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With ultrabooks likely to make up 40pc of notebooks that will ship next year, 2012 will be the year of the ultrabook. The director of Intel Labs Europe Prof Martin Curley says ultrabooks will be the formal manifestation of the consumerisation of IT.
Curley, the driving force behind the Innovation Value Institute sums up the consumerisation of IT perfectly: “It comes from two things: the satisfaction that people get from great technology they have in their personal lives and the sinking feeling when they arrive into the corporate environment and have to use crap technology.
“They want technology that is easy and seamless and technologies like the ultrabook form factor highlight the tsunami of consumer tech that is coming to the workplace. The ultrabook will become the world’s mainstream notebook. Forty per cent of notebooks that will ship next year will be ultrabooks. On the one hand, you could think of them as a fashion item, but the performance and battery life will speak for themselves,” said Curley, who is the keynote speaker at tomorrow’s Year Zero event organised by Microsoft and Ergo.
The arrival of Apple’s MacBook Air in July this year signalled the dawn of the ultrabook age with its distinctive razor-thin form factor belying powerful advances in computing in terms of Intel Core i5 and i7 processors and ThunderBolt connection technology.
“Think of ultrabooks as the formal manifestation of consumerisation of IT in the business world.”
Curley says the delineation between content consumption and content creation, or the battle between tablet computers and notebooks, will take on a new shape. At the moment, tablet computers like the iPad 2 are winning.
“Are tablet computers going to take over? I think there’s exciting things happening in both tablet computers and ultrabooks. While I think tablet computers will be great for consuming information, I believe ultrabooks will be the ultimate content creation device. Tablets are a fantastic innovation and we’ve been waiting 10 years for its moment and Apple created the architectural innovation that took available components and discovered a way to add value.
“The ultrabook is a realisation of the need to create content and enjoy the use of a powerful, energy efficient but very light form factor.”
Age of digital consciousness
Curley forecasts the emergence of a mobility-centric world. “We are currently witnessing the birth of a whole new global ecosystem. While people are busy writing mobile apps that provide us with knowledge, expect a new generation of apps that will drive information from the tablet, smartphone and ultrabook back out to the cloud.
“We are coming into a world of ambient intelligence. By the middle of the decade there will be 15bn connected devices on the planet. Many of these will be ‘sensing’ devices that are proactive and context-aware. Among the many business paradigms that will have to change is the move towards sustainability. Expect some of next year’s devices, including a number of ultrabook models, for example, to include environmental sensors.
“This new age will drive better resource optimisation – think of a world that has harnessed the powerful collective intelligence of people and machines and aggregate that data via the cloud to get big data in a way that wasn’t possible. Knowledge sweeping from sensors and devices will tell people about traffic, air quality, noise pollution and get them to the parking spot in the city without any difficulty.
“We are entering the world of frictionless commerce and living and at the heart of this the cloud will shape everything.”
The emergence of the ‘intercloud’
One of the big challenges the cloud computing world faces, indeed the entire networked economy, Curley believes, will be the emergence of the intercloud.
“Amazon with its EC2 is doing great work and Microsoft’s Azure heralds great advances in software. But the critical problem that lies ahead is businesses and people navigating all these walled gardens. We are at a pivotal moment but in the next few years the world will need to move in the direction of the intercloud, or the internet of clouds.
“I think we’re a couple of years away from a collective decision point. Openness is ultimately the way and hopefully that will be the answer.”
Curley believes that cloud computing will ultimately be the main standard for computing. “At the beginning of the 20th century every factory had to have its own electricity generator and today everyone is on the electricity grid. I think in the computing world we’re about to make that transition. We will get all out bytes online in the same way we get our electrons online – it maximises utilisation and is economical for lots of reasons.
“Moore’s Law is continuing – it is one of the few modern business phenomena that works with sustainability. We are now routinely seeing 10 servers being replaced with one server. For proponents of the cloud to see the cloud succeed they need to focus on SLAs (service level agreements) and ensure the arrival of the dependable cloud. Some prominent services only hit on a number of parameters, what businesses want are higher levels of dependability.”
The economy, the people, the technology
Ergo managing director John Purdy said that the consumerisation of IT is beginning to shape how companies, particularly SME businesses, are deploying new infrastructure. “Firms are reducing the IT footprint and are moving the whole hotdesk environment to virtual desks. Within Ergo only 70 out of 175 people work in our building.
“In the marketplace, we’re seeing a lot more discussions occurring around the deployment of virtual desktop services. People just need connect points in the office, at home and on the road. They want to work anywhere on any device.
“The latest version of Microsoft CRM Dynamics, for example, includes tight integration with Facebook and LinkedIn. These are being seen as ways of collaborating and driving business activity.”
Purdy said that ultimately it’s not about tablets or notebooks, but workers today deciding they want to work on the devices they’re most comfortable with.
“By 2014, the number of tablet computes will outstrip the number of desktops shipped that year. Think about the cultural challenges that the workplace of 2020 will bring, where there will be five generations working in any organisation compared with three today. People of our generation will work and compete with digital natives who will, on average, have 10,000 hours of video gaming experience each.
“The key for any organisation today is to realise they need to shed expensive and unnecessary overheads and equip their people to be mobile, digital, more productive and ultimately, more customer facing,” Purdy said.


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Sport, especially football, often brings out the worst of the competitive spirit in its participants. What then can be expected from the first round of the Network Design five-a-side tournament, which will pitch a team from Fitch against one from exiled founder Rodney Fitch?
The games company’s Labo kit features flat-pack cardboard sheets that can be transformed into pianos, motorbikes and fishing rods when combined with the Nintendo Switch console.
An online survey of over 1,200 illustrators has found that the majority think they would struggle financially if illustration was their only source of income.
The Guardian redesigned in print and online, we spoke to Pentagram partner Michael Bierut and research found young people want creative jobs – the news from the last seven days.
The museum is set to open in September, and will include permanent galleries showcasing historical and current Scottish design and a temporary exhibition on the cultural impact of ocean liners.

domain: news


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- The announcement has reportedly been made for the prepaid customers of the telecom company across all the service areas.
- The outcome is expected to lead to a further raise in mobile call and data cost with the industry looking forward to levying remuneration up to Rs 300 per month per user from about Rs 125 presently.
Reputed Indian global telecommunication services firm, Bharti Airtel has reportedly brought about a hike in the minimum recharge plans for its prepaid customers. The mandatory minimum recharge has now been nearly doubled from Rs 23 to Rs 45 and would in future grow substantially.
A source close to the company reportedly quoted that it would be necessary for the customers to recharge for Rs 45 or above monthly to precisely avail the services. Furthermore, in argument of no recharge of more than over Rs 45 by the end of tariff validity period, the company reserves the right to offer plan benefits in a restricted manner during the grace period of up to 15 days, as is mentioned. After this, still if the recharge is not made, all services would be suspended post the grace period.
Apparently, the new recharge plan has been brought under effect from 29th
December following this year.
Amid the turmoil across the debt- burdened telecommunications sector, Sunil Bharti Mittal, the company chairman allegedly reported that the amalgamation of rock bottom tariffs and increased consumption is butchering the telecom industry prompting the urgent intervention of TRAI to strike a balance between the needs for securing the investments and consumer interests.
Speaking of the TRAI intervention, the body has apparently initiated talks to suggest floor price for the calls and data. It has also delayed the scrapping of the charge paid by mobile users for calls initiated to the other networks, by over one year.
Post this announcement, the result is expected to further produce a hike in mobile call and data cost, as the industry progresses towards achieving an average revenue of Rs 300 per month per user over a period of two years.
Source credit: https://www.firstpost.com/business/bharti-airtel-nearly-doubles-minimum-recharge-from-rs-23-to-rs-45-for-prepaid-customers-7838731.html


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DDR rolls out additional centers with Tesla Supercharger
Beachwood, Ohio — Shopping center owner DDR Corp. has installed the third Tesla Supercharger station in its portfolio; the newest Supercharger station is located at Hamilton Marketplace in Hamilton, New Jersey, and represents the third state where a flagship Supercharger station has been activated at a DDR shopping center, following Virginia and Ohio.
Based on current conversations, the relationship could expand to several more locations across the country by year-end, according to DDR.
"We are very proud of our relationship with Tesla and look forward to expanding our involvement across the country as Tesla seeks to broaden its charging network," said Joe Tichar, senior VP of corporate operations for DDR.
Hamilton Marketplace is a 1-million-sq.-ft. power center anchored by Walmart, Kohl’s, BJ’s, Lowe’s, Ross Dress for Less, Bed Bath & Beyond, PetSmart, Michaels, Old Navy, and Pier 1 Imports.
Tesla Superchargers allow Model S owners to recharge their vehicles free of charge while traveling between cities along major highways in North America. Supercharger stations are strategically placed to enable owners to drive from station to station with minimal stops, and are conveniently located near amenities including roadside diners, cafes, and shopping centers.
In addition to the Tesla Superchargers, DDR has also installed four Volta charging stations in Arizona that accommodate a variety of electric vehicles from various manufacturers.
Leslie’s Poolmart opening 20 stores this week
Phoenix — Leslie’s Poolmart, Inc. said it will grand-open 20 retail locations throughout the U.S. on April 25; stores will open in Alabama, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.
In total, Leslie’s plans to open 45 new stores this year, between April and May of 2014.
Hurricane Grill & Wings to add 22 units in 2014-2015
West Palm Beach, Fla. — Wing chain Hurricane Grill & Wings has signed five multi-unit development agreements, representing 22 new locations slated to open in 2014-2015.
The Florida-based franchised brand opened two locations in early 2014, with plans for a total of 14 new units by the end of this year.
"With our number of units expected to increase this year from 58 restaurants to 72, it’s rewarding to us as a brand to bring our fun, family-friendly restaurants to new communities," said Martin O’Dowd, president, Hurricane Grill & Wings.
New multi-unit development agreements include deals with Ronit’s Inc. for five units in the Richmond, Va. area; with Central Florida Wings, LLC for five units in Central Orlando, Fla.; with Franchise Partners, LLC for an additional six units in Maricopa County, Ariz., in addition to its current holdings; and a deal with Tamarind Investments, LLC for three units in the North Orlando, Fla. market.
The chain also inked an area development deal with JD Food and Grill, LLC, for three units in the Dallas DMA.
Opening in early 2014 were restaurants in Lindenhurst, N.Y., and Cape Coral, Fla., and additional locations are expected to open by the end of 2014 in Florida, Minnesota, Texas, Alabama, Colorado, Georgia, Arizona, Virginia and Tennessee.


