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A great success story for the consumer electronics industry, the satellite navigation (or sat-nav) sector has seen high levels of growth over the last few years. Figures from data specialist GfK show that sat-nav was the fastest-growing consumer electronics sector in 2006, and the figures for last year are also encouraging. Sales volume has seen significant growth from 2,316,377 (January-December ’07) to 2,725,841 units (January-December ’08). Overall sales value has decreased slightly, but this can be attributed to average prices falling rapidly, as the products become more mainstream and also to heavy discounting during the current economic downturn.
GfK’s account manager for Consumer Electronics, Sumit Burgul, explains: “The portable navigation market continues to grow in volume terms year on year. The key contributory factors towards this rise have been an increasing consumer awareness of the benefits of these devices together with prices becoming ever more affordable.
“If the host of added value features offered within portable navigation devices, such as Bluetooth, European mapping and widescreen format, continue to find favour among UK consumers then there is a significant opportunity for value sales within the category to be bolstered in 2009.”
TomTom’s Damian Woodward, sales and marketing manager UK & Ireland, explains that there has been some consolidation in the market over the last year, with several major manufacturers leaving the market, and others merging. This presents a huge opportunity for those that remain in the sector, particularly the well-established brands.
Woodward comments: “There has been some price pressure but the products continue to be extremely popular, from the entry-level models to the more sophisticated products that include advanced services, such as the TomTom GO LIVE range. As a navigation device is a product that people rely on, consumers look for high quality brands that they know they can trust.”
So, what’s new in the sat-nav market? TomTom’s latest products – the GOx40 LIVE range – come with a range of live ‘connected’ services delivered over-the-air thanks to TomTom’s partnership with Vodafone. These services include TomTom High Definition (HD), Fuel Price Search and Google Search. The products also offer plenty of other benefits including IQ Routes, to offer the most effective route depending on the time of day, along with voice recognition technology.
Many manufacturers have incorporated Bluetooth wireless technology into their new models. For example, JVC’s KW-NX700 can be used with a mobile phone – and is also compatible with the iPhone – to enable hands-free calling. Garmin, which offers a vast range of sat-nav products has also introduced Bluetooth on its latest models.
Navman recently launched three new Navman Spirit models to complement its entry-level S100 launched last year, adding Bluetooth connectivity, among other new features.
Increased awareness about environmental issues among consumers has grown exponentially over the last year or two, and their spending habits have been affected accordingly.
With this in mind, a new player Vexia – part of Spanish company Crambo Laboratories – has introduced the Econav. This is a cost-cutting sat-nav system that shows users, in real time, the most economical and ecological way to drive. As well as suggesting fuel-efficient routes, the device will advise on safe braking distances, depending on weather conditions, while an eco tips feature will alert users to matters of vehicle maintenance and security. There are around 6,000 cars in the Econav database so that settings can be tailored to the user’s vehicle and journey. According to the maker, the new products can provide up to 30% reduction in fuel consumption (15% on average), meaning that the system will have paid for itself after a year.
The Econav 350 sports a 3.5in screen, along with day/night walking modes. The top-of-the-range Econav 450 offers the same benefits, along with the added bonus of a larger 4.3in screen.
As with most consumer electronics products, in-store demonstration is key when it comes to selling sat-nav units. This is where it’s well worth taking advantage of the training offered by manufacturers. For example, TomTom invests heavily in training for store staff and also offers a range of marketing support and PoS material for independent retailers.
- Attend manufacturer training sessions to get to know the products.
- Let potential customers try the products out in the shop.
- Find out how the customer will be using the product and select the most suitable model.
- Advise customers that sat-nav units need regular updates.


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GOLDEN, Colo.--Isonics Corp. here has disclosed that Advanced Micro Devices Inc. is studying the potential benefits of using silicon-28 wafer substrates to produce microprocessor products.
Silicon-28 material offers potential benefits in high-thermal conductivity, according to Isonics, which has been developing isotopically engineered wafers and chemicals for semiconductor fabrication. Earlier this year, the Colorado company hinted that a major microprocessor had become a development partner, but it only last week did Isonics identify AMD as that company.
Two weeks ago, AMD executives surprised financial analysts by announcing that the company would move 100% of its PC processors to silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers during the next several years (see July 13 story). SOI technology adds a layer of oxide between silicon layers, which reduces lost energy when transistors are operating at high frequencies. The silicon-on-insulator sandwich promises 20-to-30% performance gains over standard CMOS silicon wafers, according to SOI proponents.
It is not clear how or when AMD could also potentially use silicon-28 wafers in processor products.
Publicly-traded Isonics has faced a difficult year, including a dispute with its production partner, Eagle-Picher Technologies LLC, which was accused of failing to deliver silicon-28 wafers (see March 22 story).

domain: news


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Now that the XUV700 is the formal replacement for the first-gen XUV500, the nameplate will return for an all-new model in 2024, likely to be a 4.3m lo...
Published On May 11, 2021 01:56:00 PM
All-new midsize SUV codenamed S301 will have five seats and sit between the XUV300 and XUV700.
Published On May 04, 2021 08:00:00 AM
New XUV700 will be Mahindra's answer to the Tata Safari, the MG Hector Plus and the Hyundai Alcazar.
Published On Apr 08, 2021 12:20:00 PM
The Mahindra XUV700 SUV will launch in the second quarter of FY2022.
Which compact city EV would you buy on a Rs 12 lakh budget?


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Bitcoin in the Headlines is a weekly look at bitcoin news, analyzing media and its impact.
Mainstream outlets are still indulging in lengthy features on the subject, however, most continued to address the technology's perceived shortcomings.
The general consensus seems to be that bitcoin is still doomed for failure, although everyone seems to have a different – and equally creative – opinion as to why.
Perhaps most notably, this week saw Fusion's Felix Salmon's contribution to the debate, alleging that the digital currency would fail because the ecosystem is dominated by men.
In his piece, titled "Why Bitcoin's male domination will be its downfall", Salmon discussed Nathaniel Popper's new book, Digital Gold, noting that it was "as close as you can get to being the definitive account of the history of bitcoin". In so doing, the author talks about "misfits" and "millionaires", responsible for the building, mining and hyping of the digital currency.
The post talked about Popper's failed search for bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto, but focused more on his inability to find something else – prominent women in the community whom he could interview for his work.
Salmon used the observation as a springboard to hang the cryptocurrency's success or demise on a gender-based premise.
Despite the loose connection, Salmon was not alone in taking up the narrative. Shane Ferro echoed Salmon's line of thought in a Business Insider piece, writing:
"Fusion's Felix Salmon delves into the seedy underbelly of the bitcoin world an comes up with the real problem with cryptocurrency: the community is 96% men."
Note the use of the word "seedy".
Ferro's concluding statement, "it's hard to have a currency that leaves out 50% of the population", also raises some eyebrows as it implies no women are using the digital currency.
'Cash is here to stay'
Following the debate, Forbes' contributor Arjan Schutte argued that cash is here to stay, regardless of alternative electronic payment systems that are seeking to disrupt its market.
Schutte started by saying how "everyone in the financial services industry is excited about the digitisation of money", adding "at the hand of bitcoin, or Apple Pay, or what-not – our money would be more secure, more liquid, more flexible and wield control".
Despite his admission that a like technology could potentially disrupt the world of traditional finance, Schutte continued to note that the digital currency would never reach mainstream adoption.
"Last year was clearly quite exciting for the bitcoin world, and I believe cryptocurrency technology remains incredibly important to the current financial services revolution. Bitcoin also offers most of the cash advantages, it's free, it offers control and anonymity. It is not universally accepted – and never will be, in my opinion. And because of that, it's not effectively liquid. So, no chance."
Schutte's statements mirror those of bankers, who are much more willing to talk about blockchain technology and the potential applications of open ledgers than comment on the future of bitcoin.
'Gimmicky and niche'
Credit must go to BBC News's Zoe Kleinman for attempting to throw some positivity into the mix by reporting on recent bitcoin-related events in the Isle of Man, a self-governed entity in the Irish Sea.
The island has become increasingly prominent in the bitcoin and technology ecosystem. From the beginning of April, digital currency business in the Isle of Man now have to comply with anti-money laundering (AML) laws.
Known for its extensive e-gaming industry, Kleinman's piece exposed how the island is "now hoping to give a wholesome boost to the bad boy of digital currencies, bitcoin".
She explained her choice of words, commenting on how bitcoin often made the headlines "for all the wrong reasons", citing the now defunct Japanese exchange Mt Gox – which coincidently made the news this week – as an example of its association with illicit activities, adding:
"[Bitcoin] has also gained notoriety as the currency for choice for illegal activity because bitcoin transactions can be carried out anonymously."
At this point it is important to address that bitcoin is not wholly anonymous, as frequently misreported by some media outlets. This aside, Kleiman cites various sources who discuss issues affecting the bitcoin economy as a whole, including regulation.
Adrian Forbes, an entrepreneur whose startup TGBex sells physical bitcoin coins, told Kleinman that he was not a big fan of legislation. He continued:
"I see bitcoin as something very niche. I don't think it requires same licences as banks and stockbrokers and hedge funs that have a thousand times as much money at stake. Bitcoin will work best in the third world first. In the west, it's a novelty, niche technology, a bit of fun. It might be advantageous in terms of speed but there's no real need for it."
Kleinman then cited Nula Perryin, the female founder of an all-female cast taxi company, who said:
"We do about two or three [bitcoin payments] a week ... I think it's a bit of a gimmick ... as a new firm it's something to get us noticed."
Whether bitcoin will ever be integrated into the existing traditional financial system still remains to be seen, Perryin proves that, fad or not, women do get involved in and use the digital currency.
The general consensus seems to be that bitcoin is still doomed for failure, although everyone seems to have a […]


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Allendale Chief Strategist Rich Nelson expects traders to remain very cautious of the China trade agreement until they see actual sales. “We’re all playing with some numbers on this Chinese trade deal. The impact, if it’s fully implementing, would be significant for oilseeds and feed grain,” says Nelson. “The potential is there, but we want to see concrete news first.” Nelson expects the grains to react positively to confirmation of the trade deal. “We are concerned the hog markets already have a good portion of this deal factored in.”
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Citing an expected solar industry growth of 30% or more next year, Taiwan-based Gintech Energy is planning to expand its c-Si solar cell manufacturing capacity to 1GW by 2011. Gintech has a capacity of 560MW, according to a Bloomberg story that cited an interview with Gintech’s Chairman, Wenent Pan.
Gintech expects to invest US$170 million to nearly double its manufacturing capacity. The company is to push for more business from module manufacturers in Europe, USA and Japan.
Gintech also recently announced the launch of its Phoenix series multi-c-Si cells in multiple colours, designed to meet requirements for the BIPV market.


