1.3%. January’s data is unlikely to show much of a pick-up, with the rate of price increases remaining significantly below the central bank’s target.
Retail sales ended 2019 poorly and survey data is not suggesting spending bounced back in the new year. Also on Thursday, January US housing starts is out. In December, housing starts rose to a 13-year high of 1.61m and consensus expects 1.39m this time.
The week closes with February’s flash purchasing managers’ index readings for the UK, eurozone and the US. January showed signs in the UK of a “Boris bounce”, with manufacturing at the 50 mark (implying output is neither expanding or contracting) and services moving into expansion.
The eurozone has also showed signs of improvement of late, though manufacturing is still contracting, while services has been weakening, but still expanding. The US remains the only region out of the three still in expansionary territory for both manufacturing and services. That said, a sustained rebound will be contingent on progress on the trade front and the coronavirus epidemic.
The low inflation, low unemployment paradigm
The traditional inverse relationship between unemployment and inflation seems, at face value, intuitive. As companies hire more workers, the pool of employable people begins to fall, resulting in companies having to pay higher salaries to lure workers or those that are inactive. In turn, higher salaries and the need for companies to preserve their margins means prices of final goods and services increase. That’s the theory.
We have seen the unemployment rate in the eurozone, UK and the US touch a 12, 44 and 50-year low, respectively, over the past few months. However, inflation has remained noticeably below the central banks’ targets across all respective regions.
Partially explaining the breakdown in the relationship between unemployment and inflation is how consumers have used their earnings. Since the financial crisis, consumers for the most part have had to juggle paying down debt and spending combined. Consequently, businesses have struggled to increase prices of final products due to the fear of deterring consumption further.
Simultaneously, costs of production have increased through tariffs, in particular with regards to the US, and in the case of all three regions, uncertainty leading to the delay/postponement of investment decisions.
While firms have substituted labour for capital (explaining the high employment level), the participation ratio in the US has continued to increase, with the ratio at 63.4% in January, a seven-year high. This remains however well below the participation ratio observed pre-2008.
For more information contact Barclays Private Bank in Monaco by clicking here or on +377 93 15 35 35


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We have some very exciting updates just around the corner, all leading to our long-awaited (but we guarantee it will be worth it) massive marketing campaign kickoff! Let’s jump into it.
BOMB App Redesign & iOS Update
First, we know many of you, along with the entire BOMB Money team, have been anxiously awaiting the iOS app release – the final domino piece to fall – before our marketing kicks in and our journey to repegging all our protocols begins.
We finally heard directly from Apple and there’s bad news for the entire crypto industry. Likely because of the recent statements from SEC chair Gary Gensler regarding crypto, Apple are clamping down on all crypto-related apps on the App Store and will also be pulling many already-approved apps from the store as well.
Although this may seem like bad news for BOMB Money, we are two steps ahead and have already been planning for an iOS workaround for weeks. As a result, we have been working on an even better solution which integrates the tor.us wallet, a Web3 wallet that allows creation and login using existing social accounts, into our web app providing our users with a Web2 experience and trust they’re already familiar with. Additionally, this new app experience will make the referral system a lot easier to use as both referrer and referee as we can hardcode the referral code into the URL’s. This is a huge opportunity for us, and we are working around the clock to perfect the user experience!
As part of this new update, we’re working with a branding and design expert to update and enhance all aspects of our online presence (website, app, socials) to provide the most trustworthy and professional look and feel possible. Since we’ve already been working on this for weeks, the good news is we’re very close to having our new branding and new app released.
TIME FOR LIFTOFF!
Here’s a sneak peek at some of the design and UX improvements being worked on. Let us know what you think.
Bullish Times Ahead for BOMB Chain and the BOMB Token
With the official app launch date around the corner, things are about to heat up on BOMB Chain! As you may know, all transactions on the app are run on BOMB Chain and require its native BOMB token to process them. With transaction volume about to skyrocket, demand for the token is likely to do the same. This could be one of your last opportunities to get BOMB at a discount! (NFA)
New YouTube and Twitter Spaces Series
With our target marketing shifting towards a new demographic, we continue to focus on education and building trust. Check out our latest videos on YouTube (Top 10 Ways to Earn Cryptocurrency in 2023 and Staying Safe In Crypto – Why It’s More Secure To Hold Your Own Keys) to catch our exec team sharing some golden nuggets of knowledge. These are also split up into YouTube Shorts and on TikTok. Follow our channels if you aren’t already doing so.
We’d love for these to be more interactive as well, so if you have any questions or tips of your own on future topics please do stop by and share!
Reminder: Claim Your Tokens on BOMB.MONEY Farms
As always, our community comes first. We wanted to take a moment to remind everyone that the emissions in our bomb.money farms have ended. Any tokens/LP’s being held in the farms are not earning anything, so we wanted to remind you to take withdraw them if you have not yet done so. You can do so here.