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Paul Amaning, the Eastern Regional New Patriotic Party (NPP) Chairman hopeful, has said that the sim card registration with the Ghana card will help fight crimes including terrorism.
Speaking on Anopa Nkomo on Kingdom FM with Kwame Dawuro he explained the need for the sim card re-registration with the Ghana card.
According to him, the registration will not only curb Mobile money fraud but will curb all associated crimes.
Paul Amaning, added that it will help the securities foil crimes and provide them with the right and timely data to track and arrest cybercriminals in the country.
He continued, “The re-registration process will help the law enforcement agencies to identify the SIM card owners, track criminals who use phones for illegal activities, curb incidents such as phone theft, hate text messages, mobile fraud activities, inciting violence, and to combat crime such as SIM Box fraud.”
Paul Amaning mentioned that SIM registration will enable subscribers to be properly identified for the use of value-added services such as mobile banking, mobile money, and electronic payment services.
Ghana enacted the Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) Registration Regulations, 2011 (L.I. 2006) primarily to reduce mobile phone related crimes such as prank calls, cyber-crime, mobile money fraud and its related issues and general security. Due to crucial nature of SIM registration and its security implications for the country, MNOs have been required to ensure SIMs are registered properly before activation on the mobile network to avoid inconsistencies and fake subscriber identity.
It is emerging that since there is no solution in place to integrate all the databases of Card Issuing Agencies for the seamless verification of IDs used for registration of SIMs to be effectively conducted.
The Ministry of Communications has noted other deficiencies of the existing SIM card registration regime in Ghana including the sale of pre-registered SIM cards, the use of pre-registered SIM cards and fraudulent registration of SIM cards.


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Product placement is one of the key contributors to a grocery retailer’s profit. But a new food supplier has arrived on the market that upsets the entire placement applecart. That new supplier is the retailer itself, and the product is their own private label brand.
There's a battle going on at the grocery store - a battle to keep the consumer interested. Here's how brands and suppliers are reinventing themselves to remain relevant and profitable.


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Three of the major players in the nation’s digital streaming space played a high-stakes game of musical chairs Sunday and, for the moment at least, they can all claim to be winners.
Epix, a hybrid cable-satellite network and subscription VOD service, announced a multi-year distribution deal with pay streaming service Hulu, after Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos said earlier in the day that his company would not be renewing its similar deal when it runs out in September. Instead, it will focus on creating and distributing its own content.
“We’ve enjoyed a five-year partnership with Epix, but our strategic paths are no longer aligned. Our focus has shifted to provide great movies and TV series for our members that are exclusive to Netflix,” he said.
For Hulu, the deal will make available movies from MGM, Lions Gate Entertainment and Viacom’s Paramount — the three studios that back Epix in a joint venture — for its subscription VOD service. Adding the movies fills a major void for Hulu, which until now has been strongest in TV content. And it builds momentum, coming on the heels of its April deal with Sony Pictures Television for all nine seasons of “Seinfeld.”
Since Hulu is a joint venture of Comcast’s NBCUniversal, Fox and Disney, all of the major studios but Warner Bros. are affected by Sunday’s shifts.
Among the movies that will become available to Hulu subscribers are “Hunger Games: Catching Fire,” “Transformers: Age of Extinction,” “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” “Star Trek: Into Darkness,” “World War Z,” “Wolf of Wall Street,” “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit,” “Robocop” and “God’s Not Dead.”
“This is a landmark deal for Hulu and it marks a huge expansion for our offering of premium programming,” said Craig Erwich, senior vice president and head of content.
Epix and Netflix cut their original deal five years ago, the year after Epix came online, and both have utilized it to realize goals. Epix successfully launched as a hybrid content provider, boosted by the broad base of Netflix subscribers, while the streaming giant gained access to the Hollywood movies its viewers were most interested in during a critical growth period.
Since then, Epix has evolved with deals, including pacts with Amazon, Time Warner Cable and another with the Dish Network’s Sling TV, to become a true multi-platform service, and wants partnerships with as many online distribution services as it can land.
Netflix, meanwhile, has sealed separate movie deals with Disney, DreamWorks Animation, Sony and Universal as it develops its own slate of original film and TV content and seeks to expand globally. It has signed stars and directors including Brad Pitt, Ricky Gervais, Judd Apatow, Angelina Jolie, Sofia Coppola and Adam Sandler to produce original content.
There are risks involved. The streaming space is volatile and crowded so a shakedown could occur. And if Netflix realizes its strategy and becomes a major content creator, it won’t make it easy to make deals for films and TV shows with former partners who will then be rivals.


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A sharp surge in imports of Japanese cars helped to widen the U.S. merchandise trade deficit in November to $13.7 billion, the third-largest monthly deficit on record, the Commerce Department reported yesterday.
The total gap between imports and U.S. exports is $131.8 billion through November, already surpassing the record $123.3 billion deficit for all of last year. A 61 percent increase in imports of Japanese cars and a smaller rise in oil imports helped increase the deficit from $11.5 billion in October.
U.S. exports have been so battered by competition that they now account for the smallest share of the nation's output since 1977, Commerce said.
Many economists said yesterday they had thought the deterioration of the U.S. trade picture had begun to turn around with the relatively smaller deficit in October and the increase in some prices of goods made abroad. However, economists now say it is too early to see an improvement in the deficit as a result of the decline in the value of the dollar since its peak in February.
A lower-valued dollar makes U.S. goods cheaper abroad and increases the prices of foreign goods sold here. Since February, the dollar's value has declined more than 21 percent. That fall already is showing up in higher prices for foreign goods, particularly Japanese-manufactured products, but has yet to make a dent in the trade figures.
Just yesterday, Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc. announced it will raise the suggested retail price of its cars and trucks an average of 3 percent, or $269, effective Friday because of the higher-valued yen. Toyota was following the lead of other Japanese auto makers.
Commerce Secretary Malcolm Baldrige said yesterday that the decline of the dollar "should limit further increases in imports and begin to promote export growth next year."
"The dollar's decline and passage of a farm bill will improve the competitivenes of our agricultural exports," Baldrige said. Until recently, agricultural goods were the mainstay of U.S. competitiveness overseas.
Since the start of consecutive record trade deficits in 1982, there has been a loss of 200,000 jobs in manufacturing, which the industry blames on the deteriorating trade situation. The high dollar also has added to the economic problems on America's farms, which have been unable to export as many goods at high prices because of worldwide surpluses.
The trade deficits and resulting job losses have been the impetus for the strongest resurgence in protectionist sentiment in Congress in 50 years.
Much of the protectionist sentiment has been aimed at Japan, whose surplus with the United States grew last month from $3.2 billion in October to $4.6 billion.
The widening of the trade gap in November was blamed largely on the influx of Japanese cars, in addition to a surge in general manufactured goods, said Robert Ortner, the Commerce Department's chief economist. Imports of manufactured goods rose 12.4 percent in November, from $20.3 billion to $22.8 billion.
At the same time, the value of Japanese car imports rose from $1.134 billion in October to $1.831 billion last month, an increase of 61.5 percent, Commerce said.
David Wyss, an economist for Data Resources Inc., said the sharp increase in auto imports could be because of a problem the government has had in correctly gathering data. In addition, Japanese car companies have said that they will eliminate the current quota system on exports of their cars to the United States.
Wyss also said that Japanese car shipments here have fallen behind their goals, and they may be trying to catch up from possible losses last summer when American car companies instituted cut-rate financing incentives to maintain and enlarge their market shares.
Since September, the dollar has fallen from 240.10 yen to about 202 yen, a 16 percent drop. Such a drop should begin turning around the trade picture, along with further discount-financing programs started recently by American automobile companies to spur sales, Wyss said.
Unlike the financing programs this summer, the U.S. auto companies are not losing much money because interest rates are lower, reducing the difference between what auto companies must pay to obtain funds to lend to buyers and the amount they receive in making the discount loans, Wyss said.
Oil imports rose 3.2 percent in November after a 31-cent-per-barrel drop in price, Commerce said. The increase in import volume was attributed to U.S. oil companies being forced to replenish inventories after postponing purchases in recent months in hopes of a sharp drop in prices, Wyss said. Rather than wait any longer, companies were forced to buy more oil.
Imports in November totaled $31.7 billion, 7.1 percent greater than the average between January and October. Exports were $18 billion, 1.1 percent greater than the monthly average for the first 10 months of the year.
The trade deficit with Canada, America's largest trading partner, declined last month from $2.04 billion to $1.98 billion. The deficit with the European Community grew from $1.5 billion to $2.5 billion.


