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Wozniak: Can We Stop Hating Apple Already?
Steve Wozniak, one of the original co-founders of Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), recently made an appearance at the Login technology conference in Lithuania where he offered some sage advice for Apple investors. According to TechCrunch, Wozniak said that Apple’s recent 16-month low was “disappointing” but also expressed confidence in the Cupertino-based company’s ability to develop products that would “surprise and shock us all.”
Wozniak stated, “Over time I’ve seen Apple go up or down 2x over a few months. It’s very disappointing because if you look at the amount of cash that Apple holds that cash translates to one to two hundred dollars per share of stock just in cash form. So the expectations are a little lower even than they expect.” Apple currently holds about $140 billion in cash.
However, “Woz,” as he is affectionately known by Apple fans, noted that these low expectations are not justified by the reality of the industry. Wozniak rhetorically asked, “But where are the profits of the whole industry though? They are still with Apple and profits are all that really matter in the long run.” As Tim Worstall at Forbes has previously noted, “the aim and point of the whole game is profit: by which standard we really can say that Apple is the leading phone handset maker, even if it fails by some of the others.”
Wozniak continued, “Apple’s business model tends to be new products, even products that didn’t exist before and doing well out of them and not re-making the same thing, as eventually that just gets a little bit stale. So I would guess that Apple is very well prepared, and working on new things that are going to surprise and shock us all.” Unfortunately, Wozniak also said he “honestly” doesn’t know what amazing products Apple may be developing now since he makes it a point to “never ask key insiders at Apple what they are about to come out with,” according to Cult of Mac…
Besides commenting on the current state of Apple, Wozniak also offered his visionary thoughts on the future direction that computers could take human development. Wozniak believes that computers have the potential to bring humans “to a place of perfect happiness” as they free our minds “to think of other things and enabled us to get to where we are today” reports TechCrunch.
Although Wozniak was happy to speculate about the general future of technology, he refused to speculate about any specific upcoming Apple product launches. “I gave up trying to guess a long time ago,” he stated via TechCrunch.
Here’s how Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) traded Friday:
Don’t Miss: Will Apple Do What Google Wouldn’t in China?


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Noted Atlanta-based design firms Cooper Carry and The Johnson Studio are merging in a deal that is expected to close Jan. 1.Johnson Studio, well known for restaurant, lounge and other hospitality industry design, will fold into the Cooper Carry practice, though it will retain its brand and will continue to specialize in interiors for hospitality clients, according to a news release.
Among the Johnson Studio’s Atlanta projects are the redesign of the Polaris lounge in downtown Hyatt Regency hotel and KR SteakBar by noted chef Kevin Rathbun.
“Over the past 25 years our firm has built an impeccable reputation for producing some of the most forward-thinking restaurant designs whether they are part of a hotel or free-standing,” Bill Johnson, president of Johnson Studio, said in the release. “This collaboration with Cooper Carry, one of the nation’s most respected hotel designers, provides a platform for future services that we feel will be unparalleled.”
Cooper Carry is among Atlanta’s best-known design firms, specializing in architecture, master planning, landscape design, interiors and consulting services. Its project roster in the Atlanta area includes the State Farm operations center under construction in Dunwoody near Perimeter Mall, 10 Terminus in Buckhead and Lindbergh City Center transit oriented development in Buckhead.
“We have long admired their work and the creative solutions they bring to their projects,” Kevin Cantley, CEO of Cooper Carry said in the release. “Now by joining forces, we are delighted to have them work alongside our talented hotel and retail team every day. This new alliance will provide significant opportunities for our clients to continue to receive the highest level of service and superior design for which both firms are noted for.”

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As macro factors start to weigh on global equity markets, we thought we'd revisit 5 venture-backed companies that went public around 6 months ago and see how they're doing. We tracked:
First, we looked at the stock's performance over the past 6 months:
The two FinTech companies, OnDeck and LendingClub, have underperformed the Nasdaq while software companies Box, New Relic, and Hortonworks have managed to maintain 25%+ gains.
Next, we looked at how the market is valuing these companies on their trailing twelve month (TTM) revenue:
In all but one instance, the Sales Multiple (Market Cap divided by TTM revenue) has decreased. This can be interpreted in one of a few ways:
- Investors have re-calibrated the price they are willing to pay for growing tech companies,
- These five companies are "growing" into their multiple (ie: investors were actually valuing the companies on expected revenue growth, and the companies are delivering on that expectation)
- the Sales Multiple is one of many factors that go towards valuation
OnDeck's contract is the most extreme: investors initially valued OnDeck at a 20x multiple, and that has now shrunk to 4.4x, despite the company's growing revenue.
What else can we take from this (small) sample of post-IPO tech companies? There has always been a lot of debate about the 6-month lockup for private company shareholders (employees and early investors usually must wait until 180 days after the IPO before they can begin selling shares). As a group, it would appear that there's been little, if any, post-lockup selloff after the six month mark.
In other news...
Farhad Manjoo explores the consequences (both good and bad) of the "Private IPO"
Commentary on the massive impact Amazon's website hosting platform has had through its aggressive price reductions, such as lowering barriers to entry for tech entrepreneurs and lowering the cost of service to consumers.
Following the fallout from controversial administrative decisions by Reddit's upper management, Fred Wilson of Union Square Ventures speculates on the future of websites predicated on freedom of speech and user-generated content.
Money transfer and bill-paying service Xoom was acquired over the weekend, as PayPal expands their payments and transfer business prior to their spinoff from Ebay.
While a deviation from tech-centric news, this musing on how a new Greek currency would be valued is worth a read following the results of the weekend referendum.


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SEC Pauses Zoom Technologies Trading Because People Think It’s Zoom Video
The Securities and Exchange Commission suspended buying and selling of Zoom Technologies on Thursday, partly as a result of traders are complicated it with Zoom Video, which has seen a surge share worth as a consequence of COVID-19. It will resume buying and selling April 9. From a report: Zoom Video, which supplies videoconferencing providers and trades below the ticker image “ZM,” is a key element for a lot of companies shifting to distant work throughout the coronavirus pandemic. That’s led to the corporate, which went public final yr, to see a surge in customers and inventory worth rise of greater than 112% this yr to this point — a rarity within the present coronavirus-induced down market. It’s now obtained a market cap north of $40 billion. However, merchants have additionally bid up the a lot smaller Zoom Technologies, which has the ticker image “ZOOM.” Its inventory is up greater than 50% this month and almost 900% this yr. The firm has not disclosed monetary data since 2015, the SEC says.


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He was a leading light in the British acid house revolution, the resident DJ at his own legendary London party Shoom back in 1987. Now Danny Rampling is setting an entirely different precedent for the rave generation: as of next New Year’s Eve, Rampling will hanging up his headphones.
“Over the years of playing around the world, I have been slowly developing a taste for fine wines and modern eclectic cuisine,” Rampling explained in a press release he issued on Monday. And you know where this is going. Yes, Rampling is set to become a restauranter. Of his new enterprise, to be set in the heart of London, he says, “It will be a large chilled space with 80+ covers and I am fortunate that my business partner has 17 years experience in Michelin Star restaurants. The cuisine will be modern European with Southern Mediterranean influences.”
Superstar DJs have long lived the high life and the good wine that so easily comes their way has turned into, for many, into a passion to match their vinyl habits. See both my opening post at the iJamming! Wine pages (Wine and Music: The Connection ) and interviews with DJs Timo Maas and John Acquaviva about their own wine obsessions. Even if you don’t care for Rampling’s new venture, congratulate him for getting out on top, while in good health. Now, who’s next for the old DJ’s home?


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App Annie report shows m-commerce is a vital step along the customer purchasing journey.
The retail industry has reached the point that it isn’t surprising to hear that mobile commerce shopping plays an important role. That said, according to App Annie, smartphone shopping is playing a central and critical role along the complete retail journey.
American retailers are no longer able to think of m-commerce as simply an optional luxury.
The report shows that the mobile commerce shopping trend has made a mobile strategy a necessity for retailers that want to succeed. Essentially, it stated that at some point along a consumer’s journey, they will look to their mobile devices to help guide them toward the right choice.
As a result, App Annie says that a solid mobile strategy is key to being able to thrive in retail. The report was titled “Retailers: Why Data Should Drive Your Mobile Strategy.” It showed that many consumers are looking to mobile commerce first when they are thinking of buying. Furthermore, that number is growing.
Retailers looking to make a mobile commerce shopping strategy will need to focus on data at the core.
App Annie pointed out the importance of insightful and reliable metric in order to give retailers what they need to make the decisions that will best serve them. These choices must send customers to their app or mobile website. The data can help retailers to select the types of features and tools that will boost the chances that consumers will actually make a purchase they’re considering. Moreover, the right metrics will allow a company to measure their customer satisfaction so they can better understand what is and is not working.
Furthermore, a mobile data strategy hands retailers the capability for benchmarking themselves against their rivals. It can also let them implement best practices that have been demonstrated as effective in positive engagements that boost individual order basket size as well as lifetime value.
App Annie regional director Jaede Tan pointed out that this is not exclusive to the United States as Asia has been the place to watch for mobile commerce shopping trends for several years.


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Recently, the guys over at iFixit dissected the new Google Nexus One phone while iSuppli provided parts details revealing the final cost for Google Nexus One at $174. Of course, don’t forget that in mass quantities, parts can be purchased for cheaper so I doubt that’s actually the final price for Google. And there’s also cost for custom-designed phone cover that’s not mentioned in the parts list.
In all, I think the new Google Nexus phone will keep up to its beloved brand, Google. HTC built the phone but it’s pretty much Google’s design/work from the way I see it.
Well, I will be getting hands on mine when I get back to San Francisco, my Nexus One is waiting for me at my local FedEx office, unboxing review/video coming soon!


