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We’ve seemingly been hyping this day forever, and now it’s finally here. Dynamite Comics’ Shaft #1 — written by fellow NOC David Walker and art by Bilquis Evely — is currently on the shelves of your local comic shops. And to celebrate the occasion, we’ve rounded up all of the the times we’ve just been talkin’ about Shaft since the first announcement.
We’re only a couple of weeks away from the debut of Dynamite’s Shaft series by writer (and NOC) David Walker and artist Bilquis Evely. If you didn’t preorder the book already, you should find it on the shelves of your favorite comic shops on December 3. (That’s only two weeks away!)
To whet your appetite, Dynamite has released the first few pages of the book to give you a taste of David’s words and Bilquis’ pictures. Just click on the image below for a preview of Shaft #1.
In exactly four weeks, the hotly anticipated Shaft #1 — written by our own David Walker — will finally be available at comic shops across the country. If you haven’t yet pre-ordered your copy of the book — first of all, what’s wrong with you? — the last day for pre-orders is this Wednesday, November 5.
If you still need convincing about ordering Shaft — again, what’s wrong with you? — David’s been making the rounds promoting the hell out of the book at fine outlets all over the internet. After the jump, we’ve rounded up some of these interviews. In the meantime, if you’re headed to your favorite comic shop tomorrow, just print out this handy form (complete with Diamond codes for each variant cover) and secure your copy of Shaft while you still can.
Last week, we told you our own David Walker (@DavidWalker1201) had been named as the writer of Dynamite Entertainment’s new Shaft comics. Luckily, Keith (@the_real_chow) was able to talk with David about how he came to write the book for Dynamite — and the state of diversity in the comic book industry more broadly — in this special one-on-one conversation.
Speaking of collaborations, one of the things I’m most excited about are all the variant covers for issue #1 — especially the one by living legends Denys Cowan and Bill Sienkiewicz! After the jump, you can see the cover everyone has been raving about (featuring beautiful colors by Ivan Nunes). We’ve also attached — with Denys’ permission — a version with just the original pencils and inks as well!
Big news from Dynamite Comics this morning! A few months ago, Dynamite — the independent comics company that specializes in comic adaptations of licensed media — announced they were doing a run based on the classic character Shaft, made famous by the 70s film franchise starring Richard Roundtree. In addition to all new comics and graphic novels, though, Dynamite also intends to republish the original novels by Ernest Tidyma.
This morning, the company announced the creative team on the books would be none other than fellow Nerd of Color David Walker with interiors by Brazilian artist Bilquis Evely! After the jump, check out the official announcement from Dynamite and a peek at the alternate covers for issue #1 (including a collabo between Denys Cowan and Bill Sienkiewicz that should probably be framed and hanging on your wall).


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A new Mystery Dungeon, another remake and more…
Every now and then companies will send out surveys to diehard fans asking what kind of games they would like to see in the future based on certain franchises. We’ve seen Atlus and others like Capcom do this, and most recently it seems Nintendo has issued one, specifically about Pokémon.
As highlighted by a post on the MysteryDungeon subreddit (via My Nintendo News), Nintendo has begun sending out surveys to anyone signed up to receive My Nintendo promotions and newsletters. The survey wants to know what kind of games Pokémon fans would like to see from the series in the future.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com

domain: news


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In the News
After more than 47 years of service to Stater Bros. Markets, the Company’s President and longtime food industry leader, George Frahm (66) has announced his plans to retire on Oct. 31, 2019.
Stater Bros. Charities recently presented the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) with a check in the amount of $366,703. The donation will benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Susan Lang Pay-It-Forward Patient Travel Assistance program in Southern California, which helps blood cancer patients who have significant financial need and cannot afford travel expenses to doctor appointments or treatment centers.
Honorees include 2 “Family” Members with 50 YEARS of Service
San Bernardino, California (July 30, 2019) – Stater Bros. Markets recently recognized Stater Bros. “Family” members who reached milestone years of service in their careers.
Roasting events will be held at select Stater Bros. locations
SAN BERNARDINO, CALIFORNIA (July 26, 2019) – Stater Bros. Markets, in partnership with Aramburo Produce, Progressive Produce and Westlake Produce, is excited to host New Mexico Hatch Chile Roasting events at select Stater Bros. supermarket locations.
San Bernardino, CA (April 5, 2019) - Stater Bros. Markets is pleased to announce that it will open its first store to serve the community of Ladera Ranch. An existing retail space located at the southwest corner of Crown Valley Parkway and Antonio Parkway will soon become the Company’s 32nd store in Orange County.


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News Briefs for April 9, 2014April 9, 2014
•Cognac Ferrand is debuting the Citadelle Gin Reserve Solera 2013 to the U.S. market this month. The French company’s latest release from its gin range is aged in three different casks for between two and five months and is then poured into a main solera vat before being bottled to achieve solera aging, the first gin to be produced in this method, according to the company. The casks used are ex-Cognac, ex-Pineau des Charente and American oak casks. The 44%-abv Citadelle Gin Solera Vintage 2013 is available nationwide in the U.S. for a suggested retail price of $34.99 a 750-ml. Cognac Ferrand proprietor Alexandre Gabriel first released aged Citadelle Gin Reserve Limited Edition in 2008.
•Ste. Michelle’s Washington state-based Snoqualmie Winery has unveiled a package redesign. Currently available nationwide, Snoqualmie’s new bottles, which are made with lightweight, sustainable materials, use 25% less glass than a traditional wine bottle and require less fuel to transport. Their labels, meanwhile, are printed using 100% post-consumer waste materials and feature an updated, more contemporary design. Concurrent with the packaging change, Snoqualmie Winery has simplified its lineup, renaming its “Naked” range to “ECO” and color coding each tier to create better differentiation. Snoqualmie, which recently relocated its production facility to Paterson, Washington, claims to be the state’s largest certified organic vineyard.Subscribe to Shanken News Daily’s Email Newsletter, delivered to your inbox each morning.


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GameStop acquired 507 AT&T wireless retail outlets to become the largest authorized retailer of the nation's second-biggest mobile network operator.
The stores are located across 26 states and were acquired from national AT&T retailers Cellular World Corp., Midwest Cellular and Red Skye Wireless. GameStop declined to reveal the purchase price, but an executive told Bloomberg that it amounted to "the bulk" of the $475 million the company raised in a recent debt offering.
GameStop became a phone retailer in 2013 with the acquisition of Spring Mobile, an authorized AT&T retailer operating roughly 90 stores. The company now claims 1,421 AT&T Mobility stores as it continues to diversify beyond video games.
GameStop also is the largest retail distributor of Cricket Wireless, selling its products and services in 3,400 U.S. GameStop locations. Participating GameStop outlets offer a "dedicated Cricket consultant" trained to answer questions about AT&T's prepaid brand and to sell devices and services. Cricket customers can also trade in used video games at participating stores and apply money to Cricket services or products.
"Today's announcement showcases the strength of our relationship with AT&T and fortifies our diversification efforts," said GameStop CEO Paul Raines in a prepared statement. "With the continued investments in our Technology Brands business, we are on track to achieve our goal of generating $200 million of operating earnings in this growing segment by the end of 2019."
Carriers are increasingly looking to the retail level to target both postpaid and prepaid users as growth in the U.S. smartphone market slows. T-Mobile is aggressively expanding its retail presence to leverage the buildout of its LTE network in suburban and rural areas over the last two years, as Wave7 Research noted a few months ago. And Sprint said in February it would team with British consumer electronics retailer Dixons Carphone to open and operate as many as 500 Sprint-branded stores across the country.
GameStop to sell AT&T's Cricket offerings in 3,400 U.S. locations
Wave7: T-Mobile building out its retail footprint even as Walmart pilot ends
Sprint to partner with Dixons Carphone to open 500 retail stores


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DETROIT (WWJ) Creators of the much-anticipated 8 Mile Marketplace are hoping to get rapper Eminem to help them celebrate the opening of the first major retail development in Detroit in two decades.
A celebration next month will mark the opening of the Gateway Marketplace on 8 Mile at Woodward. It also coincides with the 10th anniversary of Eminem’s only movie, aptly titled “8 Mile.”
The 36-acre marketplace features 325,000 square feet of retail space, including a new Meijer store, PNC Bank, McDonald’s, and Dots. It will connect the south Oakland County suburbs of Ferndale and Hazel Park with Detroit at the dividing line of 8 Mile.
The psychological divide between the suburbs and city was featured prominently in Eminem’s movie.
So will he make an appearance?
“I mean we would be open to that, we would be grateful to have him, I think it would be great for him to be part of the opening of the retail center, it would be great, so we do intent to reach out to him,” said Tami Salisbury, director of the 8 Mile Boulevard Association.


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Were you there?
Having returned from a successful trip to Dubai last week where we attended Gulfood Manufacturing, we are keen to know what others thought of the event. Exhibitors during the show appeared very positive and there certainly seemed to be plenty of visitors to the Dubai World Trade Centre where the event was held.
Sweets & Snacks Middle East 2014 was held alongside Gulfood and the organisers reported an increase in visitors over the previous year of 13 per cent. Visitors, who predominantly travelled to Dubai from the MENA region, took advantage of the diversity of products at the fair – about 230 suppliers from 38 countries and about thirty per cent more than at the previous event in 2013.
According to Euromonitor International, the sales market for sweets and snacks in the Middle East has risen by 20 per cent annually since 2010. Comparable rates of increase are also anticipated for the coming year. This is due to the increase in disposable income and the trend towards high-end products in the growing middle class throughout the MENA region. Leading manufacturers from around the world included BMB (UAE), Cémoi (France), Duc D’O (Belgium), Lambertz (Germany), Original Candy (UK), Original Gourmet (USA), Peccin (Brazil), Roshen (Ukraine) or Witor’s (Italy).
In particular, this year was marked by a strong growth in exhibitor numbers from Europe and Asia. Germany, Jordan and Turkey also presented their products over a much larger area than at previous shows.
Now we are back in the UK, preparations are well under way for the final issue of CP for 2014, and with our 80th year about to dawn, we will be marking the occasion with a new look for the magazine. Of course, I can’t give too much away, but we look forward to hearing what you think when the magazine lands on your desk in early January 2015. In the meantime, do let us know if your business or brand has been around for as long as we have. We’re more than happy to share the limelight!