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The 2022 Land Cruiser 300 is gradually becoming a favourite but prospective buyers will be made to wait for their deliveries to as far as 4 years for selected trim levels which are the GR Sport and ZX. Toyota amassed 20,000 orders for the Land Cruiser since starting to accept them on August 2.
In a statement, Toyota said “Customer deliveries of the highly anticipated Toyota Land Cruiser 300 will be delayed. As previously advised, Land Cruiser production in Japan has been halted for part of August and most of September due to COVID-19 restrictions in Southeast Asia that have led to parts shortages”. Furthermore, they added, “However, a limited number of vehicles will be in dealerships as demonstrator models nationally from early October, giving our valued customers the opportunity to experience the new Land Cruiser first-hand, including through test drives as permitted.”. This issue also delays the next-generation Lexus LX as its also based on the Land Cruiser’s platform
Toyota will update its customers as more information becomes available, but the sliver of good news in all this is that the automaker expects to be able to deliver the first customer vehicles in December. So if you were one of the very first to get your order in, you may still see your new car within the next few months. If not, the wait could be agonizingly long.


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In terms of headlines and overall price, everyone knows that bitcoin was the favourite child of cryptocurrencies in 2017–but what might surprise you is that it wasn’t the overall best performing digital currency.
This is where Ripple comes in, a digital currency that soared well beyond anyone’s wildest expectations in 2017–increasing by more than 36,000 percent–with much of that increase coming in the latter half of December 2017.
Case in point, on December 15 Ripple was priced at $0.80, but by December 30 the currency had reached a record high of $2.74. On Tuesday (January 2) alone, Ripple had increased by 6.83 percent over a 24 hour period to $2.40 and clock in as the second top ranked cryptocurrency with a market cap of over $92 billion.
According to data from The Atlas, Ripple was the top ranked cryptocurrency by performance of 2017, followed by NEM, Ardor, Stellar and Dash to round out the top five. What may come as a surprise is bitcoin didn’t even crack the 10 top performing cryptocurrencies of 2017 despite its price valuation of over $15,000.
For perspective, Ripple is slightly different than most cryptocurrencies in that it isn’t available for purchase on sites like Coinbase. Rather, Ripple was created with the vision of connecting banks, payment providers, digital asset exchanges and corporates through RippleNet “to provide one frictionless experience to send money globally.” In other words, Ripple isn’t mined–instead the company that created it has control over the currency.
But what is the appeal of Ripple? As Fortune reported in December, it’s its liquidity and how fast transactions are completed.
“The liquidity needs of banks today is managed with literally ten trillion of float that sits in these nostro and vostro accounts. We believe very strong this is an inefficient model. You can use digital assets to fund liquidity, and Ripple is uniquely positioned to capitalize on that. Bitcoin takes four hours to settle a transaction. XRP takes 3.6 seconds,” Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse explained to Fortune in 2017.
Now the question is–will Ripple continue to outpace cryptocurrency darling bitcoin this year?
According to Nasdaq, the reason for Ripple’s surging price increase is a result of it becoming a ” cryptocurrency with real, practical applications that could conceivably be used on a mainstream basis.” For example, Ripple is already being used in a partnership with credit card company American Express.
While Ripple currently isn’t available for purchase on Coinbase or other similar exchanges, Nasdaq states there are rumors swirling about the potential for that to become a reality, which would no doubt send its price flying.
As the Telegraph reported, Ripple’s recent price surge also came following news that its payments system was being tested with a number of global banks, including Japanese and Korean credit card companies stating they would back the technology.
All told, Ripple’s future certainly looks promising in 2018, which certainly gives bitcoin a reason to keep one eye over its shoulder throughout the year.
Don’t forget to follow us @INN_Technology for real-time news updates!
Securities Disclosure: I, Jocelyn Aspa, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.


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By: TechNewsDaily Staff
Published: 01/02/2013 03:51 PM EST on TechNewsDaily
Help is on the way for parents who lie awake in bed worrying about their newborn babies sleeping in the nursery. New "smart" baby clothing could automatically track infants' breathing and alert parents in case of trouble.
Parents won't have to directly attach sensors to their infants to achieve peace of mind. Researchers fitted a baby romper suit with a printed circuit board — made of stretchable polyurethane — and commercially available sensors to monitor the breathing in a baby's chest and stomach areas. Such work marks yet another step toward the future of "smart" or "intelligent" clothing that could monitor soldiers and babies alike.
"The circuit board we have developed can be manufactured using routine industrial processes, meaning a high throughput and, consequently, good cost-efficiency," said Manuel Seckel, a scientist at the Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration IZM in Berlin, Germany.
Baby suits with the added technological twist could possibly help unravel the mystery of the 4,500 infants in the United States who die suddenly from no obvious cause each year. Health researchers have already set up a database to track cases of sudden unexpected infant death (SUID) to better figure out how to prevent such tragedy. (SUID refers to sudden, unexpected deaths of an infant in which the manner and cause of death are not immediately obvious before an investigation.)
The smart baby suit fits into a broad array of ideas for so-called smart clothing that could transform ordinary shirts, gloves or even underwear into health-tracking devices. Most of today's smart clothing prototypes typically attach stiff electronic chips or parts to flexible clothing materials.
But many labs have struggled with the next step of turning hard electronics into soft, stretchable components that work well with clothing. Several research groups have experimented with making special clothing fibers that can act as soft, flexible touch screens and batteries.
Fraunhofer researchers took a slightly different route by using the stretchable polyurethane circuit board as a middle-man platform for placing electronic components. The positioning is more precise with the printed circuit board compared to placing electronics directly onto clothing materials, Seckel said.
The stretchable circuit board could also help more than just babies and sleep-deprived parents. For instance, a polyurethane plaster with embedded sensors could help nurses find the right place to apply a pressure bandage to the wounds of a burn patient.


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With his crisp, half-sleeved silk, khadi and linen kurtas and churidar pyjamas, coupled with finely-tailored Nehru jackets, often in bright, eye-catching colours, Mr Modi is amongst a few leaders of independent India who have shunned the shabby and crumpled kurtas and dhotis/pyjamas - the staple political costume of the traditional Indian politician - and gone out to make a style statement.
It has also drawn adverse attention as when Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav, a typical old-style politician who neither cares about his dress nor deportment, took a dig at him wondering how much time Mr Modi would have for the country when he "changes 500 kurtas a day and wears a new kurta to every meeting".
"What is wrong in Modi saying that he likes to dress well? I want to see our Indian leaders dress better. For too long have our leaders worn their sloppy sartorial manners and ill-fitting dresses as badges of austerity," said Kabir Alam, a 46-year-old fashion photographer based in Delhi.
"Look at how well-dressed international leaders are and how much pride they take in their dress sense. Some of our leaders look almost comic and lacking in sartorial etiquette at formal occasions by going out of their way to defy dress codes at banquets and the like," Mr Alam told IANS.
Agreed 24-year-old Anahita Choudhary, a student of the JD Institute of Fashion, who said that Indian politicians' must dress smart as the country is an emerging superpower and its leaders must portray the country appropriately.
"Every politician wears the staple kurta with jackets but Modi is doing it with a difference. What would be interesting to see is if he becomes prime minister, how he represents India on the global stage," she added.
Admitting that she was not a fan of Mr Modi's brand of politics, Ms Choudhary said "you have to give credit where it's due" referring to the Gujarat chief minister's choice of wardrobe.
For Abhishek Bakshi, a 34-year-old advertising professional, Mr Modi's style is chic and sauve and yet very Indian.
"You don't necessarily have to be wearing a tuxedo to look good. Mr Modi has, with his choice of clothes and colours, spiced up the Indian attire," Mr Bakshi told IANS.
"Among his contemporaries, he is the only one who experiments with different colours and his sense of colour coordination is brilliant," he added.
Mr Modi's Nehru jackets have become quite popular. "Nehru jackets are really in nowadays and be it youngsters or elders, everyone is following the trend," Ruchi Verma, 21 a student at Noida's Satyam Fashion Institute, said.
Delhi based designer Samanth Chauhan too is a fan.
"The bright coloured Nehru jackets that Modi is wearing are really making a statement," he said.
Follow NDTV for latest election news and live coverage of assembly elections 2019 in Maharashtra and Haryana.
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Microsoft has released the latest version of Internet Explorer web browser, IE11, to Windows 7 systems worldwide on early November 2013 in 95 languages. IE11 is already been released on October 17, 2013, together with the general availability of Windows 8.1, as it comes as the default built-in web browser for Windows 8.1 systems. But IE11 is not officially available for Windows 7 just yet […]
Internet Explorer 10 (IE10), which comes as the default web browser in Windows 8, has been released as a free download for users of Windows 7 systems. IE10 for Windows 7 is officially released on February 26th, 2013 worldwide for both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows 7, and it’s available in 95 languages.
Is Microsoft going to have a promotion to sell Microsoft Office 2013 at an unbelievable price, just like what it did for Windows 8? If the price for Microsoft Office 2013 Professional which is now going on sale in Singapore is true and not a price error, the most premium edition of Office 2013 available for retail purchase is going for a ridiculous deal of […]
Microsoft has released the final RTM version of Office 2013, Visio 2013 and Project 2013 to the MSDN and TechNet subscribers, together with the product keys to activate the software. Microsoft originally announced that Office 2013 would be released to IT professionals and developers will be able to download the final version via their TechNet or MSDN subscriptions by mid-November, but it seems that the […]
Microsoft has announced that Office 2013, the most popular office productivity suite, has been released to manufacturing (RTM). It means that the development on Office 2013 has generally completed. Windows RT users will probably get to use Office 2013 earlier than anyone else (unless of course you’re Microsoft insiders or there is a leak), as Windows RT devices will ship with the preview version of […]


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Apple opposes app-related trademark at eleventh hour
Technology company Apple has filed a last-minute objection to a UK trademark application for ‘TCM Big App Store’, prompting a stern warning from the applicant.
Deloitte is a trademark bully, claims EFF
The Electronic Frontier Foundation has branded Deloitte a trademark bully and accused it of “casual censorship” in a dispute with a non-profit organisation.
Cartier lawsuit not anti-free speech, says Richemont
The parent company of luxury jeweller Cartier has said its recently filed trademark infringement lawsuit is “not about” restricting freedom of speech or legitimate activity.
Cartier targets ISPs to block sales of counterfeit goods
Luxury jeweller Cartier has asked the English High Court to grant an injunction ordering internet service providers to block users from accessing websites allegedly selling goods that infringe its trademark.
Marques 2014: catching the ‘fat mice’
Brand owners should use data to help them target the worst “internet hucksters”, according to a speaker at the Marques annual conference in Copenhagen.
PIPCU celebrates birthday with IP minister visit
The Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit has marked its first birthday by inviting the UK’s IP minister to hear about its work.
Fans educated on fake Rugby World Cup tickets
The organisers of the Rugby World Cup 2015 have launched a campaign to prevent fans from buying unofficial tickets and merchandise.
Alibaba Group signs anti-counterfeiting deal with CBBC
Alibaba Group has signed a deal with a British trade body that will help members of the UK organisation protect their IP across the China e-commerce company’s sites.
Fake pop star goods land man in prison
A British man caught selling counterfeit One Direction, Justin Bieber and JLS merchandise has been sent to prison for one year.
Disney and BMW fakes among US customs haul
US customs officials have seized goods mimicking branded goods such as Disney, BMW, Samsung and Beats by Dre.