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Turkey's deputy prime minister said on Monday that Turkey had achieved an economic growth rate above expectations and its inflation figures were in decline.
Commenting on the declining inflation figures made public today by Turkey's statistics authority, TurkStat, Turkish State Minister & Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan said, "While Turkish economy has achieved a strong domestic demand performance and an economic growth rate higher than expected in 2010, inflation is also in decline. This is a very positive development".
Babacan underscored that there had been a decline in all inflation figures including core inflation.
"Such developments show that basic inflation indicators are in accordance with medium-term targets," the minister noted.
Turkey's statistical board, TurkStat, announced on Monday that Turkey's annual inflation rose by 8.37 percent in consumer prices and by 7.64 percent in producer prices as of June 2010.
The monthly inflation fell by 0.56 percent in consumer prices and by 0.5 percent in producer prices in June, TurkStat also said.
AAGüncelleme Tarihi: 05 Temmuz 2010, 15:21


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PTA receives offers worth Rs108mln for WLL services in Kashmir, GB
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on Tuesday received bids worth Rs108.4 million for 3.5 GHz spectrum licences, to be used for wireless local loop (WLL) services in Azad Jammu & Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan.
“LinkDotNet offered the highest bid of Rs 10 million during the process and therefore, was declared the successful bidder for one lot,” a PTA statement said. “PTCL (Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited) took the second lot by matching the same price of Rs.10 million.”
PTCL and LinkDotNet Telecom Limited participated in the auction of one lot of 3.5 GHz in TR-I – Mirpur Region. The auction was conducted in an open and transparent manner through open outcry method, it added.
The statement said the spectrum will be awarded after necessary payments by the successful bidders. “The total bid price for all spectrum lots comes to Rs108.4 million.”
The auction was witnessed by representatives from AJ&K and GB Councils, Ministry of Information Technology (MoIT), Frequency Allocation Board (FAB) and the telecom industry.
PTA invited bids for “Auction of Spectrum in 1900 MHz and 3.5GHz for WLL services in AJ&K and GB” on October 16, 2015 and also published information memorandum (IM).
An information session with the prospective bidders was held on November 10, 2015. Applications along with pre-bid deposits were received till December 7 and the qualified bidders were notified on December 15, 2015.
An information package containing necessary details of the auction process was also provided to the qualified applicants on December 21.
PTCL applied for all of the nine lots offered i.e. 1X1900 MHz and 2X3.5 GHz in all three regions of Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJ&K) and Gilgit Baltistan (GB) while LinkDotNet Telecom Limited applied for one lot of 3.5 GHz in TR-I (Mirpur).
The statement said the PTCL will be offered all the lots applied in TR-II (Muzaffarabad) and TR-III (Gilgit Baltistan) on base price in accordance with the IM while in TR I each 3.5 GHz slot will be offered to bid winners at the highest bid price of Rs10 million each. “The 1900 MHz slot in TR I (Mirpur) will go to PTCL at the price of Rs55.8 million,” it added.
Syed Ismail Shah, chairman PTA, said the auction was aimed at enhanced telecom services for the people of AJ&K and GB.
“It’s a win-win situation for all government, operators and the consumers as it will ensure revenues for government, business for operators and better services for consumers of the far-off regions,” Shah said. “This will have positive cumulative effect on the economies of these regions. “
He said PTA has suggested the government to set up handset assembly plants and data centers in AJ&K and GB as natural climate in these areas is very favorable for such businesses.


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According to Similarweb data, traffic referrals to the top worldwide news sites from Meta’s Facebook and X, formerly Twitter, have plummeted in the last year.
Why it matters: Website business strategies that rely on social media clicks are no longer viable.
What’s happening: Regulatory pressure and worries about free speech have forced tech titans to forsake attempts to improve information quality, leaving the public more vulnerable to misinformation ahead of the 2024 election.
Meanwhile, news organizations are searching for business solutions while also trying to defend their work in the AI era.
The broad picture: While the journalism business has anticipated this day, many are still unprepared.
This year saw a record amount of media job cutbacks due to a sluggish ad market and less consistent visitors.
Attempts to reach voters with trustworthy information are growing increasingly challenging as tech platforms focus on viral trends rather than quality journalism.
However, disruption is frequently a motivator for change.
Because of their dependency on social media traffic, news publishers have been unable to focus on developing stronger consumer products of their own.
Publishers are now better prepared to safeguard their intellectual property in the AI era, having learnt from their previous mistakes of relying too heavily on third parties for survival.
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Toni & Guy's latest campaign could be mistaken for an episode of Glee.
Toni & Guy have launched a video led campaign to promote two of its new products, aimed at fashion-forward millennials.
The videos, by Emotive, personify the Purple and Daily Detox shampoo variants in the form of a cheerleading/dance group (Purple) and a Gospel choir (Charcoal).
Each video features musical performance challenges, as the two 'products' take on a musical group that represents the problems that each has been designed to combat.
Unilever marketing manager Leanne Landolfi says the content was designed to entertain, while also showcasing the benefits of the product.
“By virtue, our fashion-focused millennial audience are always on the lookout for the latest and best in hair care. The challenge was to ensure that when they seek out or consider these innovations, Toni & Guy is unmissable and hard to resist," she says.
Emotive creative director Andrew Cameron says the campaign emulates music-driven films with strong female leaders.
“Leaning on our audience insights, we knew our digital-led campaign needed to have a strong music, dance and fashion focus to help drive engagement with millennial females," he says.


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Matthew Ables felt a little “Goofy” when he tried to use a Disney World ticket from 1978 he found at home to enter the Florida theme park recently. But he needn’t worry because even a vintage ticket with a face value of $8 allowed him entrance into The Magic Kingdom.
No wonder they call it “The Happiest Place on Earth.”
In a TikTok video with more than 12 million views, Ables said he found a ticket book from 1978 at home that had been “collecting dust” all these years. “I tried getting into Disney World with a 46-year-old ticket originally worth $8,” he said at the start of the video. What made the ticket special was the fact that there was no expiration date.
Depending on the month and day of the week, a ticket to Walt Disney World in Florida today costs from $109 to $164 or more.
After flying to Orlando, Ables presented his vintage ticket to a woman at a ticket booth. “I was getting nervous there because she started aggressively stamping ‘void’ all over the ticket booklet,” Ables said in the video.
Ables’ fear was misplaced. Moments later, a staff member handed him a yellow pass granting access to the theme park for the day. “I can’t believe this actually worked,” Ables confessed after walking into The Magic Kingdom.
You may also like: Disney at 100
There are lots of nicknames costume jewelry collectors have given their favorite...Read More


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Superstar Mahesh Babu is currently busy wrapping up his highly-anticipated political thriller, Bharath Ane Nenu. Meanwhile, he has signed yet another brand endorsement deal with a popular national brand.
Mahesh will be the brand ambassador of the protein brand Protinex. Mahesh would feature in its key brand campaigns and initiatives to educate Indians about the relevance of protein daily. “In today’s busy lifestyle, protein is an important nutrient for growth and maintaining an active lifestyle. In fact, I make sure that my daily diet has adequate protein, and Protinex is a key enabler to achieve this,” Mahesh Babu said.
Thanks to his huge popularity, Mahesh Babu was the obvious choice for Protinex, which is aiming to spread its reach down South.
- Date set for Rajamouli’s son’s wedding
- Sumanth’s next aims at a December release
- Interview : Vijay Devarakonda – Taxiwaala’s leakage made me helpless
- Geetha Govindam registers record TRPs from its TV premiere
- Vijay Devarakonda’s solid statement against piracy sites


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8 Feb 2022, 17:49 UTC · By: Florin Amariei / Honda is getting ready for the next automotive chapter with new in-car surveillance technology and gesture control like we’ve seen previously on BMWs
15 Dec 2016, 15:06 UTC · By: Vlad Mitrache / The premium Bavarian brand is building on two of its novel technologies - gesture control and HUD - to come up with something that seems quite impossible
13 Oct 2016, 14:37 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / Four years after its introduction at the Paris Motor Show, the Volkswagen Golf VII is ready for a mid-cycle update. ETA: "early November"
15 May 2016, 10:41 UTC · By: Mircea Panait / German automotive giant Continental AG could spell the end of buttons on the steering wheel thanks to its pioneering gesture-based control system
28 Dec 2015, 09:19 UTC · By: Sebastian Toma / The carmaker has released a teaser image of its latest concept, called Vision Car. It will be shown at CES 2016 and will feature a new kind of touchscreen
21 Sep 2015, 20:03 UTC · By: Gabriel Nica / Volkswagen plans to introduce a plethora of new technologies that will reduce usage of buttons to an absolute minimum
17 Sep 2015, 15:04 UTC · By: Gabriel Nica / Here's a quick look at how BMW's Gesture Control feature works and how to operate it
6 Jan 2015, 09:21 UTC · By: Gabriel Nica / BMW’s iDrive system has come a long way as far as infotainments go. Initially deemed as horrifying and hard to use, the company managed to turn things around and are now offering one of the be...


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Bingo launches smart band at RS 999
New Delhi: Consumer electronics accessories player Bingo Technologies on Wednesday launched a waterproof smart band that is compatible with all devices featuring Android and iOS through Bluetooth 4.0 and below.
Keeping a track of user’s health patterns, “Bingo M2 Smart Band” checks heart rate and the quality of sleep.
“The launch of our latest product, the water-proof Bingo M2 Smart Band, is in line with our strategy to roll out innovative and cutting edge products in the Indian market at an affordable price,” said Abhinaya Pratap Singh, Marketing Manager, Bingo Technologies in a statement.
Priced at Rs 999, the band sports an OLED display and a 70 mAh battery capacity which when fully charged can run up to 300 hours.
The smart band provides protection from Ultraviolet radiation and resistance to abrasion, sweat and sebum.
The band is available on all leading e-commerce sites.