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GameSalad has raised $6.1 million in funding, led by Steamboat Ventures, with participation from other prominent Venture Capital firms.
GameSalad’s game creation tool is similar to moible app creation tools that are entering the marketplace like MoibleNationHQ and ApSynth that I reported on at the begining of March at Spring Demo 2011.
These startups enable non-programmers to build and deploy casual games for the iPad, iPhone and Android.
Game Salad is specifically for the iPad and iPhone and web browser platform at the moment. According to TechCrunch GameSalad is powering over 30 titles in in the top 100 in the iTunes App store with just under 10,000 titles published to date. The power tools GameSalad has put together is truly amazing as you can see from the video below.


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Xiaomi just confirmed that MIUI 7 will be unveiled at its upcoming event scheduled for August 13th. The new Xiaomi Mi5 is rumored to launch at the same event. According to the manufacturer’s forum, the new OS will be revealed at the New Product Launch Event that will take place at the China National Convention Center.
MIUI was launched over a year ago and it has become rather popular because it lets users customize features other device users cannot change on their OS. It looks a bit different, but in a good way, and most users who want a different experience than all the iOS, Android and CyanogenMod devices out there will definitely choose this Android-based OS.
Xiaomi MI tablet running on Windows 10?
The Microsoft Windows 10-based Xiaomi Mi tablet is supposed to make its appearance known on August 13 as well. This new tablet is said to run on the new Windows 10 and not on the usual Android MIUI OS. It is yet unclear if the Windows OS will be the PC version or a mobile edition.
The Xiaomi Mi 5 is rumored to have a 5.2” display with Gorilla Glass protection and 2.5D edges and it will run on a Snapdragon 810 processor with an Android 5.1-based interface and 14MP back camera and a 13MP front camera. It will reportedly be powered by a 3000 mAh battery.


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INDIAN RUPEE NEWS
Get the Latest News about INR & indian economy.
- Flipkart records highest-ever single day sale, grosses $200mn October 5, 2016This is the biggest ever single day sale for Bangalore-based Flipkart, since the time the company started in 2007.
- Subramanian Swamy seeks ban on import of cement from Pakistan October 5, 2016"Allowing imports of cement from Pakistan, therefore, carried with it the additional risk in that it provides an effective cover for smuggling of contraband goods and harmful weapons and ammunition concealed in cement bags which comes in rakes and trucks, in the hands of disruptionist elements," he said.
- Moneycontrol Exclusive: Govt plans overhaul of tax administration for smooth GST rollout October 5, 2016The government has readied plans for a major change in Indiaâ€™s tax administration structure, including overhauling the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) to ensure a glitch-free roll-out of a nation-wide goods and services tax (GST).
- Sensex, Nifty wobbly; Hind Zinc, SBI, Force Motors most active October 5, 2016Asian Paints, SBI, Tata Motors, HUL and Maruti Suzuki are top gainers while ONGC, Axis Bank, MM, Bajaj Auto and Hero MotoCorp are major losers in the Sensex.
- Uber redBus partner with ixigo for train travellers October 5, 2016ixigo, Indiaâ€™s leading mobile travel marketplace has announced partnerships with Uber and redBus to enable instant bookings for cabs and buses natively within ixigo trains app.
- Workload in IT to come down due to AI; jobs to reduce: Genpact October 5, 2016But along with that the employment growth rates have started to dip, NV 'Tiger' Tyagarajan says. The percentage addition of employees in India will not be same as past. And due to advancements, a workforce with higher skill sets is required for the IT industry, he says.
- Pixel launch: Is Google Assistant's AI an assault on privacy? October 5, 2016Sure, artificial intelligence can make life simpler by suggesting you places to eat, tell you weather, or even crack a joke. The more you use it, the more it learns about your habits and preferences. The protocols pertaining to artificial intelligence, or the lack of it, make our data less secure and more vulnerable.
- Up over 200% in 1 year, what's buzzing with Borosil Glass? October 5, 2016Shares of Borosil Glass Works have increased threefold over the past one year as the company has posted strong revenue and EBIDTA growth over the past few quarters.
- Why you should not be always chasing returns October 5, 2016Most people focus on returns and chase products that offer the best returns at any point.
- Jhunjhunwala-partnered fund buys stake in TFCI: What's buzzing? October 5, 2016In an interview with CNBC-TV18, Satpal Arora, MD of Tourism Finance Corporation of India (TFCI), talked about the state of business and the outlook ahead.


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INVISTA, one of the world’s largest integrated producers of polymers and fibres and owner of the LYCRA® brand, has been announced as the headline sponsor of Moda Lingerie & Swimwear for the 5th consecutive season. With a key focus on the XTRA LIFE LYCRA® fibre brand, the team from INVISTA will be present at Moda, which will be held at Birmingham NEC from 11th – 13th August 2013.
Visitors will be able to visit the LYCRA® fibre information point, located at Hall 17-E8, and view exhibitions from brands such as Speedo, Freya, Anita and Miraclesuit who all use XTRA LIFE LYCRA® fibre in their swim collections, as well as receive advice on the LYCRA® fibre products available for different end-uses, sourcing and branding.
This year’s Moda is set to be an exciting one for INVISTA, as they will also be joining forces with Speedo to host a joint seminar in the Moda Retail Theatre to explain the amazing benefits of XTRA LIFE LYCRA® fibre in the new Speedo Sculpture Spring/Summer 2014 collection.
“We’re extremely proud to be sponsoring Moda once again, and as the UK’s national show for the intimate apparel and swimwear industries we feel it is the perfect fit for INVISTA and the XTRA LIFE LYCRA® fibre brand,” says Michele Duncan, INVISTA’s Marketing Account Manager.
The seminar will be hosted by Richard Ellis, International Business Development Manager for Speedo, Sian Jenkins, Commercial Brand Manager for Speedo and Michele Duncan, Marketing Account Manager for INVISTA, and will take place on Monday 12 August at 2.30pm.


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- 29.09.2020 11:57 pm
- E-Commerce, Payments, Banking
xpate, the startup set on revolutionising payments with one unified account for all payment methods and innovative drag and drop technology, announces that CEO Mike Shafro has been appointed Ecommerce Advisor to Jurijs Adamovics, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Industra Bank.
- 29.09.2020 11:56 pm
ACI Worldwide (NASDAQ: ACIW), a leading global provider of real-time digital payment software and solutions, and Mastercard, the global multi-rail payments technology company, today announced that they will partner to provide a wide range of real-time payment solutions globally. They will initially collaborate to offer best-in-class central infrastructure, payments localization and access solutions to central banks, scheme operators, financial...
- 29.09.2020 11:51 pm
MalwarebytesTM, a leading provider of advanced endpoint protection and remediation solutions, today announced that it was selected by NatWest Group to deliver premium cybersecurity solutions to the bank’s consumer and business banking customers worldwide. NatWest Group customers will now be able get a free license to install Malwarebytes Premium to protect their digital experiences from within their Online Banking portal.
MonetaGo Reaches Over 1 Million Transactions in India, Onboards Five New Clients in the Country in Fresh APAC Push
- 29.09.2020 11:43 pm
- Blockchain, Fraud Detection
MonetaGo, the pioneer in using blockchain technology to fight fraud and inefficiencies in financial workflows, has gained fresh momentum in its APAC expansion. The company has over one million transactions in India. This comes alongside five new Indian alternative finance platforms being onboarded to MonetaGo’s Secure Financing solution, which mitigates the risk of double invoice financing.
- 29.09.2020 06:10 pm
Frost & Sullivan’s recent analysis, The Reshaping of Industries Caused by COVID-19, encompasses nine key trends that will emerge from industries reshaping as a response to COVID-19. With the pandemic’s negative impact on the global economy, immediate action is critical. Technology leaders must assess the emerging opportunities resulting from COVID-19 and provide technological innovations to build company, society, and consumer resilience.
- 29.09.2020 05:48 pm
Cohesity announces Cohesity SiteContinuity, an automated disaster recovery solution that is integrated with the company’s backup and continuous data protection capabilities – making it the only web-scale, converged solution to protect applications across tiers, service levels, and locations on a single platform. Cohesity is making this announcement as organizations are concerned about losing data to ransomware attacks, natural disasters, or...
Rimilia Partners With Aston University to Boost AI Expertise and Develop an Innovative Intelligent Financial Management Solution
- 29.09.2020 05:26 pm
- Artificial Intelligence, Payments, SaaS, Data
Rimilia, the leading SaaS-based fintech company, today announced the results of its two year partnership with Aston University to boost artificial intelligence (AI) expertise among Rimilia’s employees and enhance its intelligent financial management solution.
- 29.09.2020 05:11 pm
- Payments, Banking
Nexi, the leading Italian PayTech in digital payments, signs a partnership with Ebury, one of the world's leading Fintech companies providing global transaction banking services to businesses. According to the agreement, Ebury, founded in 2009 and with offices in 20 countries including Italy, joins Nexi Open. Nexi's partner banks will be able to offer their clients the full suite of Ebury services, including international cash management, FX...
- 29.09.2020 04:47 pm
- RegTech, Compliance
SteelEye, the compliance technology and data analytics firm, has been selected by the world-class investment manager, Schroders. The FTSE100 listed global investment manager with over £500bn assets under management deployed SteelEye in July 2020. SteelEye is designed to provide clients with full visibility of their entire MiFID II transaction reporting workflow, including efficient and automated tools that enable them to easily and seamlessly...
- 29.09.2020 02:31 pm
- People Moves
NYMBUS®, a leading provider of banking technology solutions, announced the Board of Directors has appointed Jeffery Kendall to serve as the company’s Chief Executive Officer, effective October 1, 2020. Kendall succeeds the company’s founder, Scott Killoh, who will continue to serve as Executive Chairman of the Board and trusted advisor to the management team.
- 29.09.2020 02:14 pm
American Express (NYSE: AXP) today announced the launch of the new Amazon Business American Express® Card and the Amazon Business Prime American Express® Card for small businesses in the UK. The Cards offer a host of rich rewards and payment flexibility designed to help businesses better manage their cash flow and gain greater insight into their spending.
- 29.09.2020 01:38 pm
- People Moves
As announced earlier, Ian Smith has been appointed Nordea’s new Group CFO, heading Group Finance. He will be a member of the Group Leadership Team and report to President and Group CEO Frank Vang-Jensen. It is now confirmed that Ian Smith will join Nordea in October 2020 and take on the position on 24 October 2020.
- 29.09.2020 01:16 pm
Judopay, a leading mobile-first payments provider, today announces its partnership with Mastercard, which will further increase Judopay’s network with a direct route to Mastercard's Payment Gateway Services global acquiring ecosystem.
- 28.09.2020 07:28 pm
Huobi Global, the world's leading digital asset exchange, today released a native mobile app for the Russian market. Available for iOS and Android, Russian users can now access Huobi’s spot market and trade hundreds of digital assets and cryptocurrencies via a simple and intuitive mobile app.