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Intel's 5th Core processor family, codenamed Broadwell, will launch in three lines for the mobile segment. We are talking about upcoming…More...
80 percent are running iOS5
Said to be the reason license was sold to EA
Ican't put up with Google
Keeping the Personal Systems Group is welcome


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They’re young, and they’re spending.
With a taste for luxury developed through flash-sale websites, Gen Y shoppers are increasing their spending at full-price online luxury retailers more than any other age group, according to a new report.
Gen Y spent 31 percent more in 2011 than the year before, followed by Gen X buyers, who shelled out 23 percent more, according to American Express Business Insights data released during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. Gen Y is comprised of individuals aged 18 to 29 years old.
The report analyzed spending data culled from 90 million of the company’s cardmembers from 2009 to 2011, said Edmond Jay, senior vice president at American Express Business Insights.
Spending growth on luxury flash-sales sites is now dominated by seniors, who clicked their way to 28-percent spending growth in 2011.
“The recession acted almost as a catalyst for online and online luxury,” Jay said.
During this time, flash sales skyrocketed, but sales growth has since slowed as consumers regained some of their former optimism.
"Now that consumer confidenceis going up, and unemployment is going down a little, I mean, it’s still very uncertain, but I think people are starting to return to that full price," said John Jannuzzi, a style editor at Lucky Magazine. "It is okay to buy something when it’s not on sale or it’s not on a flash sale. With that said, I still love a good flash sale.”
Jay added that men, especially those in Gen Y, are one of the fastest growing segments in luxury and they spend a higher portion of their wallets on luxury than women.
The recession has also altered the way that consumers approach their spending decisions, said Roseanne Morrison, fashion director at the Doneger Group.
“They used to just buy a lot — we called it possession obsession,” Morrison said. “Now we call it surgical shopping — she shops online. She goes into the store and is very careful.”
Calling consumers cautiously optimistic, Maren Hartman, trend analyst at WGSN and director of content operations, echoed this trend. Armed with fashion knowledge gained from reading blogs and following celebrities, consumers are seeking out luxury items in droves.
“Even if someone is a customer, who maybe can’t afford the handbag, the shoe, she waits until she can afford it,” Morrison said.
While planning these splurge purchases, consumers gravitate to timeless pieces that will fill the gaps in their wardrobes.
“It’s no longer ‘I’ll just walk into a store and purchase whatever’ — there’s a purpose,” Hartman said. “Consumers are much more mindful of what they are buying into. Therefore, retailers are catering to that need and capitalizing on it.”
Many designers have also changed their businesses to respond to a more strategic shopper.
One such designer is Lela Rose.
“I wouldn’t say we’ve shifted the collection, but we’ve offered more breadth within the collection of giving more simple silhouettes in just very interesting fabrics — but fabrics that can be a backdrop,” the designer said of her eponymous brand.
Consumers are often pairing these splurge luxury with lower-end items — a tactic that Jenna Bush Hager, former First Daughter and a childhood friend of Rose’s, said she employs. Hager sat front row at the brand’s Fall 2012 show at Lincoln Center on Sunday.
“I think what makes a modern women is you’re constantly wearing different labels — you know, this is a really inexpensive jacket with a nicer dress,” Hager said about her outfit.
Although older generations are still very brand loyal, young consumers tend to buy from a larger assortment of brands, Jay said.
This younger generation also tends to emphasize value more in their spending decisions — a mindset that produces a spending barbell effect. When choosing along a spectrum of price, this group tends to spend either very little or splurge on clothing or dining. This trend often squeezes the middle-market retailer.
Jay said this value mentality leads spenders to think, “If I want to buy a bag, I want to buy a really nice bag, or I want to buy a tote.”


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[the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology solicits opinions on the measures for the management of double points, and the proportion of points for new energy vehicles from 2021 to 2023 is required to be clear] on July 9, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued an amendment to the measures for the parallel Administration of the average fuel consumption of passenger vehicle Enterprises and the points of New Energy vehicles (draft for soliciting opinions). The draft for soliciting comments has mainly been revised: 1. The scope of application of traditional energy passenger vehicles has been revised. 2. The integral proportion requirement of new energy vehicles from 2021 to 2023 is updated and the integral calculation method of new energy vehicles is modified. 3. The fuel consumption guidance and integral flexibility measures of traditional energy passenger vehicles are improved. 4. The accounting preference of small-scale enterprises has been updated. 5. Modify the "AQSIQ" in the "points method" to "the General Administration of Market Supervision and Administration".
[BAIC New Energy sales in June 26000 vehicles, an increase of 438% over the same period last year] on the evening of July 9, BAIC Blue Valley, a listed company of BAIC Group, announced its production and sales of KuaiBao in June, of which 5986 vehicles were produced, up 814% from the same period last year, and 26072 vehicles were sold. The cumulative output from January to June increased by 438% from January to June from the same period last year, down 71.75% from the same period last year, and the cumulative sales volume was 65159 vehicles, up 21.57% from the same period last year.
[Altura Mining signs underwriting Agreement with Shandong Ruifu Lithium Industry] Altura and Shandong Ruifu, a Chinese lithium material manufacturer, signed a binding underwriting agreement with Shandong Ruifu, a Chinese lithium material manufacturer, starting in July 2019, the annual output of lithium concentrate in the underwriting agreement is 35000 tons for a period of five years, and reached an agreement with Shaanxi J / R optimized Energy (JRO) to terminate the existing underwriting agreement. Altura Mining Co., Ltd. provided an update on the underwriting agreement for the Altura lithium mine, its main mine in Pilgongora, Western Australia. By June 2024, Altura had signed an underwriting agreement with Shandong Ruifu, a Chinese producer of lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide, for 35000 tons of polybendiben ether concentrate. The first shipment of about 8000 tons under the underwriting agreement is scheduled for shipment later this month. Pricing will be based on the Li2O content formula, which includes published reference prices for lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide. JRO also agreed to terminate the existing underwriting agreement for the remaining 50000 tons allocated to JRO. JRO will no longer have any rights to Poly benbiben concentrate produced by Artura Lithium Industry
Shell has announced that it has built its first 150kW electric car charger in the UK, and the new charging device is part of the "Shell Recharge", shell company (Shell) announced a few days ago that it has built the first 150kW electric car charger in the UK, Shell has reportedly announced that it has built the first 150kW electric car charger in the UK. Shell Recharge is Shell's new electric car charging service, which can be used at Shell's Battersea service station in London.
[148704 new energy vehicles were sold in the United States from January to June] sales of electric vehicles in the United States performed well in the first half of this year. In June 2019, nearly 38000 electric vehicles were registered in the United States, up 51 percent from the same period last year, according to data released on the EV Sales website. From January to June this year, the cumulative sales of electric vehicles in the United States reached 148704, accounting for 1.8 per cent of the total sales of new cars.
[Ningde, Fujian: fully promote the layout of the whole industrial chain of new energy vehicles] in recent years, with the support and guidance of relevant state departments, Ningde in Fujian has made great efforts to develop new energy vehicles, new energy batteries and other related industries. SAIC Ningde production base is expected to be officially put into production in October this year, with an annual production capacity of 300000 vehicles. In the development of new energy battery industry, in 2018, Ningde new energy battery industry output value increased by 25.8%, and strive to achieve an output value of more than 100 billion yuan by 2020.
[Weilai 105kW super charging pile opened in Suzhou] it was learned from Weilai Automobile officials a few days ago that Ulai 105kW super charging pile NIO Power Charger has been opened for trial operation in Suzhou Weilai delivery Center. The first overcharging station contains four overcharged piles, which users can experience immediately. Officials said that the appearance of Weilai overcharged pile supplemented the NIO Power system composed of home filling pile, replacement power station and one-button power-on service, and further optimized the "energy-free" complementary experience for Weilai car owners.
[electric Mini will go into production in the UK at the end of the year] on July 9, local time, BMW announced that it would start producing electric Mini models at its UK plant by the end of 2019, with the first vehicles to be delivered to consumers next spring. Oliver Zipse, the company's production director, said: "the electric version of the Mini will start the pace of electrifying new models." According to sources, Zipse is the most likely candidate for BMW's next CEO. "by 2023, we will have 25 motorized models on the market, two years ahead of schedule," he said. More than half of them will be pure electric models. "
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The Finnish mobile phone company Jolla unveiled on Monday its first smartphone running Sailfish OS, the spiritual successor to Nokia’s MeeGo. The phone, which is also named “Jolla,” will retail for €399 and features a user-replaceable battery and the ability to run Android apps.
A number of Nokia employees splintered off from the company last July with the intent of taking MeeGo to the heights they thought it was destined for. MeeGo had been jointly developed by Intel and Nokia as a combination of the two companies’ Moblin and Maemo projects.
Sailfish OS is based on Mer, an open-source OS that was part of MeeGo. The developers unveiled a concept device back in November, and the Jolla represents the actual product the company intends to ship.
The Jolla has a 4.5-inch “Estrade” display, an unspecified dual-core processor, 16GB of internal storage plus a microSD slot, and an 8-megapixel rear camera. The phone also has a stylized feature called “The Other Half,” a shell that clips onto the back of the phone and comes in colors including teal, red, and light green. Clipping these shells onto the phone also changes the color theme of the OS.
While the phone is now available for preorders, Jolla promises a delivery date no sooner than the “end of 2013, subject to demand in your local market.” That’s asking for quite a leap of faith for a virtually unknown device and operating system, but MeeGo diehards may be more than ready to take that step.


