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KUALA LUMPUR (ICIS)--Southeast Asia’s polyethylene (PE) import prices were largely under pressure in the week amid additional volumes from displaced US cargoes in the region, which are likely to lengthen the market further, particularly in Vietnam.
Availability of competitively priced US cargoes had widened the price gap for PE grades affected by the 25% China’s tariffs in the region.
Several regional and Chinese traders were actively trying to offload US-origin high density PE (HDPE) film, HDPE injection and linear low density PE (LLDPE) film grades, to southeast Asia.
Vietnam is the main target market due to its close proximity to China and duty free market.
“Chinese traders mostly try to sell to Vietnam as they might not have the flexibility and connection to sell their cargoes to other southeast Asian markets,” said a local trader.
Thus, additional supply of both prime and off-grades US-origin cargoes were particularly rife in Vietnam which weighed down on market sentiment.
Off-grade HDPE injection cargoes were sold at $1,050-1,100/tonne CFR (cost & freight) Vietnam which were much lower prices as compared to its prime grade counterparts that were previously sold at around $1,200/tonne CFR Vietnam.
“The much lower prices heard in the market are usually for off-grade cargoes and cannot be considered market prices,” said a regional trader.
Several deals for US-origin linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) film cargoes were concluded at $1,090/tonne CFR SEA while offers stand at $1,100/tonne CFR SEA.
A couple of deals for US-origin high density polyethylene (HDPE) film cargoes were concluded as low as $1,270/tonne CFR SE Asia.
“Some of the cargoes are already on water so buyers will try to push down the price as much as possible because they know that the suppliers are under pressure to sell,” said a Vietnamese trader.
Most market participants reckoned that the reshuffling of displaced US cargoes might temporarily lengthen the supply in the region.
In terms of demand, there was thin buying interest for US-origin cargoes that require longer shipment period amid market uncertainty.
Depreciation of local Asian currencies against the US Dollars had curbed demand for most import cargoes, leading to subdued price discussion.
However, restocking activity is expected to resume after regular suppliers announced their offers for September shipment later in the month.
The raging US-China trade spat is also impacting the chemicals market in the region.
The shifting trade flows will be one of the main discussions participants of the Asia Petrochemical Industry Conference (APIC) 2018 - being held in the Malaysian capital on 20-21 August - will be holding with each other.
Focus article by Felita Widjaja


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OpenAI’s revenues have surpassed $2bn on an annualised basis, as the runaway success of its flagship artificial intelligence product ChatGPT puts it among the fastest-growing technology companies in history. The San Francisco-based start-up’s yearly run rate — a measure of the previous month’s revenue multiplied by 12 — hit the $2bn milestone in December 2023, according to two people with knowledge of its finances. These people added that the Microsoft-backed company believes it can more than double this figure in 2025, on the back of strong interest from business customers seeking to use OpenAI’s technology to adopt generative AI tools in the workplace. The extraordinary growth is set to put OpenAI among a handful of Silicon Valley companies — including Google and Meta — to have posted revenues of $1bn within a decade of being founded. OpenAI was launched as a not-for-profit AI research lab in 2015 but has become a commercial behemoth since it created a business arm in 2020. Its annualised revenue was $1.3bn as recently as October last year, according to The Information, a technology publication, but the pace of sales growth has continued to accelerate. Despite ructions at the company in November, when chief executive Sam Altman was ousted by OpenAI’s board only to be reinstated days later, the group continues to capitalise on the AI boom it kicked off with the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022. According to Altman, 92 per cent of Fortune 500 companies were using OpenAI products, including ChatGPT and its underlying AI model GPT-4, as of November last year, while the chatbot has 100mn weekly users. Consumer and business interest in generative AI — systems that can generate code, text, images, video and analysing information from user prompts — has rocketed. A number of competitors, including big tech rivals such as Google and Meta, and start-ups including Anthropic, Mistral and Cohere, are also beginning to commercialise their AI products. On Thursday, Google announced its new AI system Gemini, which users can access through a premium subscription of $20 a month.
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Comments on Brian Wesbury article
He’s got the data right, and I agree with all he concludes from it. All he’s missing is the difference he points two between now (unlimited funds available) and The Great Depression (banks short of lendable funds), including what the Fed presumably ‘did’ each time, are the differences between the constraints of the gold standard of that time vs today’s floating fx policy.
The Economy Is Fine (Really)
by Brian Wesbury
It is hard to imagine any time in history when such rampant pessimism about the economy has existed with so little evidence of serious trouble.
True, retail sales fell 0.4% in December and fourth-quarter real GDP probably grew at only a 1.5% annual rate. It is also true that in the past six months manufacturing production has been flat, new orders for durable goods have fallen at a 0.8% annual rate, and unemployment blipped up to 5%. Soft data for sure, but nowhere near the end of the world.
It is most likely that this recent weakness is a payback for previous strength. Real GDP surged at a 4.9% annual rate in the third quarter, while retail sales jumped 1.1% in November. A one-month drop in retail sales is not unusual. In each of the past five years, retail sales have reported at least three negative months. These declines are part of the normal volatility of the data, caused by wild swings in oil prices, seasonal adjustments, or weather. Over-reacting is a mistake.
A year ago, most economic data looked much worse than they do today. Industrial production fell 1.1% during the six months ending February 2007, while new orders for durable goods fell 3.9% at an annual rate during the six months ending in November 2006. Real GDP grew just 0.6% in the first quarter of 2007 and retail sales fell in January and again in April. But the economy came back and roared in the middle of the year — real GDP expanded 4.4% at an annual rate between April and September.
With housing so weak, the recent softness in production and durable goods orders is understandable. But housing is now a small share of GDP (4.5%). And it has fallen so much already that it is highly unlikely to drive the economy into recession all by itself. Exports are 12% of the economy, and are growing at a 13.6% rate. The boom in exports is overwhelming the loss from housing.
Personal income is up 6.1% during the year ending in November, while small-business income accelerated in October and November, during the height of the credit crisis. In fact, after subtracting income taxes, rent, mortgages, car leases and loans, debt service on credit cards and property taxes, incomes rose 3.9% faster than inflation in the year through September. Commercial paper issuance is rising again, as are mortgage applications.
Some large companies outside of finance and home building are reporting lower profits, but the over-reaction to very spotty negative news is astounding. For example, Intel’s earnings disappointed, creating a great deal of fear about technology. Lost in the pessimism is the fact that 20 out of 24 S&P 500 technology companies that have reported earnings so far have beaten Wall Street estimates.
Models based on recent monetary and tax policy suggest real GDP will grow at a 3% to 3.5% rate in 2008, while the probability of recession this year is 10%. This was true before recent rate cuts and stimulus packages. Now that the Fed has cut interest rates by 175 basis points, the odds of a huge surge in growth later in 2008 have grown. The biggest threat to the economy is still inflation, not recession.
Yet many believe that a recession has already begun because credit markets have seized up. This pessimistic view argues that losses from the subprime arena are the tip of the iceberg. An economic downturn, combined with a weakened financial system, will result in a perfect storm for the multi-trillion dollar derivatives market. It is feared that cascading problems with inter-connected counterparty risk, swaps and excessive leverage will cause the entire “house of cards,” otherwise known as the U.S. financial system, to collapse. At a minimum, they fear credit will contract, causing a major economic slowdown.
For many, this catastrophic outlook brings back memories of the Great Depression, when bank failures begot more bank failures, money was scarce, credit was impossible to obtain, and economic problems spread like wildfire.
This outlook is both perplexing and worrisome. Perplexing, because it is hard to see how a campfire of a problem can spread to burn down the entire forest. What Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke recently estimated as a $100 billion loss on subprime loans would represent only 0.1% of the $100 trillion in combined assets of all U.S. households and U.S. non-farm, non-financial corporations. Even if losses ballooned to $300 billion, it would represent less than 0.3% of total U.S. assets.
Beneath every dollar of counterparty risk, and every swap, derivative, or leveraged loan, is a real economic asset. The only way credit troubles could spread to take down the entire system is if the economy completely fell apart. And that only happens when government policy goes wildly off track.
In the Great Depression, the Federal Reserve allowed the money supply to collapse by 25%, which caused a dangerous deflation. In turn, this deflation caused massive bank failures. The Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930, Herbert Hoover’s tax hike passed in 1932, and then FDR’s alphabet soup of new agencies, regulations and anticapitalist government activity provided the coup de grace. No wonder thousands of banks failed and unemployment ballooned to 20%.
But in the U.S. today, the Federal Reserve is extremely accommodative. Not only is the federal funds rate well below the trend in nominal GDP growth, but real interest rates are low and getting lower. In addition, gold prices have almost quadrupled during the past six years, while the consumer price index rose more than 4% last year.
These monetary conditions are not conducive to a collapse of credit markets and financial institutions. Any financial institution that goes under does so because of its own mistakes, not because money was too tight. Trade protectionism has not become a reality, and while tax hikes have been proposed, Congress has been unable to push one through.
Which brings up an interesting thought: If the U.S. financial system is really as fragile as many people say, why should we go to such lengths to save it? If a $100 billion, or even $300 billion, loss in the subprime loan world can cause the entire system to collapse, maybe we should be working hard to build a better system that is stronger and more reliable.
Pumping massive amounts of liquidity into the economy and pumping up government spending by giving money away through rebates may create more problems than it helps to solve. Kicking the can down the road is not a positive policy.
The irony is almost too much to take. Yesterday everyone was worried about excessive consumer spending, a lack of saving, exploding debt levels, and federal budget deficits. Today, our government is doing just about everything in its power to help consumers borrow more at low rates, while it is running up the budget deficit to get people to spend more. This is the tyranny of the urgent in an election year and it’s the development that investors should really worry about. It reads just like the 1970s.
The good news is that the U.S. financial system is not as fragile as many pundits suggest. Nor is the economy showing anything other than normal signs of stress. Assuming a 1.5% annualized growth rate in the fourth quarter, real GDP will have grown by 2.8% in the year ending in December 2007 and 3.2% in the second half during the height of the so-called credit crunch. Initial unemployment claims, a very consistent canary in the coal mine for recessions, are nowhere near a level of concern.
Because all debt rests on a foundation of real economic activity, and the real economy is still resilient, the current red alert about a crashing house of cards looks like another false alarm. Warren Buffett, Wilbur Ross and Bank of America are buying, and there is
still $1.1 trillion in corporate cash on the books. The bench of potential buyers on the sidelines is deep and strong. Dow 15,000 looks much more likely than Dow 10,000. Keep the faith and stay invested. It’s a wonderful buying opportunity.
Mr. Wesbury is chief economist for First Trust Portfolios, L.P.