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Although China's Linux market as a whole doubled from 2003 to 2006 to $20 million per year, sales of Linux desktop software grew more slowly. In fact, the market share of Linux desktop software in China dropped from 16% to 12% in the same period. But according to CCID Consulting, sales of Linux desktop software increased 25.1% in the third quarter of this year, catching up with the quick growth of China's Linux industry as a whole. Several new developments have added fuel to the growth.
The Chinese government's antipiracy movement has had an effect. After the central government published two regulations last year to force its departments and local governments to stop using pirated software, the government has increased its spending on low-cost Linux desktop software. Last year, the antipiracy movement focused mainly on senior province and city governments, but this year it filtered into the junior village and town governments as well -- areas that previously relied on pirated software. Currently, the government is responsible for purchasing accounts for more than one quarter of China's Linux desktop software market, and the homegrown Red Flag Linux leads the government market.
Industry users, such as hotels, lottery sellers, and telecommunications companies, also increased spending on Linux desktop software this year. According to CCW Research, online business in China's hotel industry will have increased more than 30% this year, causing hotels to buy more computers and software to establish or improve their Internet order systems. The low-cost Linux desktop software has earned big market share here.
Emerging markets also add momentum to the Linux desktop market. For example, the estimated 6 million computers that will be sold in China's rural areas in 2007 and 2008 provide a big stage for Linux desktop software.
Hardware vendors have also begun to promote Linux desktop software in the Chinese market. In 2007, computer makers such as Dell and Lenovo preinstalled Linux desktop operating systems in their computers for Chinese buyers. Dell has begun to sell some of its computers with Novell's SUSE Linux in China.
Dark side of the growth
Despite its rapid growth, China's Linux desktop software industry faces some problems. Piracy is still an issue. Using pirated Windows can be easier and cheaper than using a Linux desktop OS. Zhen Zhongyuan, vice president of Red Flag, says that China's Linux desktop market would increase as a "geometric series" every time piracy decreases 1%.
The high uninstall rate of the Linux desktop OS also diminishes actual growth. According to CCW Research, 31.9% of Chinese users uninstall their Linux desktop OS after buying a computer with it included. Some computer retailers themselves uninstall it and install pirated Windows instead if buyers ask for it. Retailers and personal users are more inclined to uninstall it than industry users, who seldom uninstall it because their industry software runs on it.
Additionally, the low-cost advantage of Linux desktop software is diminishing. Microsoft has taken a more flexible pricing tack in the Chinese market, offering increasingly better discounts for Chinese computer producers. An anonymous executive of a Chinese computer producer says that his company considered using the Linux desktop OS at the beginning of this year, but eventually went with Windows because Microsoft didn't charge much more than the service fee of Linux companies. He suggested this could be looked at as a victory for Linux, as it had forced Microsoft to lower its price.
Despite a few problems, the future of China's Linux desktop industry remains bright. Once the country can settle its problems, the Linux desktop industry is expected to continue its fast increase in China.


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CAMDEN, N.J. — Now that Pepperidge Farm, Arnott’s and Kelsen have been grouped into one unit, Campbell Soup Co. is exploring the many ways of capturing synergies between the businesses.
“On Arnott’s and Pepperidge Farm, they definitely are different,” Denise Morrison, president and chief executive officer of Campbell Soup Co., said during a May 22 conference call with analysts to discuss third-quarter results. “We have been expanding the Arnott’s brand beyond Australia into Southeast Asia, and particularly Indonesia, and also in Hong Kong. Pepperidge Farm has been expanding more into Canada.”
While the brands and packaging are different, Ms. Morrison said the company is seeing synergies in research and development.
“There is a lot of sharing going on in that area,” she said. “But by putting the Pepperidge Farm, Arnott’s and Kelsen brands together in one division, we expect that part of that will be a global brands team that we will start to look at. Now that we have platforms in these countries, how can we expand with the brands that we have to take advantage of that scale?”
Operating earnings in the Global Baking and Snacking division of Campbell Soup Co. increased 18% to $80 million in the third quarter ended May 3, reflecting a higher gross margin percentage, volume gains and lower administrative expenses, partly offset by higher marketing expenses and the negative impact of currency translation.
Sales in the quarter decreased 2% to $555 million. Excluding the negative impact of currency translation, Arnott’s sales increased driven by gains in Australia and Indonesia.
“In the U.S., our Pepperidge Farm business delivered sales gains in fresh bakery, cookies and crackers,” Ms. Morrison said. “Goldfish sales increased 5% in the quarter, and marketing increased across our biscuit and snacks business. I am particularly pleased that this segment’s operating earnings increased 18%.”For the nine months ended May 3, operating earnings in the Global Baking and Snacking division totaled $277 million, up 18% from $234 million in the same period a year ago. Net sales were $1,822 million, up 1% from $1,812 million a year ago.


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With a growing number of states enacting thermostat recycling laws, information regarding these programs is becoming increasingly vital. This growth in concern is riding the current wave of debate regarding extended producer responsibility (EPR), the concept that manufacturers and vendors are responsible for the cost of managing their end-of-life products in an environmentally responsible way.
Following suit, Our Site recently joined forces with the Thermostat Recycling Corporation (TRC), a not-for-profit organization that facilitates the collection and proper disposal of mercury-containing thermostats, to increase its listings throughout the remainder of this year for thermostat recycling and disposal locations across the country.
According to WasteCap of Massachusetts, one mercury-containing home thermometer has the capacity to contaminate a 20-acre lake with enough mercury to result in a fish consumption warning. Photo: Wikimedia.org
According to Mark Tibbetts, executive director for TRC, “The primary mechanism for the program is to provide opportunities for HVAC contractors to dispose of those thermostats, as a vast majority are generally removed by tradesmen.” TRC has provided this form of collection for the last three years.
“The great thing about the program [for retailers], beyond the one-time initial participation fee of $25, it’s absolutely free. Increasing access, raising awareness and making it free makes it convenient and really will drive participation on the program. We’re so excited,” said Tibbetts.
Tibbetts also added that due to the increase in do-it-yourself (DIY) home repair, their program saw a need to expand these services to everyday consumers. They expanded their program to include household hazardous waste (HHW) and actively started working with retailers last year.
“If folks are aware of the program, it’s really easy and convenient and at no cost, then we believe that will be the incentive they need to do the right thing. Many people aren’t aware that their old thermostat contains mercury. It’s perfectly safe hanging on wall, but it should be recycled,” he added. “It’s the last piece of the puzzle.”
Although new mercury thermostats are virtually an obsolete product, TRC collected just a little more than 135,000 last year alone, and at an average of 3 grams of mercury per thermostat, that’s a significant reduction in landfilled mercury.
Tibbetts said the mercury-containing portion of the thermostat goes to an environmental firm that recycles it. The mercury is used again in products such as CFLs.
He noted that mercury-containing thermostats are “not inexpensive to dispose of.” When it first began, TRC had already collected approximately 800,000 thermostats – in the absence of any legal mandate (TRC began this before any legislation was in place).
Founded 11 years ago by the three largest manufacturers of mercury thermostats to create a convenient and easy means for the recycling of mercury containing thermostats, “TRC is one of first producer responsibility organizations in the United States,” according to the TRC Web site.
Recently, California and Pennsylvania joined Maine, Iowa, New Hampshire and Vermont in passing laws enforcing the proper collection and recycling of thermostats containing mercury, according to Environmental Protection.


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There is perhaps no place in Dubai better suited to celebrating the birthday of Queen Elizabeth II than the ship she named after herself, the iconic QE2. Advertisements
Royal Caribbean’s newest and most advanced cruise ship Spectrum of the Seas has begun her conveyance down the Ems River to the open sea ahead of Dubai cruise in May.
Seabourn will sail two new wellness cruises in 2019 and 2020, one to Dubai and the other to the South Pacific.
Pacific Jewel of P&O Australia has been handed over to Jalesh Cruises in Singapore ahead of her dry-docking and refurbishment for a new life as the cruise ship Karnika.
P&O Cruises will not only be repeating a full Dubai cruise season in Arabian Gulf with its cruise ship Oceana, but will also be switching up the itineraries to offer 7-night roundtrip […]
P&O Cruises on Tuesday released its new 2019 TV advert for the UK market, putting Dubai and the Arabian Gulf front-and-centre for the first time on primetime programming.
A German tourist that flew to Dubai for an MSC Cruise suffered a medical emergency during her hotel stay and slipped into a coma.
Sapphire Princess has departed Singapore bound for Dubai as she ends her Asian cruise season and heads for Europe for the 2019 summer.
Cunard Line will be sailing two World Cruises in 2021 and will be offering departures from both Cape Town and Dubai as voyages that can be booked separately to the World Cruises […]
Discover the World, a leader in global sales, marketing and distribution, with Holland America Line, Seabourn and Windstar among its clients, has opened a new Middle East office in Dubai this month.