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Huayou Cobalt to build cathode plant in Hungary
The Chinese company Huayou Cobalt will build its first European factory in Hungary to produce cathode material for electric car batteries. The planned site in Ács is only a few kilometres from the city of Győr, where Audi operates a plant.
Hungarian Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Péter Szijjártó announced that Huayou Cobalt will invest 520 billion forints (about 1.4 billion euros) in the cathode material factory in Ács in the north of the country. The plant is expected to have a capacity of around 100,000 tonnes per year. Further details have not yet been made public. It remains unclear when the factory will be built and when it will be completed.
The Chinese company is one of the most important suppliers of battery raw materials worldwide. The company maintains numerous partnerships with carmakers and battery cell manufacturers – for example, two joint ventures are to be founded with VW in China. There is also already a partnership with BMW in China, although not in the area of raw material procurement, but in recycling.
Many carmakers and battery manufacturers are currently setting up plants in Hungary. The country offers favourable investment conditions, especially for China. CATL and Eve Energy, for example, are building large battery cell factories in Debrecen. BMW is also currently building its first electric car plant in Debrecen for the new class vehicles, including battery assembly. And the South Korean battery material manufacturer EcoPro BM started building a factory in Debrecen at the end of April.
Huayou’s favoured location, Ács, is only a few kilometres from the city of Győr, where Audi operates a plant. Production of purely electric cars is to start there in the coming years. It is considered likely that an electric compact model will be produced there in the future. Audi currently builds the A3 in Győr. The Hungarian city also produces internal combustion and electric engines for the entire group. From 2025, Audi plans to produce a new family of electric drive systems for the MEB ECO platform for use in the Volkswagen Group’s electric small cars at its plant there.
Audi Hungaria produces around 100,000 units per year of the current electric drive systems, including the asynchronous machines for the e-tron quattro built in Brussels, among other things. As reported, e-drives for the Premium Platform Electric (PPE) have also recently been produced in Györ.


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New Zealand’s ASB Bank has invested in blockchain startup TradeWindow. The platform aims to digitize international trade documentation to reduce the risk of fraud and cybersecurity threats. Last year we wrote about a TradeWindow pilot transaction between meat exporter Greenlea Premier and a Korean importer, in which ASB Bank was also a partner.
“TradeWindow has the potential to truly transform the way our customers experience the international trade process,” said Nigel Annet, Executive General Manager of Corporate Banking at ASB Bank. “By digitizing the trade process, businesses will be able to operate more efficiently with trust and security across the globe.”
There are 12,000 registered exporters in New Zealand, which is a reasonable opportunity. However, ASB Bank is owned by Commonwealth Bank of Australia. While not mentioned in the announcement, clearly there’s potential to access an even bigger market.
TradeWindow’s founder/CEO AJ Smith sees the primary benefit of distributed ledger technology (DLT) as costs savings. Plus there’s the speed of document sharing by avoiding sending paperwork via couriers. “TradeWindow allows all relevant documents – from certificates to invoices – to be exchanged digitally using one touchpoint,” said Smith.
“With cybersecurity threats on the rise, many exporters are looking to future-proof their trading procedures. By using TradeWindow, exporters can prevent revenue loss from criminal activity and provide increased traceability through the supply chain.”
The growth opportunity
Smith has his eyes on expansion. TradeWinds is planning to acquire Prodoc, which creates digital documentation for more than 60% of New Zealand’s exports. Plus it intends to buy IVS (Independent Verification Services) which provides certifications for the forestry and horticultural sectors. Additionally, it’s conducting pilots in different industries including with Fiordland Lobster Company, New Zealand’s largest lobster exporter.
We’ve asked TradeWindow which blockchain technology it uses. Last year the TradeWinds platform was part of VerifyUnion which developed the technology and where Smith was CEO until recently. We’ve requested clarification about whether TradeWindow was a spin-out.
Singapore startup dltledgers has a similar international supply chain platform already in production. It has already processed more than $1 billion in trade finance.


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What if Grubhub not only allowed you to pick out menu items at local restaurants for delivery, but also ranked those menu items according to healthiness? That’s the idea behind a new app, Order Healthy, which was launched in New York City in 2016 and is now rolling out in the DC area.
Here’s how it works: after adding your address, Order Healthy shows restaurants available in your area. The app currently includes a network of 150 DC-area eateries, with plans to reach at least 500 around Washington by the end of the year. Once you’ve selected a restaurant, you can pull up the menu to place your order. On each menu—in addition to the dish name and price—the Order Healthy app also includes a colored circle: green for healthiest, yellow for moderate, and red for unhealthiest.
“Online ordering is definitely the way of the future, and we want to make sure that people are still conscious of what they’re eating,” says Order Healthy co-founder Ben Sakhai.
Sakhai and his brother, who helped create the app, don’t have experience in nutrition or tech—their backgrounds are in finance. So when it came to the mechanism that categorizes food, they didn’t build it themselves. Rather, they paired the app with another app, Join the Challenge, which rates the foods. Because not every restaurant has nutritional information available for their menu items, Join the Challenge’s ranking is based off of the food names and descriptions—the same thing you’d see if you were reading the restaurant menu.
But how accurate is this method, which relies on food descriptions rather than nutrition facts? Join the Challenge funded a study to find out, and researchers compared the app’s color coding selections against the actual nutrition facts from 20 chain restaurants. The analysis found that the green foods were lower than yellow foods, which were lower than the red foods, in calories, calories from fat, total fat, saturated fat, and carbohydrates for a 100-gram serving.
Because the study was funded by Join the Challenge, it’s important to take the results with a grain of salt and continue to use good judgement at restaurants, taking a look at the nutrition facts yourself wherever possible. But while the color coding in Order Healthy has the potential for inaccuracies—a legal disclaimer on the app says, “Please be advised that the JTC Food Ratings themselves have not been reviewed by persons with the expertise required to provide you with complete, accurate, or reliable information”—it may be helpful in making quick, health-focused decisions about what to order in for dinner.
“The idea is to be really conscious of what you’re eating and to see how often you’re ordering those red, yellows, and greens,” says Sakhai.


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Jacques-Antoine Granjon, the billionaire founder of Vente Privée, the huge private sales site valued at $3 billion, gave an interview today to French business daily La Tribune. He revealed some of the numbers about the business as well as his future ambitions.
Here's what we learned:
- Vente Privée revenue was $1.3 billion in 2010 and will be $1.5 billion this year.
- Vente Privée has profit margins around 6-7%. This is huge for online retailing, especially discounting. Granjon doesn't go into the reasons for this, but we're told that Vente Privée has excellent relationships with the brands it purchases inventory from, so it probably gets them at an even lower price. Meanwhile they're so huge that they can afford to sell things at less discount (does 70% off make that much of a difference vs 60% off?) to their audience. And their operations are said to be very efficient. Granjon doesn't say so, but this also means that VP has hundreds of millions of cash on its balance sheet which it can use for strategic acquisitions. VP has grown organically so far, but Granjon is ambitious and could pull out the checkbook at some point.
- Granjon doesn't think much of his competitors. Vente Privée has zillions of imitators now in Europe, none of whom are big, and Granjon bashed them in the interview. He thinks the real competition will come from Amazon and eBay, who recently bought two of those small competitors.
- He wants VP to generate $15 billion in revenue eventually. How? By becoming "the Amazon of the event sale" in Europe -- selling everything from trips to shows to store discounts. He wants to do "more than Groupon" but is thin on details. But few people who have underestimated Granjon have ever made money.
Curious about the story of Vente Privée and its colorful, billionaire founder? Check out our profile of Jacques-Antoine Granjon →


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Falling PV module prices have little effect on solar power investments in Germany
A significant drop in the price of PV modules has so far had only a moderate effect on solar power investments in Germany, according to website strom-report.de. Prices for PV modules fell by more than 70 percent between 2010 and 2016 while at the same time investments contracted by about 90 percent from 19.5 billion euros to 1.58 billion euros, strom-report.de says. The parallel decrease in renewables support, which is said to have negatively affected solar power’s expansion in Germany, stood at only 64 percent, it adds. strom-report.de noted, however, that newly installed capacity did not decline as much as investment. “Further price decreases, stable feed-in tariffs and new target markets could revive PV expansion. The industry is optimistic,” strom-report.de says.
Read the analysis in German here.
See the CLEW article on German module producer SolarWorld’s insolvency for background.


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Late last year, we heard rumblings that Apple is working on a pair of augmented reality glasses. Now, it appears the company won't be doing it alone. According to a new report, Apple is teaming with optics company Carl Zeiss to work on a high-tech pair of glasses.
The news comes by way of noted blogger Robert Scoble, who claims a Zeiss employee confirmed the rumors that "Apple and Carl Zeiss are working on a light pair of augmented reality/mixed reality glasses that may be announced this year." As Scoble points out, Zeiss' CES 2017 booth was located in the Augmented Reality section of the show, despite the company not having any new AR products on hand.
Scoble's report doesn't offer many details, though the fact that he makes specific mention of a "light" pair of glasses suggests that Apple's goggles may be a mainstream-friendly lifestyle product, much like Snap's Spectacles. Snap Inc.'s new wearable became an instant hit when it launched late last year, thanks to its ability to record first-person Snapchat videos and the fact that it more or less looks like a normal pair of sunglasses.
Zeiss, Apple's potential partner, is no stranger to high-tech glasses and cameras. The company's products include a line of lens add-ons for smartphones, as well as Zeiss VR One, the company's own mobile VR headset.
At least year's CES, we went hands-on with a prototype pair of glasses from Smart Optics, a startup venture from the Carl Zeiss Group. It had a small, strategically-placed OLED display and a fresnel lens (a flat lens comprised of a series of concentric circles), creating a non-obtrusive augmented data delivery system. During the demo, the glasses received data from a nearby phone.
Apple CEO Tim Cook has been championing AR for quite some time, calling it a "core technology" in an interview last year with the Washington Post. Cook also hinted that AR is "something we're doing a lot of things on behind [the] curtain."
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Apple isn't the only major player apparently looking to bring augmented reality to the masses. Scoble notes that Meta, a company whose AR glasses have blown us away in the past, are working on a similarly mainstream product with optics company Lumus.
Bloomberg's original report from last November suggested a possible 2018 launch for Apple's AR glasses. But based on Scoble's new info, it appears that Apple's specs may be ready for a 2017 reveal. With the 10th-anniversary iPhone likely launching this September, perhaps Apple is looking to make an extra-big splash with its milestone handset by pairing it with a set of glasses that blend iOS apps with the real world.
Mike Andronico is Senior Writer at CNNUnderscored. He was formerly Managing Editor at Tom's Guide, where he wrote extensively on gaming, as well as running the show on the news front. When not at work, you can usually catch him playing Street Fighter, devouring Twitch streams and trying to convince people that Hawkeye is the best Avenger.