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Azamara Club Cruises’ luxury cruise ship Azamara Quest has emerged after two-weeks in dry dock in Singapore’s Sembcorp Marine Admiralty Shipyard completely refurbished, with brand new cabins and spaces to be enjoyed onboard.
Her final route in Asia, the 690-guest luxury ship is headed north to Malaysia at the first port of call in Penang before heading onwards to Sri Lanka, India, and ending its voyage in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The Azamara Quest was refurbished to look identical to her Azamara Club Cruises twin sister, the Azamara Journey, which was refurbished in January this year.
Walking through the decks, it is clear that the new appearance saw a careful balance between maintaining the original elegance of the ship and giving it a modern touch and feel.
With interactive stations installed in the new Living Room, guests can now send virtual postcards while out at sea.
There is also an Inspiration Centre – a large interactive wall – for travelers to learn about the places they are about to visit, or see where the next voyage is going to be.
Vice president for Sales and Marketing for the Americas, Ellen Bettridge, declined to mention the exact cost of refurbishment, but said the heaviest investments went to the cabins.
This comes as no surprise, as the ship now has two brand new open-concept spa suites that come with private Jacuzzi tubs.
Ship Master Captain Jose Vilarinho, who was part of the team that oversaw the initial construction of Azamara’s ships said it has been an exciting experience watching the ship undergo refurbishment.
“The entire process was well organised, and we were lucky to be the second ship to undergo this process.
“As such, whatever we wanted to improve from the Journey, we had the chance to upgrade it here,” he said.
Although there has been a rise in the number of guests from Asia, the ship remains to be very Western-centric.
“We are built to cater to the luxury market, and we find that the luxury traveler from Asia want that experience,” she said, adding that from past records, the primary destination for Asian travelers has always been the Mediterranean.
Understanding the need to increase brand awareness in Asia, Ms Bettridge said the group works closely with their travel partners in the region and leverages on ships from Royal Caribbean’s sister brands like the Celebrity Millennium and Voyager of the Seas.
“Increasingly though, we’ve noticed that travelers from Asia now like the idea of being close to home with our number one port being Bangkok, followed by Singapore, Ho Chi Minh city, and Hanoi, as our top destinations.”
Bettridge said, “the luxury market specifically is growing at a very rapid rate, so its about finding the right opportunity to add in the right ships for us.”
From fine dining to wine and whisky tasting classes while at sea, Ms Bettridge believes that luxury cruise trends are about experiences, exclusivity, and authenticity.
Unique to the Azamara experience, the AzAmazing evenings, which feature a specially organised event unique to each voyage, along with the concept of destination immersion, which allows travelers to spend more time in port, has been a selling point both in Asia and internationally.
“Because we are in port longer, we can offer night tours and give travelers a more authentic experience, and that is what luxury travelers are looking for,” said Ms Bettridge.
Words by Alycia Lim


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German discount supermarket group Aldi will invest 1.3 billion pounds ($1.8 billion) in Britain over the next two years, opening a new store every week to try to accelerate its rapid growth in market share, it said on Monday.
The retailer plans to open another 100 new stores in Britain, expand its logistics infrastructure, including a new distribution centre in central England, and invest in technology.
It will create more than 2,000 new British jobs next year, adding to the 7,000 permanent roles created over the past two years.
“Around 88% of British consumers want to shop in stores … There’s no doubt that bricks and mortar is the focus for our business,” Giles Hurley, the CEO of Aldi’s business in Britain and Ireland, told reporters.
Aldi and German rival Lidl have grown rapidly in Britain over the last decade, forcing the established big four supermarkets – Tesco, Sainsbury’s Asda and Morrisons – to cut prices and compete more aggressively.
Aldi is now Britain’s fifth-largest supermarket group. It currently trades from 920 UK stores and has an 8% market share.
However, its share edged lower at some points during the pandemic, partly due to a lack of a significant online business.
The British and Irish business, privately-owned by Aldi Sud , said 2020 sales rose 10.2% to a record 13.5 billion pounds, but operating profit fell 1.2% to 287.7 million pounds, reflecting the costs of COVID-19.
The crisis prompted the business to accelerate its push into home delivery via a partnership with Deliveroo. It also introduced a click-and-collect service that’s now live in 200 stores, and is trialling a checkout-free concept store in Greenwich, southeast London.
Hurley said although no UK retailer could be immune from current supply chain disruption, Aldi was better placed than rivals.
Aldi’s limited product range means it has a smaller supplier base, while the majority of products it sources for its British stores come from local suppliers and manufacturers.
“That means our supply chain is just that little bit shorter and easier to control,” he said.
Hurley also noted that the majority of its drivers are directly employed.
“It’s very much business as usual. Yes things are tighter but our trucks and our deliveries are rolling across the UK, our stores are full and we’d encourage customers to shop as normal,” he said.
The CEO said nobody in the market could guarantee there would not be inflation this Christmas.
“What I am able to guarantee is that customers will always get the lowest prices in Aldi irrespective of what the future holds.”


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If you're a vegetarian and you love that McDonald's taste (hello, fries!) but have always lamented the fact that they don't have a lot of veggie options, your prayers might just be answered.
As reported by The Independent, the fast-food chain has finally created a vegan burger, but there's a catch: So far, the burger is only available in Finland, and for a limited time only.
Take a look at it in all its delicious glory:
Called the (what else?) McVegan, the burger is made up of a soy-based patty topped with tomato, salad, pickles, and vegan McFeast sauce, on a classic McDonald's bun.
For now, McDonald's is doing a test run of the McVegan in Tampere, Finland, from Oct. 4 to Nov. 21.
With more and more people becoming vegetarian (there are about 375 million vegetarians in the world, as per stats in 2015), including 12 million Canadians who are already vegetarian or eating less meat, it makes sense for more restaurants, especially fast-food chains, to include more vegetarian and vegan options on their menus.
Some companies are already launching vegan-friendly products — Pizza Hut's vegan cheese, for example — to fill in that gap, but many of them have been slow to keep up with the demand for healthier, vegetarian products.
And with increasing public awareness on the health benefits of eating less meat, as well as an awareness of the horrific treatment of animals on factory farms, more people are choosing to go vegetarian and vegan.
Canadians in particular are becoming more conscious about their meat consumption. According to Statista, in 2016, a quarter of consumers in a survey conducted in Canada stated that they try to limit the amount of red meat they eat, while eight percent identified themselves as vegetarians or mostly vegetarian.
With increasing public awareness on the health benefits of eating less meat, as well as an awareness of the horrific treatment of animals on factory farms, more people are choosing to go vegetarian and vegan.
The site also reports that the consumption per capita of beef and pork in Canada has declined between 2012 and 2014, with British Columbia having the biggest vegetarian population in Canada.
But there are a few bright spots within the fast-food vegetarian landscape. Amy's Drive Thru, for example, is an American vegetarian fast-food chain that serves organic, local, vegetarian, and non-GMO food.
More from HuffPost Canada:
And a vegan Big Mac — the Big MACinnes — was one of the most popular items at the 2016 Ribfest in London, Ont.
So, while we don't know whether the McVegan will become a reality for Canadians (we've reached out to a McDonald's rep for comment), we really hope they will start thinking about including more vegetarian and vegan options on their menu.
Update: A rep for McDonald's Canada told HuffPost Canada: "We don't have any current plans to introduce a vegan burger in Canada. Though, we are always inspired by other McDonald's markets around the world and looking for new flavours and menu items for our Canadian guests to enjoy."
Also on HuffPost:


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The co-founder and CEO of Chinese technology giant Xiaomi, Mr. Lei Jun, met Indian Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi yesterday, and said that his company was committed to creating over 20,000 jobs in the country by the year 2020. Xiaomi claims to have already created around 7,500 jobs in India since entering the country in 2014. According to a press release from the company, Mr. Lei also discussed with the Prime Minister how smartphones are changing the face of Indian society. As part of his latest trip to the country, the Xiaomi CEO also met Union Finance Minister Mr. Arun Jaitley and Information Technology Minister Mr. Ravi Shankar Prasad. Mr. Lei was in India to attend the third edition of the annual ‘The Economic Times Global Business Summit 2017’, which kicked off in New Delhi on Monday.
Speaking at the event earlier in the week, Mr. Lei, who was named as one of the ‘The 100 Most Influential People’ by Time magazine in 2015, drew a parallel between Prime Minister Modi’s ‘Make in India’ initiative which aims to bring more manufacturing jobs to the country, and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang’s ‘Internet+’ action plan that aims to integrate Internet with traditional industries in order to fuel economic growth in the People’s Republic. Talking about the company he helped found seven years ago, the Xiaomi CEO expressed great pride at what the company has been able to achieve within such a short span of time. He also reminded the audience that back in 2014, the company became the largest smartphone vendor in China, and was valued at a whopping $45 billion, making it the most valuable tech startup in the world.
While those heady days are now unfortunately behind Xiaomi, the company continues to gain market share in India. As of Q4 2016, the company is the largest online smartphone vendor in the country, and the second-largest overall after Samsung. Xiaomi’s India operations reportedly earned revenues in excess of $1 billion last year, thanks largely to the incredible popularity of the Redmi Note 3. While that particular model has now been discontinued, its recently-released successor, the Redmi Note 4, has also reportedly become the undisputed segment leader immediately upon release. Xiaomi claims to locally manufacture about 95% of its smartphones sold in India and plans to eventually replace the South Korean electronics giant as the leading smartphone vendor in the country.