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The feature has been in high demand among Monzo users.
Next week, leading digital bank Monzo will reveal more details on its hotly-anticipated joint accounts, before turning the first of these accounts live for a small group of app testers.
Monzo Labs gives some users early access to new features and experimental products launched by the bank. At an event on Thursday, Monzo will give customers a chance to meet the team that built the joint accounts feature, providing a ‘behind the scenes’ look at its latest product.
The banking challenger says that joint accounts are one of its ‘all time most popular community requests’. Its rival Starling Bank launched its joint accounts a few weeks ago, claiming to have become the first UK bank to do so with a fully mobile application process. Thanks to Google Nearby technology, Starling users will simply need to sit next to one another in order to active their joint accounts.
Digital banks in the UK have a habit of copying one another's products – but the style in which those products are delivered often differs. Monzo tends to be very considered in its launches, involving users for extensive testing at each turn. The bank's ‘big list’ online allows users to see its product roadmap online. At the opposite end of the spectrum is Revolut, which has rolled out everything from spare change vaults to a crypto trading service in the past year, at it continues its frenzied expansion.
Attendees at Monzo’s event next Thursday will get a progress report on the ‘big list’, after which the joint accounts will be switched on via Labs.


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For more information, visit Ford's official safety recall on the company's website.
A smaller recall was also announced on Friday and covers select 2017 and 2018 models of the Ford F-150, 2018 Expedition, 2018 Mustang and 2018 Lincoln Navigator.
The company says a driver might be able to shift into park and remove the key while the transmission is in another gear, allowing unintended movement.
Ford says that on some vehicles, a clip that locks the gear shift cable to the transmission might come loose. Over time, a partially seated clip or a clip that becomes dislodged may allow the transmission to be in a gear state different from the gear shift position selected by the driver. That can increase the risk of a crash.
According to a Ford statement, "Ford is aware of one reported accident and injury related to this condition". When the driver's door opened, the vehicle would not display a warning message or chime indicating the vehicle is not parked.
Ford will let affected owners know during the week of April 16 and dealers will check to make sure everything was installed correctly. The vehicles were built at Ford truck plants in Dearborn, Mich., Kansas City, Kentucky and Ohio.
So far no reports of accidents or injuries have been link to this specific recall. The first recall is for a faulty gear shift cable clip and the other involves a missing transmission roll pin.
The 2018 Ford Expedition is just one vehicle affected by the safety recall involving about 350,000 pickups and SUVs. Ford employs approximately 202,000 people worldwide.


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AT&T Advances Wi-Fi Strategy with Completion of Wayport Acquisition
As Wi-Fi Use Surges, Company Leads in Deployment of Applications That Personalize Broadband Experience, Enable Business Efficiencies
Dallas, Texas, AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) today announced the close of its Wayport, Inc. acquisition. The Wayport resources significantly advance AT&T’s strategy for deploying consumer Wi-Fi services that provide broadband access across devices, personalized for the user and location, and innovative business Wi-Fi applications designed to reduce operating costs and increase productivity.
The Wayport deal adds local Wi-Fi network management and infrastructure expertise to AT&T’s world-class communications capabilities and brings its number of domestic hotspots to nearly 20,000 — the most of any U.S. provider. Globally, AT&T has nearly 80,000 Wi-Fi hotspots, including roaming locations.
Further advancing its Wi-Fi strategy, AT&T is nearing completion of the transition of thousands of Starbucks company-owned stores in the United States to AT&T Wi-FiSM service, strengthening AT&T’s ability to personalize broadband access across devices and customer location.
Specifically, customers at nearly 7,000 company-operated Starbucks locations can now access a tailored, online experience — including local Starbucks content — while logging on to the Internet from their Wi-Fi enabled smartphones, laptop computers and other devices.
“Looking ahead, we see Wi-Fi as a strategic opportunity for AT&T,” said Ralph de la Vega, president and chief executive officer of AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. “We plan to build on our leadership as the largest Wi-Fi provider — bringing more connectivity to more consumers — and working closely with our enterprise customers to enhance and personalize their customer communications and improve the efficiency of their operations.”
According to Yankee Group, the number of Wi-Fi enabled wireless handsets will grow by at least 175 percent over the next three years. Other reports have projected that more than 1 billion Wi-Fi enabled devices, including wireless handsets, will be shipped in 2012. AT&T is the provider of several popular Wi-Fi enabled devices including the iPhone 3G the BlackBerry® Bold™.
AT&T continues to see a dramatic spike in Wi-Fi use. Combining both AT&T and Wayport customer use, Wi-Fi connections in November alone surpassed 2.5 million. AT&T drives Wi-Fi use by enabling free Wi-Fi access to nearly 15 million AT&T wired broadband customers, and millions more wireless customers, and is a leading provider of Wi-Fi enabled mobile phones.
For businesses, AT&T Wi-Fi service personalizes their interaction with customers, and delivers innovative applications designed to reduce operating costs and increase productivity. Wi-Fi can enable such integral business tools as inventory management to provide real-time data on in-store stock volumes, product sales, forecasts and more. These applications can be especially useful for the growing number of remote workers wanting access to their company’s enterprises anytime, anywhere.
“As companies look to more cost-effectively ’virtualize’ supply chains and conduct business around the globe, a single, managed Wi-Fi network is a critical element,” said Roberta Wiggins, Yankee Group. “A company that can deliver on this growing enterprise demand has a multibillion dollar market opportunity.”
AT&T also managed the transition of Starbucks back-end store network to an innovative new solution — in addition to its customer facing Wi-Fi connections — giving Starbucks the robust infrastructure it needs to deliver new consumer experiences and business solutions while at the same time reducing their overall costs of the store network.
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A German site is reporting that Apple scheduled to launch the second-generation iPad tablet by April, either on the first or second Saturday of the month.
The story goes:
Reliable sources told us about the upcoming launch of the Apple iPad 2: the first or second Saturday in April will see the first sales of Apples new tablet. The iPad 2 will sell US-only for three months, and Apple Store-only for up to half a year. In July, more countries will follow. Walmart, Best Buy and Co. maybe have to wait until October until they are allowed to sell Apples new tablets.
We can recall last year when Apple unveiled the first iPad that it will become available in US stores by March, but later delayed to April 3rd (also a Saturday). It looks like the rumored launch by April 2nd or 9th this year really makes sense, as far as schedule-plotting pattern is concerned.
Regarding the confirmed features of the device, the site also added that the 2nd-gen iPad include retina display, USB port, and front and rear-facing cameras. Sounds familiar, right? Of course that will run on iOS 4.3! We’ll just see if this rumor turns into a reality, so just stay tuned! [via]


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When shopping for a new bathroom, people will soon be able to look for labels which show the water efficiency of fittings such as taps and showers.
That’s under a new voluntary scheme from DIY retailers, builders’ merchants and manufacturers which kicks in next summer.
While some products already use a Water Label – similar to the Energy Efficiency Label found on fridges and freezers – this scheme will see the label put on all bathroom fittings on sale in stores and online. It should make it easier for buyers to compare the efficiency of products easily.
Retailers including B&Q, Jewson, Travis Perkins and Homebase’s owner the Home Retail Group were among the organisations who decided on the move in a working group brought together by government waste body WRAP.
Steve Lee, Bathroom Manufacturers Association President said: “Water is one of our most precious yet most undervalued resources and we all have a responsibility to preserve it for the sake of future generations.”
Environment Minister Richard Benyon added: “We all have a responsibility to use water wisely so this scheme is great news. Customers will be able to choose bathroom products based on their water efficiency rating, which may help them to save money on water bills and protect this valuable resource for future generations.”


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Apple's efforts to make LG Display as an OLED display manufacturer for the iPhone has encountered problems related to production. Apple doubts that LG can produce enough screens to become the second OLED display supplier for the iPhone.
Over the past few months, analysts have mentioned that Apple has to find an OLED display supplier for an iPhone other than Samsung. Currently, Apple does use OLED screen for iPhone X screen which was launched last year.
The reason Apple is looking for a supplier other than Samsung is that if the South Korean company becomes the only OLED display supplier for Apple, then they can control the price of the screen that Apple bought.
LG re-use OLED display for V30. In addition, LG has also supplied OLED screen for Google Pixel 2 XL. Unfortunately, the experience of using OLED screens on Pixel 2 XL is inconsistent.
Indeed, LG is a leader in making OLED TV screens. Even so, they seem to be difficult to bring the same screen quality into the smartphone.