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Microsoft has started testing deep integration with YouTube in its Edge browser. Edge Canary’s latest builds include a new Followable Web feature that allows users to receive updates from custom YouTube channels.
A Reddit user noticed a new button appearing in Edge’s address bar while browsing YouTube. You can add the channels you watch to the feed, which is part of Edge’s collections feature. The innovation is clearly in the early testing phase. The feature is not yet available for all YouTube channels. A feed created in Collections allows you to view the latest posts from content creators you follow without having to visit YouTube.
It is assumed that the new feature will spread to other web resources. The innovation is similar to an experimental feature in Google Chrome that allows users to follow blogs to be notified of new content as it is published.
Microsoft is currently testing in-browser YouTube account tracking with a limited number of Edge Canary testers as part of what the company calls a “controlled rollout.” There are no announced plans for the new feature, but its wider implementation is expected to begin in the coming weeks.


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Boosted BG hints at spending spree
GAS giant BG turned a deaf ear to talk of a possible bid from Shell as it posted a 38% jump in second-quarter profits and hinted at acquisition plans of its own.
Chief executive Frank Chapman said BG, £800m richer after asset disposals, wanted to build up its interests in exploration and liquefied natural gas. 'We have our own strategy and our own robust business plan,' he said.
High gas and oil prices helped push operating profits up £83m to £299m in the three months to 30 June.
Net income rose to £160m from £55m a year ago, though 2002 earnings had been hit by higher tax charges after the Government raised taxes on North Sea production.
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It is already producing commercial aircraft parts, houses and even human skin for burns victims, but 3D manufacturing is about to boom. 3D printing technology has been around for more than three decades but it is now starting to take off as patents and copyrights expire.
As costs come down and the technology improves, it will have an impact on virtually every industry. ”What you will see in the next year is an absolute explosion in technology; it will be like a mini-industrial revolution,” Mike de Souza, chief executive of the Australian 3D Manufacturing Association, said. ”We can’t even imagine what will happen in the next five years, and it’s only limited by your imagination.”
The A3DMA was in Canberra on Tuesday, briefing select people from industry, government and education on the possibilities 3D printing will present in coming years, with the ACT government apparently keen to attract the “light industry” possible with the technology. … (Read more)


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Nintendo released the Wii U last year with much optimism and the promise of a new era of entertainment. But little did the software giant know of the impending doom which lied waiting just on the horizon.
If I were to say that the console is finding it hard to meet its expected sale projections then that would be an understatement. The console is struggling and dying.
It wasn’t long before publishers EA and Ubisoft, two major names in the industry, decided to sideline and skip out on the platform for most of their major titles.
Both were, in fact, staunch supporters of the Wii U; releasing plenty of titles on launch day. EA specifically has been on record supporting Nintendo and the Wii U.
However, as things stand that wasn’t paying out well.
Speaking to Joystiq in an interview, EA Labels president Frank Gibeau explained their decision to step back: “Look, the only thing they can do to fix it is to sell more boxes… The Wii U, we shipped four games.
We shipped Madden, FIFA, Need for Speed and Mass Effect. In fact, the last Need for Speed shipped 60 days ago had a pretty good Metacritic. It was a good game. It wasn’t a schlocky port, we actually put extra effort into getting everything to work. And it’s just not selling because there’s no boxes.”
Gibeau added: “Nintendo is a good partner and never count ’em out and all that. Never count them out, but right now we’re focused on PS4 and Xbox One and from our perspective we’ll look at the Wii U, we’ll continue to observe it. If it becomes a viable platform from an audience standpoint, we’ll jump back in.”
On the other hand; speaking with Kotaku, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot explained their decision to hold back until Nintendo sells more consoles. “We need more sold,” Guillemot said of Wii U. “They are coming with five of their biggest brands ever. And the Yen went down. So maybe they will take steps that will increase the number of consoles sold.”
Ubisoft’s intentions were pretty much clear when they decided to release Rayman Legends, a Wii U exclusive in the beginning, for other platforms. EA’s Frank Gibeau himself has also stated that they were disappointed in the sales of their games on the Wii U; which apparently failed to meet projected numbers.
Publishers aren’t the only one troubled by the console’s performance. Retailers and vendors alike have been annoyed with Nintendo’s lack of software support as well.
With a new new lineup of games this year, Nintendo believes 2013 will change things around for the Wii U.


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Last week, Microsoft officially launched the beta version of Outlook.com
, their new web email service. While the company's previous Hotmail service is still sticking around, Microsoft is actively encouraging its users to consider transferring over to the new Outlook.com.
In a new post on the official Outlook blog
, Microsoft recommend that Hotmail users who want to use Outlook.com do so by using their current Hotmail account, rather than create an all new account on Outlook.com. Microsoft states that the current Hotmail.com address will continue to work in Outlook.com. All of a Hotmail's user's settings, including their password, folders, contacts, signatures and more will continue to work as they did before in Outlook.com
Even with all of these setting staying the way they are, Microsoft is also offering two ways for Hotmail users to change their email address to one with an @outlook.com name. One is setting up an alias on your Hotmail account that adds one with an @outlook.com address. You can add up to five aliases a year, with a maximum of 15.


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Scottish hotel group to launch pioneering Singapore website
Inverlochy Castle Management International (ICMI), the Scottish hotel management company, has ramped up its Asia expansion, with the setting up of the new Hotel Telegraph in Singapore.
The deal requires ICMI to manage all of ICMI's door-to-door services, including sales and marketing, at the 134-bedroom hotel, located in the heart of Lion City.
The listed property, once the continent's telecoms hub, became a hotel in 2014.
Beginner of September 22nd, according to a new owner and managing director of ICMI, it will become the Hotel Telegraph with "firm intention to invest in the property and target cultural and discerning business travellers
ICMI manages some of the most prestigious hotels in Scotland, including Inverlochy Castle, Crossbasket Castle, Cromlix, Isle of Eriska, Greywalls and Rocpool Reserve.
The site of what used to be Nye Bevan House in Glasgow, has been described as the 'largest available development site in the city centre' is being sold.
Norbert Lieder, Chief Executive of ICMI, said: "Singapore is widely considered one of the most attractive cities in the world, both for business and leisure, and demand for hotel rooms continues to increase.


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While United States regulators are still trying to figure out how to think about cryptocurrencies, Thailand’s government is already mapping out its own central bank digital currency.
This is just one of numerous examples how Thailand has emerged as one the most interesting cryptocurrency and blockchain countries in Southeast Asia in 2018.
Since the start of the year, the Thai government has become increasingly outspoken and welcoming of cryptocurrency projects and exchanges. In just a few months, Thai regulators have made notable progress, from setting up cryptocurrency company licenses to permitting exchanges and ICOs. More importantly, the country has attracted foreign companies by providing clear and explicit guidelines for foreign blockchain companies to operate. It’s a pattern that we are seeing across Southeast Asia, and one that blockchain and cryptocurrency startup founders should take note as they think about global expansion.


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DALLAS, Jan. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Borden, one of America's favorite dairy companies founded in 1857, today announced that it and certain affiliates (collectively, "Borden" or the "Company") have initiated voluntary reorganization proceedings in the District of Delaware under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code. The Company intends to use the court process to pursue a financial restructuring designed to reduce its current debt load, maximize value and position the Company for long-term success. Borden plans to continue operating in the ordinary course of business, under the court's supervision, and remains focused on being the most service-oriented dairy Company that offers delicious and nutritious products consumers love.
"Borden is EBITDA-positive and growing, but we must achieve a more viable capital structure," said Borden CEO Tony Sarsam. "This reorganization will strengthen our position for future prosperity. Over the past 163 years, we have earned the distinction of being one of the most well-recognized and reputable national brands. We remain committed to 'The Borden Difference,' which is our promise to be the most service-oriented dairy Company that puts people first. We will continue serving our customers, employees and other stakeholders and operating business as usual throughout this process."
Last year marked several major milestones for the Company, including the revival of Borden's beloved spokescow Elsie, the brand's reintroduction in Ohio, and the launch of several innovative products that earned local and national media acclaim, such as State Fair-inspired milk flavors, Gingerbread Eggnog and Kid Builder. The Company's growth last year outpaced the industry as it increased year-over-year sales.
"Despite our numerous achievements during the past 18 months, the Company continues to be impacted by the rising cost of raw milk and market challenges facing the dairy industry," Sarsam explained. "These challenges have contributed to making our current level of debt unsustainable. For the last few months, we have engaged in discussions with our lenders to evaluate a range of potential strategic plans for the Company. Ultimately, we determined that the best way to protect the Company, for the benefit of all stakeholders, is to reorganize through this court-supervised process."
Stressing that it is "business as usual" at Borden, Sarsam noted that the Company had proactively filed expected motions as part of the court-supervised process, which allow it to pursue day-to-day operations. The Company will be seeking court approval for these requests during the coming days and intends to work closely with creditors, customers and employees to identify value-maximizing restructuring plans that will benefit all stakeholders.
"Borden Dairy is a heritage American brand that has been in business since 1857," Sarsam said. "We have a very tenured workforce of 3,300 people who live and breathe our values of teamwork and creative problem solving, and I am extremely confident and optimistic about our continued success in the future."
For additional information about the reorganization, visit www.bordenfinancialreorg.com.
Founded in 1857 by Gail Borden, Jr., Borden is a heritage American brand that produces more than 35 wholesome and delicious products enjoyed by millions of people every day. Borden was the first company to develop a patent for the process of condensing milk, as well as the first company to use glass milk bottles. In 1936, Elsie became America's favorite spokes-cow, and was recognized in 2000 by AdAge as one of the top 10 advertising icons of the 20th century. Today, Borden is headquartered in Dallas and operates 12 milk processing plants and nearly 100 branches across the U.S. that produce and distribute nearly 500 million gallons of milk annually for customers in the grocery, mass market, club, food service, hospitality, school and convenience store channels. The company's People First culture has inspired decades of loyal tenure among hundreds of the 3,300 people Borden employs. In 2019, Borden landed the No. 16 spot on Forbes' list of America's Most Reputable Companies, highlighting the company's well-earned trust amongst consumers. For more information, visit bordendairy.com.