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Cannabis cafes the latest addition to Thailand’s tourism offerings
The RG420 cannabis cafe opened just four days ago in Khao San, an area of Bangkok popular with backpackers – and already it’s crammed with customers.
SmartFurniture Pakistan is developing its Online Store to bring more comfort in your live. Curently you are viewing the initial code from our developers. Dismiss


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The success of Operation SAMBRE, a global cybercrime investigation into the theft of billions of dollars from banks throughout the world, proves why information sharing between law enforcement and the private sector is key to battling cybercrime.
While the banking industry in India has achieved some security maturity, India Post will be starting from scratch as it launches India Post Payments Bank. But the new bank will have the opportunity to build security into its infrastructure and processes, rather than bolting it on later.
The Yahoo breach - and the theft of unencrypted security questions and answers - is a reminder to use unique passwords and security questions, store them using a password safe and take advantage of two-factor authentication whenever it's available.
Security expert Sean Sullivan isn't surprised that the massive 2014 breach of Yahoo, which exposed at least 500 million account details, only recently came to light. Here's why, as well as what users must learn from this breach.
Don't leap to conclusions on the basis of a new report that suggests Yahoo is preparing to warn the world that it was hacked and lost hundreds of millions of users' account credentials. Someone may simply have harvested passwords reused on other sites.
The massive Sony breach spelled out the risks facing any business that deals in digital content. Here's how David Hahn, CISO of publishing giant Hearst, keeps the cybersecurity conversation going with his board of directors.
If Russia is, indeed, meddling with the U.S. election, there's an obvious explanation: It's irritated by U.S. policy. But if Russia's frustration is being expressed through cyberattacks, how can the U.S. respond?
The need for an adaptive security approach, the shift from breach prevention to detection and a surge in spending on information security were some of the key themes at the recent Gartner Security & Risk Management Summit in Mumbai.
A new research project called Amnesia tackles the password management problem by not storing full data in any one place where it can be hacked. But does this proposed solution truly offer better password security?
Do you have $100,000 burning a hole in your pocket and an abiding love of bitcoins? If so, then the U.S. Marshals Service has an offer you can't refuse: Bid on bitcoins seized in some high-profile investigations, including the Silk Road takedown.


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SAN FRANCISCO – Utilities in the U.S. Northeast stand to lose as much as half of residential sales by 2030 as customers install solar and battery-storage systems and generate their own power, according to a report by the Rocky Mountain Institute.
Residential and commercial customers who opt for alternatives to traditional, utility-supplied electricity could erode power sales in the region by as much as $34.8 billion, the Snowmass, Colorado-based energy consultant said in the report released Tuesday. Fewer kilowatt-hours sold to customers also will affect utilities’ ability to raise the estimated $2 trillion that needs to be spent to maintain power grids between 2010 and 2030.
A drop in the cost of solar panels and new leasing programs that offer installation with no upfront customer payment has led to a boom in U.S. rooftop systems, which have climbed more than 50 percent annually during the past three years. Utilities in some states have sought added fees from customers who generate their own power, saying the funds will support a grid that users sell excess supply to and rely on when their own systems aren’t available. Full Article


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“The event finally came to fruition as a truly unique and special occasion, celebrating both the rich history of hip-hop and the fashion that has evolved alongside it,” describes Nickie Robinson, Founder of GoodGirlPR.
The vibrant city of Brooklyn, New York, known for being the birthplace of many hip-hop legends and a central hub for hip-hop culture, hosted the event. Its location added genuine authenticity and relevance to the occasion. The luxury car brand PORSCHE was the chosen partner for the event, adding a glamorous and chic touch to the atmosphere.
Chuck Creekmur, the founder of the iconic hip-hop website AllHipHop.com, stated, “Hip-hop and fashion are intrinsically linked, and it was a joy to celebrate the culture and the remarkable style that has emerged over the past 50 years.”
Hip-hop legends like Pete Rock and Tek of Smif-N-Wessun (Cocoa Brovaz) graced the event, reminding attendees of the profound connection between hip-hop and fashion. Their presence combined with the participation of fashion influencers and bloggers along the runway emphasized the significant influence of hip-hop on global fashion trends.
DJ T. Boogie ignited the evening with a diverse blend of music, maintaining high energy levels and a vibrant atmosphere throughout the show. Attendees savored the elegance of Bartenura cocktails while admiring models styled by Khalilah Clark on behalf of HipHopCloset.
The event also celebrated the 25th anniversaries of HipHopCloset and AllHipHop, marking a significant milestone in their respective journeys within the hip-hop industry. This alone demonstrated their ongoing influence and contributions to the hip-hop world.
Kyiesha Kelly, the owner of HipHopCloset, reflects, “This year, we are marking 25 years of business and five decades of hip-hop. This fashion show was our tribute to the culture and the iconic moments we’ve shared over the years. It was crucial for us to present the clothing in a genuine and relatable manner, highlighting the luxury aspect of hip-hop fashion.”
In summary, the event was a harmonious blend of music, fashion, and celebration. It brought together hip-hop enthusiasts, fashion fans, and industry insiders to commemorate hip-hop’s rich legacy and its influential role in shaping global fashion and creativity trends as we approach the year’s end.
Hip-hop artist Cruch Calhoun
Erwin Kersellius/Cent One Studios


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AT&T plans to run a single mobile OS on all of its branded smartphones, citing the "support nightmare" of maintaining multiple platforms at once. Curiously, this announcement was made at a Symbian conference. Updated 19:26 EST.
It's not entirely clear what AT&T means by this announcement, but one question was addressed right off the bat: the iPhone, which the company described as "a third-party device" that generally isn't supported or interfered with by the company, is immune. Such a consolidation would push all but one of Microsoft, RIM, Nokia or even Google out of AT&T's stable, which might be construed as brash.
Even more bizarre are the implicit expectations for phone manufacturers. Would RIM, assuming their phones aren't deemed "third party products", be expected to adopt a new OS? Will Nokia phones be excluded from AT&T's lineup unless they run Windows Mobile? Simultaneously stating that the plan would only include AT&T branded smartphones (of which there are few) and that it would be a "dramatic restructuring", the company has left the scope of this initiative a mystery.
As for which OS would be chosen, the location of the announcement and mentions of a preference for an "open" platform are all we have to go on. I could imagine these statements raising a few eyebrows around the industry, so don't be surprised to see some kind of clarification issued in the next few days. [Yahoo]
UPDATE: Although it is possible some quotes in the original story came from a post-speech interview with AT&T's Roger Smith, commenter Sinecure saw the presentation and took awy a completely different message:
I sat through the entirety of Roger Smith's presentation at the Symbian show yesterday and I did NOT come away with that impression one single bit. Methinks some Yahoo reporter just got a little over-excited for an interesting headline. I'm calling major BS and misinterpretation on this one.
Frankly it makes me even more suspect of some of the reporting on technical subjects out there.
Bottom line: I heard this supposed "announcement" first hand and I did not hear him say anything approaching what the reporter is saying.
UPDATE II: And now for that clarification I was talking about. AT&T's statement on the matter:
We have no plans to standardize on one platform for our smart devices.
We want to give our wireless customers maximum choice – in innovative devices, applications, operating systems, and more. One way to maximize customer choice is to begin to reduce fragmentation in the wireless OS environment. That is why we are a member of the Symbian Foundation.
That fragmentation puts a heavy burden on wireless carriers, handset makers, and especially apps developers, who have to create for multiple operating systems and sometimes for multiple versions of the same operating system.


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Following the hate from lawmakers and regulators, Libra is finally getting some love from Congress.
Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) wrote a letter recently to the Libra Association member Anchorage and gave some positive words of encouragement to the project and cited it as an example of a technological advance he feels is needed to help customers in the United States.
Rounds also pushed back against a more ‘ominous’ letter penned by Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), cautioning the chiefs of Mastercard, Stripe and Visa that they could end up going under scrutiny should they continue participating in Facebook’s upcoming cryptocurrency, Libra.
Mike also wrote the following this week:
“Technologies like Libra … have the potential to help unbanked and underbanked consumers right here at home. It would be unfortunate to shun a new solution that could connect more of the most vulnerable Americans to our financial services system.”
Libra has been hit with a bout of controversy and hates over these past few months but Rounds has expressed the potential the project holds. Specifically, in how to aid unbanked users, in his argument noting that the Federal Reserve which is in “itself, still years away” from creating its own real-time payments platform. Cryptocurrencies can take on this role instead, he said:
“Given the length of time it will take for the Fed to finish FedNow, the Libra Association should not wait to see if recent conversations about a Fed-run digital currency come to fruition,” he said.
On top of this, the backlash to Libra within the United States “is particularly puzzling,” given the age of the current legal framework around digital currencies.
“As it stands, we have no clear legal way to ascertain whether a cryptocurrency is a security. What legal foundation we do have for these types of questions is rooted in the Securities Act of 1933. That law was written more than half a century before computers and the internet were created, more than two decades before Hawai’i was admitted to the Union, a decade before the jet engine was developed, and in a period of time in which 90 percent of rural America lacked electricity.”
It will be interesting to see how this situation plays out. For more news on this and other crypto updates, keep it with CryptoDaily!