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2009 October 9
The Daily Media
(NEW YORK) Paul Avarali, formerly associate fashion editor of Best Life magazine, has been named men's fashion editor at Ralph Lauren Media for RalphLauren.com and Rugby.com
Claire Horton, formerly account executive at PR Consulting, has been named senior account executive beauty at Linda Gaunt Communications.
Quenna Sanchez, formerly associate account executive at Tractenberg and Co., has been named account manager at HL Group.
Andrea Pemberton is no longer with J.Mendel.
ALISON BROD PR announces its representation of Boden and Mini Boden.
BPCM announces its U.S. representation of Longchamp.
Blue Stripe PR, sister-agency to BPCM, announces its representation of Whitley Kros.
The Collective announces its representation of Garland Collection.
Factory PR announces its representation of Skrapper.
Harrison Fonteyne Snayd Communications announces its representation of Merrell's Apprarel line. It continues to represent the Merrell Footwear line.
Haute House PR announces its representation of women’s accessory collection ADA Handbags.
Heather Magidsohn Consulting announces its representation of The Dish's Dish, a weekly home chef service.
Loving + Company announces its representation of Fit2BMom.
Wetherly Fashion Group announces its representation of Fluxus and Georgie.
Mary Katrantzou is entering the athletic wear realm with a new collaboration with Adidas. The London-based designer, who is known for her statement making prints, follows Pharell Williams...
To celebrate the half-decade mark, e-comm haven The Outnet is rolling out an 17-piece collection of exclusives by a topnotch spate of designers. The accessories and apparel items are...
Genetic Denim is on track to transform from a jeans label into a lifestyle brand, thanks to a successful second round of funding via two big-name investors. Peter Morton, co-founder...
- Links of The Daily
- Banana Republic Taps Marissa Webb As Creative Director And Executive Vice President
- The Victoria's Secret Show Will Relocate From New York To London
- Rolex Appoints Jean-Frédéric Dufour As CEO
- Links Of The Daily
- Joe Zee Named Editor-In-Chief And Executive Creative Officer Of Yahoo Fashion


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- Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes launches on Steam for PC
- Hyperdevotion Noire: Goddess Black Heart screens, trailer released
- Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance announced for PS4, coming 2015
- Forza Horizon 2 – Storm Island now live, adds 5 rides, 90 events, more
- Physical version of Divinity: Original Sin now on store shelves
Fancy A Date?
Developer- and Publisher-specific Articles: Star Control
Stardock has acquired the rights to the seminal action-strategy classic Star Control. The studio is planning on beginning development on a new version for PC this year, with the intention of rebooting the series. According to Stardock president and CEO Brad Wardell, the development team expects their iteration to be “similar to what Firaxis did with the XCOM series last year.” Wardell also stated that Star Control II is being looked at “as a major source of inspiration.”


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This Opinion piece looks at using new payments tools while continuing service through mature distribution systems.
Mid-Atlantic Corporate CUSO adds data processing, payment solutions.
Black Friday kicked off shopping spree also helped along by weather, First Data says.
Working capital provider adds Square to payments processing options.
Five hundred job cuts in Denver part of company's bid to be more efficient and innovative, spokesman says.
Earlier today, I opened an email window, typed in my boss’s name, cc’d email@example.com, and entered $5 in the subject line. I sent the email, and Square sent back a simple request for my debit card number. My boss received a similar request, he entered his debit information, and the...
Carrier-backed NFC wallet gets national rollout. No credit union involvement.
This exclusive report for Credit Union Times readers details how your business model might be in jeopardy.
Mobile banking and payments are becoming a mature component of the banking landscape, with surveys showing nearly 50% of smartphone owners having engaged in mobile banking in the past 12 months.
Des Moines, Iowa-based payments innovator Dwolla announced on Oct. 22 a rollout of a new credit product that will allow approved customers to access credit and spend it online at a network of merchants.


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Daydream at a glamorous street art hotel, trace the Black Cultural Heritage Trail and savor a matriarch’s fried fish recipe, all tied to the region’s rich history and people ASHEVILLE, N.C., Nov. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — The desire to connect with local cultures and communities is one of the biggest trends driving travel decisions in 2024. Asheville […]
Send Flower Gifts Send Flower Gifts Flower and basket gifts for same day delivery now available in Brooklyn New York with Send Flower Gifts BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES, November 8, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ — Send Flower Gifts is thrilled to announce the expansion of its same day delivery service to Brooklyn, New York. This new […]
The post Send Flower Gifts Expands Same Day Delivery Service to Brooklyn, New York first appeared on Beauty Ring Magazine.
NAPA, Calif., Nov. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Festival Napa Valley has announced the Manetti Shrem Challenge, a $3 million matching gift from longtime benefactor Maria Manetti Shrem. Designed to inspire new giving, the Manetti Shrem Challenge will act as a catalyst for accelerating the growth of Festival Napa Valley’s year-round programming, educational initiatives, and scholarship programs. […]
TezorSelect.ro, o destinație de încredere pentru bijuterii din argint de calitate, anunță cu entuziasm lansarea ofertelor speciale de Black Friday. În acest Black Friday, fiecare bijuterie din argint reflectă promisiunea noastră: eleganță accesibilă pentru toate gusturile.” — Dinca George Teodor ROMANIA, November 9, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ — Tezor Select Anunță Promoții Speciale pentru Bijuteriile din Argint […]
The post Tezor Select Lansează Promoții Speciale de Black Friday pentru Bijuteriile din Argint first appeared on Beauty Ring Magazine.
Becoming informed of the science behind facelifts is essential to making the decision of undergoing the procedure. Dr. Penelope Treece, MD, explores the art and science of surgical facelifts, unveiling medical expertise and artistic precision. A surgical facelift is an art form that combines artistic precision and a deep understanding of the human facial anatomy. […]
The post Dr. Penelope Treece, MD, Delves into the Art and Science of Surgical Facelifts first appeared on Beauty Ring Magazine.
La marca pionera en bienestar abrirá su primer establecimiento en el Caribe mexicano, lo que marcará el inicio de sus ambiciosos planes de expansión int. MEXICO, November 9, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ — La marca pionera en bienestar SHA Wellness Clinic ha anunciado la apertura de un centro en México en enero de 2024. Esta será la […]
Skin Care Products industry Research face cream segment held the largest market share, capturing almost 50% of the global skin care products market revenue PORTLAND, OREGON, UNITED STATES, November 9, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ — The skin care products market was valued at $170.7 billion in 2021, and is estimated to reach $241.5 billion by 2031, growing […]
The post Skin Care Products Market Growing at 3.6% CAGR to Hit USD 241.5 Billion By 2031 first appeared on Beauty Ring Magazine.
Zina Ali is preparing to participate in the Miss Arab contest in the United States of America, on behalf of Somalia, NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES, November 9, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ — Zina Ali is preparing to participate in the Miss Arab contest in the United States of America, on behalf of Somalia, because […]
The post Zaina Ali participates in the Miss Arab America contest first appeared on Beauty Ring Magazine.
Suga T Talks Ageism We need to Unite as we near the end of this milestone! Now is the time that Hip Hop needs to come together for another 50 years” — Suga T LOS ANGELES, CA, UNITED STATES, November 6, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ — Public Relations DirectorAlexis Levi702-789-0749 During the Hip Hop 50th Anniversary Dr. […]
The post SUGA -T Talks Ageism and How the 50th Anniversary can Unite all Women and Men Hip-Hop Artists first appeared on Beauty Ring Magazine.


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DIBS Exhibitor Rolec Marina marks 2019 as their biggest year
In 2019 Rolec Marina has made major movements in the Middle East region
Rolec Marina, a world leader in the design, manufacture, and installation of marina supplies and services has completed multiple projects across the Middle East. Having formed and maintained partnerships with various industries, including luxury hotel resorts, maritime museums, and oil companies, Rolec Marina has vastly expanded its presence in the region in 2019.
A partnership with Intercontinental Hotel Marina Abu Dhabi shows their 190+ berths being powered by Rolec’s Quantum Pedestal. This partnership has proven particularly beneficial, given that the vast majority of its high-profile clientele has a keen interest in boating, thus a demand for Rolec’s range of products. Additionally Rolec Marina have installed their products across the man-made Deira Islands, which are made up of six marinas with the capacity of 600 boats. Rolec has also finalised various other projects such as Darren Marina, Port Fujairah, Four Seasons Resort Dubai, Sharjah Aquarium, to name a few.
“We have had a presence in the Middle East for over two decades now, so to see our partnerships increase brings me great pleasure,” said Kate Broom, International Sales Manager. “It is gratifying to know that various industries require the innovative excellence of the Rolec Marina product range.”
You can learn more about Rolec Marina by visiting their stand at the 2020 Dubai International Boat Show.