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Wincanton is to oversee Wickes’s HIAB subcontractor network across London in a deal which sees the logistics firm take on the management of six separate sub-contractors. […]
Unite and Morrisons are set to return to talks later this month in a bid to resolve a dispute over the transfer of drivers and vehicle maintenance staff to 3PL Wincanton, mototransport.co.uk can reveal.
Wincanton has extended its contract with brick manufacturer Ibstock Brick by four years. Kylie Noble
Wincanton has renewed its long-standing distribution contract with the Co-op for a further five years. Emma Shone


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Running low on ice cream? No problem. Just swipe the near-empty bucket across your freezer's bar-code reader and a fresh supply will be on its way.
It sounds like the stuff of 1950s Popular Science features, but a British company on Wednesday unveiled what it is calling the first Internet-connected fridge. The ultimate information appliance can be used to order groceries over the Web, read email, play games, or watch TV.
Due on the market in early 2000, the Electrolux Screenfridge is a standard Electrolux Bluprint fridge with a 13-inch LCD touch-screen and bar-code scanner built into one of its doors.
The device invites appliance owners to scan near-empty jars and milk cartons that are running low, and add them to a digital shopping list. The list would then be beamed over the Internet to a grocer selected by the consumer.
Depending on the shopper's preferences, the groceries can then be delivered, or picked up. The list could also be held at the store with pointers to appropriate aisles for those who still want to experience real-life aisle surfing.
Electrolux previewed the prototype of Screenfridge at the ICL Future Focus Centre in Reading. ICL, a software and services firm, will provide software and network support for the fridge.
Roberts said that pricing had not been set and that the company in the next six months will launch a large-scale trial.
"We're in discussions with a number of English grocers and retailers," Roberts said. "We haven't quite worked out the proposition of whether it's sold only in shops, in specialty shops, or as part of a customer loyalty package from a retailer."
Although grocery shopping via the Internet is nothing new -- companies like Peapod and NetGrocer have offered it for years -- Roberts said that ICL is the first company with a serious plan to bring an Internet-connected home appliance to market.
The device will be launched initially in the United Kingdom, although European retailers have also shown interest, Roberts said. ICL also has a prototype Internet fridge based on a standard US model.
Initially the fridge will feature a standard modem, Roberts said, although future models may have built-in ethernet or wireless data capabilities.
"We need to be realistic about what will be out there in 2000," he said. "It looks like phones, of course, but it could be mobile, wireless, cable TV networks, whatever. We're leaving it open."


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Stony Brook, NY – An amazing summer-long exhibit featuring the brilliance of revolutionary inventor Nikola Tesla will open July 8 at Ward Melville Heritage Organization’s Educational & Cultural Center in Stony Brook Village.
The first exhibit of its kind on Long Island, it was designed and implemented by the Tesla Science Center. Visitors will step into a virtual time machine of innovation with exhibits that highlight the genius of a man whose inventions electrified history, power the present and shape the future. Many models of his inventions will be on display including the famous Tesla Coil and original Tesla Laboratory at Shoreham (Wardenclyffe).
An Outdoor Car Showcase will also be held on July 9 from noon to 3 pm with a 2017 Tesla Model X SUV, a 2017 Tesla Model S Sedan, a 2008 Original Tesla Roadster 2-door sports car and an impressive array of various antique cars. The Roadster will also be featured inside the Cultural Center for the duration of the exhibit. Additionally, on August 27 at 2 pm, internationally renowned physicist, Dr. Sebastian White, a member of CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) and great-grandson of Stanford White, will speak about Nikola Tesla and his connection with Long Island cultural figures and the international scientific community. (Famed architect Stanford White was one of Nikola Tesla’s original investors.)
Partially sponsored by Astoria Bank, the exhibit will be open through September 4, seven days per week from 10 am to 5 pm at the Cultural Center, located at 97P Main Street in the rear of the Stony Brook Village Center. The cost for all components of the exhibit is $7 pp for adults and $5 pp for children ages 5 to 11. For further information call 631-689-5888 or visit stonybrookvillage.com.


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09.21.15Hampton by Hilton Gives Seekenders a Chance to Enjoy Ultimate Weekend Getaway with New Sweepstakes
Hampton by Hilton, Hilton Worldwide’s (NYSE: HLT) global brand with more than 2,000 mid-priced hotels, today announced the start of its Ultimate Seekender Getaway Sweepstakes*. The brand is rewarding one lucky winner with the opportunity to enjoy an all-expenses paid weekend experience to the destination of their choice with accommodations at a Hampton by Hilton property. The contest was inspired by the We Go Together™ ad campaign and recent survey results, which uncovered the Seekender. This new kind of traveler is on a quest for fresh experiences and enjoying every weekend to the fullest.


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In early August, Amazon announced it would pay $1.7 billion to take over iRobot, the maker of the popular Roomba robotic vacuum. In a new essay in The Atlantic, Senior Researcher and Writer Ron Knox writes that if the deal is allowed to happen, Amazon would buy its way to dominance in yet another industry — and take over a trove of consumer data that it would use to further entrench its position as the country’s most powerful online retail monopoly.
“The iRobot deal follows a known Amazon strategy, one that Jeff Bezos has admitted to in the past: using mergers to buy its way to dominance. Several companies make and sell robotic vacuums, including brands like Shark and others. But Roomba is the household name, so ubiquitous that it’s shorthand for every other robot vacuum available. By simply taking over the company that makes the most popular product in the industry, Amazon can grow its monopoly without actually having to out-innovate and out-compete its rivals.”
“Amazon can then use its gatekeeper power by pairing Roomba with its monopoly online marketplace and Prime subscription program, leaving other vacuum brands to wither and atrophy, unable to gain the attention and prominence held by Roomba on the country’s most popular shopping site.”
Read the full article here.
Ron has been the voice of concern around this deal since news of it first broke. He has been quoted by numerous publications including Business Insider and Reuters, and was interviewed by television news networks News Nation and Newsy.
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