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NEW YORK, June 15, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- As one of the largest crowdfunding platforms in the world, Indiegogo has played a massively important role in helping tiny startups get noticed by both consumers and the retail industry. There are countless campaign success stories—particularly in the consumer tech space—that have come out of Indiegogo. You could almost argue that today brands seek to utilize the platform to quickly go viral, with the added benefit of raising a few bucks. But how can tech brands, and retailers, work together to create even greater success out of the platform? That's just one of the questions that John Vaskis, Head of Hardware, Technology, and Design Sales at Indiegogo, will address during his opening keynote at CE Week 2017 on Wednesday, July 12 at 12 p.m.
Vaskis's keynote, "From Zero Sales to Big Box Retail," will detail what the process of using the platform is like for manufacturers or those who simply have a brilliant idea. "The speech will encapsulate the process of a how a hardware company goes from product idea, to successful crowdfunding raise, transition into ecommerce and finally navigating the world of big box retail," said John Vaskis.
Vaskis joined Indiegogo in July 2012 as the Head of Gaming and Exploratory Vertical Sales. He's been in his current role as Head of Hardware since July 2014. In that role, Vaskis manages Indiegogo's largest sales team that is focused on driving growth in the hardware and technology vertical at the company. Vaskis and his team work closely with hardware entrepreneurs to help them build go-to-market strategies for their product launches and beyond. Collectively, he and his team and raised over $400 million on the platform.
In its tenth year, CE Week is the premiere summer consumer technology trade show that takes place in the heart of New York City. The event consistently attracts top industry press and professionals, and gives consumer tech companies of all shapes and sizes the opportunity to present their products and services to a massive global audience.
CE Week 2017 runs July 12 and 13 at the Metropolitan Pavilion in New York City. For more information on the show, Vaskis's keynote, and other events happening throughout the week visit www.ceweekny.com.
About CE Week
CE Week is the consumer electronics (CE) industry's official event in New York City. The official mid-year meeting, conference and new technology showcase includes the CE Week Exhibits, which is the site of CE Week's largest exhibition hall and conference program. CE Week is produced annually by the Consumer Technology Group of NAPCO Media, publisher of Dealerscope and Technology Integrator magazines, and producer of FutureVision and Dealerscope Top Retailer Summit. For more information, visit www.ceweekny.com and keep up with our latest news on Facebook and Twitter.
Media Contact for CE Week:
social4media for CE Week
SOURCE CE Week


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Raashi Khanna Opens Shopping Mall in Proddatur
Actress Raashi Khanna who was seen in many films and a few commercial ads has now attended a shopping mall opening in Proddatur.
She was seen in a beautiful sky-blue saree. There was a lot of crowd at the shopping mall as they visited the place to see this beauty.
The video featuring this scene is going viral on the internet. Currently, she is working in Vishal’s Ayogya, Siddharth’s Shaitan Ka Bachcha and Venkatesh’s Venky Mama.
Watch Raashi Khanna at Shopping Mall Opening Here:


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What you need to know
- Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 11 on Friday, September 20.
- Preorders will reportedly go live on Friday, September 13.
- The iPhone 11's launch is said to coincide with the reopening on Apple's landmark Fifth Avenue store.
The report claims Apple employees are currently prepping for a planned iPhone 11 launch on September 20 — a timeline that sticks closely to previous iPhone launches. If history is a guide, Apple fans should be able to preorder the iPhone 11 this Friday, September 13.
To celebrate the launch of the iPhone 11, Apple will reportedly reopen its iconic Fifth Avenue store in New York City, which has been closed for the past few years due to renovations. Recently, Apple uncovered the store's new glass cube with a teaser saying the store would reopen very soon.
It would make sense to reopen a flagship store for such a big event. Before the store closed for renovations, it was one of the most trafficked in the world thanks to its location and hours of operation; the store is open seven days a week, 24 hours a day.
When the iPhone 11 does launch, it's expected to feature a triple-camera system, support for device-to-device wireless charging, and a new coprocessor that may allow for more accurate location-tracking.
We may earn a commission for purchases using our links. Learn more.
This iOS 14 widget puts Stickies on your iPhone's Home screen
Wouldn't it be cool if you could write something onto a Post-It note and then stick it to your iPhone? No, because it'd fall off. This widget's a much better idea.
Let's talk aesthetic Home screens, Apple Watches, iPhone 12, and more
It's been quite a busy September. We got new Apple Watches, iOS 14 and watchOS 7, new customization trends, and so much more. Let's dive in!
FAQ: TikTok & WeChat ban — why it’s happening and what it means for you
Are TikTok and WeChat really being banned? When does all of this take effect? Will I still be able to use these apps? All this and more answered in our FAQ regarding the latest U.S. orders.
The hottest thin cases for your iPhone 11 Pro Max are here
Protect your newest Apple product with any of these thin cases. We love them all and so will you.


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As of Thursday, October 21, 652 people across 37 U.S. states have suffered from recent Salmonella infections, with nearly 130 patients requiring hospitalization. The outbreak, The New York Times reports, has been linked to whole red, white, and yellow onions imported from the State of Chihuahua, Mexico.
Though the FDA and CDC’s joint investigation is still ongoing, it’s unearthed plenty of helpful details already. The onions in question appear to have entered the U.S. between July 1 and August 31 and were then distributed by ProSource Produce LLC and Keeler Family Farms to restaurants, wholesalers, and stores. Both companies have agreed to voluntarily recall all onions imported from Chihuahua during July and August.
Since onions are good for a few months when stored correctly, businesses and individuals alike may still be harboring contaminated ones. The CDC and FDA are urging everyone to trash all onions that came from Chihuahua and were supplied by ProSource or Keeler—as well as any of unknown origin. In other words, unless you’re totally certain that your onions didn’t come from ProSource or Keeler, throw them away. You should also be sure to thoroughly wash any surface or container that may have come into contact with the onions. And, if you’re buying onions from a store or ordering a dish that contains onions at a restaurant, first confirm that they weren’t sourced from either distributor.
Common Salmonella symptoms—diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps—usually resolve themselves within a week. But more severe cases might require treatment, so call your healthcare provider immediately if you experience dehydration, intense vomiting that prevents you from stomaching liquids, bloody diarrhea, diarrhea that doesn’t improve after a few days, or diarrhea and a fever above 102 degrees Fahrenheit.
Even mild cases of Salmonella illness should be reported to your local health department so officials can track the outbreak. Find out how to do that here.
[h/t The New York Times]


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The EIB financing will help the company to consolidate its position as the global technology benchmark for protecting brands online as e-commerce grows exponentially
The operation is being carried out under the Pan-European Guarantee Fund (EGF)
The European Investment Bank (EIB) has signed the first venture debt operation in Spain under the Pan-European Guarantee Fund (EGF) – part of the €540 billion EU response to the economic impact of COVID-19 – with Spanish startup Red Points. The EIB will provide Red Points with venture debt funding of up to €15 million over five years, financing the research and development of its software technologies and the overall growth of the company on the global market.
Red Points, a female-led software as a service company based in Barcelona, has developed a cloud software platform to combat counterfeiting, piracy, identity theft and fraudulent online distribution. More than 800 large corporates and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) around the world use their platform to protect their brand reputation and increase revenues. The software uses artificial intelligence to automate brand protection on e-commerce platforms, social networks and web pages, helping businesses detect and remove fake products and brand abuse quickly and efficiently. The company, which has around 250 employees and offices in Barcelona, New York, Salt Lake City and Beijing, has developed a strong reputation on the market, serving world-leading brands in electronics, fashion, sport, the automotive sector and entertainment.
This financing will help Red Points to expand its global presence, accelerated after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic due to increased e-commerce and cybercrime, and to continue to develop leading technology in online brand protection.
EIB Vice-President Ricardo Mourinho Félix, who is responsible for the EU bank's operations in Spain, said: “We are continuing to work on economic measures to counteract the economic effects of the pandemic. This new agreement with Red Points will promote the growth of a Spanish software company, facilitating the mobilisation of investments in the technology and artificial intelligence sectors and fostering innovation and digitalisation, which are key elements of a quick economic recovery.”
CEO and Chairperson of Red Points Laura Urquizu commented: “This new milestone in our financing strategy contributes to extending our double-digit growth, accelerating our innovation and protecting brands and consumers across the world. We are delighted that a European institution such as the EIB can assist us with our growth strategy.”
The European Investment Bank (EIB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union owned by its Member States. It makes long-term finance available for sound investment in order to contribute towards EU policy objectives.
The European Guarantee Fund (EGF) was set up by the EIB Group with contributions from Spain and other EU Member States to shield companies suffering from the COVID-19 crisis. Using nearly €25 billion in guarantees, the EGF allows the EIB and the EIF to quickly make loans, guarantees, asset-backed securities, equity and other financial instruments available to mostly small and medium-sized enterprises and mid-caps. The EGF is part of the European Union’s recovery package aiming to provide a total of €540 billion to boost those parts of the EU economy that have been hit the worst.
The Red Points brand protection technology solution is used by more companies worldwide than any other. Its platform enables brands to fight counterfeiting, piracy, identity theft, resale of credentials and fraudulent online distribution, thereby improving their reputation and increasing their revenues.
With over 800 clients and offices in New York, Barcelona, Beijing and Salt Lake City, Red Points has transformed an industry traditionally led by service providers with a scalable and efficient solution.
The European Guarantee Fund, which started operations in December 2020, has reached €16 billion in approved financing at the end of June. This represents over 65% of the available € 24.4 billion in EU Member States’ guarantees to support financing to European businesses struggling after the economic downturn. Total signatures with beneficiaries of financing under the EGF stood at €8.4 billion, mostly benefitting SMEs.
The European Guarantee Fund (EGF), part of the €540 billion EU recovery package agreed in 2020, has approved funding amounting to almost half its target for 2021. After clearance under the EU state aid notification process in December 2020, the initiative has now approved €11.7 billion in support of European businesses struggling with the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. This is almost half the fund’s target for 2021. The fund mobilises additional financing, and initiatives financed so far are expected to generate €93.9 billion in funding for the EU economy. With €2.1 billion in financing also signed at the end of April, EGF funding is already reaching businesses across the European Union.
The European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Croatian Bank for Reconstruction and Development (HBOR) have signed a Guarantee Agreement amounting to €50 million for loans to Croatian mid-caps and large corporates to finance their recovery from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The EIB contribution stems from the European Guarantee Fund (EGF) set up by the EIB Group in 2020 to accelerate the post-COVID-19 recovery of Europe’s economy, safeguard jobs, and provide much needed liquidity to European companies.