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(WXYZ) — A rush of gun and ammo sales amid the coronavirus outbreak is leading to record business for gun shop owners in metro Detroit. At Action Impact in Southfield on 8 Mile Rd., they’ve sold 100-150 guns per day for the last week.
“The coronavirus is taking over everything, and we all need to be safe with stores closing. It’s time to be prepared” says customer Tamiko Jackson.
Owner Bill Kucyk tells us many people are buying handguns, and ammunition is selling very quickly as well.
“We’ve had a long line waiting for us before we open everyday and people aren’t looking for sales or deals, they just want to know what’s available now and what they can buy” says Bill.
The owner of Action Impact says workers are also wearing gloves and regularly sanitizing the area they work in. It comes at a time that everyone wants to be protected in more ways than one.
“The next several days are going to be hectic” says Bill, who may have to close temporarily if supply of guns and ammo runs out. “I’m doing my best to restock more as quickly as I can, but in several weeks we may be out of guns we can order” he adds.


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Text by Sarah Dion-Marquis.
Photos courtesy of Sandra Sing Fernandes and the Western Canada Fashion Week.
Sandra Sing Fernandes, producer and creative director of the Western Canada Fashion Week, tells all about the upcoming fashion week, her life and why being a designer in Edmonton can be a real blessing.
In mid-March, Sandra Sing Fernandes, the creative mind behind Western Canada Fashion Week, will take over Edmonton’s jubilant Whyte Avenue.
For the eight-day event, she announced that the city’s district famous for its bars, clubs, cafes and boutiques will be renamed Fashion Avenue.
This spring, the street’s independent retailers, specializing in clothing, shoes and accessories, will take pride in the fashion week’s success, as they’ll be more than ever involved in the event by offering promotions, and showcasing their collections on the opening night. As usual, spectators will catch a mix of new and established designers at the TransAlta Arts Barn.
Most importantly, savvy shoppers will be able to see what they can buy now, says Fernandes. In-season shows aim to get people to come out, even those who don’t necessarily understand why they need to sit and watch a fall showcase when it’s spring.
It’s primordial for Fernandes to involve Edmontonians in the world of fashion and to give a platform to young local designers, and they credit her for the opportunities she has brought to them over the years.
This is exactly why she has returned to her hometown, which didn’t exude fashion confidence in the past. But things have somewhat changed since Fernandes came back to Edmonton. Many even say that she, herself, built a fashion scene in Alberta’s capital.
In her twenties, Fernandes said goodbye to Edmonton to pursue her passion. After she graduated from the very selective New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology and School of Visual Art, she worked her way up the art and fashion industries in Manhattan.
She’s held almost every job, from model to milliner to interior designer and fashion show producer. The tenacious woman ran a gallery in SoHo – Studio Ze – and sold the clothing and jewelry she designed in 33 boutiques worldwide. Her fashion sense was in demand in many countries, such as Turkey, Italy and India.
However, all this came at a price.
“When you work all the time, you finish by losing some things,” she says she had learned.
The terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, changed her perspective on life. It was about time to come back to her roots. But you can’t get New York out of someone who lived there for 15 years. For WCFW, she says she’s aspiring to a New York fashion week international level; nothing less.
Fernandes produced her very first fashion week out of her personal studio Planet Ze in 2005. As the event kept attracting designers from across the country, she renamed it from Edmonton Fashion Week to Western Canada Fashion Week in order to give it a national flavour.
It’s a surprise to many that established designers are willing to fly to a city with 700,000 residents to showcase their collections. Fernandes, who is the executive producer and creative director of WCFW, explains that when designers go to a smaller marketplace and end up finding a store to sell their clothing, they are better off than showing it in a bigger market – say Toronto or Montreal – and not having anyone buy their work. Alberta’s capital also offers a nurturing environment for emerging designers to start off in the business.
Fernandes doesn’t want WCFW to be like fashion weeks in other cities.
“We don’t see ourselves like competitors,” she says. “A young designer, that I supported and who won Edmonton’s emerging designer contest, participated in the Vancouver and Toronto Fashion Weeks, and I’m excited about that.”
Fernandes tells hard-working and aspiring designers that if they can make it in Edmonton, a much smaller market, then they can make it anywhere.
Making a name for oneself in New York is challenging, but doing it in Edmonton is even harder.
WCFW runs March 24-31 at the TransAlta Arts Barn in Edmonton.
For more information about Planet Ze, please visit http://www.planetze.com
For more information about WCFW, please visit http://www.edmontonfashionweek.com


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Toyota and a major communications company intend to build smart cities togetherMarch 24, 2020
Toyota Motor Corporation, Japan, and NTT, a telecommunications company, have agreed to form a common company that will develop smart cities.
Each company invests 200 billion yen (about $ 1.8 billion) in this project. This information was shared by Kyodo.
At the beginning of the year, Toyota announced plans to start building a smart city concept at the foot of Mount Fuji in central Japan from 2021. Here, as noted, only unmanned environmentally friendly transport will be used.
Dwellings should receive all kinds of robots, which should make people’s lives more comfortable. AI systems will track the health of those who live in the “smart city”.
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- Atelier G-Power has modernized the BMW M5
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iPad Mini, the new 7.85-inch tablet, would be available in the U.S. during the year's last quarter as component suppliers to Apple in Asia said they've received orders from the Cupertino company to start manufacturing more than 10 million units.
The move is said to be inspired by the strong consumer demand for Samsung's 5.3-inch Galaxy Note and Amazon's 7-inch Kindle Fire tablets among others. Apple currently offers a uniquely sized iPad, 9.7-inches, and given the size of its order the company believes there will be enough demand for the smaller iPad despite the market's stiff competition.
However, if Apple's declining share of the tablet market is any indication, the move could result risky for the Cupertino company now led by CEO Tim Cook. According to market research firm iSuppli, Apple’s share of the worldwide tablet market was 69.6% in the second quarter, down from nearly 84% in 2010.
Cook faced criticism on the heels of Apple's launch of iPhone 5 and its operating system iOS 6, which dropped the popular Google Maps and YouTube over the Cupertino company's brawl with Google over its increasingly popular Android device.
iPhone faithful complained Apple Maps, the company's replacement for Google Maps, displayed numerous glitches and inaccuracies. The failed app even originated the ironic Tumblr blog "The Amazing iOS 6 Maps," as well as a public relations nightmare that ended up driving Cook to publicly apologize and recommend iPhone users to download Google Maps from the web.
No wonder Cook is eager to put the maps drama behind with what Apple does best: the launch of a new product. However, whether iPad Mini restores Apple's swag or deepens the hole dug by the Cupertino company's unwise decision to drop Google Maps it's going to depend on two fronts: quality and cost.
iPad Mini has to be flawless, just like Apple products always were under the leadership of the late Steve Jobs. But in addition, and responding to the new realities of a much-saturated market, iPad Mini's price has to be competitive. With Amazon’s 7-inch Kindle Fire HD selling for $199, and Google's 7-inch Nexus 7 selling for $199, iPad mini would have to be priced under $300 in order to be attractive (especially among younger consumers).


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Roll up, roll up. The future of business is a corporate credit card for everyone, not just the bigwigs in the C-suite.
That, at least, is the vision that Carlo Gualandri, the founder and CEO of Soldo, believes.
I am too old and not cool enough to build a consumer banking service. I can’t create the cult of Monzo. I go after very boring corporate problems.
Soldo, which today announced that it had raised a $61m Series B round from investors including Battery Ventures and Dawn Capital, is part of an increasingly crowded — and well-capitalised — fintech market. But the UK-headquartered company believes it has found a unique niche: helping simplify spend management for small to medium-sized companies.
“I am too old and not cool enough to build a consumer banking service. I can’t create the cult of Monzo,” says Gualandri. “I go after very boring corporate problems.”
Spend management may not sound very exciting, says Gualandri, but it is a widespread headache. In big companies there is a purchasing department with big budgets and longstanding suppliers. In a small business, there is an office manager ordering printer cartridges from Amazon and a social marketing manager needing to pay Facebook and Google for digital advertising.
“It’s not a situation where you can raise a purchase order and send invoices,” says Gualandri. “So people might use a shared corporate credit card but then, can you, as the business owner, control what they are spending on and how much they can spend?”
Soldo's solution gives every employee a corporate spending account, and possibly a prepaid Mastercard, with limits and controls tailored to their role. And these link back into one system so that everything spent can be recorded for accounting and tax. No more filing an expenses report a month after a business lunch.
Soldo makes money from charging companies a subscription fee for the service and also from interbank charges on the payment cards.
There are other companies that offer solutions for spend management, of course. Gualandri sees the traditional corporate American Express or Barclaycards as his biggest competition, and acknowledges that fintech startups are increasingly looking at business banking. Denmark’s Pleo is a clear competitor in this market, and Germany’s Spendit offers employees prepaid Mastercards, but is looking mostly at meal vouchers and benefits at this point.
Many of the big challenger banks such as Monzo, Revolut and N26 are heavily focused on consumer banking, and when they do look at businesses, as Starling does, they often start with sole traders, where the management of multiple cards is not so much a focus, says Gualandri.
In any case, there is room for growth. In the UK, for example, some 90% of SME banking is still owned by four big traditional banks.
“We have about 40,000 businesses as customers and around 80,000 users,” says Gualandri. “But we believe there are around 80m potential customers —employees who are not sole traders — for us across Europe.”
How does this round compare with the competition?
Soldo has now raised a total of $82m (€73m), putting it ahead of Pleo, which has raised €68.7m to date. Ivalua, a web-based spend management company headquartered in France, has raised €121m. Spendit has raised just €8m.
What will Soldo do with the money?
There are a few things that Soldo need to check off of their list. The company currently operates in the UK and Italy (Gualandri is Italian by birth), but would like to take it to other European markets. Soldo was recently granted an e-money licence by Ireland’s central bank, partly in preparation for Brexit, and is also looking at markets like Germany. The company is looking to double its workforce over the next 12 months.
Additional reporting by Georgia Pallett