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Joan Freeman supported by Herbalife millionaire
Joan Freeman, the presidential candidate, has refused to comment on the business of an Irish-American supporter after he loaned her €120,000 for her campaign.
Des Walsh is the millionaire president of Herbalife, a company that sells weight loss and nutrition products. It has been criticised by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its advertising tactics and paid $200 million to the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) after allegations of a pyramid scheme. It has strongly denied the claims and said that it makes its money selling products.
It came as the consultants running Ms Freeman’s presidential PR campaign said that they had not been paid from her Oireachtas expenses. Last year Ms Freeman spent more than €14,000 of her Seanad expenses on Stillwater


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By Craig Patterson and Maxime Frechette
Montreal-based men’s fashion retailer Ernest has unveiled a new store concept after filing for creditor protection last month. The new storefront at the Montreal Eaton Centre is a refresh of the brand which is expected to be rolled out into other locations.
The Montreal Eaton Centre Ernest location spans just under 2,500 square feet and features high ceilings in an airy space with wood accents and a contemporary feel. The store is located on the street level of Montreal Eaton Centre next to the recently opened Samsung and facing a new concept Pandora store as well as Uniqlo which opens on October 23.
Men will find a wide range of suits as well as sportswear and footwear. Tailoring is available with Ernest’s personalized customer service. The store features a wall dedicated to shirts.
The new store’s location is intended to be closer to the office towers of downtown Montreal, which are beginning to see some workers return. Ernest had two stores downtown further west, including a unit operating at 1199 Sainte-Catherine Street West a couple of blocks from the recently completed Holt Renfrew Ogilvy store. The future of the 1199 Sainte-Catherine storefront is uncertain — Ernest says that it is still in negotiations with the landlords and that it will most likely close as the lease expires amid a challenging retail environment. Foot traffic is also said to be a concern given construction on Ste-Catherine Street.
Foot traffic from the Time Out Market food hall was another attraction to the Montreal Eaton Centre according to an Ernest representative. The Market opened in November of 2019 and is expected to again be a traffic generator following COVID-19 mandated shutdowns in Quebec.
Earnest filed for creditor protection in September and used the opportunity to renegotiate some leases. The company has 40 stores (33 branded as Ernest, six under the Jonathan banner and one under the Anthony banner, all of which are located in the province of Quebec except for one unit in Moncton, New Brunswick. No jobs were lost with the filing and only one store on Ste-Catherine Street in Montreal shuttered as a result.
The retailer says that it is holding off on future expansion plans for the time being as it watches the industry and COVID-19. In a more favourable time, Ernest could expand into the Ontario market.
Ernest was founded in 1958 in Montreal by Ernest Iarrera with a store on Ste-Catherine Street East. The concept expand into Quebec Cit in 1991. The founder’s son and daughter now run the operations and Ernest is still family owned.


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Google has announced that ads are set to appear in its map platform, showing consumers ads related to the locations they're searching for and giving marketers another way to target people on the lucrative mobile screen.
The move was revealed at the Google Performance Summit held on Tuesday US time, with the new offering showing customers promoted pins when they search for particular offering in maps, and those pin can also show offers that are available at that location.
When people also search for specific offerings, such as chemists and service stations, consumers will see ads for certain chemists and service stations, just as top results appear in Google search.
This new offering can give advertisers, in particular retailers, an added opportunity to reach people based on their location. This offering however will also give marketers another may to get involve I mobile marketing as well as a way to close the loop between Google's search offering.
According to AdAge advertisers will also have the option to not just advertise the location, but what's "inside" as well. By clicking on a promoted pin, consumers will be able to bring up a business page with offers and promotions at that locatoin, as well as information already available for many locations in Google Maps such as address and hours.
According to Google, nearly one-third of mobile searches on Google are related to location, with the search behemoth adding that location-related mobile searches growing 50% faster than all mobile searches.
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at firstname.lastname@example.org


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Facebook reports its third quarter earnings this week, and investors are looking for signs of continued momentum.
The social media giant posts its latest earnings on Oct. 30 after the close of trading, and analysts are expecting largely positive results. Facebook (FB) - Get Meta Platforms Inc. Class A Report shares were roughly flat on Tuesday at $189.31.
Analysts polled by FactSet are expecting earnings per share of $1.91 on $17.26 billion in revenue for the quarter. That suggests continued growth in Facebook's advertising business, which accounts for the vast majority of its revenue, though it also represents a sales slowdown, noted Zev Fima, an analyst with Jim Cramer's Action Alerts Plus portfolio.
"In the upcoming release, though revenues are expected to decelerate, we will look for a continuation of earnings momentum as we believe advertisers are starting to better understand how to monetize the company's 'Stories' format," Fima wrote in a recent preview.
Underscoring the interest in Stories as a growth driver, BMO Capital Markets' Dan Salmon likened the shift from Newsfeed to Stories to the shift from desktop to mobile advertising.
"We believe ad load growth across Facebook, WhatsApp and Messenger Stories/Status formats continues to grow, particularly as Stories becomes a bigger medium for sharing among friends as News Feed has traditionally been," Salmon wrote on Monday.
Facebook doesn't regularly break out numbers for Instagram, WhatsApp and its core Facebook platform, but investors will also look for signs of continued advertising momentum on Instagram, as well as other emerging sources of monetization, such as a recently released "Instagram Checkout" feature that allows users to purchase items directly within the app.
Shopping is a "core catalyst for Instagram," Salmon noted, and Facebook has introduced updates designed to boost shopping behavior, such as the ability to repurpose Shopping posts as ads in Ad Manager, which was made available on a limited basis in Q3. Instagram also introduced a new "camera-first" app called Threads intended for close friends. On Wednesday, Facebook management could offer commentary on how these initiatives are coming along, and on the bigger picture behind these moves.
Despite overall positive expectations heading into earnings, the continued regulatory pressure on the tech giant can't be avoided -- and investors will be attuned to signs on how, if at all, this may affect its financial performance.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently headed to Capitol Hill to defend Facebook's Libra cryptocurrency initiative, where he was met with a considerable degree of skepticism over Facebook's business practices. Separately, 47 state Attorneys General are investigating Facebook as part of a broader antitrust probe of Facebook and other tech giants.
While no single investigation or hearing has damaged Facebook's stock much, spending on security is one slice of Facebook's financial picture where regulatory impacts can be seen. And Facebook's announcement in its second-quarter earnings report that it was setting aside $5 billion to pay a fine for improper data handling imposed by the FTC overshadowed its earnings beat for the quarter.
"Given the massive regulatory backlash the company has faced in recent years, security investments have ramped up considerably in recent years -- we will therefore be keeping a close eye out for guidance on this front," Fima noted.
Facebook shares are up 40% so far this year.
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NAGA has officially started pre-registration for its fully-functioning, crypto-friendly NAGA Debit Card
The Naga coin is an Ethereum-based token designed for cryptocurrency trading, gaming and virtual goods exchange. The Naga coin token is a product of NAGA Group AG — a German fintech business founded by Yasin Sebastian Qureshi and backed by such shareholders as Fosun Group and Hauck & Aufhaeuser bank. Naga plans to improve financial services and become a banking solution for unbanked people. Naga Group works in four major directions, which are Naga Wallet, Naga Trader, SWITEX — a virtual goods platform — and Naga Academy — a crypto and financial education platform. Naga is a regulated investment firm and performs its activities within legal frameworks that allow it to offer trading with both fiat and cryptocurrency. Since 2017, the Naga token has both ICO and IPO funding. Naga’s advisory board includes such blockchain experts as Roger Ver, Mate Tokay and Guy Ben-Artzi.
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Recently, dappGambl conducted an in-depth study on the current state of the NFT market in response to numerous headlines claiming that NFTs have become ‘useless’.
This study provides a detailed analysis and clarifies the dappGambl experts’ position on the NFT market and its future prospects. According to the experts, there is still a lot of potential for NFTs and gaming to be a ‘perfect match’. Let’s have a look at the details.
NFT market: non-fungible tokens combined with gaming
Predictably, following dappGambl‘s report which revealed that 95% of so-called non-fungible tokens (NFTs) have zero market capitalisation, there is growing attention on where the future of NFTs might lie.
In an ever-changing environment that encompasses technology and entertainment, NFTs have emerged as a revolutionary innovation with the potential to transform multiple industries.
Although they have been widely recognised for their association with digital art and collectibles, interaction with the gaming world is proving to be a much more promising use case.
Beyond JPEG images and digital art, NFTs have the potential to revolutionise the way gaming fans connect and interact with media.
By 2022, the global gaming industry is estimated to be worth nearly $347 billion, with the mobile gaming sector accounting for approximately $248 billion.
NFTs in gaming: a revolution in the gaming industry
Josip Putarek, expert and crypto analyst at dappGambl, shares his views on how the potential of NFTs could be fully exploited in the lucrative world of video games:
“Back on September 21st, ‘Call of Duty: Warzone Caldera’ was shut down by producers, leaving millions of players’ cosmetics behind locked doors. Players earned skins through gameplay challenges like Call of Duty’s Battle Passes, spending real money on a product that is now gone forever. Could this have been avoided? Absolutely!”
Not surprisingly, Putarek argues that the introduction of NFTs to the video game industry offers a number of exciting opportunities for players, developers and investors:
“NFTs grant players true ownership of in-game assets, allowing them to buy, sell and trade with transparency and security. These assets are scarce and unique, contributing to their inherent value. Even if the game gets shut down, gamers will retain ownership.”
We also know that because NFTs are cross-platform compatible, players can take their virtual items from one game to another, creating a sense of continuity in the virtual world.
In addition, players can now generate value in the real world through in-game activities such as trading, crafting or competing in tournaments. This allows players to monetise their skills and investments, reversing the trend of traditional game economies.
Finally, NFTs help to create a decentralised virtual landscape where players have more control over the direction, governance and economics of the game.
This will allow the gaming community to shape their own digital environments and ensure high quality gaming content for future generations.
NFT in crisis? Projects seeking a new path
In the midst of a market downturn, NFT-related projects are exploring creative ways to reframe their purpose and strengthen their benefits. As we know, NFTs have been the subject of much debate in recent years.
In 2021, NFTs experienced a huge increase in public interest and generated unprecedented revenues.
However, the sector has recently gone through a difficult period, characterised by a general decline in sales and item prices, which has led critics to question its long-term sustainability.
In early July, OpenSea data revealed a significant drop in the minimum price of one of the most popular digital collections, Yuga Labs’ Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC).
This collection dropped from 38 ether (ETH), equivalent to $73,000 at the time, to less than 28 ETH ($53,500).
Will Clemente, co-founder of digital asset research firm Reflexivity Research, pointed out in a July 2 post on X that this drop was part of a broader 90 percent drop in the BAYC collection.
Celebrities, including the famous singer Justin Bieber, were affected by the drop in value. As we know, Bieber, captivated by the excitement surrounding the 2021 NFT, had purchased a piece of BAYC for nearly $1.3 million.
The disappointing devaluation not only affected the BAYC, but also its sister collection, the Mutant Ape Yacht Club (MAYC).
Other NFTs, such as Azuki, Moonbirds, Cool Cats, Doodle, DeGods, Pudgy Penguins and CryptoPunks, have also suffered significant devaluations in recent months.
To make matters worse, NFT-related start-ups are facing significant challenges.
Some, including video platform Glass Protocol and decentralised social network Voice, have been forced to halt development due to lack of interest and regulatory hurdles.