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Athletes often fare well at the Super Bowl, but not always so in Super Bowl commercials. For every champ on the gridiron, there's a terrible mishap in the ad breaks. Take the example of the African…
Pokemon aims to be the very best in its TV commercial that will air during Super Bowl 50. The 60-second ad celebrates 20 years of Pokemon and involves people from around the world repeating the…
Just a few weeks after being spun out of Google as part of that company's Alphabet reorganization, augmented reality startup Niantic Labs has raised $20 million in funding from Nintendo, the Pokemon…
Pokémon animated series and films are bounding into Netflix’s queue shortly after Hulu licensed a different set of titles based on the worldwide Japanese monster franchise — moves that underscore the…
Hulu hopes Pokemon fans will want to “catch ’em all” — by signing up as paying subscribers. Pokemon Co. International and Hulu cut a pact to bring animated titles based on the Japanese monster…
Japanese pics again delivered a solid beating to the Hollywood competition at the local box office in 2013.


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Since Google launched its Android operating system back in 2008 the ongoing rivalry between Android and Apple’s iOS platform has often been compared to the age-old Mac-vs-Windows debate. In one respect, at least, the comparison is apt: while Apple makes the iOS software and the iPhone, Google makes the Android software and handset manufacturers put it on their phones.
One consequence of that is that while Android owns the lion’s share of the smartphone market by a considerable margin, the iPhone is still the most popular individual smartphone. There are zillions of Android-based smartphones out there all competing against each other for their own piece of the pie. In order to get ahead, handset makers have to differentiate their phones from the competition. They have to make their phones stand out in a market where there are dozens of phones with nearly identical capabilities.
One way they choose to do that is with naming. While Apple gets to keep trotting out the same old “iPhone” name year after year, the makers of Android handsets have to get a little more creative. Sometimes, however, that creativity takes the handset makers in some odd directions. Over at The Intercom Blog, they noticed a certain similarity between the names of some Android phones and another product that’s pretty much differentiated by name alone: condoms. So they decided to put together a little comparison. Check out the chart below:
The best part is that of the twenty names on the list, nearly half – eight of them – are the names of both an Android phone and a condom. Maybe you could use your Indulge to order a $69 Cleveland Steamer? Or maybe you’d better not…
Can you think of any other Android phones that have condom-like names? What about other gagdets with awkward names? Let us know in the comments.


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The Kenya National Innovation Agency (KeNIA), and Villgro Africa, have opened a call for healthcare innovators with the potential to improve optimal health outcomes and/or make healthcare more affordable for Kenyans.
Application is now LIVE at vc4a.com/villgro-africa/kenya-innovation-week-healthcare-innovation/
The Kenya Healthcare Innovation Program awardees will be given the opportunity to participate in a bootcamp that includes business training to support commercially viable products and services. The training will also prepare them for pitching to potential investors. Financial awards, including incubation support, will be presented to the top three finalists during the Kenya Innovation Week(KIW) pitch fest coming up in December 2021. Villgro Africa will provide US $10,000 in awards (US $5,000 for 1st place, US $3,000 for 1st runner- up & US $2,000 for 2nd runner-up). In addition, other start-up resource providers will be invited to add to the awards (e.g memberships in co-working spaces, web design services, PR services etc).
“The COVID-19 pandemic has showcased Kenyan innovation in the healthcare space. We have seen multiple ventilators developed, PPE manufacturing increased, and emergency response services operationalized. I am happy to lead this effort to reach out to innovative Kenyans who are solving healthcare problems in unique ways. Ideas, devices, equipment, services, software, apps… anything goes, as long as it solves a significant healthcare problem for Kenyans.” Wambui Nyabero, Chief Technology Officer, Villgro Africa
In line with KeNIA’s directive to accelerate disruptive innovation towards Kenya 2.0, Villgro Africa is delighted to partner in a search for healthcare entrepreneurs with ideas, businesses, devices, technologies or software that have the potential to make a huge impact in providing affordable healthcare to all Kenyans.
KENIA’s core mandate is to develop and manage the National Innovation System. KeNIA is therefore responsible for coordination, promotion and regulation of the National Innovation Ecosystem.
Villgro Africa supports entrepreneurs to transform product and process innovations into viable, scalable businesses that impact the base of the economic pyramid (BoP).
Other partners include ICChange and Kijenzi. ICChange is a global, collaborative social enterprise network. Their work in Kenya is focused in the medical and urban entrepreneurial ecosystem. Kijenzi is a digital manufacturer operating a network of hubs intended to supply replacement parts, medical devices, and occupational therapy tools. The company digitizes the supply chain and does all of the manufacturing at local facilities, serving customers better by shortening wait times and lowering costs.


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If you found yourself in the same room as Jennifer Lopez, you might feel tempted to ask her to drop her skincare routine. In a talk on Wednesday, Yari Blanco – the senior manager of culture and diversity at The Wing – spoke to Jennifer Lopez about her daughter, her upcoming tour, and other projects in the works. But Blanco also made sure to ask the perpetually glowing J.Lo – who in her latest movie, Second Act, develops an organic skincare line – about her own routine. The crowd immediately erupted in cheers, and then J.Lo dropped some big (if premature) news: She’s launching her own beauty collection in 2019.
“I will be coming out with a skincare line,” she said to an enthusiastic crowd. “We’ve been working on it for a long time… I get that question a lot, especially as I get older, and so when I put it out, I want it to be something that, you know, kind of encompasses all of the things I’ve learned, all the secrets I have. I have little secrets. And none of them have to do with needles or anything like that.. It’s going to be something that works.”
This isn’t J.Lo’s first foray into the beauty world. Just this year, she launched a 70-piece makeup collection with Inglot. And back in the day, she teamed up with Coty, Inc’s Lancaster Group to give the world the Glow by J.Lo perfume. Back then, she was highly involved in the process and even knew that she wanted the perfume to smell soapy.
Though she didn’t give too many details about the upcoming line, she did reveal that it’d likely drop in late 2019, which gives us plenty of time to save up.


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Farmers markets in full bloom
Published 12:58 pm Thursday, June 4, 2015
MICHIANA — It’s a new kind of agricultural revolution, but it doesn’t stop at produce. Farmers markets have been sprouting around the nation, growing in size and popularity as grocery centers and social spots for local-minded consumers.
Lisa Croteau, one of the organizers of the Niles French Market, began seeing the fruits of the labor at her local market’s May 28 season-opening. With its usual location in downtown Niles staging bridge reconstruction, this year’s market is held right across the St. Joseph River in partnership with Lakeland Hospital.
“[They] are gracious to host us,” Croteau said. “Buying local food supports the local economy…plus there’s nothing better than fresh-picked produce, is there?”
With many convenient market alternatives from smaller grocers to massive box stores, farmers markets have flourished on the notion of community and fresh, farm-to-table offerings. Shoppers don’t need to worry about where their food comes from or what agents were used in its harvesting — the sources are right there behind a vendor stall.
And these markets have grown to become more than that while still supporting the local producers, expanding beyond fruits and vegetables to include anything from jams and meats to jewelryand handcrafts.
Harbor Market in Benton Harbor includes a variety of vendors selling produce, baked goods, crafts and more. Coordinator Rod Lawrence describes it as an outdoor festive market place, bringing community spirit and even live music every Friday.
“It’s an opportunity to help young entrepreneurs and micro businesses get a start,” Lawrence said. “And also find great fun and fellowship.”
As with any business, local farmer and artisan markets experience varying degrees of success. Granger Farmers Market announced the permanent closing of its historic Bittersweet Center location early this year. It has since relocated to an open-air setting on Elm Road, and the enthusiasm is still evident on its Facebook page as they make jokes at occasional weather challenges.
South Bend Farmers Market continues its longstanding tradition on Northside Boulevard since being incorporated in 1924, boasting 96 vendor stalls and its Farmer’s Market Café, where guests can dine on meals made daily from the fresh ingredients that surround it.
While the world expands and draws attention elsewhere, these farmers markets maintain focus on their local communities, offering fresh fare and a lively spirit to remind people of where their roots lie.


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Guadalupe Glistens with Annual Christmas Parade
“This year’s theme is ‘Peace, Love and Hope,’” said Ron Estabillo, president of the Guadalupe Kiwanis Club. “We’ve been doing this since 2004 and there’s always a lot of excitement and enthusiasm.”
The event kicks off at 4 p.m. with the Christmas Festival, which features food booths, on-stage music and dance performances, and a raffle benefitting children-in-need with new bicycles and other gifts. At 6 p.m. the Christmas Parade runs the route from 5th Street to 10th Street as onlookers enjoy floats, bands, auto club entries and even Santa atop a fire truck with candy canes in hand.
At the parade’s end, Guadalupe Mayor Lupe Alvarez will light the city Christmas tree and officially launch the holiday season.
“It’s always a good time and the toy drive raffle is particularly a fine cause,” Estabillo said.
Members of the public interested in hosting a festival booth or taking part in the parade may contact Shirley Cisneros at (805) 868-2077.