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LifeSafe warns on Q4 profits as costs rise
Fire safety technology company LifeSafe reported a robust trading performance for the 11 months through November on Wednesday, although related increased costs led to it warning on fourth-quarter earnings.
The AIM-traded firm said that LifeSafe achieved substantial sales growth during the period, with revenues reaching £5.4m.
That represented an impressive 62% increase compared to last year’s period.
It said the remarkable sales growth was primarily driven by the group’s digital consumer channels in the UK and the US, showcasing the strong appeal of the StaySafe 5-in-1 and StaySafe All-in-1 products.
The positive developments set the stage for the upcoming launch of new products and fluids in 2024, aimed at expanding into LifeSafe’s wholesale and industrial markets.
LifeSafe said its strategic partnerships with industry leaders like Wormald and QBE, announced on 26 September, aligned with its long-term strategic plan and were expected to bolster growth further.
However, the sales growth still involved challenges, with LifeSafe experiencing increased costs related to digital advertising and logistics, particularly in the rapidly expanding US market.
As a result, the firm anticipated failing to achieve monthly EBITDA profitability in the fourth quarter, as previously expected.
The company’s board now guided that the 2023 EBITDA loss would exceed current market expectations, likely falling within the range of £1.3m to £1.5m, with revenue estimated to be between £5.7m and £5.9m.
It said the reduced revenue growth was partly attributed to the underperformance of a digital marketing partner in the US compared to the prior year.
To address the challenges, LifeSafe said it had initiated a cost reduction programme, focusing on overheads and supply chain expenses and implementing changes to its marketing strategy.
The company expected that the actions, combined with an improved margin mix driven by increased wholesale and industrial sales, would enhance operating margins in the future.
“While we are disappointed with the impact of the unexpected increased costs within our digital sales channel, the company continues to show strong sales growth this year, which is already 62% ahead of 2022,” said chairman Dominic Berger.
“This performance has come during a time when our focus was to establish our brand in the market and drive further top-line growth in our digital channel, both of which we have delivered.
“The diversification and development of new fluid variants aimed at the higher margin industrial and wholesale sectors is ahead of plan, notably in the fight against the threat of fire events with lithium-ion batteries, and in our partnerships with Wormald and QBE.”
Berger said the company continued investing in research and development to meet the challenges of increased fire threats driven by climate change, technology, the environment, and legislation, and it looked forward to showcasing its efforts shortly.
“Our focus in the short term is to leverage our greater understanding of our digital channels and logistics, alongside the development of our industrial and wholesale channels.”
LifeSafe said it would provide a further trading update after the busy Christmas period in January.
At 1214 GMT, shares in LifeSafe Holdings were down 46.21% at 15.6p.
Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com.


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Silver Muse, a new cruise ship being built by Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri for Monaco-based cruise company Silversea Cruises, was launched on July 1 at Fincantieri’s Genoa Sestri Ponente yard.
Fincantieri introduced the launching by holding a coin ceremony that consisted of welding a silver commemorative coin on the last deck of the ship.
Interior fittings will now begin, leading the vessel to its delivery, scheduled in April 2017.
The newbuild has a gross tonnage of 40,700 gross tonnes and an accommodation space for 596 passengers on board.
Fincantieri held a keel laying ceremony for the cruise ship in December 2015.
The Silver Muse will expand Silversea’s fleet to nine ships.
Currently, 21 ships are being designed or built by Fincantieri.
Image Courtesy: Fincantieri


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Rockstar’s wildly popular online multiplayer game, Grand Theft Auto Online, has become the latest avenue for Chinese nationalists and Hong Kong pro-democracy supporters to wage their ideological battles. The protests are now breaking out in the virtual world.
According to AbacusNews, the Hong Kongers’ superior numbers on the continental part of China overcame the Chinese after a battle with railguns in the game.
Over the last two weeks, message boards and social media platforms that are used by gamers have been filled with videos. Also, the virtual clashes along with insults and recriminations from both sides of the ideological divide.
What Is GTA?
GTA Online is an online open-world game that allows players to move freely on the virtual streets of a large, fictional American city.
In the multiplayer game Grand Theft Auto (GTA) V, Hong Kong protests are being played out online as pro-democracy supporters fight in-game Chinese nationalists. The online challenges for ideologies as protesters started to dress up their avatars and riot online in the usual garb of their movement.
In the meantime, social media was full of clashes, which included videos of battles and insults on both sides on gaming messages.
After the release of recent expansion earlier this month, gamers in Hong Kong noticed they could dress their avatars in the clothing worn in their movement. Hence, it is pushing for greater democratic freedoms and police accountability.
They dressed in black clothes, masks, and yellow helmets and threw oil bombs, smashed underground stations, and attacked the cops. They are almost repeating the protests, which have stirred up the financial hub.
Their antiquities quickly drew the attention of gamers in China. After this, they dressed themselves up as a police force and fought with the Hong Kongers.
The gamers posted images on a video clip on the Chinese social media platform Weibo, Twitter-like platform on Monday titled “Compilation of players who kill the cockroaches.”
What Is A Cockroach?
A cockroach is a word that Hong Kong’s police and state supporters regularly identify protesters with.
On Tuesday afternoon, the video had over 175.000 views.
One video clip reads, “No one can trample down our honor. We must fight like a Chinese player!” The makers of the video blurred some slogans of the Hong Kong players for democracy in an example of the censorship people in China.
Half self-governing Hong Kong is fighting with increasingly violent demonstrations for democracy.
At first, they ignited themselves by a now-abandoned attempt to allow extraditions into the repressive continent. However, the movement has developed into a revolt against the rule of Beijing.
China’s authorities flung its weight to put an end to the massive protests. The police called protestors for an investigation. More than 6000 people were arrested.


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This is more good news for the airline industry as a whole.
Christmastime air travelers are paying more for tickets this year than last, fueling a bit of holiday cheer among downtrodden U.S. airlines.
According to an analysis of fares by Sabre Airline Solutions for USA TODAY, the average round trip for travel around Christmas and New Year’s costs $412. That’s up $50, or 14%, from a year ago. Sabre looked at November ticket purchases for domestic travel for the two weeks starting Wednesday. Yet, loftier fares don’t appear to be scaring passengers away.
Airlines sold roughly the same number of tickets in November for holiday travel as they did last year, the analysis shows. The fact that traveler demand is holding despite higher fares and more crowded planes is encouraging to troubled airlines, says Sabre consultant Steven Hendrickson. It suggests that airlines can nudge prices up during high-demand periods without losing customers. via USA Today


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During the October Microsoft Windows 10 Event, a new range of virtual reality headsets were unveiled for PCs.
Pictured above, the headsets were made in partnership with “top PC makers” and will be available sometime in 2017, with prices starting at $299. Some of these partners are cited to include HP, Dell, Lenovo, Asus, and Acer.
These headsets are touted as being camera-free, featuring “inside-out tracking sensors” that remove the need for external cameras. They are still wired to the PC, however.
The headsets are not to be mixed up with the existing Microsoft HoloLens, which features augmented reality instead: projecting images onto the real world, rather than displaying a fully self-contained virtual environment. In addition, despite Microsoft working with Oculus Rift in the past, they were completely absent from this event and are presumably not a partner for these devices.
In addition to the headsets, the Microsoft event was largely focused on transitioning the digital world into 3D through a combination of the HoloLens, a new Microsoft Surface, and VR technology. A video of the entire event is available, but be warned that it is two hours long and covers many different subjects.
The HoloLens provides a different approach to the concept of VR that is largely unrelated to games, but is nonetheless fascinating to watch develop. Being able to project digital holograms onto a transparent view of the real world has all sorts of potential applications. You can learn more about the HoloLens on the official site.
With the aim of these VR headsets to be affordability and ease of use, will we see a variation of the new devices coming to the Xbox One? The console already runs a variant of the core Windows 10 OS, and while the functionality is not identical, it might not be a stretch to imagine such a move happening in the future to compete with PlayStation VR.
At the moment, information on the devices is limited, so we’ll keep you informed when we learn more.


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It’s too early to talk about the Galaxy S7 or any future Samsung flagship at this point, as the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge are yet to go on sale anywhere in the world. But with Samsung putting a heavy focus on the curved display on the Galaxy S6 edge, it’s inevitable that we will see reports around the company’s display technology start showing up in the rumor mills.
Korean publication ETNews is kicking off the first such rumor by citing a Samsung official as saying that Samsung has requested 8 million flexible panels from Samsung Display monthly for the production of the Galaxy S7. Samsung has been rumored to be aiming to release flexible displays for smartphones by the end of this year, and given how the Galaxy S6 edge is being treated as a commercial device instead of something like a limited edition phone, it doesn’t seem far-fetched that the company has already ordered a high number of flexible panels for its next Galaxy S flagship (even though this handset might be more than a year away from being announced.)
According to the source, Samsung will be expanding its flexible display production factory this year, but will hold off its initial investment due to the difficulties faced in producing flexible OLED panels. It will no doubt overcome production issues soon enough considering how fast Samsung Display has been moving with its display technologies in recent months, and we will keep an eye out for any more details on Samsung’s plans to bring smartphones with flexible displays to the mainstream market.