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Asus is reportedly prepping a new 10-inch Android tablet featuring Intel's 64-bit Bay Trail SoC (Z3745) and a detachable keyboard dock.
The first Asus Chrome OS desktop system is now available for pre-order.
Asus has unveiled its very first Chromebox specifically designed to run Google's web-centric operating system.
Asus has rolled out a new mini-desktop powered by Intel's Celeron J1900 Bay Trail 2 GHz quad-core processor with a TDP of 10 watts.
Asus has debuted a “quad-mode” hybrid PC designed to run both Windows and Android. The 13.3-inch Transformer Book Duet TD300 allows users to easily switch between operating systems by simply pressing a button.
Asus is reportedly prepping a new laptop/tablet hybrid that features an Intel Haswell processor paired with a 1366 x 768 pixel display.
Asus is all set to launch its mini phone/tablet hybrid later this week. However, pictures of the Asus Padfone Mini are already circulating online and can be viewed below.
The Asus VivoPC mini-desktop - loaded with Windows 8 (64-bit) - is currently available in the US at a base price of $320.
Asus has revamped its Padfone lineup of smartphones which are designed to transform into 10 inch tablets with the assistance of a tablet dock.
Google released the new Nexus 7 manufactured by Asus last month. We brought you the review of the device recently, and here we managed to compare new and old Nexus 7 tablets in terms of benchmarks . The new Nexus 7 is powered by a 1.5 GHz quad-core ...
Google and Asus have debuted a new version of the wildly popular Nexus 7, which, as was rumored, arrives preloaded with a sweeter version of Android: 4.3.3 (Jelly Bean).
Mini PC's are all the rage these days and Asus doesn't want to left out of the fun. Yes, the industry heavyweight recently showcased its slick little ViVoPC at Computex 2013 in Taiwan and just released an official spec sheet.
The ASUS Transformer Book Trio runs in PC and tablet mode and can switch between Android and Windows. The question is why?
Netbooks are fading away fast, another victim of the tablet craze, but Asus seems to have a cunning plan to replace them with small and inexpensive next-gen devices.
Acer and Asus are apparently quite optimistic about the long-term prospects of Google's web-centric Chrome OS and accompanying hardware.
Asus has debuted a new Windows 8 notebook priced at $300. Dubbed the 1015E, the device features a 1.1 GHz Intel Celeron 847 dual core processor, 2GB of RAM, a 320GB hard drive and a 10.1 inc, 1366 x 768 pixel display.
Intel is reportedly pushing a new all-in-one PC concept in an effort to boost sales and finally make AIOs mainstream.
Bank of America Merrill Lynch has slashed its PC shipments forecast for 2013, citing weak demand in all four corners of the globe.
The Qube can best be described as a $129 set-top box powered by Google's rapidly evolving television platform that runs a specially designed UI designed by the industry heavyweight itself.
It is starting to look like Intel's and Apple's plan to kill off firewire and USB with Thunderbolt is grinding into a Titanic iceberg.


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From offering their parking lots to conduct drive-thru COVID-19 testing to donating fabric to make masks for local medical personnel, Goodwill stores have played a valuable role in their communities throughout the coronavirus pandemic — and now, everyone's donations and business are more important than ever before.
If you have a bag of donations that's ready to go — or can't wait to search through Goodwill's racks of hidden treasures again — you're in luck: the non-profit organization plans to reopen each location as soon as it's safe to do so. And with new precautions and donation protocols, that might be sooner than you think.
Is the Goodwill open right now?
According to the organization's website, Goodwills are reopening regionally in accordance with state and local safety guidance. Some Goodwill stores and donation centers are already open or in the process of reopening. For example, Goodwill will reopen 27 retail stores and training centers in Wisconsin on May 26. In order to see if a store in your area is open, use the Goodwill Locator tool. Click "filter" and select "headquarters." From there, visit your location's website or give them a call to see if they're open.
Remember: even if your Goodwill store is open, there will be new safety measures in place to protect shoppers and employees. Stores may enforce social distancing by limiting the number of people inside and could require everyone to wear a mask.
Is Goodwill still taking donations?
Even if your Goodwill store isn't open, you might still be able to make a donation. "More than half of all Goodwill donation centers have reopened and are processing donations with new safety procedures, such as retrieving donations from the trunk of donor’s vehicles or offering contactless, self-serve donation drop-offs to minimize direct contact," according to the Goodwill website.
To see if your local donation center is open, you can use the Goodwill Locator tool.
When will all Goodwill stores reopen?
Because coronavirus data and safety suggestions are always changing, it's impossible to predict exactly when every Goodwill store will reopen on a state-by-state basis. Continue to check your local store's website for updates. In the meantime, you can shop online at ShopGoodwill.com.
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With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing most Americans to spend more time at home, the year 2020 was one of explosive pet adoption and ownership, otherwise known as the “pet boom.” Slightly more than half of American households already owned pets and that number rose to over 4% according to a study by Packaged Facts. With over 71 million households now owning a pet (96% of which are dogs and cats), the demand for veterinary care is understandably on the rise as well.
Millennials are the Largest Group of Pet Owners
Representing 31% of pet owners, Millennials represent a shift away from the Boomer generation of pet-owning. What does this mean? A shift in expectations to digital care and communications.
In the past, older generations of pet owners did not have access to robust digital communications from their veterinarians. Making appointments by phone, faxing medical records, and receiving appointment cards in the mail has been–until recently–the industry norm for client relations at many practices and hospitals.
Millennials, however, not only want digital communications, they expect them. According to a survey by OpenMarket, 76% of Millennials prefer texting over any other communication and 19% say they never check their voicemail.
If your clinic or hospital is relying on phone, mail, or email alone to communicate with clients, you could lose them to a more technologically savvy practice or not retain them after an initial visit.
Veterinarians Are More Burnt Out Than Ever
The so-called ‘pet boom’ of the past year has overtaxed the veterinary industry in more ways than one. Besides having to shift business operations, health protocols, and pet healthcare practices, many clinics have been overwhelmed by the onslaught of new pet ownership in addition to their existing caseloads.
Before the pandemic, veterinary schools were already taxed with meeting demand. Now, with clinics and hospitals understaffed with more pet healthcare demand than ever, veterinarians need as much support as they can get to run their practices without burning out.
In an interview with the New York Post, Dr. Diona Krahn told reporters, “All of my practices are booking out several weeks in advance. Clients are actually calling around and scheduling appointments at multiple locations, and even resorting to emergency care facilities.”
Given the high demand for pet care because of the pet boom, streamlining communications is a must, which is why a cloud-based veterinary system can offload much of the logistical burden it takes to run a practice. And, given that the majority of pet owners prefer digital communications to voice and written ones, now is the time to adopt a cloud-based system that appeals to clients’ needs and addresses veterinarians’ stress.
Remote Work Has Increased Pet Spending
With remote work the new norm, many existing and new pet owners have had more time to spend with their pets. And while many people are returning to the office, some level of remote work “is here to stay,” according to Forbes.
Pet owners who spend more time with their pets is a good thing, but it also means higher spending on veterinary care. In fact, according to a study by the Pet Foods Association, Americans spent nearly $99 billion on pet care in 2020–a record high.
With more and younger pet owners spending increased time working remotely at home with their pets, many of those same owners will expect remote and digital services from vet care providers.
How is your practice handling the pet boom? If you’d like to streamline your patient care and alleviate office backlogs, request a demo.


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While Netflix’s launch in Australia has been wildly successful, the video streaming giant says internet internet speeds Down Under just aren’t fast enough.
Netflix released its ISP Speed Index for April, which for the first time includes data for Australian and New Zealand Internet Service Providers (ISPs).
Australia ranked poorly on the list (18/29), which details the ISPs that provide the best prime-time streaming speeds. Netflix attributed the substandard performance to excessive demand.
Here’s what they said:
This month, Australia and New Zealand joined the speed index, ranking 18 and 14, respectively on the list of 29 countries we rank. Performance for Australian ISPs was impacted by consumer demand exceeding the forecasts Netflix provided. We are working closely with these ISPs and expect performance to improve in the coming months.
Netflix also ranked Australia’s individual ISPs’ performances. TPG topped the local list with an average speed of 3.36 Mbps, while Telstra managed just 2.23 Mbps to finish last.
Here are the Aussie rankings:
iiNet and Optus are currently the only two ISPs who provide unmetered streaming for Netflix customers, however, Netflix’s promise to improve performance in the coming months could mean this may change, despite earlier comments to the contrary.
It’s important to note that the Netflix ISP Speed Index is a measure of prime-time Netflix performance on a particular ISP and not a measure of overall internet performance.
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Dead Space 4 Rumors Ramp Up After EA Updates YouTube Channel
The Dead Space YouTube channel got its first update in eight years, fueling more speculation that a new game in the series will be announced in July.
Speculation that a new Dead Space game may be in development heated up this week, as the official Dead Space YouTube channel has changed its profile picture for the first time in almost a decade. Swapping the Dead Space 3 logo for a more generic image from the franchise has led some fans to theorize that the timing indicates some sort of imminent reveal is scheduled for EA Play Live this month.
As reported last week, EA is reportedly reviving Dead Space with Star Wars: Squadrons developer Motive StudioS supposedly working on a "reimagining" of the original 2008 game, one which will not be a direct sequel to the sci-fi horror trilogy. The rumors first began when GamesBeat's Jeff Grubb explained on the GamesBeat Decides podcast that Motive Studios was reviving the dormant EA IP and would officially reveal it in July, with several other outlets also reporting that they had heard similar rumors.
Motive Studios had previously been working on a project codenamed "Gaia" but it was canceled after six years in development. Since the final Dead Space 3 game in 2013, the franchise appeared to be dead as developer Visceral Studios was shut down in 2017, although EA denied at the time that it had killed off Dead Space.
Dead Space co-creator Glen Schofield is now working on The Callisto Protocol, a new third-person survival-horror game that is being developed by his new studio at PUBG Corporation, Striking Distance.
EA Play Live is scheduled to take place on July 22, although the confirmed game for the show so far is Battlefield 2042.
GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.