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Copyright 2017 The Buffalo News
All Rights Reserved
The Buffalo News (New York)
The Town of Tonawanda Parks and Recreation Department closed its outdoor pools this past week, but the indoor Aquatics and Fitness Center reopened Monday after a two-week shutdown for repairs and renovations.
Enhancements include newly rubberized flooring throughout the fitness room and in the main hallways, as well as repairs to the main pool floor and re-tiling the kiddie pool. LED lighting was installed in the pool area, sauna benches were torn out and rebuilt and the hot water tanks and piping were replaced.
In addition, new Airdyne bikes were installed in the fitness room, and the aerobics room was repainted and had new fans and a pull-up bar installed.
The facility is open to residents and non-residents at different payment rates.
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Apart from giving your taste buds a mouth-watering moment, dark chocolate has a unique health benefit which has finally been unlocked.
Certain bacteria in the stomach gobble the chocolate and ferment it into anti-inflammatory compounds that are good for the heart, researchers said.
"The good bacteria such as Bifidobacterium and lactic acid bacteria feast on chocolate.
"When you eat dark chocolate, they grow and ferment it - producing compounds that are anti-inflammatory," explained Maria Moore from Louisiana State University.
"When these compounds are absorbed by the body, they lessen the inflammation of cardiovascular tissue, reducing the long-term risk of stroke," added John Finley, also from Louisiana State University.
The team tested three cocoa powders using a model digestive tract comprised of a series of modified test tubes to simulate normal digestion.
They then subjected the non-digestible materials to anaerobic fermentation using human fecal bacteria, according to Finley.
He explained that cocoa powder, an ingredient in chocolate, contains several polyphenolic, or antioxidant, compounds such as catechin and epicatechin and a small amount of dietary fibre.
Both components are poorly digested and absorbed, but when they reach the colon, the desirable microbes take over.
"We found that the fibre is fermented and the large polymers are metabolised to smaller molecules which are more easily absorbed. These smaller polymers exhibit anti-inflammatory activity," Finley noted.
Combining the fibre in cocoa with prebiotics is likely to improve a person's overall health and help convert polyphenolics in the stomach into anti-inflammatory compounds.
People could experience even more health benefits when dark chocolate is combined with solid fruits like pomegranate, said the researchers at the 247th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS) this week.


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Porsche GB has announced it will seek a judicial review of London Mayor Ken Livingstone’s £25 ‘Congestion’ charge for cars emitting 225g/km or more of CO2, on the grounds that it is unfair, disproportionate and will not cut either congestion or emissions. A motor manufacturer has at last found the guts to stand up for itself against a deeply flawed ‘environmental’ policy.
Porsche have set up a judicial review website here.
London Mayor Ken Livingstone is planning to raise the congestion charge from just £8.00 a day to £25.00 for some vehicles from October, and remove the exemption for residents, meaning that some people will see their daily charge rise from just 80p a day to £25.00 a day.
The new rules will affect several hundred models and many makes of car – 33,000 cars daily in total. This includes many larger family cars such as larger people carriers.
Porsche believes this will be bad for London and intends to take legal action in the form of a Judicial Review to stop this. This is yet another tax on London and the motorist.
It is a disproportionately large, unfair increase.
• The over 200 per cent increase for non-residents is disproportionately large- it is a huge jump in one go that looks more like a political stunt to raise revenue for an inefficient system than considered action.
• The jump for people who actually live in the congestion zone is even higher. People who currently pay just 80p a day will now have to pay £25.00 a day – a massive and unexpected increase of over 3000 percent.
• This increase will hit a large proportion of families that drive people carriers – the sort of people who use one large car, rather than driving a series of smaller one
• It will cost nearly £6,000 per year for those people, whether resident or not, to drive in London every day. This is a massive additional cost that people would not have known they were going to have to face when they bought their car.
• Motorists in Britain already pay very high levels of fuel tax and road tax.
This is yet a further increase which will squeeze them even further.
It won’t benefit the environment.
• Despite Livingstone’s claims, the increased charge won’t make any meaningful difference to the environment. The CO2 saved in a whole year is the equivalent, at most, to just a few hours of emissions from Heathrow Airport.
• It risks just putting more cars on the road as families move from one large car to two or more smaller ones.
• The increased charge will not be dependent on actual usage. A person driving a few hundred yards in one of the affected cars would have to pay £25.00 a day, whilst someone driving a slightly smaller car all day long would get away with paying just £8.00, or just 80p if they are a resident.
It sends out the wrong message about London as a place to do business.
• When London is competing to become the world’s leading business centre, it sends out completely the wrong message and will make successful people look at other cities to locate.
• The increase will hit large numbers of ordinary small business people who also use their vehicles for work.
• It comes at a time when people are already concerned about the state of the economy and when business centres should be doing all they can to secure their position.
Porsche has written to the Mayor requesting that he review his plans to increase the congestion charge to £25.00 for some vehicles. If he refuses to think more about the plans, Porsche will formally apply to the High Court for a Judicial Review. Porsche is not prepared to sit by and watch a world class city indiscriminately damaged.
Porsche seem to be unaware of just how unfair and disproportionate the new tax is. The Stern report, commissioned by the Government, suggested that £44 per tonne is an appropriate level of taxation for CO2 emissions.
Motorists already pay over £240 per tonne of CO2 emitted – FIVE TIMES the level of the Stern recommendations – in fuel duty.
Ken Livingstone is going to charge those who live within the zone 3500 TIMES the amount of tax that Stern suggests is reasonable if they choose to own a car that creeps over the arbitrary thresholds for emissions.
Insult is added to injury when you realize that buyers of some brand new £40,000+ 4x4s won’t have to pay the £25 whilst some VW Beetle owners will.
London Taxis tend to be automatics, which all emit well over 225g/km and they don’t have to pay the charge at all!
£25 less 80p is £24.20 extra a day for a resident of the central zone for driving a car with “Band G” emissions (over 225 g/km).
The new BMW X5 3.0D will emit 213 g/km (Autocar report), whereas a 2003 VW Beetle Auto produces 228g/km (SMMT website) — 15 g/km more.
Based on 5 days a week, 52 weeks a year, the brand new BMW X5 owning resident will pay £208 per year to drive in London. The owner of a £4000 secondhand VW Beetle Auto will have to pay £6500 — over THIRTY times as much.
If they both do 10km a day inside the zone, the VW Beetle owner will have to pay £161,333 for every extra tonne of CO2 he emits over and above the X5 driver. 228-213=15g/km =150g for 10km = .00015 tonnes. £24.20/.00015 equals £161.333.
The Stern report suggested that £44 per tonne was the justifiable level of taxation to cover the alleged “damage” from carbon dioxide. The VW Beetle owner is therefore paying 3666 times this amount for his extra emissions over and above a BMW X5.
Newer versions of the VW Beetle all emit under 225 g/km
LTI TXII Auto taxi — emission rated at 243 g/km on www.vcacarfueldata.org.uk


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Cyber attack 'war game' tests London banks
A cyber attack by a foreign government on financial markets played out in one of London’s historic halls on Tuesday in a “war game” simulation designed to test the City’s defenses against online saboteurs.
Cyber attack "war game" to test London banks on November 12
Thousands of staff across dozens of London financial firms will be put through a “war games” scenario on Tuesday to test how well they can handle a major cyber attack, people familiar with the matter said.
Adobe data breach more extensive than previously disclosed
Adobe Systems said on Tuesday that the scope of a cyber-security breach disclosed nearly a month ago was far bigger than initially reported, with attackers obtaining data on more than 38 million customer accounts.
No spy backdoors on BlackBerry SA network
There was no “back door pipeline” to BlackBerry SA’s platform, the cellular phone company has following reports that the UK government had been monitoring e-mails and phone calls
Web companies release US surveillance information
Facebook and Microsoft have struck agreements with the US government to release limited information about the number of surveillance requests they receive


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Koovs.com has collaborated with one of nations's favourite womenswear designers - Manish Arora. The man, well known for taking Indian fashion to the forefront of the international market, has come up with his first ever menswear collection of apparel and accessories—Indian by Manish Arora X KOOVS.
This is great news for men (and women, because Gender Bending is hot right now) as the pieces would be his signature style (bold and edgy) in an extremely affordable price bracket of Rs 495 to Rs 1,995. The line features 35 styles, including bomber jacket, shirts, t-shirts, vests, sweatshirts, trousers and accessories like socks, shoes and phone covers.
"I chose to collaborate with a platform like KOOVS.COM in India to provide consumers an exclusive opportunity to own a signature Manish Arora product at accessible prices. We are essentially a women's wear brand, so we thought it would be a great opportunity to cater to men for a change. We've incorporated a lot of lucid, colorful prints and graphics into the collection", said Manish Arora.


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Last week, Apple’s Lisa Jackson spoke at the Fortune Brainstorm Green conference about the company’s efforts to reduce its carbon footprint. She noted that all of its data centers run on renewable energy, and it’s working toward a similar goal with its retail stores.
And today we get a glimpse of those efforts with photos of a new Apple Store in Tokyo, Japan. The store, which is expected to open next month, features an eco-friendly design with a curtain of thick vines on at least one wall that will help control the store’s climate…
As noted by Japanese Apple blog Mac Otakara, before the vines went up the store featured an all-glass wall that would have inevitably let in a large amount of sunlight. The ‘green curtain’ should help significantly cut down on air conditioning-related power consumption.
Also notice the unique design on the construction barrier in the top photo. It features the words “Apple Store, Omotesando coming soon” and a swirl of green leaves—similar to the iconography Apple used in its week-long Earth Day environmental campaign last month.
Apple has been making major strides in its push to become more eco-friendly in recent months, with Greenpeace ranking it as one of the top eco-friendly tech companies. Jackson said last week that 94% of all the iPad-maker’s corporate facilities now run on clean energy.