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WASHINGTON – A big toy brand is recalling an iconic product.
Fisher-Price is recalling 44,000 children’s Power Wheels Barbie Dream Campers because they keep running after the foot pedal is released.
There have been 17 complaints but no reported injuries so far.
The battery-operated vehicles are hot pink with blue accents and have the Barbie logo printed on the back. They include a play kitchen, fold out grill and a fake campfire.
The recalled Barbie Dream Campers have the model number FRC29 printed on a label under the hood.
The campers were sold exclusively at Walmarts nationwide and online from July 2018 through January 2019 for about $400.
Parents should take the product away from children and contact Fisher-Price for a free repair.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report)


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Aligned to the Transform 2025+ strategy, Volkswagen implements new brand design and logo across its 150 dealer outlets in India. As part of phase I, VW has already implemented new brand design in 30 touchpoints and plans to cover the remaining touchpoints in a phased-wise manner in the year 2021
With customers at the heart of the brand, Volkswagen is working towards providing a unique experience and creating new mediums to connect with customers. Through the implementation of the new brand design, Volkswagen aims to make its dealerships more human, attractive and emotional. Following the phase wise approach, Volkswagen has already implemented 30 touchpoints in phase I and plans to complete the remaining touchpoints in a phased-wise manner in the year 2021.
Volkswagen aims to make people’s lives brighter with their products, along with showcasing a young and vibrant identity and to be more inviting to its customers, both new and existing. Additionally, as a part of this strategy, the brand will also provide behavioural training to its entire staff, including frontline personnel like salesmen and service advisors, to make them more customer oriented.
Today, customers are increasingly obtaining information via the digital channels, and Volkswagen’s new brand design has a consistent digital orientation. The brand will offer prospective and current customers across different age groups, easy access to information about specifications of its cars, pricing, financing, and servicing needs, offline as well as online. With digitisation at the forefront, Volkswagen also introduced “Sarvottam 2.0” program, with an intent to provide a seamless and transparent customer experience that’s digitally enabled, technologically advanced, efficient, connected, and provides curated solutions to customer’s requirements.
With the intent to offer a unique Volkswagen experience to customers in India, the brand is in the process of introducing new brand design and logo across all its dealerships timed with the launch of the most-awaited SUVW, the Taigun
Did you read it? : Volkswagen announces start of production for the Taigun


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International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM) posted its third-quarter results late Tuesday.
The company unveiled its earnings late into the fiscal year 2017, yielding earnings of $3.30 per share, which topped Wall Street’s expectations of $3.28 per share, according to Thomson Reuters.
Revenue was another strong spot for IBM, coming in at $19.15 billion versus the $18.6 billion analysts’ projected in their consensus estimate, per Thomson Reuters. However, the quarterly string of revenue loss continues for the PC maker as this marks the 22nd consecutive quarter in which the company’s revenue has declined.
However, cloud revenue was a strong spot for IBM, as it came in at $4.1 billion, rising 20% year-over-year. The segment — which includes cloud delivered as a service — has a $9.4 billion annual revenue rate for cloud delivered as a service based on its third-quarter revenue, 7% higher than the previous quarter and 25% higher year-over-year.
The company’s Technology Services and Cloud Platforms segment yielded $8.5 billion in revenue for the period, a 3% decline compared to the year-ago quarter. Its Cognitive Solutions segment raked in $4.4 billion, marking a 4% surge compared to the a year ago.
IBM now predicts that it will finish the calendar year with at least $13.80 in earnings per share, the company said in a statement. The figure is ahead of analysts’ projections of $13.75 per share in profit.
IBM shares grew 4.9% after the bell on Tuesday.


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What does the future hold for Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (NYSE:BABA) and Paypal Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:PYPL)? Analysts weigh in on the two companies, providing commentary on growth outlets and margin estimates for both. Let’s take a closer look:
Alibaba Group Holding Ltd
Vivian Hao of J.P. Morgan came out yesterday providing updates on Alibaba’s sales, Taobao, and the company’s margins.
The analyst highlights that Alibaba achieved GMV, or gross merchandise volume, of 3 trillion RMB, in-line with the analyst’s estimates, marking a 20% year-over-year increase. However, due to “limited visibility on China macro environment,” the analyst expects “continued pressure” on Alibaba’s GMV. Hao slightly lowers her GMV estimates from a 21.5% year-over-year growth to 20%.
Hao remains bullish on Taobao, Alibaba’s consumer-to-consumer ecommerce platform, noting it will have a “rejuvenation opportunity” thanks to key opinion leaders, or KOLs. The analyst explains, “We believe the rising KOL economy and blooming [consumer-to-business] model could lead to a gentrification of BABA’s platform, esp. Taobao marketplace, with some top KoL merchants (esp. in under-performing lady’s fashion categories) growing from strength to strength.”
The analyst is “positive” on the company’s core ecommerce margins, which she estimates to be 52.3% for 2017. However, Hao expects non-ecommerce margin drag to begin after 2017. She estimates Koubei, Alibaba’s online-to-offline platform, will have a subsidy of 2.6 billion RMB in 2017 while Youku, Alibaba’s video platform, will have EBITDA margins on nearly 49% in 2017.
In light of these developments, Hao reiterates an Overweight rating on Alibaba but lowers her price target slightly from $90 to $88.
According to TipRanks, Vivian Hao has a 61% success rate recommending stocks with a 3% average one-year return per rating. Out of the 15 analysts polled by TipRanks in the last 3 months, 14 are bullish on the stock and 1 is neutral. The average price target between these 15 analysts is $94, marking a 20% potential upside from current levels.
Paypal Holdings Inc
As PayPal emerges as a leader in the digital payments segment, James Faucette of Morgan Stanley remains concerned that the company will not be able to preserve its dominance in the long run.
The analyst explains that online commerce is the fastest growing segment, and PayPal’s “nearly 100% exposure to this segment should allow for sustainability of its mid teens revenue growth over a long period of time relative to other payment service providers that are largely exposed to offline commerce.” However, mobile devices are likely to “blur the distinction between offline and online payments” in the long run, which the analyst warns may result in increasing competition for PayPal as it faces Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay, and Android Pay.
As the PayPal bulls remain optimistic on the long-term growth of the company, Faucette is cautious about the “limits on margin expansion given higher variable costs when compared to payment networks like [Visa] and [MasterCard].” Unlike PayPal bulls, the analyst believes PayPal’s operating margins will “remain roughly stable at 21-22% over the next 3 years particularly as it seems increasingly less likely that there will be substantial incremental shift to [Automatic Clearing House].”
Going forward, Faucette expects PayPal to draw its growth from the continued growth of ecommerce. He continues, “In particular, we see PayPal working to expand the capabilities of its platforms to improve customer engagement in the US and abroad.” Despite these efforts, the analyst remains concerned about growing competition in the area. He assumes coverage of PayPal with an Equal-weight rating and a $40 price target.
According to TipRanks, Faucette has a 73% success rate recommending companies with a +10.4% one-year average return per rating. Out of the analysts who have rated PayPal in the last 3 months, 13 are bullish, 5 are neutral, and 1 is bearish. The average 12-month price target between these 19 analysts is $42, marking a 6% potential upside from current levels.


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Vancouver yogawear giant Lululemon Athletica Inc. (Nasdaq:LULU) shares soared after hours on August 30, after the company announced that it had unexpectedly high sales and profits in the quarter that ended on July 29.
The company generated US$95.77 million in net income, or profit, on US$723.5 million in revenue, or sales, in the quarter.
That represented a 96.6% hike in profit and a 24.5% hike in revenue compared with the same quarter a year ago.
New CEO Calvin McDonald, who has been on the job for 10 days, addressed a post-earnings conference call and called the post his “dream job.” Business in Vancouver noted last month, when McDonald was hired, that his complicated compensation could well exceed US$10 million, including salary, bonuses, equity awards and restricted share units.
He explained that his initial work as CEO will be to get to know the organization well.
“I feel it is important to meet as many people in the organization as possible,” McDonald said on the August 30 conference call.
“In my initial weeks and months, I will spend time in every part of the organization – in stores, our store support centres, our distribution centres and our guest education centres. My approach is to listen and to learn as much as possible about the organization and our guests from the teams across the company, and become grounded in all things Lululemon.”
Lululemon COO Stuart Haselden, who handled much of the conference call, said Lululemon’s strategic priorities going forward are to expand digital channels, ramp up “international expansion with a near-term focus on Asia,” and to merchandise better for men in attempt to increase that rapidly growing sales channel.
He also said the company plans to roll out more stores in North America.
“Given our momentum, and the recognition of what is currently working to drive our business, we are taking up our guidance for the year,” Haselden said.
Lululemon now plans to generate between US$3.185 billion and US$3.235 billion in sales in the 53-week fiscal year for 2018-19.
(Image from Google Finance shows that Lululemon shares fell 1.23% during the regular session on August 30 but spiked after hours, following the company releasing its earnings report.)