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Business Bites: KellerGeist moving temporarily; Daydream Boutique opens new space; Outlaw Graphics and Sparkettes have moved; Homegrown Dental opening in May; Kaboom planning to open in April
KellerGeist Pub Theater
KellerGeist Pub Theater is closing their 111 Central Ave. temporarily and moving into the Bert and Ernie’s at 300 1st Ave. S. while the owners do their extensive remodel that’s expected to take 6-9 months.
Jolene Schalper told The Electric that as soon as they have state and city approvals they’ll make the move and are looking at opening in the B&E space mid-April.
She said they’ll have a new German Bier Garten out back, expanded hours Wednesday to Friday 4 p.m. to midnight and Saturday-Sunday 11 a.m. to midnight.
They’ll also be offering specials during the farmers market and music events throughout the summer.
In addition to their craft and their selection of more than 40 German bottle beers, the new space will allow them to have several German beers on tap, Schalper said.
The Geranios family still owns the building and they operate Little Athens in Holiday Village Mall. Nicholas Geranios said they are still intending to move a restaurant into the space and are finalizing their construction plans.
Repairs are being made in PETCO in Marketplace that will take 6-8 weeks so PETCO is going to be operating out of the former OfficeMax space for that period of time, according to Mark Macek, who owns the building.
The Daydream Boutique has moved into a new retail space in the Columbus Center, 1610 2nd Ave. N., Suite 610.
In February, the shop announced it was closing its 800 10th Ave. S. and going online only. Owners said customers wanted the retail space back to instead.
Outlaw Graphics has moved to 312 1st Ave. S. The space was previously a custodial supply business.
Homegrown Dental is opening in May at 2507 6th Ave. S.
The office is run by Dr. Heather Moore, a Great Falls native and is returning home to open her own practice.
They’re taking appointments now and more information is available on their website.
Kaboom is moving into 901 9th St. N, Suite B, with a 3,000 square foot laser tag arena, an open air inflatable park obstacle course, arcade games, a 2,500 square foot ninja park and more.
The owners hope to open by the end of April.
City planning said their office was contacted about the project, which is permitted for the property subject to the city processing a safety inspection certificate or possibly needing a permit. Staff said they’ve given that information to Kaboom but haven’t received an SIC yet.
Sparkettes of Montana
The Sparkettes of Montana have moved to 1221 7th Ave. S. and are hosting a spaghetti feed fundraiser open house in the new space 2-6 p.m. March 28.
The Sparkettes were previously located at 901 9th St. N.
Apollos University expanded into a street level space at 600 Central Ave. last year but the pandemic slowed the process.
The new student center is now open to the public and they’re resuming in-person classes in April.
Got a business bite? Send it to email@example.com.


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John Block, chief executive for Phillips, de Pury & Luxembourg in North America, resigned this week. Block, a jewelry expert who worked at Sotheby’s for 30 years before joining Phillips in January 2001, will leave on May 31.
“I was headhunted and hired by Bernard Arnault,” Block told The New York Times, referring to the chairman of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton. The French luxury goods company had a controlling interest in the auction house until it sold all but 27.5% of the company to Simon de Pury, its chairman, and Daniella Luxembourg, its president, three months ago.
“I decided to leave after the change of control,” he reportedly added. “I am hoping to start a new business, but I haven’t finalized my plans.”
Experts in the jewelry field say David Bennett, another former Sotheby’s jewelry expert, is expected to join the company, the Times reported.


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UKIF appoints Dr Willie Black as Chairman
The United Kingdom Internet Forum (certainly a better name than UK Internet Federation) has announced that Dr. Willie Black who just stepped down as Executive Chairman of Nominet UK has become its first chairman. The unofficial group sprung up as smaller ISPs started to voice their concerns at BT's price increases on the IPstream Office range of products and it is now taking its position as a campaigning organisation. At the same time it has also announced Keith Mitchell (CTO, XchangePoint) and Stephen Dyer (Chairman, Mailbox Internet) are the first board members.
One of the first priorities for UKIF will be continuing pressure on BT to reduce its IPstream Office prices as well as Ofcom's Strategic Review of Telecommunications Phase Two which it says is "one of the most important aspects of UK telecoms legislation that will have far-reaching effects on the industry". UKIF will also be an information provider to their customers to help ease the burden of regulatory pressures on small businesses.


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Lars Rasmussen and Tom Stocky are a pair of Google alumni who worked on search products during their tenure with the search giant. In 2011, they moved over to Facebook, where they began work on a “new kind” of search product. Now the veil of secrecy has been pulled aside to reveal Facebook Graph Search.
Let’s start off with the video coverage from Forbes:
Like with almost any announcement by Facebook, there are already some serious questions and concerns being raised. Both privacy advocates and online marketers are paying close attention, as is Google itself.
Think about the sheer volume of information out there. Organizing it into a visual search that accepts natural language is an almost grail-like goal. As that info becomes organized, there will always be the inevitable backlash as the public realizes they have shared far more than they think they have. Of course, the opt-out is always an option, isn’t it? Not really.
In typical Facebook fashion, the company removed the ability to opt out before announcing the new tool. BGR reports:
When you hide things on your timeline, like posts or connections, it means those things will not appear on your timeline. But, remember, anyone in the audience of those posts or who can see a connection may still see it elsewhere, like on someone else’s timeline or in search results. You can also delete or change the audience of content you post.
Facebook cited a stat that only a single-digit percentage of its users (which amounts to tens of millions of people) had previously opted out of having their content appear in search results, so the change wouldn’t be noticed by most. Of course at the time, no one knew the future of Facebook’s advertising business might ride on their data appearing in search results.
This is about par for the course. Zuckerberg and company have a long-standing tradition of asking forgiveness rather than permission. (Anyone out there remember Beacon?)
Facebook has a well-earned reputation for playing fast and loose with personal data. The company also have a long-standing rep for using an opt-out approach, something that I personally find to be unethical. Most people have little to no idea where their security settings are or how they work, making the opt-out process opaque and hard to access. In this case, “hard to access” has become “can’t do that here,” which I think show how desperate Facebook is to prove revenue potential to investors.
The gold standard for modern Internet endeavors is opt-in, the approach used by Google +. Of course, allowing people to opt-in produces far less participation than just adding everyone right off the bat. On the flip side, opt-in produces an engaged and attentive audience, whereas opt-out usually ends up producing hordes of “zombie likes” that have little to no impact on actual engagement. If Facebook were an email list, it would be blocked by most ISPs as spammers based on this tactic alone.
Additionally, it looks like Facebook Graph Search will be a phishing gold mine. Tony Bradley, the Business Security writer for PC World, takes note of some of the dangers:
[I]t’s a bit of a double-edged sword as well. Andrew Storms, director of security operations for nCircle, says, ‘The new Facebook Graph Search is a phishers’ dream come true. It takes the micro-targeting capabilities that have been available to online advertisers for years and puts them into the hands of cyber criminals.’
Think of it like Google hacking on steroids. Attackers learned long ago that Google is a virtually endless treasure trove of valuable information — sensitive data, and seemingly innocuous tidbits that can be used to hack into a network or account. Facebook Graph Search raises the bar — and not in a good way — by delivering that same capability with a more personal context.
Alex Horan, security strategist for CORE Security, points out the inherent conflict of interest of a tool like this because Graph Search is only useful if it provides relevant and interesting results. ‘This means Facebook will want it to have as much information available as possible to respond to each query, ensuring people have a positive experience. This directly goes against the desire expressed by people to keep their information private.’
This make you wonder if we are going to see Facebook flame out like MySpace did a few years ago. As the news articles about Facebook playing fast and loose with people’s private data accumulate, and the user interface continues to radically change, users are slowly but surely reaching a critical mass of dissatisfaction. Just look at Mark Cuban’s decision to completely de-emphasize Facebook for his football team and all of his Fortune 500 companies.
While there is always a chance that this may prove to be an amazing tool for marketers, and a second wind for Facebook, it is my belief that the company’s disrespect for its users will be its undoing.
What are your thoughts on the new graph search?


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GM Daewoo files suit against Chery
The General Motors (GM) Daewoo auto firm is suing a Chinese car manufacturer for allegedly copying one of its vehicles.
Sources with the Beijing No 1 Intermediate People's Court confirmed yesterday that the court has accepted a lawsuit filed by General Motors (GM) Daewoo against China's Chery Automobile Company.
GM is asking for compensation of 80 million yuan (US$9.6 million).
GM Daewoo contends that Chery's mini car QQ copied its Matiz and Spark.
Chery denies this, saying it developed QQ on its own.
The South Korean plaintiff initially began suing the Chinese auto maker in December last year at the Shanghai No 2 Intermediate People's Court.
However, the defendant objected on jurisdiction grounds. The Supreme People's Court appointed the Beijing-based court to handle the case, sources in the press office of the Beijing No 1 Intermediate People's Court told China Daily yesterday.
Produced by GM Daewoo, the Matiz went on the South Korean market in 1998, according to the bill of indictment.
GM Daewoo authorized the Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation in 2003 to produce and sell the Spark on the Chinese mainland on the basis of the design and technology of the Matiz.
However, GM Daewoo claimed their investigation results showed the Chery QQ shared a remarkably identical body structure, exterior design, interior design and key components.
"Chery even used a camouflaged Matiz car to pass auto tests to acquire authorization from the government over production and sales of QQ," the plaintiff said.
GM Daewoo claimed the behaviour of Chery had resulted in unfair competition.
A press official surnamed Zhang at the Chery headquarters in East China's Anhui Province told the Beijing Youth Daily that they had not been told of any developments regarding the accusation, the Beijing Youth Daily reported.
However, sources with the Chinese automaker insisted that Chery depends on itself for development, instead of copying other firms.
Eight months ago, Zhang Zhigang, vice-minister of commerce, said Chery's alleged infringement and unfair competitive behaviour could not be determined according to the Chinese law and evidence provided by GM Daewoo.
Zhang Qin, vice-director of the State Intellectual Property Office, also said at a press conference in September that GM Daewoo failed to apply for a patent on its designs in China. Thus, the technology was not protected in China according to the law.
The official also said that only when GM Daewoo had provided sufficient evidence to prove that Chery stole statistics from it could the alleged infringement exist, despite the similarities between the two cars.
"Domestic car firms should invent their own products, instead of copying others," Jia Xinguang, chief analyst with the China Automotive Industry Consulting and Development Corp, said yesterday in an interview with China Daily.
(China Daily 05/09/2005 page3)