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- LD Micro reconstitutes index to reveal 35.73% increase over 2020, 423 new listings for total of 1,189 companies
- Index includes US and Canadian companies with market cap between $50-300 million, average daily traded value of $50,000 in previous quarter
- LD Micro is subsidiary of SRAX, provider of Sequire SaaS investor analytics platform
SRAX (NASDAQ: SRAX), a financial technology company that unlocks data and insights for publicly traded companies through its Sequire SaaS platform, recently announced that its LD Micro subsidiary reconstituted its North American microcap index to reveal a 35.72% increase of 423 new listings for a total of 1,189 companies (https://ibn.fm/a7p3d).
LD screens companies based on selection criteria that include market cap, trading value, listing, and filing information. To qualify for inclusion on its list, companies must be listed in the United States or Canada, have a market cap between $50 million and $300 million, an average daily traded value of $50,000 in the last quarter, and a 10Q or 10K filed in the preceding calendar year (https://ibn.fm/4fQXR).
“I cannot believe what I’ve seen in the past year,” said Chris Lahiji, President of LD Micro (https://ibn.fm/jOYwN). “The LD Micro Index has more than tripled from its March 2020 lows. The tiniest public companies were also some of the biggest winners last year, and already year-to-date. As each day goes by, the Index becomes more and more consequential to the next generation of great companies.”
Lahiji founded LD Micro as an independent resource to the microcap world in 2006, growing it quickly to become the premier event platform in the space. Following the identification of potential synergies with Sequire – SRAX’s SaaS platform that unlocks investor intelligence for private companies – LD micro was acquired by SRAX in September of 2020.
“LD Micro is, without a doubt, one of the most well-known and respected brands in micro-cap,” said SRAX CEO and founder Christopher Miglino. “Chris Lahiji and his team have done an incredible job of creating a loyal community of investors and issuers.”
Sequire empowers public companies with critical insights into the activities of both retail and institutional investors, helping them create and activate successful campaigns aimed at increasing investor engagement. Since 2019, the SaaS platform has grown to over 3 million active users that include investors and traders from over 90 public companies (https://ibn.fm/L8hSO).
In addition to Sequire, SRAX focuses on building the largest and most reliable opted-in data sets that span a broad range of industry verticals. As the power of data continues to increase across the digital landscape, the Company continues to focus on its mission to provide brands and companies across the CPG, luxury, lifestyle and financial spaces with high-quality data that provides key, actionable insights integral to strategic marketing campaigns.
For more information, visit the company’s website at www.SRAX.com
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to SRAX are available in the company’s newsroom at http://ibn.fm/SRAX
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The incidence of asthma has become more and more prevalent these days. While there is no known cure many patients currently manage their asthma with medication and by avoiding allergens and other triggers.
According to a recent article published in the journal Allergy assessing and then increasing vitamin D levels accordingly could actually help manage asthma attacks. Researchers analyzed the medical records of approximately four million members of Clalit Health Services Israel's largest health care provider. Among those vitamin D levels of approximately 308000 people were measured over the course of four years. It was discovered that asthma patients with a vitamin D deficiency were 25% more likely than other asthmatics to have had at least one recent flare-up.
"Vitamin D has significant immunomodulatory effects and as such was believed to have an effect on asthma - an immunologically mediated disease" said Dr. Confino-Cohen one of the doctors who conducted the study. "But most of the existing data regarding vitamin D and asthma came from the pediatric population and was inconsistent. Our present study is unique because the study population of young adults is very large and 'uncontaminated' by other diseases."
While no significant association was seen between vitamin D and diagnosed asthma itself this study showed that vitamin D-deficient asthmatics were at a higher risk of an asthma attack demonstrating the link between vitamin D asthma and the beneficial role this vitamin can play in helping to reduce exacerbations.
Asthma patients who experience recurrent exacerbations should have their vitamin D levels checked and supplement when necessary as it appears that increasing vitamin D levels is something we can easily do to help improve these patients' quality of life.
While most of the vitamin D in our bodies comes from exposure to the sun many of us need to obtain vitamin D from other sources. Vitamin D deficiency is prevalent for several reasons. Many people avoid the sun due to the dangers of overexposure. In addition most of us spend a great deal of time inside under fluorescent lights and away from natural light. Also depending on what latitude you live at and the time of year you may not be able to get adequate vitamin D from the sun. Still for those who spend a lot of time in the sun most have eighty percent of their skin covered preventing optimal vitamin D absorption.
Source: R. Confino-Cohen I. Brufman A. Goldberg B. S. Feldman. Vitamin D asthma prevalence and asthma exacerbations: a large adult population-based study. Allergy 2014; DOI: 10.1111/all.12508


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California resident Seth Shapiro has filed a lawsuit against wireless service giant AT&T alleging that its employees helped to perpetrate a SIM-swap which resulted in the theft of over $1.8 million in total, including cryptocurrencies.
"AT&T employees obtained unauthorized access to Mr. Shapiro's AT&T wireless account, viewed his confidential and proprietary personal information, and transferred control to a phone controlled by third-party hackers in exchange for money. The hackers then utilized their control over Mr. Shapiro's AT&T wireless number to access his personal and digital finance accounts and steal more than $1.8 million."
"While third parties had control over Mr. Shapiro's AT&T wireless number, they used that control to access and reset the passwords for Mr. Shapiro's accounts on cryptocurrency exchange platforms including KuCoin, Bittrex, Wax, Coinbase, Huobi, Crytopia, LiveCoin, HitBTC, Coss.io, Liqui, and Bitfinex."
The plaintiff also claims to be in possession of chat logs in which AT&T employees and hackers discuss how the stolen money should be routed and brag about how much they took.
Shapiro also claims that he fell victim to SIM-swapping multiple times, therefore his personal information and online accounts were already leaked in the past.
More precisely, Shapiro alleges that AT&T is in violation of the Federal Communications Act for failing to protect the confidentiality of his account information.
He also claims that the telecom giant violated several California state's laws, including the Unfair Competition Law, the Constitutional Right to Privacy and the Consumers Legal Remedy Act.
Lastly, Shapiro also accuses AT&T of two acts of negligence.
Notably, this is not the first lawsuit against AT&T over SIM-swapping.
As Cointelegraph reported on July 27, the federal judge overseeing the Terpin v. AT&T case dismissed the motion.
California Man Sues AT&T Over Loss of $1.8M and Crypto Accounts
Publicado en Oct 20, 2019
by Cointele | Publicado en Coinage
Bitcoin Miner Maker Canaan Sets $100 Million Target for US IPO
Canaan, the world's second largest bitcoin miner maker, intends to raise about $100 million in its initial public offering in the U.S. The Hangzhou, China-based manufacturer of the Avalon bitcoin miners updates its IPO application with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Nov. 13.
Fintech Arm of Chinese Insurance Giant Files for US IPO After Blockchain Push
OneConnect Financial Technology, the fintech arm of China's largest insurance company, filed a prospectus on Wednesday for an initial public offering with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
BaFin Orders Gold-Backed Token Issuer to Cease-and-Desist Order
The German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority has issued a cease and desist order to Karatbit Foundation to immediately stop unauthorized business in Germany.
Cointelegraph Moderates First Crypto Media Gathering at BlockShow Asia 2019
The pace of the crypto market's expansion would have been much slower without the contribution of dedicated media outlets.


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Taxi drivers in ten Chinese cities have gone on strike to protest the arrival of ridesharing services such as Uber, the San Francisco based company valued at $40 billion, in the country. Traditional drivers claim the high franchise fees imposed by the state-run taxi industry inhibit their ability to compete with the cab-hailing services that have sprouted up in cities like Beijing and Shanghai.
The taxi industry in China is heavily regulated by state and local governments. Taxi licenses in urban China are controlled by state-run companies and require significant investment to be obtained. The number of licenses available in the country has remained relatively stagnant over the past two decades, driving the price as high as 1.4 million yuan ($225,861) per license in some areas. Private car operators that drive for Uber and similar services do not face this barrier to market entry and instead are only required to pay 20 percent of their earnings back their employer. The ability of this business model to undermine the structure of the traditional industry has incited protests from taxi drivers and has prompted legal action in the city of Beijing.
The Beijing Transport Committee deemed Uber and other private car-hailing services illegal in a statement made on January 28, 2015. Drivers working for “black cab” companies like Uber are subject to a 20,000-yuan ($3,200) fine if caught. For perspective, the average monthly income of taxi drivers in the city of Shengyan is roughly 5,000 yuan ($806).
Uber continues to operate in Beijing despite the legal sanctions, and the company’s future in China remains unclear.