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13 October 2016
A new partnership model for MobilePay will give private users and businesses an even more innovative, efficient and user-friendly mobile payment platform. Danske Bank is opening the platform for all interested Nordic banks, and the largest Nordic bank, Nordea, has decided to join in Denmark and Norway.
Nordea has decided to join a partnership on MobilePay in Denmark and Norway. The aim is to make sure that private users and businesses in Norway and Denmark have a widely used, user-friendly mobile payment platform that is subject to constant innovation.
Danske Bank is also inviting all interested Danish, Norwegian and Finnish banks to participate in the MobilePay partnership.
Tonny Thierry Andersen, member of Danske Bank’s Executive Board, explains: “MobilePay allows us to offer Nordic users and businesses one of the world's most comprehensive mobile payment systems. New partner banks with direct customer contact will further the dissemination of the solution. And by joining forces with other banks, MobilePay will be able to accelerate innovation, which means that we can offer the absolutely best user experience.”
Solution with the most possibilities
Peter Lybecker, CEO of Nordea Bank Denmark, emphasises that the new MobilePay model gives Nordea’s personal and business customers access to the most widely used payment solution with the most possibilities in the market. He explains:
“The new partnership will benefit our customers, the market and the individual banks. MobilePay is known today for its user friendliness, and we want to contribute to making the solution even more widely used and to continuing the development of MobilePay as an innovative digital payment platform. All users will benefit.”
Intense competition on payment solutions
He and Tonny Thierry Andersen emphasise the need for banks to join forces in creating a strong shared payment solution in order to remain ahead of the increasingly competitive game. New mobile payment solutions are gaining ground very quickly, and new international players regularly appear in the market, also in the Nordic countries.
With the new partnership, Nordea will leave the Swipp collaboration and will in future instead invest in the further development of MobilePay. At first, Nordea’s personal customers will not experience any changes, whereas business customers who do not already have a MobilePay agreement will soon receive an offer to switch from their existing Swipp agreement to MobilePay. For the time being, Swipp agreements for business customers will remain in effect, however.
MobilePay will remain free of charge for private users. The participation of Nordea and other banks will help make the solution even more widespread and more efficient to operate, and over time this will allow even more competitive transaction prices for businesses that use MobilePay.
The partnership model makes it possible to integrate the most widely used mobile payment platform in Denmark with multiple banks' accounts and cost-efficient account-to-account payments. Besides business customers from Nordea will going forward be able to receive MobilePay payments directly on their Nordea account.
Other banks expected to join MobilePay
Other banks in Denmark, Norway and Finland are expected to join the partnership in the coming quarters. As a result, Danske Bank will now begin converting MobilePay to a subsidiary with its own board of directors, and MobilePay will no longer be branded as “by Danske Bank”.
To fulfil the ambition of creating a leading Nordic payment platform for Nordic personal users and businesses, MobilePay will seek to enter into a dialogue with Swish in Sweden. One of the long-term aims will be to enable Nordic personal users to make payments between MobilePay and Swish.


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COVID-19 exacerbated pre-existing and systemic global challenges, revealing enormous flaws in how society treats its most vulnerable populations. Additionally, people continue to be worried about the planet.
Consumers are looking for holistic solutions, according to Accenture’s ongoing consumer research. It is clear individual company action is not enough. Only collective action will create the solutions needed at scale. Collaboration across the ecosystem and disruptive new business models are required.
New unifying vision for consumer industries
To help address these issues, the World Economic Forum and its consumer industries’ partners (including Accenture) and the Future of Consumption platform, have articulated a unifying vision. As part of their ongoing efforts to leverage the potential of consumer industries to effect lasting change, they focus on:
New technology as enabler
Companies have long been working individually on the complex and deeply rooted problems we are facing today. However, the collective action needed is a relatively new way of operating. Traditional barriers include concern about working with competitors or not controlling all aspects of a solution; lack of skills and capabilities to support collaboration; and existing and emerging laws (including anti-trust and privacy regulations). Developing the collaborative mindset and capabilities needed to effect these changes means breaking new ground in data sharing, governance and accountability.
Recent technology innovations are a critical enabler. Digital technologies can support significant change, facilitating an ecosystem approach, to integrate business outcomes with an expanded social and environmental impact.
Consumer industries' community goals
Create the future… together
CPG business leaders can get started by taking three bold steps:
Consumer industries have a unique opportunity to rebuild, better. Through collective action, they can help make the world a more humane, healthier and better place.


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The Sony Honami smartphone will come with a 20 megapixel camera and also a new camera app which was recently revealed in a leaked system dump for the Honami handset.
Now it looks like the new camera application from the Honami device has been ported to a number of other Sony Xperia devices, the list includes the Sony Xperia Z, Xperia ZL and the Xperia Tablet Z.
You can find out more details on how the camera app has been ported to the Sony Xperia Z and other Xperia devices over at the XDA Developers.
Source Xperia Blog
Disclosure: Some of our articles include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, Geeky Gadgets may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more.


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Johnny Carson's ex-wife previously owned the ashes
An anonymous collector purchased the ashes
More than 30 years after Truman Capote’s death, fans of the famed author were able to get their hands on his personal items – and his ashes.
Originally owned by Johnny Carson’s ex-wife – and Capote’s best friend – Joanne Carson, the ashes were auctioned off by Julien’s Auctions on Saturday in Los Angeles.
At the time of Capote’s death in 1984, the portion of his ashes that Joanne inherited was valued at as much as $6,000. The auction house sold the ashes Saturday for $45,000.
“We had people from Russia, Germany, China, South America and here in the US who had interest in them,” President and Chief Executive Darren Julien said. “I anticipated it could sell for over $10,000, but didn’t anticipate it going to $45,000.”
The remains are sealed in a carved Japanese wooden box and will be presented in its original cemetery packaging from Westwood Village Mortuary.
Truman Capote, a famous American writer and novelist, was born in New Orleans in 1924. His two most famous works, “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” (1958) and “In Cold Blood” (1966), solidified his place among the great American authors of the 20th century.
“Breakfast at Tiffany’s” was turned into the famous movie starring Audrey Hepburn. Capote died in Los Angeles in 1984.
Carson, before her death last year, noted that “having Capote’s ashes brought her great comfort,” according to the auction house. Capote died in her home, according to Julien.
“He asked Joanne Carson before he passed. He told her he didn’t want to sit on a shelf,” Julien said. “This is definitely right in line with his wishes.”
Julien said this is the first time in public record that someone’s ashes have been sold at auction. “If it wasn’t for it being Truman Capote, it would have been disrespectful,” he said.
In addition to Capote’s ashes, various personal items of the author were also sold.
Among them were shirts and trousers, ice skates, various books and the shirt he wore the day he died. About 50 of Capote’s personal items from Joanne Carson’s estate were sold with prices ranging from $50 to $2,000, according to the auction house.
A set of Capote’s prescription bottles sold for $5,000.
The buyer of his ashes is a collector that wishes to remain anonymous, according to Julien.
“They promise that Truman will continue his adventures,” he said.


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Meta Platforms released its Quest version 51 (v51) update for early access earlier this week, which offers new features for headset enthusiasts.
News of the v51 release first broke after Twitter user and coding enthusiast Basti tweeted on Monday.
v51 just released for the Meta Oculus Quest and it finally updated from Android 10 to 12 🥳
— basti 🦈🌳 (@Basti564) March 27, 2023
Added features include local dimming support for the Meta Quest Pro and additional support for Public Test Channel (PTC) device users.
The news comes after Meta announced that all Quest developers must create apps compatible with Android 12L, effective 30 June.
Android 12L Updates and Upgrades
Meta’s move to Android 12L aims to streamline production for currently circulated Android users. It also indicates a shift to an updated Quest operating system (OS) for the Quest 2 and Quest Pro.
The upgrade will also provide greater interoperability with current smartphone users running Android 13. This also aims to improve security and enhance user experiences.
According to the tweet, the Quest v51 update would boost local dimming access to enhance the Quest Pro’s dynamic display range.
Its upgrade to Android 12L will also fully leverage Qualcomm’s Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 1 chipset used in the Quest Pro. This significantly supports Meta’s commitment to supporting enterprise metaverse technologies.
The Menlo Park-based firm explained in its announcement several key changes to behaviours on headset devices:
- Existing apps on lower versions would continue working, but the company would require “the minimum required [application programme interface] level from 30 June.
- Quest devices may send security warnings in test result pages for apps “submitted with less than level 32 API” from 24 March.
- Additionally, Meta will enforce API level 32 requirements for developers uploading binary packages.
- Meta will also enforce Android 12L software developer kit (SDK) requirements for targetSDK from 30 June.
Intel PCVR Streaming for Meta Quest Airlink
The news comes after Intel teamed up with Meta to launch its AX1690 WiFi processor to boost Quest streaming performance.
PCs with the new chip can stream directly from computers, bypassing the need to stream over WiFi router connections. Previous Quest AirLink streaming relied on wireless networks and limited connectivity for sessions.
The massive improvement in interoperability and device compatibility demonstrates the need for collaborative solutions in the extended reality (XR) market.
The news comes after the Meta Quest Pro debuted at the company’s Connect event in late October last year. The device began shipping to the United States, United Kingdom, France, and Canada.
Recently, Meta has offered a drastic price cut for its enterprise-grade headsets from $1,499 to $999. Meta lowered the price to expand its solution as an affordable contender to rival headsets.