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Published On: May, 21, 201904:50 PM
Musk earlier blamed the Indian government's policies for giving up on his India dreams. He also blamed the FDI norms for the delay in the electric car maker's entry into the Indian market.
In certain “cutting edge” industries the incidence of reported transfers was higher, such as 30% in chemicals and petroleum, 28% in medical devices, and 27% in pharmaceuticals, she added.
The 48MP camera on Redmi Note 7S features a large 1.6µm 4-in-1 Super Pixel. The device houses 13MP front camera with AI Portrait mode.
Cars in the outer lane that were in immediate proximity of the stopped car slowed down slightly so that cars in the inner lane were able to quickly pass the stopped car without having to stop or slow...
Kalia uploaded his video of casting vote at booth number 150 in the Kharar segment of the Sri Anandpur Sahib Constituency on Facebook Live.
Updated On: May, 20, 201905:18 PM
Older smartwatches also get all the newer watch faces that are on the Galaxy Watch Active.
The company added four million new users in the first quarter of 2019, registering a revenue of $320 million -- up 39 per cent (year-over-year).
The Sun and most stars are giant balls of plasma that undergo constant fusion reactions. Here on Earth, scientists must heat and control the plasma to cause the particles to fuse and release their...
Astrobee is a free-flying robot system that will provide a research platform for the orbiting laboratory.


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Samsung has this week announced that owners of some of its smart TVs can access free Apple TV+ for three months.
In a blog post Thursday,the company stated that from now through November 28 Samsung Smart TV owners can sign up for three months of free Apple TV+, with 2018-2022 models eligible.
To take advantage of the offer, you'll need to sign up by opening the Apple TV app on your Samsung TV home screen.
As you might expect there are a couple of catches. First off, you'll need to sign up by November 28 to be eligible. Secondly, you'll need to be a new subscriber to TV+. Unfortunately, that means that if you're already a subscriber or if you've taken advantage of another free TV+ offer, such as one of Apple's many promotions, you sadly can't get this one.
Since its launch in 2019 Apple has picked up more than 1,100 award nominations and 250 wins for its original films, TV shows, and documentaries including smash hits like Ted Lasso.
Apple TV+ is available on all of Apple's best iPhones, iPads, Macs, Apple TVs, and various smart TVs and devices as well as online through any device that can browse the internet. The company has also expanded into new avenues such as live sports and has signed a deal with MLB to bring Friday Night Baseball games exclusively to Apple TV+ for this season.
In a recent bid to drive more customers to its streaming platform, the company this week announced that it is airing the first season of one of its best shows, See, completely free through August 29. The show's third season premieres today and is one of Apple's most acclaimed titles.
Master your iPhone in minutes
iMore offers spot-on advice and guidance from our team of experts, with decades of Apple device experience to lean on. Learn more with iMore!
With the iPhone 14 event close at hand, it is possible that Apple may make a big TV+ announcement of some sort as it has done at previous events. This could include new titles or a new sports deal. A new Apple TV device is also reportedly close at hand.
Stephen Warwick has written about Apple for five years at iMore and previously elsewhere. He covers all of iMore's latest breaking news regarding all of Apple's products and services, both hardware and software. Stephen has interviewed industry experts in a range of fields including finance, litigation, security, and more. He also specializes in curating and reviewing audio hardware and has experience beyond journalism in sound engineering, production, and design.
Before becoming a writer Stephen studied Ancient History at University and also worked at Apple for more than two years. Stephen is also a host on the iMore show, a weekly podcast recorded live that discusses the latest in breaking Apple news, as well as featuring fun trivia about all things Apple. Follow him on Twitter @stephenwarwick9


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Optus claims Australian 5G speed record
Optus claims to have set a new Australian 5G speed record with a download speed of over 2.5 Gbps using a Samsung Galaxy S20 5G device on the first of its new high-speed 5G sites that will be deployed in Sydney and Melbourne.
Optus plans to deploy a further 150 high-speed 5G sites on its existing infrastructure in select areas of the two cities by November.
“The speeds we have achieved today are a real taste of what we are capable of delivering to Optus 5G Mobile customers in the coming months as we progressively roll out 5G ultra-high-speed sites in Sydney and Melbourne,” Optus Managing Director Networks Lambo Kanagaratnam said.
Meanwhile, Optus plans to add an additional 100 MHz of 3500 MHz spectrum on its 5G home internet service in select areas of Sydney and Melbourne over the next few months, representing an increase in bandwidth of around 60%.
This will result in faster average speeds for customers within the footprint. Optus said its 5G home internet service is delivering average speeds of 214 Mbps, with some users experiencing speeds of over 300 MHz.
With New Zealand travel bubble about to open, new speakers join the Comms Connect NZ program.
The 2021 EMPA Awards for Excellence in Emergency Communication will be presented at the EMPA...
The Australian Radio Communications Industry Association is working to resume its professional...


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Is Justin Bieber buying Headrush?
Canadian MMA apparel company Headrush is a success story in an ultra competitve space. With success comes headaches – ask UFC President Dana White who famously explains “every day when I wake up in the morning, the only thing I am sure of is that bad s— is going to happen.”
Headrush had a rash of that in August when Jersey Shore’s “The Situation” sued them in circuit court in Florida over alleged non delivery of a $100,000 motorcycle and appearance fees.
Now comes word, a rumor really, that Canadian singer-songwriter, musician and actor Justin Bieber is buying Headrush.
Bieber has been transparently using fighting to shift his image from harmless teen idol to something a little more, well, rock and roll.
Why has Bieber been hanging out at UFC events lately? Now the rumour mill is spinning. Sources say that Justin Bieber is becoming an official player in the MMA industry by signing papers to buy out Headrush. What does this mean for the image of Headrush? Will the company lose credibility with fans and fighters; and how will fans receive the Pop Star as a player in the MMA world? Moving from a target market of teenyboppers to a predominantly male base target market aged between 18-35 years old might be a tough transition. Maybe if you had the money that Bieber does you can buy the consumers.
While at first glance the idea seems a little suspect, in reality Justin Bieber is a 19 year old Canadian guy. It would be a little unnatural if he didn’t care at all about fighting. Further, his father was an amateur Muay Thai competitor, still trains, has mutual friends with the owners of Headrush, and wears the clothing.
Images from a recent Bieber MMA-themed photoshoot.
What do you beliebe? Have you developed a more admiring appreciation for the new, now edgy Biebernator?


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In recent years, gluten-free foods have become popular, in part due to increasing awareness of celiac disease and other gluten intolerances. In the Southern Tier, Jessamine Daly-Griffen has taken her own family’s personal experiences with gluten issues and turned them into a lucrative business venture with a social consciousness.
Two of Daly-Griffen’s children deal with gluten intolerance. Incorporating that into her family’s diet, she developed recipes that eventually caught the attention of folks outside her home.
“Our family discovered a need to go gluten free about 13 years ago,” Daly-Griffen said. “I was working in a restaurant, and the owners asked me to bake gluten free for the customers.
“People with gluten intolerance would come in, and when they were able to eat there after not being able to eat in public for so long, well, it was very moving, and definitely where the spark for this was lit. Another restaurant picked me up, so I was doing product for two, and then eventually three, restaurants. Then private orders began coming in, and that’s when I knew I had to go into business.”
Daly-Griffen started Om Nohm Gluten Free in her family’s hometown of Fredonia. The business bakes wholesome, dedicated gluten-free goodies for restaurants and farmer's markets in Chautauqua County, specializing also in vegan foods. After spending 2018 working out of a food truck, the company opened its first brick-and-mortar location in February.
Local small business supports helped Daly-Griffen on her entrepreneurial journey getting Om Nohm off the ground.
“I had a lot to learn, and I learned so much from mentors along the way,” Daly-Griffen said. “The Small Business Development Center at Jamestown Community College was a huge resource. I also went through a community development organization--Chautauqua Opportunities for Development Inc.”
Daly-Griffen said those organizations assisted with important things like establishing financial projections so that she could move forward with requesting financing and creating a structure around her products. She lauded CODI for providing small business loans with low interest rates, which helped her finance renovating an 1872 structure on Temple Street as Om Nohm’s new home.
Having a strong business plan and vision helped her to secure other sources of capital, as well. Daly-Griffen was the recipient of a $25,000 Ignite Buffalo grant. She said the Western New York community has been very supportive of her small business ambitions.
“The support is there, you just have to ask for it,” she added. “I could have started elsewhere and maybe had faster success. But it’s time for a renaissance. We’ve seen it in Buffalo. Cleveland is seeing it. Detroit, Dunkirk, Fredonia--these are tiny versions of that. It’s time to see our region experience that renaissance.”
And while she gives credit to those who have helped Om Nohm along the way, Daly-Griffen said there have been frustrations, as well.
“I say this with all the love for all the men in my life: I feel like business is a big dude show,” she said. “It’s very hard to be taken seriously as a woman with business ambitions. But the women that have helped me have helped with the language men understand and that they use in the business community.
“The reality is that it is very hard to be taken seriously as a woman business owner in our small town.”
There have been other obstacles, as well, like renovating a very old structure. But the hard work has paid off for the Daly-Griffen family now that they’re finally in their own space. And it’s a unique and inclusive one.
Om Nohm prides itself on collaborating and commissioning with local artists in every aspect of the business. From its uniforms, hats, aprons, logo design, and art in the building, it’s inviting creative people in the community and paying them for their contributions.
The bakery/café has a current art installation called Table Revolution that commissions different artists in the community to create their own interpretations of a theme on the table top to start conversations and keep the room dynamic. Om Nohm also hosts open mic nights, which sometimes feature her three children, all of whom play instruments.
The business also wants to be recognized as a safe and affirming space for LGBTQ people.
“We might be one of the first places in Fredonia as an openly identified safe space for the LGBTQ community,” she said. “It’s really important to me with my own family and own group of friends, and if we have one business that outs itself right out there on the door, then others will follow.”
Additionally, the bakery hosts pop-up lunches with local farmers. With so much happening for the business, Daly-Griffen has had to hire four part-time employees in the past month. She said she currently has a “big stack” of restaurants on the horizon requesting her products, which will be making their way north to the Buffalo-metro area in the near future.
“People are timid to try gluten-free food, which is a shame because our flavors are outrageous,” she added. “I don’t have the typical flavors and foods you find in a bakery. Each one is a work of art. I try to make it like a story with a beginning, middle, and an end with texture, flavor, and shape.”
Daly-Griffen hopes to add a second bakery location within five years and possibly a brewery with gluten-free beers in the next decade. Her big dream is to eventually start a holistic retreat center for the Chautauqua community somewhere on Lake Erie.
“I could retire teaching yoga, but I can’t bake until I’m 80,” she joked. “This is hard work!”
She also gave much credit to her husband, Jeremy, and children, Willow, Ezra, and Hazel, for their patience and support.
“They understand on a deep level why we’re doing this business,” she said. “Two of the three have gluten-free needs and they really understand it in their own lives. They’re excited to walk into a place and know they can eat anything on the menu.
“The reality is this is a spirited business that’s all about nurturing people,” she continued. “There is just such a joy to bringing food to people that normally wouldn’t be able to eat out. Food is a really important thing in communities and relationships. People with special food needs don’t get that in their lives as often. Om Nohm Gluten-Free is about that--letting those people with food needs share the experience.