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The China’s luxury Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 3.6% on a yearly basis in 2017, both based on more wealthy Chinese, and an uptick in the money they spend. Chief researcher of the Hurun China rich list Rupert Hoogewerf says expenditure on real estate, Tesla and Baijiu going up, he tells in Asia Times.
The Luxury Consumer Price Index, released by Hurun each year, aims to measure the price changes for a predetermined basket of goods and services purchased by China’s high-net-worth individuals (HNWI). The index covers the consumption activities of wealthy Chinese in the following 11 categories: real estate, health, education, luxury tourism, weddings, watches & jewelry, accessories & beauty products, cruises & private jets, lifestyle, liquor & cigarettes, and automobiles.
The 2017 index, which gauges prices from June 2016 to June 2017, was calculated based on a basket of 116 high-end goods and services, 20% of them imported. The issue marks the 11th edition of the index.
The depreciation of the Chinese yuan against major global currencies over the past year has been the main reason for the decreasing purchasing power of China’s rich population with respect to buying luxury property worldwide and high-end imported goods.
Based on Hurun’s estimates, there were nearly 1.34 million HNWIs in mainland #China by May 2016, while the number of individuals with over a billion yuan of wealth was close to 89,000. Over the past year, this population has borne the brunt of the price spike in the areas of luxury property, liquor, lifestyle and travel.
‘What impresses me most, this year, is how much the price of real estate, baijiu (a traditional Chinese liquor) and Tesla has increased,’said Rupert Hoogewerf, chairman and chief researcher of the institute, ‘completely lifting up the luxury CPI.’
For affluent Chinese buyers, the price of luxury property has gone up 16.6% since last year. Domestically, a villa in China’s southwestern city Chengdu spiked 56.5%, followed by properties in Hainan (a rising tourism city) and Shanghai. Housing prices in overseas cities such as Vancouver, San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York also jumped.
Are you looking for more experts on luxury goods at the China Speakers Bureau? Do check out this list.


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The Japanese and South Korean car makers have demanded that the commerce and industry ministry provides them a similar facility by making the requisite change in the bilateral trade agreement. India currently has signed Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements with both Japan and South Korea. The apex industry body Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers has supported their position and said it opposed any concessions that may be given to the Europeans as part of the FTA.
Honda Siel senior vice-president Janeshwar Sen said that Honda wants a level playing field vis-a-vis the European players. If any change is made in the current duty structure for auto products under the India-EU FTA, then a similar provision must also be made under the India-Japan FTA, Sen said.
A Hyundai Motor India spokesperson said that the company's stand was in line with that of Siam.
The strong opposition by the Asian companies could queer the pitch for the commerce ministry when it resumes negotiations with EU on the FTA in February.
At the core of the divide between the Japanese and South Korean manufacturers on the one hand and the Europeans on the other is the different business models being pursued by the two sides. While the Japanese and South Korean players are mostly present in volume segments, have set up manufacturing facilities in the country at huge investment costs and generated a large number of jobs, their European counterparts are mostly present in niche segments, sell limited numbers and so have smaller investments in comparison. They mostly import completely knocked down units and assemble them in the country.
This is the crux of the opposition from the Japanese, South Korean and even Indian manufacturers. At present, the import duty on fully-built cars is 60%. After adding duties like sales tax and value-added tax, the overall duty goes up to around 110% of the original cost. If the India-EU FTA happens, the manufacturers would not have to pay this duty and the cars can be sold in the country at relatively cheaper prices.
If investments made by the two sides in India is taken into account, it compares something like this: The cumulative investments made by top European car makers like Mercedes-Benz, Audi, BMW and Skoda put together is a little over Rs 1,000 crore or almost one-third of what Honda Siel alone has made.
Similarly, Skoda, a brand owned by Volkswagen, which has been in India for almost 10 years and competes in the voluminous small car market with its hatch Fabia, has invested Rs 625.7 crore, employing 816 people. On the other hand, Toyota, which operated only in the premium segment until it made its entry into the small car market earlier this year with the Liva, has invested over Rs 1,500 crore and has an employee strength of 3,500 people.
The only exception in this so far has been the European manufacturer Volkswagen, which has pumped in around Rs 3,800 crore since setting up operations two years back. The company's total workforce at present stands at 4,000. Though Skoda and Audi are brands owned by Volkswagen and they operate from the Chakan and Aurangabad facilities of the company, globally they operate as separate business outfits.
Among the European entities, Volkswagen stands out on the job creation front as well. The cumulative employment generation by the European car makers mentioned stands at 5,933, with Volkswagen accounting for 4,000. Quite in contrast, the Japanese and South Korean companies employ in excess of 11,000 people.
However, if the government levels the field by according a similar facility to the Japanese and South Korean, these players would also benefit as the higher-end models where their indigenisation levels are low can be priced more competitively.
After the EU started lobbying for reducing the import duty on fully-built cars, heavy industry minister Praful Patel had shot off a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh earlier this year apprising him that any concession to EU would not only go against the Automotive Mission Plan drawn up in 2006 (which stated that import duties should not be relaxed till 2016) but could also reduce investment flow into the country.


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Rumor: Google to charge game developers 20 percent, undercut Facebook
As you might already know, Facebook charges its game developers 30 percent of all virtual goods purchases. In other words, smooth moves, Google ... sort of.
But while a tinier fee will certainly be appealing to many a developer from the get-go, what about those little things we call players? Ah yes, this will remain the ultimate hurdle for any new social games platform to surmount. Social game developers, in response to Google's rumored undercutting, will have to make a choice between more money now or more money later.
Because, let's face it: Google Games might offer more money for developers from the start, but it'll need the massive player base from then on to match the type of money creators can potentially make on Facebook.
Not to mention that existing developers like Zynga and Playfish won't exactly be too keen on hurrying over to Google+, forcing their existing player base to adapt to a brand new network. A network that doesn't use Facebook Connect. Smooth moves, yes, but perhaps not smooth enough.
[Image Credit: Google]
Will Google+ Games be able to compete with Facebook, if this is true? Do you see Google Games becoming an ideal alternative to Facebook games? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment.


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Makeup, baby powder, coffee and spices: The new list of hand luggage items BANNED from flights leaving UK being drawn-up by the government
- Government plans could also see protein powder banned from hand luggage
- New restrictions would see all powders limited to just 12 ounces (56 grams)
- Ban would bring the UK in line with the US, Australia and New Zealand's rules
Makeup, baby powder and coffee could soon be banned from hand luggage on all flights leaving the UK.
Under new government plans passengers could be forced to put spices and protein powder in the hold, reports The Times.
The restrictions would bring the UK in line with the US, Australia and New Zealand, where similar bans were imposed last month.
Makeup, baby powder and coffee could soon be banned from hand luggage on all flights leaving the UK. File image used
Strict rules were brought in there after a foiled plot to blow up an Etihad flight from Sydney to Abu Dhabi rocked security officials last year.
The ISIS-style plot saw attackers try to get an explosive onto the plane last July, but they were stopped at security.
Britain's new rules would see all powders, which would limit cosmetics and some foods, restricted to just 12 ounces (56 grams). They would also face further security checks later on.
Those rules were brought in 12 years ago in the wake of 9/11 and other attempted terror attacks.
Under new government plans passengers could be forced to put spices and protein powder in the hold, according to The Times. File image used
There are fears the new restrictions will confuse passengers and create longer queues at airports, which are already rife because of Brexit.
People are worried the new blue, non-EU, passports will cause havoc at border checks in the UK and abroad.
The Department for Transport refused to comment on the Times' revalation about new hand lugggae restrictions.
A spokesman told the newspaper: 'It is for each country to determine its own security measures based on its own assessments. We work closely with all our international partners to keep aviation security under constant review.'
Mils Hills, an associate professor in risk, resilience and corporate security at the University of Northampton, added: 'We were lucky that this plot was disrupted and doesn't seem to have been too clever.
'In itself, these extra restrictions are not going to create a lot of disruption at airport security but it has the potential to feed into general concerns by the public about the safety of flying.'
The restrictions on makeup and cosmetics would bring the UK in line with the US, Australia and New Zealand, where similar bans were imposed last month
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In April, Uganda became the latest African country — and the first in East Africa — to. Deployed by the Uganda arm of the South African telco MTN, the LTE network should deliver download speeds of up to 100Mbps, nearly three times faster than those previously available in the country.
There's no question that 4G networks, still not ubiquitous in many developed economies, will be a step forward for Uganda's mobile landscape. But analysts say the impact of 4G in the country depends on how far it becomes a business service.
The rollout in Uganda is part of a broader African trend of leapfrogging traditional fixed broadband by adopting current-generation mobile tech. Africa has long suffered from a lack of well-managed fixed line networks, and the cost of installing the necessary fixed infrastructure has left the field open to companies with innovative and comparatively cheap mobile alternatives.
The result has been a mobile revolution that swept the continent, and one which is continuing apace. A number of African countries have adopted 4G services within the last year, including Angola, Namibia and, most recently, Tanzania.
If you take MTN's press release at face value, the launch of LTE in Uganda "represents a major stride" in mobile connectivity that will "significantly transform the way [customers] interact with the world".
But Simon Lee, a Nairobi-based ICT analyst with the research firm Africa Analysis, is less convinced. "Other than a technology 'wow' factor, I'm struggling to understand what they're going to achieve," he says.
4G for business
According to Lee, LTE could really make a difference if pitched as an enterprise service, allowing solid-enough connectivity to make cloud services widely accessible. "If you could offer seamless datacentre services and cloud services across multiple platforms, now you're starting to talk about the real benefits of 4G, in that you can basically get everything everywhere. It means you're going to have a lot more flexibility," he says. "That would be massive."
Lee points out that an LTE network could still be useful for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), home offices and businesspeople. But, as has been the case with similar networks in other African countries, geographical coverage so far is extremely limited. In Uganda, the network only extends to certain parts of the capital, although MTN says there are plans to expand it.
At the moment, the most obvious market is consumers. Customers could use the faster speeds for video streaming and photo uploading, functionally that would appeal to younger consumers increasingly plugged in to social networks and the content creation.
But adoption rates among individuals will be largely determined by cost, Lee notes. MTN is offering 10GB of free data with the purchase of a $63 4G dongle, but connectivity in Uganda is still relatively expensive, and as long as it remains a pre-paid service the cost of up- or downloading large amounts of data – however speedy the process – will be prohibitive for most. Until prices fall, takeup is likely to be fairly limited.
The appeal of hardware
Nor is pricing the only challenge facing service operators trying to popularise expensive 4G networks in Africa. Clunky black dongles, Lee says, don't have the same value as a status symbol as a mobile device.
"If you're not getting the device people want to be seen with, then you're not going to sell it." He points to the iPhone 5, which, he says, appeals to consumers for different reasons than the developers might have expected. "[Consumers] are more interested in pulling out their nice handset than they are in using the technology."
Still, it may just be a question of time before 4G makes the sort of splash operators would like it to. Despite high costs and unstylish dongles, 3G networks revolutionised internet access when companies like Orange introduced them in Africa several years ago, prying users out of cramped cyber cafes and stealing a tremendous amount of business from fixed wireless operators.
Even a number of SMEs switched to mobile devices, Lee says, because the dongles simply offered a better service. The same could happen again, if the service proves useful for companies.
But, large corporations are likely to still need the reliability of fixed wireless broadband, and with more and more fibre-optic cable being laid on the continent, these services are likely to grow alongside networks such as 4G.
MTN itself is not neglecting its fibre networks, and the LTE launch comes on the heels of major investments by the company in data infrastructure. These include 2,800km of fibre backbone in Uganda, an additional 400km of fibre in the west of the country, five regional switching centers and 100 base stations to add new coverage areas.
They might lack that technological wow factor, but with businesses' current dependence on fast and dependable internet, and ongoing infrastructure investment on the continent, traditional fixed broadband connections on which the developed world has so long relied aren't likely to be going anywhere, even in Africa.