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What you need to know
- Samsung uploaded a new video as it joins Google's #GetTheMessage campaign in the hopes of pushing Apple to adopt the RCS standard.
- The video's main purpose is about why can't both bubbles come together with questions as to why they must be kept apart.
- This video comes a couple of weeks after Google called the iPhone "outdated" for its continuous usage of SMS/MMS.
In the fight for unity in our texts, Samsung has tossed itself into the #GetTheMessage campaign.
Samsung uploaded a 20-second video about the divide between green and blue bubbles when texting its mobile device competitor. The video displays a green-colored bubble, indicative of how texting with an Android user looks like for iPhone owners. The main premise of the video is why can't both sides come together as one, to which a response was, "I tried but they want to keep us apart."
That response can be seen as a reference to the negative stance Apple's Tim Cook has taken when it comes to RCS messaging. Long story short, to him, if Android users would like to avoid the color disparity, then they should just buy an iPhone.
Nearly a month ago, Google tossed another video into its #GetTheMessage campaign to usher Apple into a better world of texting with everyone else. The video involved Google's fake "iPager" device, as the company called the iPhone's continued usage of SMS/MMS "outdated."
Adopting RCS onto the iPhone would solve broken group chats and pixelated pictures and videos. Users' texts would be securely protected with E2EE (end-to-end encryption) while also welcoming typing indicators, read receipts, and the ability to text over Wi-Fi.
Google has been running the #GetTheMessage campaign for over a year now — to no avail, unfortunately. Those looking to get in on the campaign and help show Apple that RCS isn't something to fear can do so via its official page.
However, not all is lost. The EU recently named six of the largest tech companies as "gatekeepers" within the purview of its Digital Markets Act. The idea is to encourage healthy competition between the different services the gatekeepers may have under their belts. While Apple's iMessage wasn't initially listed, an investigation into the service may result in the company having to adopt RCS by August 2024.
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Nickolas is always excited about tech and getting his hands on it. Writing for him can vary from delivering the latest tech story to scribbling in his journal. When Nickolas isn't hitting a story, he's often grinding away at a game or chilling with a book in his hand.


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The Youth Tourism Conference
Unlocking the Future of Adventure and Youth Tourism: A Journey through Innovation and Inclusion
Join us for a transformative day at the Adventure and Youth Tourism Conference2023, where industry leaders, innovators, and experts converge to shape the future of travel. Discover powerful strategies, gain industry insights, and network with the best in the field.
- Keynote Speakers: Gain unparalleled insights from trailblazers like Max Dillon, Hailey Brown, Dr Kaya Barry who will delve into storytelling, accessibility and the dynamic Working Holiday Maker sector.
- An Update from Tourism Australia: Stay ahead of the curve with exclusive updates from Kristy Malapa, Tourism Australia’s Industry Relations Manager, covering the latest trends and developments in the sector.
- Industry Panel: Join a dynamic discussion led by influential State and National Representatives, each playing a pivotal role in sculpting the policies and future landscape of adventure and youth tourism. Gain invaluable insights into the strategic decisions and initiatives that will help steer our industry towards a vibrant and sustainable future. Meet: Wendi Aylward – Backpacker Youth Tourism Advisory Panel (BYTAP), Andrew Cowan – Youth Tourism New South Wales (YTNSW), Alex Hill – Youth Tourism Victoria (YTV) and Peta Zietsch – Adventure Queensland (AQ)
- Inspirational Stories: Be inspired by Mike Smith, the founder of Zero Co, who launched a thriving business amidst a pandemic, proving that innovation knows no bounds and the appeal of Voluntourism is growing!
- Digital Marketing Trends: Discover the latest in digital marketing trends and how AI will help and hinder us online with Ben, the founder of Team Empathy, an ethical digital marketing agency that will provide insights into how to establish a strong authentic online presence in our ever-changing digital world.
- Res Tech Panel Discussions: Engage with industry titans in a lively discussion, moderated by Dan Lucas, Co-Founder of Hero as they explore the future of adventure and youth tourism reservation technology featuring prominent players like Rezdy, Respax and FareHarbor.
Adventure Queensland (AQ), the peak backpacking and independent travel industry body for Queensland is excited to announce the return of the Adventure Tourism Awards Youth Tourism Conference that will take place on 9 November, 2023. This years conference will focus on Culture, Country and Technology in an effort to connect us all again after the turmoil of the last few years.
Following the success of the past year’s outstanding conferences and awards nights, AQ continues to focus on curating a dedicated half-day conference to focus on addressing the challenges and opportunities that affect youth tourism in Australia and New Zealand.
This industry-led Youth Tourism Conference provides attendees with opportunities for professional and business development as well as networking and engagement opportunities with industry colleagues. Delegates will hear from industry-leading speakers on critical industry issues and innovative ideas. Prepare to be inspired, prepare for the future of the youth tourism industry.
Date: Thursday 9 November 2023
Time: Arrival and registration from 8:30am.
Function Room: Ocean View Room
Venue: The Island
Dress code: Business casual
- Chris Atkin – Rezdy
- Henri Wilson – FareHarbor
- Josh Mayar – Respax


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The news of Hostess' return to Emporia, Kan., sparked an ecstatic response in this beleaguered town — even though there will be only half as many jobs.
The new company, formed when investors bought Hostess' snack cake business, has hired longtime snack cake production veterans Pat Chambers and her husband, Bob, to help get the bakery here running again. Pat lost her job at the Hostess plant when it closed last November. Now, she sits beaming on her front porch, wearing a dirty Hostess work shirt.
Uninsured Americans who are hoping the new health insurance law will give them access to weight loss treatments are likely to be disappointed.
That's especially the case in the Deep South, where obesity rates are among the highest in the nation, and states will not require health plans sold on the new online insurance marketplaces to cover medical weight loss treatments like prescription drugs and bariatric surgery.
Good morning. I'm David Greene. Some photos on Twitter ended Anthony Weiner's congressional career. The latest online image, not quite as damaging. Weiner launched his campaign yesterday to be mayor of New York City, and a gorgeous city skyline showed up on his homepage: the skyline of Pittsburgh, my home town. I'm honored if the Web designer is impressed with our city's skyline.
Fracking may have met its match in Germany, where beer makers have lined up against it. Fracking, of course, is a way of bringing up natural gas by pumping water and chemicals into the ground. Germany's powerful beer industry is concerned fracking would pollute groundwater.
Half of Germany's 1,300 brewers have their own wells, and say the pure water is the essence of their famous beers. And if there's one thing Germans take seriously, it's beer.


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This Funko Fair isn’t running all that smoothly so I’m not 100% sure whether this release is going to be part of the Funko Fair releases, as it hasn’t been announced on there they, but is already listed on the Funko app. Generally these have been joining the Funko app after the announcements. However it is Disney day today for the Funko Fair… Looks like they’re leaking their own releases earlier on the app now!
It looks like a flocked version of Winnie the Pooh is going to be coming exclusively to Hot Topic. He’s carrying a box with a heart arrow so we can assume that this might be a valentines day release?
It’s yet to be announced whether this figure will be part of a larger Winnie the Pooh wave being announced as part of Funko Fair today.


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Posted Jan 13, 2013By
Julianne Hough and Ariel Winter earned black marks for fashion on the red carpet at the Golden Globes. See what other stars missed the mark in cringeworthy attire that will have everyone talking for the wrong reasons after the January 13, 2013 awards show.
The House at Haunted Hill/Opens tonight/Woodland Hills
Kaley Cuoco was honored with the 2,532nd Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the Category of Television on Wednes
Models fill the runways, launching China Fashion Week in Beijing. Held twice annually, the Fashion Week showcases t
The Borghi family sets up their annual haunted house at Laser Island in Upland, CA, Tuesday, October 28, 2014. The
We asked what you were dressing up as for Halloween and you answered! Here are all your best costumes in photos. Wa
In the spirit of Halloween? So are we! Send us your best pumpkin carving and spooky decoration photos and we’


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Forbes Consulting Group, Lexington, Mass., announced that holiday shoppers who read online reviews, and generally feel they were useful, are more likely to feel fulfilled about their overall purchase.
The study, which used the company’s proprietary applied neuroscience technology MindSight, demonstrates that online reviews impact the emotional experience shoppers obtain from their purchases. Sixty-nine percent of respondents stated that the more useful consumers find reviews in general, the more likely they are to use them for gift purchases, and 67 percent reported that they are more satisfied with their purchases if they find the reviews useful.
“Online reviews help consumers feel a sense of confidence about the purchase,” said David Forbes, founder and chief executive officer of Forbes Consulting Group, in a statement. “They also feel more engaged and focused in the decision-making process. In turn, consumers derive a sense of mastery and success of having made a smart purchase based on the reviews.”
However, the study also found that not all sources of online reviews are seen as being equally useful. Consumers report they are more likely to find the reviews on reputable retailer websites like amazon.com, Target’s and Walmart’s websites, and review websites like TripAdvisor and Yelp. These sites were considered to be more valuable than others that are more anonymous, limited in the number of actual reviews, or potentially biased such, as those found on manufacturer websites.
Based on these findings, Forbes Consulting Group suggests that retailers can leverage these new insights through promotional messaging and outreach that help customers feel “in the zone” as a “skilled” shopper and highlight the peace of mind that comes with completing their holiday shopping.
In addition, retailers need to do more than just provide customers with product reviews, the market research firm says. It advises retailers to actively curate those reviews to make them as useful as possible so that potential consumers feel more confident, engaged and accomplished. For example, making it easy for consumers to tag the reviews they find helpful and then sort them by usefulness can help consumers feel more successful, Forbes Consulting Group says. Also, retailers can consider partnering with review websites to pull in additional relevant reviews while being wary of blogs and social media, as consumers generally tend to find those less reliable sources of reviews, it adds.
This study consisted of an online survey of more than 400 adults aged 18 or older who made a gift purchase of at least $50 in the past month. The survey was fielded between Nov. 13 and 18.
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Crime of the Week: Police search for jewelry store robbery suspects
Tue, 19 Feb 2013 17:48:56 GMT —
Amarillo Crime Stoppers is asking for the public's help with this week's Crime of the Week.
On Feb. 11, 2013 at approximately 4:30 p.m. a jewelry store inside the Westgate Mall was robbed. Video surveillance from the store shows several black male suspects entering the store and distracting the clerk, while another suspect reached behind a counter and took several rings.
If you have any information regarding this crime contact Amarillo Crime Stoppers at 374-4400. If your tip leads to an arrest or recovery of stolen property, you could receive a reward up to $1,000. You can also submit a tip online at amapolice.org. All tip submissions are anonymous.