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Remember that one time when Google CEO Eric Schmidt said, “Google policy is to get right up to the creepy line and not cross it”? Well, apparently Google has just filed a new patent for…
Wait for it…
An electronic lie detector throat tattoo.
I wish I was just joking.
Google subsidiary Motorola filed U.S. patent application #20130297301 for the nanotechnology entitled, “Coupling an Electronic Skin Tattoo to a Mobile Communication Device” on November 7, 2013. It begins:
A system and method provides auxiliary voice input to a mobile communication device (MCD). The system comprises an electronic skin tattoo capable of being applied to a throat region of a body. The electronic skin tattoo can include an embedded microphone; a transceiver for enabling wireless communication with the MCD; and a power supply configured to receive energizing signals from a personal area network associated with the MCD. A controller is communicatively coupled to the power supply. The controller can be configured to receive a signal from the MCD to initiate reception of an audio stream picked up from the throat region of the body for subsequent audio detection by the MCD under an improved signal-to-noise ratio than without the employment of the electronic skin tattoo.
Mr. Schmidt, consider the creepy line officially crossed.
Let’s be honest. The idea of Google creating this new nanotech tattoo is freaking creepy in and of itself. The fact that it’s temporary (it’s applied with an adhesive) makes it only half a tick less creepy than that guy who wears a trench coat and visits children’s parks alone. However, it only gets creepier and the potential privacy invasion factor only gets more invasive from there.
First, there’s the fact that whoever controls the tattoo can send the signals it generates to all kinds of mobile devices:
Controller 101 of electronic tattoo 110 can be configured to execute programs or instructions to enable communicative coupling of the electronic tattoo to external electronic devices such as a smartphone, a gaming device, a tablet computer, a wearable computer, for example.
Obviously based on this description, the “controller” doesn’t necessarily have to mean the person wearing the tattoo.
…The throat microphone of electronic skin tattoo 200 can have its own identification and be selectable in a group setting, for example, where multiple users are wearing an electronic skin tattoo 200.
Even if that’s not supposed to be something in a dystopic transhumanist screenplay written by a Ray Kurzweil stalker, just thinking about a group of people walking around wearing electronic throat tattoos that can be remotely controlled to send data to portable devices is admittedly…have I used the adjective “creepy” yet?
Next there’s the express mention that the tattoo can also be applied to animals:
The electronic tattoo 110 can comprise audio circuitry 103 that enables reception of acoustic signals from a person’s throat when the electronic tattoo 110 is applied to a throat region of a body. Here it is contemplated that the electronic tattoo 110 can also be applied to an animal as well.
Okay, great, but why exactly are they contemplating that? “Hey kids, time to record your dog Sparky and send it to your Xbox!”
But by far, the optional special feature that wins the magical Google Creepfest of the Day Award is the part where the tattoo may be used as a high-tech lie detector:
Optionally, the electronic skin tattoo 200 can further include a galvanic skin response detector to detect skin resistance of a user. It is contemplated that a user that may be nervous or engaging in speaking falsehoods may exhibit different galvanic skin response than a more confident, truth telling individual. [emphasis added]
Yep. Google just gets creepier and creepier every day. Billionaire Bill Gates, a creeper who also forked over a $1.1 million grant that would put galvanic skin response bracelets on school kids to measure their engagement, would be proud.
Never mind that lie detector tests can be easily beaten and there are even websites out there with instructions on how to do it.
This is about as lame as the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) $900 million team of Behavior Detection Officers who are supposedly trained to spot bad guys at America’s airports based on the hardcore, airtight evidence that is a human facial expression. Because, as everyone knows, nobody has any visible emotions whatsoever at the airport. (Also, this may come as a shock, but apparently the Government Accountability Office has determined that Behavior Detection Officers aren’t effective, either.)
This isn’t even the first creepy tattoo that some have likened to the Biblical Mark of the Beast coming out of Motorola. Former DARPA head (that’s the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the also creepy research and development arm of the Department of Defense) Regina Dugan, who currently works as Motorola’s head of “special projects” has already created electronic tattoos in addition to stomach acid-powered pills, both of which can literally authenticate a person like a password would (you know, in case you were still wondering what to get grandma for Christmas this year).
It’s already bad enough Google created the privacy nightmare known as Google Glass, which sadly, even Michael Chertoff — you know, the guy behind those oh-so-enjoyable naked body scanners the TSA ogles us through at our airports — well even he said there were numerous privacy concerns there. Actually, he equated the video camera-equipped eyeglasses to millions of Americans walking around with spy drones on their heads.
Can’t wait to see the commercial for these throat tattoos, by the way. I’m sure it won’t be, you know, creepy or anything.


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Another Street Fighter V beta test is headed your way, this time its just in time for Christmas.
The Street Fighter V beta dates was released through a promotional ad campaign, (via Imgur) which according to the image, starts on December 17th and ends on December 20th. The last Street Fighter V beta was for both PlayStation 4 and PC, allowing players to play cross platform. There has been no word on whether or not the newest beta will be for both platforms.
Capcom hasn’t made it clear which characters that have been announced for the game will be usable during the beta, but we do know that they have been stress testing their servers for quite some time using an open access beta. At least, open access to those who have pre-ordered the game.


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Queens Man Cited by FCC for Interfering with Sprint's Network
The FCC has filed a citation against a Queens, New York, man for operating equipment in the 1900MHz band that is interfering with Sprint's network. Sprint filed a complaint about interference issues on March 10. The FCC investigated and determined the interference is being caused by an unknown device or devices on property owned in Queens by Jian Chang. "The device at this location is injecting noise into the Sprint network and degrading or blocking service to Sprint's customers," said the FCC. When asked for help, "Chang refused to assist the agents and refused to allow the inspection of any offending transmitter." The FCC sent Chang an official notice about the interference issue and received no response. The FCC says Chang is violating multiple rules, such as those prohibiting the "operation of an intentional, unintentional, or incidental radiator subject to the conditions that no harmful interference is caused. Any equipment or device subject to the provisions of this part [of the rules]…shall be made available for inspection by a Commission representative upon reasonable request." Chang has 30 days (from Aug. 19) to respond to the FCC's citation and inspection request. Chang may be fined up to $16,000 per day up to a total of $122,500 until the issue is resolved.
Aug 27, 2019
Sprint today launched 5G service in four new cities, and launched one new 5G phone: The OnePlus 7 Pro 5G, available starting today. In New York City, 5G covers 1.7 million people, and parts of Manhattan from Central Park to the southern tip.
Oct 1, 2020
New York State has launched COVID Alert NY, its official app enabling the COVID-19 Exposure Notification system developed by Apple and Google. New York is the largest US state to date to launch an app using the system, and joins ten other states that have already launched similar apps: Alabama, Arizona, Delaware, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Wyoming.
Dec 19, 2018
A collection of organizations that monitors services marketed to children and consumers alleges Google's marketing policies in the Google Play Store are misleading and should be investigated. The groups have filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission wherein they suggest the Family section of the Play Store is rife with content unsuitable for kids.
Dec 21, 2018
Sprint has agreed to pay the state of New York $330 million to settle a False Claims Act lawsuit filed way back in 2011. New York claimed that Sprint failed to collect more than $100 million in state and local taxes over a period of 10 years.
http://www.phonenews.com/ge-manufactured-lighting-on ... »
Using our own networks?
We should keep our eyes on this news.