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- Daily Zen
Apple is all set to venture into the health related sector. If rumours are to be believed, an anonymous gossip app known as Secret revealed that Apple’s earpods will be redesigned to monitor heart rate and blood pressure. Meaning, it’s not just the upcoming devices like iWatch and applications like Healthbook, but Apple also plans to revamp its earphones with heath tracking capabilities.
Apple’s EarPods are also expected to comprise a tiny tracking device to ensure that users don’t lose or misplace the earpods. It features the iBeacon technology that helps in locating the earbuds using the iOS device. The incoming EarPods are said to take advantage of the lightning cable port, and that seems to be the reason the audio was removed from the bottom.
EarPods and iOS 8 will be working in tandem to offer users with the necessary data and information that will help keep users healthy without the suggestion of illness. The keynote will be devising acute interfaces for this information. While exercising, the user would want to see vital signs like heart rate at a transitory view without needing to search for it. Apple’s way out could be a mere displaying of one’s pulse or oxygen levels as iOS notifications or may be Siri could read off the data.
Besides that, the functionality of using headphones is that they tend to take a lot of beating, stuffing them in pockets, yanking them with force multiple times a day. The wires are still highly assailable to movement and intertwine very easily and the volume and play controls don’t operate anymore. Apple will need to invest as much thought into those basics as fancy new features to make EarPods usable as wearable health devices.
If Apple is making a big push for health monitoring, it will need to provide a fashionable, pleasant and most of all a lasting device that plays music, carries phone calls smoothly and as a side gain, capture data from bodies. If the tech giant can pull off these fundamentals, which in the current-generation EarPods are incomplete features, buyers of Apple’s next version should be very satisfied customers.
It also fits Apple’s way of bettering devices until they are completely transformed. Apple has shown that the humble earpods are just not devices to listen to music but can be ultimate wearable also. While the smart watch race may be on for many companies, can Apple beat them all to our ears?


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Last Wednesday, March 31, started with the Mortgage Bankers Association reporting that its purchase index was up a very sharp 6.8 percent for the fourth gain in the last five weeks.
A few hours later Chicago's arm of the Institute of Supply Management reported that business activity in the Chicago region remains robust. According to according to Chicago area purchasers the ISM index came in at a very strong 58.8 -- a signal of significant economic growth relative to February.
A few minutes later, the government reported that factories are cranking it up right now with strong orders in February that followed even stronger orders in January and December. Factory orders rose 0.6 percent in February reflecting an upward revised 0.9 percent month-to-month rise in durable goods orders and a 0.3 percent rise in non-durable goods.
On Thursday April 1, Monster Worldwide reported that its index rose to 125 and is now up 11 points compared to January. Their report said the improvement is signaling that companies are starting to hiring again. Their index is a comprehensive monthly analysis of U.S. online job demand and is based on a real-time review of a large, representative selection of career sites and job boards, including Monster's own postings.
Subsequently, the auto sales in March proved much stronger than February. Sales of domestic-made cars and light trucks rose to an annual unit rate of 8.8M, up more than 15 percent vs. February's 7.6M rate.
In additional labor news on Thursday, fewer Americans filed jobless claims in the March 27 week. Initial claims for that week came in at 439,000 vs. 445,000 in the prior week. The four-week average fell 6,750 to 447,250 and is down roughly 20,000 from levels in February.
Shortly thereafter, the ISM released its March Manufacturing report on business which offered very convincing evidence of continued recovery. Their PMI index jumped 3.1 points to 59.6 well above all economists expectations. All the major components of the index showed strength and new orders continue to be particularly strong. Inventories -- which are a very key positive, soared to a very surprising 55.3 level which is indicative of a broad restocking effort in the sector.
And the big news on Friday was the positive jobs report. Private payrolls (which discount Census hiring and other government changes) jumped 123,000 in March, following an 8,000 rise in February and a 16,000 gain in January.
This week continued to post positive economic news.
On Monday, the ISM published its the non-manufacturing index. It came in at 55.4 for a solid month-to-month acceleration in March and the third month of growth in a row. The the manufacturing report, new orders again led the sub-indexes with a sizzling 62.3 reading -- the sharpest month-to-month acceleration in five years.
Co-incident with the ISM report release, the National Association of Realtors reported that pending sales for existing homes jumped 8.2%. The Realtor's Group, which compiles the data, also reported an increase in multiple offers in some markets. Further they reported that the Midwest was the strongest market in February, jumping 21.8%, with both the South, the biggest region, and the Northeast showing solid month-to-month gains.
And Tuesday the ICSC-Goldman reported a major increase in retail sales in both the April 3 week and for the month of March. Week-on-week, sales jumped 2.1% and year-on-year, sales surged 4.7% These rates are well beyond anything posted by Goldman so far during the recovery. ICSC-Goldman then sharply revised its full-month March sales from a year-on-year plus 3.0 to 3.5 percent to an 8 to 10 percent increase!
These results indicate enormous strength, beyond seasonal adjustments, for the Commerce Department's ex-auto ex-gas retail category. They continue to underscore our assertion that Q1 2010 GDP growth will come in much stronger than that of an already strong 2009 Q4.


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Alternative link: TLCLJS Vimeo Enjoy! Please be sure to buy the album in stores June 30th!
A lot has happened in the two years since TLC launched their Kickstarter campaign, but the wait is almost over! With the album complete and set for a worldwide release on June 30, the girls[…]
Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins is putting the finishing touches on her first ever solo album! The album will contain new tracks that TLC fans have never heard before she “put her heart, soul, and tears into” the project. […]
Chilli just recorded an episode of the VH1 show “Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party” last week alongside Martha Stewart, Snoop Dogg, Sherri Shepherd, and Don Cheadle who will also be appearing in the episode.[…]
This TLC song is definitely a fan favorite! Recorded back in 1998 for possible inclusion on the FanMail album, the song sadly wasn’t used by the girls officially, but received a world exclusive premiere in[…]
Blow the whistle! This day…just a month from now you will have TLC’s final album that’s self-titled in stores June 30th!
New Facebook design! Go Check it out follow and like, please! Also, don’t forget we have a new Facebook Group. TLC Love Hearts out! xoxo Brian-Ryan
‘The Block Party’ listen to the unreleased ‘Supernova’ her only solo album while she was alive. Go to SoundCloud.com/TLCLoveJustIs ♥☀👄💋🎩👅 #HappyBirthday #LisaLopes #LeftEye #Chilli #TBoz #TLC #TLCLoveHearts #TLCLoveJustIs #DemTLCGirls #TLCArmy #Supernova
RepostBy @itsdonwoodz: “Happy Born Day to that baby that queen that goddess that super nova Lisa Nicole Lopes aka #lefteye #hiphop #rnb #artist #femcee #queen #hbd #rip #higherconsciousness #positiveenergy #goodvibes #mdw2017 #gemini #saturday #shoutout #drsebi[…]


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Press release 2015 can be find here.
17.05.2016: Boost synergies, streamline processes, focus expertise: Messe Frankfurt groups Tendence and Nordstil together in a new Business Unit
21.04.2016: Presents to delight the foodies among us – Culinary Gifts at Tendence 2016
19.04.2016: Tendence 2016: new structure generates synergistic effects and new impulses
09.02.2016: Tendence 2016: young designers with potential wanted!
17.09.2015: Tendence 2015 – The trends for autumn, winter and spring
14.09.2015: Final report Tendence Giving
14.09.2015: Final report Tendence Living
01.09.2015: Opportunities grasped! Retailers order innumerable new products for the winter, spring and summer from 1,106 Tendence exhibitors from 48 countries
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A Russian artist just completed a life-size sculpture of Russian President Vladimir Putin — made entirely of chocolate — for the St. Petersburg Chocolate Festival, which starts Saturday.
The sculptor, Nikita Gusev, has sculpted historical figures such as Joseph Stalin and pop icons like Michael Jackson in chocolate before. He was first asked to create a chocolate replica of Putin by Mikhail Lyubchenkov, organizer of the St. Petersburg Chocolate Festival, who said he figured Putin should be "immortalized" in chocolate after a similar replica of Pope Francis was featured at the event last year.
Gusev said Putin has the perfect personality to be personified in a chocolate statue. "On one hand the chocolate is soft and malleable, on the other side and it can be very hard," he told Reuters. "It is very flexible, it can take any form. I think this material really suits [Putin] because he is like that, in different situations he can be different, sometimes soft, sometimes hard."
More than 150 pounds of chocolate were used in the creation of the statue.
Organizers warned that there would be "no touching, licking or biting of any of the statues," at the festival.
Except for Putin's.
The festival said it would gift Putin his chocolate likeness, and he can eat it if he wants.
Story by Allan Smith and editing by Kristen Griffin