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Aid for Belfast plant opposed
The British Apparel and Textiles Confederation (BATC) said it had decided to appeal an earlier ruling in the European Court, which had argued that Commission officials had not broken any rules when they sanctioned the UK government's pounds 61m package of subsidies for the plant, to be built by the giant Hualon Corporation.
British manufacturers say the Hualon plant, which could create up to 1,800 jobs in a deprived area north of Belfast, would unfairly use the state aid to increase production capacity in an industry undergoing a dramatic process of downsizing. John Wilson, director general of the BATC, said: "The concerns we have about Hualon are as great as they ever were. The statistics confirm our main point that the industry is stagnating or declining and an investment of this size, which increases capacity in the industry by 20 per cent, is clearly ridiculous."
Mr Wilson declined to give details of the the appeal, which he said was largely on technical grounds. So far the European association which represents clothing companies such as Coats Viyella and Courtaulds Textiles is thought to have spent around pounds 60,000 fighting the investment.
Northern Ireland's Industrial Development Board (IDB), the government body responsible for inward investment, said it had "noted" the BATC's announcement but refused to comment further.
A spokeswoman also declined to elaborate on persistent rumours that the IDB is planning to scale down the project, which will be built in several phases. Bruce Robinson, the IDB's chief executive, is recently believed to have visited Hualon on a trip to the Far East. The whole of the pounds 61m aid will only be paid out if the entire project is completed.
However, the decision to appeal to the European Court is likely to further delay the start of construction work.
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- 3 Gay couple beaten in park urge MPs to moderate language on gay marriage
- 4 After woman sells virginity for $780,000, here are the results of our prostitution survey
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Sony has launched the successor to the T200 with the introduction of the 10.1-megapixel Cyber-shot DSC-T300 digital camera.
Boasting an ultra-compact design and "intelligent functionality" to help reduce the risk of taking a bad photo, the new model has Sony's new intelligent scene recognition (iSCN), a technology that allows the camera to analyse shooting conditions and automatically select the optimal settings for the best photo results.
What appears to be an idiot-proof innovation, in advanced iSCN mode, the camera will shoot using the user's selected settings and then will automatically step in and take a second shot with optimised settings.
The T300 has a 3.5-inch touchscreen Clear Photo LCD Plus screen, a Carl Zeiss 5x optical zoom lens, Super SteadyShot image stabilization and sensitivity settings up to ISO 3200.
Face detection can now differentiate between adult's and children's faces and it also boasts the smile shutter setting to ensure only happy faces are snapped.
The DSC-T300 will be available in red, black and silver in the US and the UK in March for about $400, UK pricing not yet confirmed.


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Closest allies urge US to relax travel bans
The United States has cited the highly transmissible COVID-19 delta variant for keeping a travel ban impacting dozens of countries in place. Most non-U.S. citizens of the United Kingdom and China, Iran, Ireland, Brazil, South Africa, India and Schengen Area countries are currently banned from entering the United States. The delta variant is the United States’ most dominant strain, accounting for 83% of cases in the U.S.
But even as the variant spreads worldwide, travel has picked up. And countries that have reopened to Americans want the U.S. to return the favor. Here’s what the U.S.’s closest allies -- and the travel industry -- have said about the ongoing travel ban.
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Starting Aug. 2, England will allow fully vaccinated travelers from the U.S. and the European Union to enter its borders without the need to quarantine.
The travel industry welcomed the news on both sides of the Atlantic. August would traditionally be one of the busiest travel months between the U.K. and the U.S. but has seen just a trickle of the usual traffic this summer thanks to strict restrictions for visitors to both countries.
“We want people to be able to come from the U.S. freely in a way that they normally do,” England’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in an interview with LBC Radio.
But even with England reopening to Americans, most U.K. citizens still can’t come to the United States. And it doesn’t appear that it will change anytime soon. The White House, citing the highly transmissible delta variant dominant in the U.S. and much of Europe, said that it wouldn’t lift any of its existing travel restrictions “at this point.” The U.S. Travel Association reacted to the news, saying that closed borders “have not prevented the Delta variant from entering the U.S.”
According to the Associated Press, Virgin Atlantic’s CEO urged the U.S. to end its travel ban, saying that an “overly cautious approach” would further impact economic recovery.
But British Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said he was optimistic that the U.S. would end the travel ban put in place by former President Donald Trump.
“We can only set the rules at our end,” Shapps said, according to the Associated Press. We can’t change that on the other side, but we do expect that in time they will release that executive order.”
The European Union opened to vaccinated Americans this summer, but the U.S. travel ban remains in place. Germany’s government has taken a more vocal stance against the U.S. travel ban than other countries.
“We urgently need fact-based reciprocity in the entry rules between the U.S. and the Schengen area,” Peter Beyer, Germany’s Coordinator of Transatlantic Cooperation, told Bloomberg.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel herself pressed President Joe Biden on the travel ban, which bars non-U.S. citizens from Schengen Area countries, during her visit to Washington in early July. But she also noted that the delta variant could pose complications.
"[Relaxing the travel ban] has to be a sustainable decision," Merkel said. "It is certainly not sensible to have to take it back after only a few days."
Travel providers in the European Union have also implored the U.S. government to relax its side of the travel ban.
“What we’re anxiously waiting for is reciprocity on the part of the U.S. government,” Air France-KLM CEO Benjamin Smith told the New York Times in early July. “The trans-Atlantic is the most important long-haul market that we have.”
Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said that reopening the land border between the U.S. and Mexico was to the “benefit of both governments,” according to Border Report.
Mexico eagerly flung open its doors to Americans — and has never required testing for entry. Americans flocked to destinations such as Cancun, Mexico City and Cabo San Lucas.
However, the U.S.–Mexico land border has been closed to nonessential travel since March 2020 and will remain shut through at least Aug. 21. However, it sounds like Mexico is ready for a full reopening of the land border, saying that the closure affects commerce in California and Texas, two border states.
“We have good relations with the United States, there is cooperation, and we need each other,” Lopez Obrador said in a YouTube video, according to Border Report. “We cannot have the border closed for a long time because we have economic and commercial ties that are strategic to Mexico and the United States.”


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EarthWerks has formed a new partnership for distribution with Longust Distributing, serving the Southwestern U.S.
“Our commitment to style, service and availability is the backbone of our excellence, and we saw Longust as a group who shared our passion for excellence," said Amy Sadler, national sales manager.
Longust will cover the areas of Arizona, southern Nevada and Southern California for EarthWerks, stocking product at warehouses in Mesa, Ariz., Las Vegas, Anaheim, Calif., and San Diego.
Big D Distribution and JH Freed will continue to serve customers during the transition.
“Longust will provide exceptional service and a full team of dedicated outside sales, inside sales and customer service specialists. We feel that our mutual commitment and enthusiasm for the commercial, residential, and retail markets will prove a dynamic partnership," said Matt Smith, Western division sales manager for EarthWerks.
For more information, visit earthwerks.com.


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Exent Technologies and Indiagames recently finalized a deal to bring games-on-demand to the fast-growing Indian economy
March 21, 2007
SAN FRANCISCO -- Exent Technologies, the leading global market solutions provider for broadband-based monetization of PC and video games, and Indiagames, India’s leading mobile and online games company, recently finalized a deal to bring games-on-demand to the fast-growing Indian economy.
The Internet market in India is growing at a pace of more than 50 percent a year and reached 39 million users in 2005. Pearl Research, a San Francisco-based analyst firm, predicts the online games market in India will top $200 million by the end of the decade.
Exent and Indiagames first partnered in April 2006 to launch games-on-demand services with leading broadband service providers such as Airtel, BSNL, MTNL, Tata VSNL and YOU Telecom. The new deal expands the service to target more than 100,000 private Internet cafés across India. The service offers unlimited access to a rich catalogue of PC games from leading global publishers for an affordable monthly subscription fee.
The games-on-demand service features games from Microsoft, Atari, Codemasters, PlayFirst, Alawar, Merscomm, Cenega, Meridian, Techland and more. Popular titles include Age of Empires II, Lara Croft’s Tomb Raider series, Toca Race Driver 3 and Flight Simulator. The service provides a legal alternative to the pirated games that deprive publishers and developers of consumer loyalty, brand equity and legitimate sales.
“India’s game market is saturated with pirated titles,” said Vishal Gondal, CEO, Indiagames. “Our service will expand the legitimate online games market and increase broadband market penetration by offering a first-class user experience and a high-quality package of games at an unparalleled price. This is a first of its kind service in India and is bound to expand the games category beyond its limited traditional audience.”
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TCL has been active in mobile as a white label. At CES 2020, the company announced the first smartphones to be sold under its own brand name, TCL 10 5G, TCL 10 Pro, and TCL 10L.
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QuickCheck loan app makes it easier for individuals and micro-business owners to access up to loans without guarantor and collateral.
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Researchers Create Genetically-Modified Gluten-Free Wheat
If you have a gluten sensitivity, gluten allergy, or diagnosed Celiac disease, avoiding gluten in your diet is practically a full-time job.
A surprisingly large number of foods contain gluten that you might not expect, like sauces, chips, canned soup, candy, ice cream, and deli-cooked chicken. It's one reason you have to be extra vigilant about reading food labels.
But what about bread, cereal, and other baked foods made with flour that typically contains gluten found in barley, wheat, and rye? These are foods anyone who has a problem with gluten should avoid.
And while there are gluten-free alternatives made with grains other than barley, wheat, and rye, the foods don't always taste the same…until now.
At the Institute for Sustainable Agriculture in Cordoba, Spain, a team of researchers have created a genetically-modified strain of wheat that doesn't produce the typical adverse effects of gluten for people with a sensitivity or allergy like diarrhea, vomiting, gastrointestinal distress, and other health problems.
And while this form of wheat still has trace amounts of gluten, it's such a small amount that it appears most people with gluten issues can tolerate it without any adverse health problems, says lead researcher Jan Chojecki of PBL-Ventures, who hopes to market this product in the U.S. in the form of baguettes and bread rolls.
Small clinical trials of 10 to 20 people using this form of gluten-free wheat are currently underway in Mexico and Spain, and the results appear to be promising. But it's going to be a while before, gluten-free wheat products are available in stores.
Until then, you'll have to stay vigilant about watching your diet to avoid foods that contain gluten. Fortunately, there's lots of healthy and delicious food you can eat even if you are on a gluten-free diet. Just check out the selection of Gluten-Free meals all made from fresh ingredients and only take minutes to prepare in the microwave.