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Sony makes a mean smartphone, but it could never quite crack the macadamia nut that is the US mobile market. For while there it seemed like it had another fighting chance in the Verizon-only Z4v, too. Not anymore. After much hemming and hawing about its release date, a Sony spokesperson confirmed in an email that Sony and Verizon aren't bringing the Z4v to America after all. Way to keep us hanging, guys.
"Sony Mobile remains dedicated to the US market and aims to build a sound and stable business in this region," the statement reads. "Verizon is a strategic partner as we continue having ongoing discussions together as part of our future portfolio." That's nice, but it also means Sony doesn't have much of a portfolio to speak of right now at all. A quick check of the big 4 US wireless carriers' websites shows precisely one Sony smartphone available for sale now: a $179 pre-owned Xperia Z1S from T-Mobile. We're sure people are just champing at the bit to get their hands on it, too. There would've been more Sony-flavored options but Verizon -- one of the company's biggest US supporters -- discontinued the mostly solid Z3v shortly after the Z4v was announced. Perhaps that was... a little premature.
Anyway, it's maybe not hard to see why Sony and Verizon seemed to just wash their hands of this thing. Sony's impressive Z5 smartphone family is slated for a global launch in October (a.k.a. this month) and its likely someone up in the corporate chain of command went nope, launching the Z4v right now makes no sense. They were probably right! Regardless, the Z4v was certainly nothing to sneeze at it with its Snapdragon 810 chipset, 3GB of RAM, 20.7-megapixel camera and Quad HD screen -- it might not have been everyone's cup of tea but surely someone would've gained a newfound appreciation for Sony after using it. Oh well. Bring on the Z5s, then.


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The baking industry has reacted largely positively to chancellor Rishi Sunak’s budget, which was unveiled on 3 March 2021.
An extension to the furlough scheme to September, additional support for work placements and a tapered rise in corporation tax were among the measures announced.
Here’s what some of the key bakery players had to say:
Gordon Polson, chief executive, Federation of Bakers, said:
We welcome the government’s plans to offer businesses lower VAT rates and business rates relief, as well as recovery loans and grants. We also commend the decision to extend the furlough scheme to the end of September, as all of these measures will play a vital role in getting the hospitality and food service sectors back up and running again.
We also appreciate that there will be a tapered rise in corporation tax, meaning that only businesses with profits over £250,000 will pay the new higher rate. This will be beneficial to many within the industry.
I expect that late summer and autumn will be a crucial period, as hopefully vaccinations will have been rolled out and we will start to see food service and hospitality opening up fully again.
Karen Dear, director of operations, Craft Bakers Association (CBA), said:
The CBA welcomes the news of an additional £126m for work placements and training for 16–24-year-olds. It is also good news for bakery owners that employers who hire a new apprentice will now receive £3,000 per new hire, compared to £1,500 under the old scheme. High quality apprenticeships are an excellent foundation for a career in craft bakery and we hope these new initiatives will enable more people to enter the profession via this route.
Many of our members will also benefit from the business rates ‘holiday’ until the end of June and the VAT cut to five per cent for hospitality businesses until September.
The extension of furlough arrangements until the end of September and the changes to the national living wage will affect CBA members and their employees.
Alasdair Smith, chief executive, Scottish Bakers, said:
The chancellor’s confirmation that the furlough scheme will continue until at least September will hearten many of our members who have remained open through the pandemic, despite tough trading conditions resulting in many members accessing the furlough scheme to this day. But we need to continue to push for our members, all essential food retailers, to be able to focus on the future and on growth.
For this to happen, the Scottish government must lay out a clear timeline for lockdown restrictions to ease and to continue to support businesses sectors like our own who will need help to get back on their feet. One way of doing this is to ease the takeaway ruling allowing bakers who sell predominately on-the-go food to safely allow customers back into their stores.
We also want to see the hospitality sector opening safely as soon as possible, to help those members who have seen their business decimated by the closure of this vital section of the economy.
Longer term the focus must be on skills and training to bring people into skilled sectors like our own and to train them in both food production and onward management skills to develop businesses long into the future. With a mix of realistic short and longer term measures from our government, bakers stand ready to play their part in building back the economy of Scotland and delivering us our daily bread.
Paul Baker, co-founder, St Pierre Groupe, said:
The past 13 months have challenged all of us and I don’t think anyone envies the role of Rishi Sunak today. That said, I am encouraged to see more bespoke support for an industry which has not wavered despite the challenges thrown at it.
Additional pressure has been put on supermarkets to feed the nation and the hospitality sector has been left in tatters. So, to see special measures announced for the hospitality sector, in particular, will provide a glimmer of hope for many UK businesses. The restauranteurs of this country were responsible for £24bn revenue in 2019, boosting other industries such as tourism and leisure – it’s great to see a government acknowledging their contribution and working to protect them.
The extension of VAT reduction is a lifeline. Cut Tourism VAT Campaign warned that VAT rate reverting to 20% in April would mean the loss of 310,000 more jobs in hospitality and tourism, so it’s a relief to many to hear VAT will remain at 5%. The gradual return to 20% over 12 months will also take the pressure off.
Hospitality operators have been well supported with an extension to the holiday on business rates. Last year, that holiday negated the economic impact of the virus by £10.13bn, money that many operators would struggle to find – especially whilst they’re unable to open up again until later in the year.
My only criticism of this is the gradual increase from June. Despite the roadmap, businesses have a lot of lost time to make up for and whilst it displays confidence in a return to ‘normal’ from June, many businesses will still struggle to manage even the proposed third of the business rate after spending more than a year unable to operate.
Ian Wright CBE, chief executive, Food & Drink Federation, said:
Food and drink manufacturers will welcome today’s budget. The chancellor’s announcement struck the right balance between supporting recovery and acknowledging the difficult choices that have to be made to restore the country’s finances. Food and drink businesses supplying the hospitality and food service sectors will welcome the extension of the furlough scheme. However, we have concerns that support tapers too soon and should be kept under review.
As the UK’s largest manufacturing sector, we welcome the news that the Bank of England and the chancellor are doubling incentive payments for businesses hiring apprenticeships. However, increased flexibility of the apprenticeship levy would enable the system to work for the wider food and drink supply chain, particularly SMEs, and must be considered in relation to any new incentives.
The chancellor rightly expressed his firm intention not to increase the cost of living and has recognised the importance of encouraging investment as the key driver of recovery. He should therefore review proposed regulatory changes that will increase food prices.


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HOUSTON (AP) — A Houston man has been sentenced to five years probation for participating in a rebate scheme that defrauded soda giant Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc. of more than $1 million.
Joseph A. Isaac was sentenced during a court hearing in Houston federal court on Wednesday.
He had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud in September.
Prosecutors say Isaac’s company was in charge of a rebate campaign by Dr Pepper that paid money to customers who returned bottle caps and paid vendors who switched to Dr Pepper Snapple Group products.
Authorities say Isaac failed to pay the rebates and instead pocketed the money.
- American support for same-sex marriage is higher than ever, study finds
- VP Pence’s top aide tests positive for coronavirus
- 77 new COVID-19 cases in Taylor County, 11 recoveries
- Americans sweet on chocolate, baked goods during pandemic, study finds
- Houston-area 3-year-old dies after accidentally shooting himself during his birthday party


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Despite its soaring cool factor, it is rare that social network marketing can, by itself, make a movie a big hit — or cause it big damage. But no film marketer dare go without it.
Social media is one topic on the minds of attendees and panelists at the Film Marketing Summit presented by Variety Oct. 5-6 at the Universal Hilton. Execs will discuss everything from managing buzz to new opportunities in creative advertising to handling fast-breaking media outlets to partnership branding.
“No single media piece of a campaign is responsible for the success of anything — it’s about optimizing your mix,” says Gordon Paddison, veteran movie marketer and chief executive officer of entertainment marketing consultancy Stradella Road.
Social network marketing for films has created a glut of entertainment messaging as it has become part of every marketing plan. But for many film marketers, it is still just one piece of their overall plan — and, almost always, not the single biggest part.
Research from the likes of film tracking company OTX and Paddison’s Stradella Road confirm what many media executives already know — that fully 70% to 75% of all movie awareness for consumers still comes from TV advertising.
“Social media isn’t the magic bullet,” says Bob Marich, business journalist/author of “Marketing to Moviegoers.” “It’s just additive.”
Marich adds that social marketing sometimes takes on a value bigger than it can deliver: “The higher up you go among movie studio executives, the more unreal the expectations.”
Movie marketing experts point to Universal Pictures’ “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” as a film that might have had such a problem.
The movie got positive reviews, posted big social media numbers and positive messaging from Twitter, Facebook and other platforms. All this seemed like the perfect mix.
But it underperformed big time at the box office — just $31 million domestically to date against a production budget estimated at more than $60 million.
What happened? No one knows for sure. But observing the social media area might provide a key.
“You can get this echo-chamber effect,” says David Berkowitz, senior partner of emerging media and innovation for Dentsu-owned digital media agency 360i. “That people are just talking to themselves, and not getting out to other communities.”
Social media proponents believe online efforts overlay and touch all other marketing and messaging — TV, print, radio, public relations and other efforts.
“The key benefit for promoting a film in a social (networking) environment is driving virility, which creates an enormous multiplier effect,” says Nada Stirratt, chief revenue officer of MySpace. “This is a very rich place to start.”
Dan Greenberg, founder/CEO of social video advertising company Sharethrough, says his firm has worked on at least 30 movies in calculating “shared” material — video, tweets and other content.
Measuring a “shared-through rate” can give marketers a better idea of what is working and what isn’t. Fans of movies typically don’t share negative content. Two movies Sharethrough worked on — “The Karate Kid” and “Eat Pray Love” — had high share-through rate metrics.
“Movies have more interesting challenges than for any other kind of marketer,” says Berkowitz. “You have this short window to market films — and then it all goes away. It flies in the face of the social media’s best practices (to be around the long-term). You don’t want it to look like a campaign.”