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In the 5 years that MakerBot has been around, they have managed to become one of the top consumer level 3D printing companies in the world. They have grown from 3 employees in 2009, to 40 in 2011, 160 in 2012, and an astounding 450 in 2014.
Now they are putting a call out there for interns this summer. They are looking for passionate, driven, talented people to intern for the company for a few months.
The positions available include production, manufacturing, sales, marketing, customer support, public relations, business development, and software. They are currently looking for both college and graduate level students.
“MakerBot is a big believer in supporting and mentoring young talent,” commented Bre Pettis, CEO of MakerBot. “We’ve have had a robust internship program since our founding and have enjoyed having a lot of young talented interns and employees that have helped shape our company. My background as a teacher and as a CEO provides a unique perspective for how real-world experience is beneficial for helping create our future engineers and programmers. When you expose young, creative, kids to 3D printing, you encourage them to look at the world through ‘MakerBot eyes’ and see the world differently.”
Best of all, the MakerBot internship positions are paid positions, unlike most companies that don’t pay their interns. The internships will begin with an orientation on May 27 and end on August 15. Interns will not only make some money, but they will get experience in working for one of the up-and-coming companies in the world, while also learning about 3D printing. Several previous MakerBot interns already have gone on to acquire high paying jobs with other companies, such as Google.
If you are interested in applying to the program, be sure to visit https://makerbot.com/careers.
Discuss this article at 3DPrintBoard.com
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WATCH: David Beckham gets into Christmas spirit as he dons Santa hat and roasts chestnuts
Victoria Beckham shares clip of Santa hat-clad David roasting chestnuts
As the celebs prepared for Christmas Day on Friday, Victoria Beckham uploaded a beautiful video of her husband David toasting chestnuts in front of an open fire. The fashion designer, 47, and the footballer, 46, were getting into the Christmas Eve mood, with David donning a Santa hat and cooking up some seasonal delicacies by the fire.
Check out her post here:
Victoria captioned the post, clearly amused by David's zealous nut roasting: "Does anyone love Christmas as much as my husband?!?' as the sports star belted out the hit The Christmas Song. Victoria was heard giggling at his 'vocal,' and David responded with a cheeky remark, "Oh I'm sorry, Adele!!" Meanwhile, as per Daily Mail, across the ocean, their 22-year-old son Brooklyn was getting into the holiday mood by singing the iconic ballad Driving Home For Christmas while driving.
However, Victoria's post comes after David showed off his Christmas spirit by donning a Santa hat in one of two new Instagram photos posted on Friday. He revealed it was 'Very Christmassy over here!' as he sipped on a cup of coffee while wearing his festive attire in the Christmas Eve photo.
Check out his post below:
Meanwhile, Victoria also shared adorable photos of David and their daughter Harper on Instagram on Thursday, giving followers a glimpse into her family's Christmas preparations. The father-daughter combo seemed to be smiling from ear to ear as he piggybacked her as they walked to a cosy tavern. David, clad in a flat hat and fleece, cuddled close to the family dog Fig, who Victoria quipped "couldn't wait" for the big day in a second shot.


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In an industry too often of late filled with gloomy news, Perseus Books is claiming that this past fiscal year, which ended June 30th, was their best ever.
Company CEO David Steinberger sent a letter to employees that outlines this recent success. From BookBusiness:
[Successes] include the De Capo imprint’s successful acquisition of a suite of bestselling wellness titles from the Mayo Clinic in September, wrote Steinberger. He also attributed the publisher’s success to the acquisition of multiple titles written by Youtube stars including Alfie Deyes’ Pointless Book and Pointless Book 2 as well as Paige McKenzie’s YA novel The Haunting of Sunshine Girl — the first in a trilogy to be published by Weinstein Books, a joint venture between The Weinstein Company and Perseus.
“It has truly been an extraordinary year,” wrote Steinberger, “a year of records and recognition, a year of exceptional publishing and service to publishers…”
The full piece is here.


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Hyundai ends strike with unions
Hyundai's labor union has gone on strike every year except one since it was formed back in 1987, according to The Detroit News. This one cost Hyundai $1.33 billion and 91,647 vehicles of lost production.
[Source: The Detroit News]
- Most and least efficient car companies
- Fastest-depreciating cars in the United States
- Find and compare 2017 Models


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Sam’s Club is owned and operated by Walmart. The American membership-only retail chain was founded in 1983. As of October 31, 2017, it was revealed that the company had 660 locations in the United States. On January 11, 2018, the Indiana Department of Workforce Development received three WARN notifications from Sam’s Club. The WARN notices confirm that the company will soon be closing three Indiana stores. Club number 6316 is located at 3015 West 86th Street in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The club is expected to close to the public on January 26, 2018. All hourly employees will be terminated on March 16, 2017, while management employees will be let go on April 13, 2018. As a result of the store closure, 152 workers are expected to lose their jobs. Club number 6301 is located at 10859 East Washington Street in Indianapolis. The entire facility is expected to close. The club will close to the public on January 26 and all hourly employees will be laid off on March 16, 2018. Management employees will lose their jobs on April 13, 2018.
As a result of club 6301 closing, 157 employees will lose their jobs. Finally, Sam’s Club also announced that it would be closing Club number 8170. The club is located at 4024 Elkhart Road in Goshen, Indiana. The facility will be closed to the public on January 26, 2018. Hourly employees will be terminated on March 16, 2018, while management employees will be terminated on April 13, 2018. In total 110 employees are expected to be impacted by the closure.
As a result of the three closings, 419 employees will be laid off.


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Apple's worst-kept secret is finally out in the open.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the company's breathlessly anticipated new tablet device, called the iPad, at a media event in San Francisco. The device, which looks like a larger version of the iPod touch, will come with both WiFi and 3G wireless data from AT&T. There is a microphone on the device, but no cellular voice component. Users will be able to surf the Web, check email and watch videos on the iPad, among other features.
Hailing the device as something that could bridge the gap between laptops and smartphones, Jobs said the iPad is "so much more intimate than a laptop, so much more capable than a smartphone."
Jobs said there will be two 3G data plans from AT&T available for the iPad: $14.99 per month for 250 MB and an unlimited data plan for $29.99 per month. The services will be prepaid, allowing users to cancel at any time, and will include access to AT&T's WiFi network. Users can activate the wireless service directly on the device.
A WiFi-only version of the iPad will be available in two months, while the WiFi/3G version will be available in three months. A physical keyboard will be available separately.
The WiFi-only devices will be sold for $499 for a 16 GB model, $599 for 32 GB and $699 for 64 GB. The 3G models will run at $629 for the 16 GB model, $729 for the 32 GB and $829 for 64 GB version. Jobs said the company would detail international 3G carrier deals by June or July. The device is fully unlocked and supports GSM micro-SIM cards.
The iPad has a 9.7-inch capacitive, fingerprint-resistant touchscreen display, is 0.5 inches thick, weighs 1.5 lbs. and sports a 1 GHz processor built by Apple. The device has built-in speakers and a microphone, but no camera, and can get up 10 hours of battery life when surfing the Web on WiFi. The iPad syncs to PCs and Macs like iPhones do, and users can upload photos, videos and contacts in much the same way as they do for the iPhone.
Jobs said the device will have built-in access to Apple's App Store, and will be able to run iPhone apps out of the box. Additionally, it will have access to iTunes and a new store, called iBooks, which will deliver ebooks from from major publishers. The device also allows users to use iWork, Apple's desktop software. Individual iWork applications will be sold for $9.99 each.
"The question has arisen lately: Is there room for a third category of device in the middle, something that's between a laptop and smartphone," Jobs said. "Those devices are going to have to be far better at doing some key tasks. What kind of tasks? Well, things like browsing the Web, doing e-mail, enjoying and sharing photographs, watching videos, playing games."
Some analysts were skeptical of the market for such a device. "My question is how big of a market this is, and it's probably reasonably big," Michael Yoshikami, an analyst at YCMNet Advisors, told Bloomberg. "I'm still getting my hands around how many people are going to want something of this size."
Others questioned whether or not the iPad could lure potential netbook buyers. "Apple might still be right that there is meaningful demand for a device that resides between the phone and the laptop, but if they are, the iPad-- despite its beauty and impressiveness as a feat of hardware and software engineering--isn't it," Forrester Research analyst Charles Golvin said. "The significant discount on 3G connectivity versus netbooks won't be enough to sway the majority of pending netbook buyers, especially considering the price premium for a well-equipped and always-on version of the iPad."
Mark Lowenstein, the managing director of Mobile Ecosystem, said there appears to be no value-added services from the wireless connectivity, other than its role as a "pipe." "The structure is actually more like the Nexus One (minus the subsidy/ contract option) than the iPhone, and shows that wireless operators are now running two businesses: a full-service retail business with their own stamp on devices, the user experience, content, and applications," he said, "and a wholesale business, where there will be myriad devices connected to their networks, each with a distinct business model."
Apple introduced the iPad two days after its posted a record quarterly profit. Apple shares were up $2.94 to $208.88 per share in late-afternoon trading.
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