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Listen to this story
Let’s do a thought exercise.
How much is Google worth? Today, its market cap — the total value of the company — was just over $690 billion. It is the largest media corporation in the world, earning $79 billion on media revenue out of a total of $90 billion in overall revenue. Eight seven percent of Google’s revenue comes from advertising. All the cool stuff you hear about — the self driving cars, Google Fiber, Nest, Verily, Calico Labs, Google Ventures, Google X — made less than $809 million — far less than one percent of total revenues.
And what about Facebook? Their market cap is just over $500 billion. They earned about $17 billion through advertising in 2015. They made a total of $18 billion in revenue that year, putting the percentage of their revenue from advertising at 95 percent.
Now what about traditional media companies? Let’s look at Disney, the largest “traditional” media company in the world. Disney made $55 billion in revenue last year. Of that revenue, just $8.5 billion of it came from advertising, or just 15 percent. This includes all the revenue from ABC, the various Disney channels, ESPN, and A&E. To be fair, Disney owns significant minority stakes in Hulu and Vice, and these revenues do not appear to be included in their annual report’s ad revenue accounting. We’ll put that aside, it only aids the argument I’m making here. Disney’s market cap is about $150 billion.
Disney, owing to its theme parks and significant merch business, is an extreme case, but the story is essentially the same for the other large traditional media companies. They all generally own film studios, cable companies and magazines that generate non-advertising revenue. A full 17 percent of Time Warner’s revenues come from HBO alone, making its ad-to-non-ad ratio better than either Facebook or Google. In total, just 43 percent of Time Warner’s revenue comes from advertising. For Viacom, it’s 38 percent.
Last year the entire world spent about $580 billion on advertising. That number isn’t growing much, but we’ll get to that in a minute.
So, looking at these numbers one thing is evident: every company is worth more than it makes in one year. In venture investing, we called this a “multiple” on revenue. In the stock market, they boil the same idea down to a P/E ratio (stock price-to-earnings ratio). The logic here is that a buyer would be willing to pay more for a company than it made in a year, because it will probably make that much money again the next year. And it might make even more next year.
Typically, these multiples apply to a whole industry. Some industries get a higher multiple than others. In basic economic theory — the stuff you are taught in college — the logic comes from what might be called Factories vs Lawyers — capital-intensive businesses versus people-intensive businesses. The thinking went if you bought a factory, and all the people walked out the door and quit, you’d still have the factory, the inventory, the machines. But if you bought a law firm, and everyone walked out, you’d just have a bunch of lease obligations. Thus in the old days, product companies enjoyed a higher multiple than a service company. If you were considering purchasing a factory that made widgets and had revenue of $100 million a year, and also considering a law firm that had revenue of $100 million a year, you might need to pay $500 million to buy the factory, whereas you could buy the law firm for $200 million. These would be called a 5x versus a 2x multiple.
I don’t choose those numbers arbitrarily. Among investors, a 2x multiple for a service company is the default starting point.
Multiples are extraordinarily important to a company. The higher their P/E ratio, the more a company’s stock is worth. That stock is money — money they can use to buy other companies. A high P/E ratio makes a company more expensive, insulating it against hostile acquirers. And at present there are very few companies that could even contemplate buying Google or Facebook. In fact, there is only one — Apple, and I’m sure the anti-trust sirens would go off on that one.
So, then, looking at the PE ratios for these companies, as of today, we see:
- Google: 36.49
- Facebook: 37.74
- Disney: 17.24
- Viacom: 7.18
- Time Warner: 18.65
Viacom is a bit of an odd one out: it is much smaller, and it has some succession issues, to put it mildly.
Multiples for “tech” companies
You see a pattern here: tech companies get a much higher multiple than traditional ones. Google and Facebook’s ratios are even higher than other tech companies. Apple’s is 17.86, Microsoft’s is 28.61. Some are higher — much higher. Amazon’s is a staggering 253.06. With tech companies, it seems, PE ratios are lower if you do something so old-fashioned as make stuff in a factory. Recall that in the old days, a factory deserved a higher multiple than a people company. This no longer seems to be the case in tech. Actually, with the rise of just-in-time logistics and Foxconn and the like, it’s less true everywhere. But it does seem strange that these tech companies with actual non-advertising revenue — with potential to grow — are valued less than those relying solely on advertising.
Of course, one could rationally argue that having a bunch of lawyers walk out the door would be a lot easier to deal with than having all your computer engineers walk out the door, but despite this Google and Facebook — indeed, the entire “tech” industry — enjoy huge multiples.
Tech company’s higher multiples have been justified, historically, for two reasons:
- First, tech companies have a high growth potential, and indeed, this makes sense: you’d be willing to pay more for a company that was more likely to have a growing business vs a flat or shrinking one.
- And secondly, tech companies earned a higher multiple because they could theoretically execute their business more cheaply and/or efficiently than their traditional competitors.
These theories around multiples proved wildly true in Google’s early days. It rapidly captured print ad dollars — especially the classified market — away from newspapers, and did so with far fewer employees. It grew, and it grew efficiently. And the market seemed bottomless.
But the times, they have changed.
So, here we are in 2017, and let’s look at every. single. reason. why a company has a higher multiple and look at how this applies to Google and Facebook:
Potential for growth: This is what we’ve been talking about the entire time in this series. Facebook and Google have won the war on direct advertising, but are losing the war on the much larger, more profitable, and TV-intensive brand advertising. Their growth potential is severely limited. Despite the fact that Mary Meeker, and other analysts have been extolling the inexorable migration of ad dollars from television to the web (and then mobile) for over a decade, that migration has not happened, nor is there any sound economic basis for thinking it will. Google and Facebook are also bumping up against the entire ad industry — as I pointed out above, it is capped annually just under $600 billion total. That number only goes up with GDP growth, and GDP growth is something we may well be seeing less of.
There is, of course, Google’s core non-brand advertising business — search. And it has some potential for continued growth. But there are some concerns here too. It’s constrained by the rate of globalization and the incumbent global competitors that brings (especially in china). Ad levels are remarkably constant against GDP, and we don’t expect super high GDP growth in the future. Brand vs direct allocations are generally fixed by sector as well, so no brand money is going to be moving over to direct. And while Google is capturing a hefty chunk of the remaining direct dollars moving to digital, there are not many left.
Capital assets vs people: This has always been a bit of a red herring in the tech industry: supposedly they deserved all of the upside of higher multiples for being able to do things more efficiently, but none of the downside to multiples for only employing precious irreplaceable engineering geniuses. But I’ll tell you one thing. If I were a billionaire private equity investor named Schmidt Bomney and I wanted to buy a company I knew nothing about, I would feel a damn sight more comfortable buying a factory (or, ahem, Staples) and replacing all the workers if they quit than I would buying Google and having all those baby geniuses quit on me.
Cost advantages: In the old days, Google could employ far fewer people than the nation’s 5,000 newspapers, and deliver the classified ads far more cheaply. Not only did they employ fewer people, they didn’t have to own all those expensive printing presses.
As we have discussed in previous columns, this is not longer true in the battle for the remaining ad dollars. Everyone — and I mean everyone — is fighting for these remaining non-digimafied ad dollars (also known as TV).
And it is expensive. Apple is spending a billion dollars to get into the game with Spielberg (they’re bringing back Amazing Stories and I am psyched). And that’s only part of the $7 billion they plan on spending. Facebook is spending money on content from Buzzfeed, Vox and others. They plan to spend up to $1 billion. Netflix $6 billion. Amazon, $4.5 billion. Hulu $2.5 billion. Google, $4.5 billion. (Oh, and everyone was spending money with the Weinsteins.)
This all sounds like a ton of money. And it is! So say goodbye to any cost advantages that tech companies might have. They gotta spend money on awesome content just like anyone else.
There is zero reason to think that a tech company can create content better than anyone else — which is the only way anyone knows of to capture any future ad growth. They have zero advantage over Disney. They are coming from a position of weakness — Disney already has significant TV ad revenue, and extensive experience in making content we love. Ad tech isn’t going to help them, as we’ve discussed, and even if it is there are a million innovative ad firms out there that are just as happy to be bought by Disney as they are by Google.
Google and Facebook have zero cost advantages when it comes to capturing the remaining ad dollars. And they don’t even have that much money to play this war of attrition. Google has $92 billion, Facebook $30 ish. Newly minted content producer Apple, by contrast, has $256 billion in the bank.
Disney has $12 billion or so, but this is a different number than for the others, because when you come down to it, the amount of money these tech companies are planning on spending on content is diddly squat compared to Disney. Disney’s cash on hand is a different beast because it already spends astronomically more money on content than any of these tech companies are contemplating.
A quick adding up of the budgets of the 10 films Disney released this year comes out to $1.5 billion. ESPN spends another $2 billion a year just for the NBA and $1.9 billion a year on the NFL. And $700 million on Major League Baseball. And another billion or so on college basketball. Half a billion for college football playoffs. Another half a billion on the Big Ten rights. It’s a little hard to come up with a total, because Disney’s accounting in their annual report amortizes some content across multiple years, but a number in the $10 billion range does not seem unreasonable. And that’s ignoring the theme parks and the substantial savings Disney recoups creating something like Star Wars Rebels, for example — a very inexpensive show for Disney to produce, since they already own Star Wars, the mythology, the production capabilities, and the writers. Nor does this include the billions in physical production assets like sound stages and studios Disney already has.
Google and Facebook have the cash to compete, but it is not going to be cheap, and they have no inherent advantage.
Future payoffs: The reality of this situation goes a long way to explain Google’s “other bets” category and its Berkshire-like reorganization into the holding company Alphabet. Facebook for its part touts drones and VR as future growth opportunities (sometimes with unfortunate results) and — despite its balance sheet to the contrary — vociferously insists it’s not a media company. Methinks they doth protest too much. It is a smart move, strategically, for Google and Facebook to take the massive amount of money it is currently making on direct advertising and spending that towards growing other industries, trying to transition into real bona-fide non-media companies before the jig is up on their inflated stock prices. But they are nowhere near reaching that goal. This also explains Google’s Alphabet reorganization. Alphabet allows them, and investors, to value these other endeavors separately (investors hate conglomerates). EMC has had the same problem with its Pivotal division. Time Warner has it with HBO. Nothing new under the sun here, and Google has no advantages when it comes to this eternal corporate problem of “unlocking shareholder value.”
Which half is wasted, indeed.
In short, I can think of no reason that Google deserves its PE ratio of 36.5. It has zero advantages in the one big growth area it can realistically go after: The brand budgets currently spent on TV. Furthermore, that market is not a growth market. At best, if and when it migrates to digital, it will be the same size, and Google will have no advantages. At worst, the migration to digital (if it happens), along with massive competition decimates ad rates.
A far more reasonable PE ratio would be that of Disney — and this might be generous. Disney already has a substantial and growing digital business, and unlike Google it is not facing serious and growing anti-trust concerns on its cash cows. The revenue and assets Disney does had — theme parks, a massive treasure chest of beloved IP, production studios and distribution channels such as ESPN, ABC, Disney XD, and 33% of Hulu — all work towards winning this last, great ad war. Nothing Google has now will help.
But let’s be generous and give Google the same PE ratio: 17.24, instead of its current 36.49. This would be a 53 percent reduction in PE ratio, resulting in a new market cap of $325 billion, and a stock price of $433.38. That seems far more reasonable. Facebook, similarly, given Disney’s PE ratio should be worth about $217 billion, trading at $74.70.
The only thing that Google — and other tech companies — have going for them in the battle for brand dollars is their massive P/E ratios, valuations and stock prices, with which it is far easier for them to acquire suddenly popular, smaller content developers. But these stocks are based on a reality that no longer exists. The emperor has no clothes.