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“Great news for Australian Electricity retailers.. deferral of network charges.
The recent National Electricity Amendment (Deferral of network charges) Rule 2020 No. 11 (“the Rule Change”) includes a mandatory requirement for retailers to report a discrete set of data about the deferral of network changes.
The AEMC made the rule change to allow eligible retailers to defer the payment of network charges to DNSPs incurred between 6 August 2020 and 6 February 2021 for residential and small business customers on a payment plan, hardship arrangement or deferred debt arrangement. These payments may be deferred for a period of six months.
This is good news as for a period the Retailers were the one left holding the can. This new change means the network providers will also carry the burden of hardship impacted customers.”


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Rumours suggest an Xperia Z5 Premium Compact is coming to Japan soon, packing the sort of features we'd rather the current Compact had launched with, as it only had a 720p screen and smaller battery than its brothers.
The Premium Compact will feature a 4.6-inch Full HD display, 4GB of RAM and a slightly larger battery at 2900mAh. That's paired with the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 chipset, 23MP rear facing camera and 5.1MP front facing camera as we saw on the Xperia Z5 Compact.
Why the wait?
That's all spec we'd like to have seen in the original Xperia Z5 Compact instead of a slightly lacklustre screen resolution and 2GB of RAM.
It's no wonder Sony is working on a higher spec version of the Xperia Z5 Compact, but this is going to be a more expensive device, and the Japanese brand needs to hit a certain price point for the it's smaller handset.
There's no word of an official release this may turn out to be an elaborate hoax but it wouldn't be a big surprise if Sony put Japan, a key market for the company, ahead of the rest of the west.
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James is Managing Editor for Android Police. Previously, he was Senior Phones Editor for TechRadar, and he has covered smartphones and the mobile space for the best part of a decade bringing you news on all the big announcements from top manufacturers making mobile phones and other portable gadgets. James is often testing out and reviewing the latest and greatest mobile phones, smartwatches, tablets, virtual reality headsets, fitness trackers and more. He once fell over.


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Despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Austin 3DMedLab has been beavering away on multiple fronts. You can read about our efforts in COVID-19 related 3D Printing at The University of Melbourne’s online magazine, Pursuit.
Did you miss our recent event at RMIT’s Additive Manufacturing Facility with our partners at 3D Heals? Don’t worry — we’ve got you covered. The video is now online at our YouTube channel… plus don’t forget to subscribe for more updates, including highlights of our upcoming #3dMedAu18 Conference in 9 days time!


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Smartphones’ today contain different kinds of sensors that provides enhanced functionalities to boost the overall user experience of the device. However, sensor fusion platforms are finally gaining popularity and are getting adopted by different OEM players beyond smartphones, a new research has revealed.
According to market research firm Counterpoint Research’s Components Tracker, the sensor fusion capabilities in a device will help OEMs create newer experiences by detecting context, emotion based on the different physiological variable states from the sensor data. The key suppliers such as InvenSense (TDK), Samsung, Mobileye, ST Micro, Bosch, AMS are driving this trend across different segments from smartphone to wearable to automotive.
As MEMS technology become more advanced, less expensive and miniaturised, the microcontroller driven software platform helps to fuse the multiple sensor data to provide more accurate and contextual output. For example, combining accelerometer, magnetometer, gyroscope to accurately predict position in the physical world.
“Sensor Fusion platform adoption will breathe more life into smartphones and emerging categories such as smartwatches, AR/VR devices, automotive and other IoT enterprise solutions,” said Neil Shah, Research Director, Counterpoint Research.
Sensor Fusion platform is powerful not only for medical applications to detect muscle contraction or sweat or body temperature or heart rate variation but also for non-medical applications from immersive gaming to accurate indoor navigation to preventing car accidents monitoring the driver.
The adoption of sensor fusion is what will make devices actually smarter as it’s all about data and drawing out contextual awareness from it, Shah noted.
Iris scanner, 3D sensing, Gyroscope, NFC were among the popular sensors this year, powering features from facial biometrics to AR/VR, immersive gaming, digital payments and others.
“Almost one in two smartphones will integrate an NFC solution or a Gyroscope by 2020,” the report said.
Some premium smartphones have already integrated more than 15 different sensors and this number is set to increase due to technological advances in MEMS and other sensor technologies driving newer use cases.
All sensors combined, over six billion sensors were shipped within smartphones in 2017 and is estimated to cross the 10 billion mark in 2020.
“Sensors such as Accelerometer, Compass, Gyroscope and Ambient Light Sensors (ALS) have been the key components to make a phone smarter carving out meaningful use-cases from navigation, gaming, augmented reality to preserving battery life and much more,” added Pavel Naiya, Senior Analyst at Counterpoint Research.
Over a billion smartphones to be shipped in 2018 will sport a fingerprint sensor and close to 400 million will feature some form of face unlock biometric sensor solution.
“Apple, Samsung and Xiaomi were the top three brands driving Gyroscope shipments with a combined 60 per cent share in 2017. In NFC based smartphone shipments, Samsung, Apple & Huawei alone captured 83 per cent of the market.


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The Coronation Street stars – who split up in 2010 – have both taken to social media to boast about their child, Scarlett, and her recent achievement.
Proving that talent is in her blood, the 7 year old has officially signed up to be the face of boohooKids.
Sharing a snap of his little lady on Twitter and Instagram, Ryan said: "So proud of our little girl. @boohoo #boohookids."
Echoing what her former boyfriend said, Tina added: "Proud mummy."
In new images of her modelling campaign, Scarlett proves she's got what it takes as she playfully poses in a jumper that read 'I'm kind of a big deal' and a rainbow fur-hooded coat.
The boohooKids launch comes as a first for the online brand as they celebrate their tenth anniversary.
Carol Kane, joint CEO of Boohoo, said: “Launching childreswear is a natural progression for us. We are an inclusive brand and we wanted to be able to offer our customers affordable fashion for their children.
"Ryan Thomas is a lifelong friend of the brand and so we were delighted to be able to make Scarlett Thomas the face of the girlswear collection. She looks beautiful in all the pieces."
And it seems dad Ryan wasn't the only reason Scarlett landed the job as mum Tina also helped secure the deal thanks to her business and own casting agency, The Drama MOB Management which she runs with a friend.
Talking to the Manchester Evening News, the Sarah Platt actress said: "I’m really proud of Scarlett and everything she has achieved.
"Scarlett is represented by my casting agency The Drama MOB Management which I own with my friend Esther and has cast for an Asda, Morrisons and Bensons for Beds TV commercial this year and her most recent job has been the two modelling shoots for Boohoo.
"She recently performed at The Lowry Theatre with our drama school and she loved it."
The boohooKids collection is made up of 70 per cent girls wear and 30 per cent boys and is available in age 5-6 up to age 11-12.
The line is age appropriate fashion for kids, which includes mini versions of the adult collections.
Ryan and Tina have remained close since their split, which happened one year after the birth of their daughter.
The pair admitted it wasn't easy but things have worked out for the best for all 3 members of the family.
Tina now has son Beau with fiancé Adam Crofts.


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$120,000 Winning Bid Brings Home First Production Model
The wait is finally over for the 2014 Cadillac CTS Vsport. Cadillac's new mid-range performer, slotting between the all-new CTS sedan and still-to-come V-Series model, is on its way to customers now, starting with Tim and Pat Whited.
After making the top bid at a Barrett-Jackson auction in August, they recently picked up the very first production model from McCaddon Cadillac in Boulder. And while the winning ante of $120,000 was a bit higher than the car’s actual MSRP of $59,995, the Whiteds were more than happy with the way things worked out: Not only are they the first to enjoy Cadillac’s new Twin-Turbo V6 as fitted to Motor Trend’s Car of the Year—the 2014 Cadillac CTS—but the money also goes to support the SAE Foundation’s STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education programs.
“The choice to purchase the vehicle was a combination of this being a great opportunity to support the SAE Foundation and a great opportunity to obtain the first 2014 CTS,” according to Tim Whited. “We saw the SAE Foundation/Cadillac display at Reno, then listened to the great presentation … on the auction block. At that point, Pat and I looked at each other and decided to participate in the bidding—the rest is history.”
As for the future, the Whiteds will benefit from a brand-new powertrain that combines Cadillac’s first twin-turbo V6 with its first eight-speed automatic transmission. Displacing 3.6 liters, the engine makes 420 hp and 430 lb.-ft. of torque, which is enough to propel the car from 0-60 mph in a brisk 4.6 seconds.
Also helping the Whiteds wind up their 2014 Cadillac CTS Vsport will be features like:
Meanwhile, the efforts of Cadillac, Barrett-Jackson, the Whiteds and their local dealership are “helping to deliver quality STEM programming in the classroom and helping to ensure the next generation of professionals has the skills and education necessary to compete on a global basis,” according to Lori Gatmaitan, director of the SAE Foundation.