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- 3 min
Finaref and Téléshopping launch a first in m-commerce: payment by mobile phone using the OKshopping card
Orange, SFR and Bouygues Télécom subscribers can now pay for purchases made on the Téléshopping website using their mobile phone. This is the first service of its kind in France using a private label card. Providing a full range of payment facilities, this service is the result of the partnership between Finaref and Téléshopping...


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Lucrative long-term investing is as simple as picking dominant businesses in industries with significant growth catalysts.
Few industries hold as much long-term promise as payments processing. That's because the massive shift from cash to alternative payments shows no signs of slowing down. The industry forecast from Boston Consulting Group predicts the industry will blossom from $1.5 trillion in 2021 to $2.9 trillion by 2030.
Aside from Visa, nobody will benefit as much from this as Mastercard (MA 0.39%). Let's take a look at the latter's fundamentals and valuation and discuss three reasons why the stock is a no-brainer buy for growth investors.
1. Mastercard consistently outperforms
In late July, Mastercard shared its financial results for the second quarter ended June 30. And the company certainly didn't disappoint analysts with its net revenue and non-GAAP (adjusted) diluted earnings per share (EPS) during the quarter.
Mastercard reported $5.5 billion in net revenue in the second quarter, producing 21.4% year-over-year growth. That's even considering the negative impact of discontinuing operations in Russia in the first quarter of this year. This came in ahead of the average analyst forecast of $5.3 billion in net revenue. And it was the ninth quarter out of the last 10 quarters that the company has accomplished this feat. Strong all-around performance in Mastercard's three key areas was responsible for this double-digit net revenue growth rate in the second quarter.
Thanks to reopened borders, the company's cross-border volume soared 58% higher over the year-ago period on a neutral currency basis. Cross-border volume is when the issuing country of a credit or debit card is different from the merchant country where a transaction is completed.
Increased international travel helped Mastercard's gross dollar volume surge 14% higher year over year to $2.1 trillion during the quarter on a local currency basis, which doesn't account for foreign currency translation. Gross dollar volume is the dollar amount of transactions that are authorized on the company's payment network.
Finally, Mastercard's switched transactions were up nearly 12% over the year-ago period to 30.4 billion in the second quarter. Adjusting for the impact of withdrawing business operations from Russia, this would have been 22% higher for the quarter.
The company posted $2.56 in adjusted diluted EPS during the second quarter, which was a 31.3% year-over-year increase. This was well above the analyst consensus of $2.36 for the quarter. How did Mastercard top the average analyst-adjusted diluted EPS prediction for the ninth quarter out of the past 10 quarters?
The company's higher net revenue base and a 260-basis-point expansion in its adjusted net margin to 45.4% were the primary factors that led to this significant earnings growth. And a 2% reduction in Mastercard's diluted weighted-average outstanding share count was the other component of its robust growth in the second quarter.
2. Mastercard's dividend can rocket higher
Mastercard's 0.6% dividend yield is well below the 1.5% dividend yield of the S&P 500 index. However, the company's starting dividend yield is deceptively low.
That's because analysts are projecting that Mastercard will deliver 22.8% annual adjusted diluted EPS growth through the next five years. Along with a dividend payout ratio that will come in around 18.5% in 2022, this sets the table for huge dividend growth. That's why I believe the dividend will at least double over the next five years.
3. A reasonable valuation for a blue chip stock
Mastercard is a fundamentally wonderful business. That's why it would be unrealistic to expect to scoop up shares of the stock at a bargain-bin valuation.
Mastercard's forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 27.6 would be high for just about any other business. But for its 20%-plus annual earnings growth, the impressive wealth compounder is sensibly valued. For context, Visa's forward P/E ratio of 25.1 is only a bit lower than Mastercard's. Yet the latter's annual earnings growth is far higher than Visa's 18.2% annual earnings growth forecast for the next five years. That's what makes Mastercard such a great pick for growth investors.


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Google and Apple don't really compete and never have (GOOG, AAPL)
If there's one thing that people couldn't stop talking about at this week's Google I/O, the search giant's annual developer conference, it was Apple.
It makes sense. Apple and Google are widely held to be bitter rivals in the mobile space. Steve Jobs was once so angry about Android allegedly ripping off the iPhone, he vowed to go "thermonuclear" on Google.
Everything Google announced this week — and everything that Google has announced in mobile since the launch of the first Android phone in 2009 — has been to fire shots across the bow at Apple.
Except that they aren't really competing at all.
Apple and Google are two completely different kinds of companies. And while they have similar products — iOS and Android, Apple Maps and Google Maps, the App Store and Google Play — they're in the business for totally different reasons.
You can see it in the two companies' mission statements.
Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad.
Translation: Apple is a hardware company. It doesn't give a damn about your personal data. It just wants to sell lots of phones and computers at prices that maximize its profits over the long-term (that's key — Apple, like most successful tech companies, plans way beyond the current quarter and year). It makes good-looking, basic apps that it builds into its hardware because that's part of making sure they just work. But it's all about the hardware.
Google’s mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.
Google wants data. It can't get enough of the stuff. The more data, the better. In fact, three of the top-10 free apps on Apple's iTunes App Store are from Google. Zero of them are from Apple.
Google talks a big talk about getting the next billion people online and all kinds of other philanthropic projects. But Google is a technology company that makes more than 90% of its money selling ads. The more data it has about the audience it's selling ads against, the more valuable those ads are, and the more money advertisers will pay for them.
Google bought Android in the first place as a way to hedge against a competitor launching a mobile operating system that used a competing search engine, which would eat away at Google's ad business. With 79% market share, there are a lot of people using Android — and, crucially, who aren't using iOS or anything else.
But the more you use Android, the more data you give to Google. That data helps it sell ads. If Google is getting the next billion people online, you can bet it's imagining a billion new people looking at Google's ads.
In other words, as Business Insider's Matt Rosoff put it so succinctly, Google is not a charity.
There are pleasant side effects here: The more data Google has, the more accurate its products become, which in turn helps it attract more users, and so on in a virtuous cycle of product improvement.
Google Now takes your data and tells you when you need to leave for the airport. Google Photos can tell which of your photos have your mom in them. Google search knows that you're probably looking for this article right here. Hi!
Apple isn't stupid. If Apple wanted to, it could make a cheaper iPhone and break into the developing markets by the end of this year, eating at Android's market dominance. They have the talent, and they definitely have the cash.
But Apple is doing just fine without being everywhere. As long as enough people are paying enough money for its devices, Apple and its shareholders will be happy.
Google needs to be everywhere because Google's business is based on data.
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