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The future of Fisker Automotive might be viewed as a symbolic tale of where economic alliances – and competition – now stand between the US and China.
Two Chinese investors are vying to take over the troubled US maker of the luxury, extended range Fisker Karma.
While EV sales figures in either country are highly unlikely to meet the million unit EV mark set by President Obama within the next two years, the race is still being run.
The investments have been impressive:
- An electric version of the Saab 9–3 for sale in China is critical for Saab a year out of its bankruptcy proceedings.
- Tesla Motors has been working hard to get its website domain name back in China from a Chinese owner.
- Actor Leonardo DiCaprio announced he’s forming a team to participate in a new EV racing circuit that will launch its inaugural season in Beijing next September.
Read all about the opportunities and challenges that EVs present for the US and Chinese auto markets……


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Ready to put his Purdue University degree to work, Dave Van Laar, dug into one of his first assignments as an industrial engineer: to cost-justify the purchase of a cardboard bailer. "When I did the initial justification, we were going to make $10,000 a year selling the cardboard scrap. But by the time we got it purchased and installed, the board market had changed so much we had to pay someone to haul it off."
That was the 1970s. Since then the board market has changed. A lot. Also since then, Van Laar's career took off with operations and management positions leading him to baking companies including Pepperidge Farm and ultimately, Oak State Products, a Wenona, Ill.-based contract baker of cookies and bars. As president and CEO at Oak State, he again presides over a compacting-and-baling operation that is decidedly more profitable than using open-top containers and loose hauling of waste. One truck does the work of seven, eliminating an annual 213 truckloads and 6,390 gallons of diesel a year to save him $44,730.
"We're saving fuel, we're saving transportation costs, and we're also eliminating trips to the landfill," he says, adding that one of the company's goals is "zero landfill" by 2013. To help him reach that goal, the company also is bumping up recycling and vendor packaging reductions.
Another company shares the same zero-landfill dream: that granddaddy of the supply chain, Walmart. Picking through its waste stream, literally and figuratively, to donate usable goods and streamline its suppliers' packaging materials, the company reduced its landfill load more than 80 percent; a national rollout is now planned.
"You go through your P&L," Bill Simon, president and CEO of Walmart U.S., said at the company's Global Sustainability Milestone Meeting in March, "and you see this big line that's called 'waste removal' and it's a negative charge." Through commitment analysis and teamwork, "that line, that was a big negative on our P&L, is now turning into actually a fairly large positive."
Anyone doing business with Walmart or any company with global brand recognition knows that environmental sustainability isn't just a marketing ploy. It's a prerequisite for doing business -- as well as a mandate, and opportunity, to make wise capital investments. The environmental aspect of sustainability, alongside financial and corporate responsibility initiatives, is prominent on Wall Street and tracked in the Dow Jones, Ethibel and other sustainability indexes.
Another index, Walmart's Sustainability Index (http://walmartstores.com/Sustainability/9292.aspx), hits lesser-known companies who rank among the mega-retailers’ 100,000-plus suppliers now subject to sustainability assessments, measurements and improvements. Walmart requires suppliers not only reduce their own carbon footprint, but ensure that their own suppliers are in line with those efforts. This includes ingredient and material suppliers as well as, say, contract bakers.
Oak State's profitable sustainability
Oak State Products had been working on sustainability "for several years because it was the right thing to do," says Van Laar. "As we did that, we found it also became the profitable thing to do."
In addition to its landfill reduction efforts, Oak State has made investments in several areas:
- Electricity: A switch to high-efficiency fluorescent T5 and T8 lighting saved the company an annual 1 million-plus kilowatt hours for a 45 percent reduction in operating costs and a one-year payback. Motors continue to be replaced as needed with "the highest-efficiency motors we can get," says Van Laar, which is a "no brainer" in light of advances in technology.
- Natural gas: Usage gauges, burner efficiency tests, meters on individual zones and data loggers as well as tuning individual oven burners "give us a better handle on what we're using per zone," says Van Laar. Tuning burners has improved burner efficiency by 10 percent. Oven exhaust and heat recapture and reuse may be in the cards.
- Water: Reductions in consumption include a switch from using water for cleaning to dry cleaning and sanitizing as much as possible. A wastewater treatment project is underway targeting biological oxygen demand reduction to less than 200 mg/L.
Oak State's environmental efforts gained steam when one large customer who had requirements to meet, in turn, helped the bakery along the way.
"From there it just took off to looking at everything in the plant," Van Laar says.
Such assistance from larger companies is commonplace, according to Walt Tunnessen, national program manager for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star program for Industry. He says large companies in the program have been "very active" in mentoring others in their journey into compliance and sustainability.
Oak State's sustainability efforts earned the company an Energy Star certificate in 2010 that has proved to be a "huge boost," says Van Laar, noting that customers familiar with the company "don't even ask us about sustainability anymore. They know we 'get it,' that we know what we're doing and we get it done," he continues.
The marketing value of brandishing an Energy Star logo is just an echo of the operational and financial benefits gained, because being "green" in public is a result, not the cause, of significant operational efficiency improvements. Oak State's example is as inspiring as -- perhaps more so than -- the efforts of industry giants, because the single-plant company shows that you don't have to be PepsiCo to be – to borrow a term – an Energy Star.
Energy Star provides the tools
Under Energy Star's industry partnership program, companies that reduce energy consumption 10 percent over five years or less can become an Energy Star Partner and earn certification and rights to promote the Energy Star logo in company materials.


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The long-rumored Apple streaming service could finally launch in just a few months. Here's everything we've heard so far about the service, from its potential release date and name to the types of channels and content you can expect from it.Credit: Tom's Guide
When is Apple's streaming service coming?
A CNBC report appears to confirm a lot of what we've been hearing, starting with Apple's plans to launch the service in "April or early May." The Information claimed that Apple told content providers and service partners to have their content ready by the middle of April, and that the company targeted a launch date "within several weeks" of that timeframe.
But the launch date may be even later, as a Variety report on Feb. 14 claims "sources familiar with the company’s plans told Variety that the service may not launch until the summer, or even fall."
According to Bloomberg, the video streaming service will be announced at a March 25 event that Apple's expected to use to announce its new news service. The report states Apple invited "Hollywood stars, including Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Garner and director JJ Abrams, to attend," and cited "people familiar with the plan."
At that March 25 event, according to the Variety report, we'll get our first look at its shows, with clips from multiple shows, including a taste of a morning newsroom drama series that stars Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, and Steve Carell.
What will Apple's TV service be called?
While Apple's yet to leak a name for the service, CNBC's story refers to "Channels" when it notes that Netflix and Hulu aren't expected to be on the service.
How much will Apple's TV service cost? What about availability?
Last October, we heard the first reports of Apple allowing device owners to stream its original content for free, via the TV app on tvOS and iOS. On Feb. 13, we learned the latter is expected to arrive via an iOS 12.2 update to be released this spring. But since Apple's technology is landing on other TVs, it's not hard to imagine that those without Apple devices will possibly get an option to watch, for a monthly fee.
Apple's service may also sell content from other content creators, similar to how you can buy channels ala carte from Amazon Prime's Video Channels service.
What content will be available through Apple's service?
Apple's original content — which so far includes Planet of the Apps and Carpool Karaoke — has not provided the company any hits. This has pushed the company to hire big names and greenlight their projects, which will total "dozens of original programs" according to Bloomberg's Feb. 13 report.
For example, Deadline Hollywood reported that Apple is near a deal for a sci-fi series from Simon Kinberg (who played a major role in Fox's X-Men movies) and David Weil. Apple's also announced a "multi-year content partnership" with entertainment mogul Oprah Winfrey. Other big names signed to contracts include Reese Witherspoon and Steven Spielberg. Apple's even signed a deal with Justin Lin, which will find the Fast & Furious director creating two original programs for Apple to stream.
Apple's so serious about these plans that it planned to spend around $1 billion on original content last year, according to the Wall Street Journal.
What about HBO and other companies?
In terms of non-original programming, reports suggest that viewers will get the option to subscribe to programming from Starz; CBS and Viacom and other partners through Apple's platform.
CNBC's Feb. 13 report notes that "HBO may join its premium network brethren," but that discussions aren't far along and that "Apple hasn't offered HBO the same terms that Amazon offered." A source told Variety that HBO "is widely expected to sign on at some point.
CNBC also notes that the core of the argument may be Apple's push for a 30 percent cut of sales made through its service. Currently, Apple earns 15 percent of streaming membership sales made via apps on its app stores.


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Upload photos, chat with photographers, win prizes and much more for free!
ePHOTOzine brings you a daily round up of all the latest photography news including camera news, exhibitions, events, special offers, industry news, digital photography news, announcements and launches.
The votes were made and counted at the Technical Image Press Association (TIPA) General Assembly in New York and the list of winners has been announced.
HTC has announced a new smartphone with a camera designed for optimum image quality with an UltraPixel sensor.
Nikon today introduces Nikon 1, a revolutionary digital camera system built from scratch to offer still image and movie recording without compromise.
Following Jessops' plans to axe 81 of its shops as announced last Thursday, the photographic retail giant have unveiled exactly which stores it plans to close down.
Sony introduce a series of small cameras which they say will give a 'big performance'.
A clever photo of a family inside small boxes has helped a Nottingham photographer pick up his first national award.
Lee Filters holder for Nikon's 14-24mm f/2.8 wide-angle lens
Corel add 75 new features to the latest version of their PaintShop Pro software.
Red Digital Cinema turn their attentions to the photography market.
Tamron is giving away a Tamron 90mm macro lens in the ePHOTOzine 2013 prize draw.
Panasonic has announced plans to release additional premium Micro Four Thirds lenses in the coming years.
The dream of many Leica photographers has come true: the Leica M system is now open for professional digital photography.
Olympus have announced the launch of the SP-570 UZ, with cutting-edge ultra zoom technology.
Halid K Izzet (Bsc Hons) has announced the launch of a new commercial photo agency and website.
These film roll salt and pepper shakers will bring some photography to your dinner table!
Fantasea has launched a new underwater housing for the Canon PowerShot G15.
ePHOTOzine members can receive 90% off the price of photography guides and more over at BP4U.
Sony has announced that it is releasing the new Sony NEX-5R compact system camera available from mid October 2012 with built in Wi-Fi and downloadable apps.
Alien Skin Software have released the latest version of its flagship photography effects software.
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- New reports say Apple is working on a big iPhone camera upgrade that might depend on key technology from Samsung, its biggest rival and business partner.
- Apple is reportedly shopping for periscope cameras that would significantly increase the zoom capabilities of the iPhone.
- It’s unclear whether the iPhone 13 will deliver this tech, with an insider having previously said that Apple is eying 2022 for the camera zoom upgrade.
The newest iPhone is one of the best cameras you can buy this year, although it’s not the only great camera experience that fits in your pocket. The Pixel 5, Galaxy S20/Note 20, and the latest Huawei flagships (if you can find them) also offer high-end photography features. We’ve seen plenty of camera reviews for each phone that highlight the strengths and weaknesses of their multi-lens camera systems, and it’s ultimately a matter of personal preference on what sort of camera phone to purchase. What’s clear is that each new handset…