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Assassin’s Creed has not sold well on Wii U, says Ubisoft boss Yves Guillemot.
And as a result, the firm is no-longer looking to publish any more mature Wii U titles once the release of Watch Dogs is complete.
"[Watch Dogs] is coming to Wii U… It will be the only mature game we publish on it," he told Game Informer. "What we see is that Nintendo customers don’t buy Assassin’s Creed. Last year, we sold in very small numbers.
"They are very interested in Just Dance, very interested by other kinds of games. So what we are trying to do is to focus more on the types of games they are interested in."
Ubisoft remains supportive of Nintendo, and admitted it has finished a Wii U game that it won’t release until the console sells more.


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Mobile payments – the future is already here but what does it mean for Retail Banks?
The financial services industry is currently flooded with debates about the opportunities and risks of mobile payments and the future of the retail banking sector – but the future is already here, it’s just yet to be fully embraced.
Most major banks already offer Paym mobile service payment and Barclays Pingit has, personally speaking, revolutionized the way I manage my finances. With Apple Pay and Google Wallet about to launch full services in the UK it’s not a case of whether mobile payments are ‘the next big thing’, but rather how the UK Retail Banking sector can adapt to be part of these new technology developments.
Mobile payments is already a fractured marketplace and is set to become even more splintered, despite the entrance of single propositions such as those from Apple and Samsung. It’s unlikely that, in the very near future at least, there will be a one-size-fits-all app that services every type of consumer and every one of their banking needs in ‘real time’. Consumers are unlikely to afford singular loyalty to one or even a few apps; their engagement will depend on their appetite for such technology and their specific needs. This is especially true considering 2 out of 3 adults in the UK don’t use a banking app – let alone partake in mobile payments.
Especially important is the simplicity of the app experience, how engaging it is, and how consumers view the security of the service. For many transactions, the banking infrastructure is the same whether using a mobile payment app or whether visiting a branch – the only thing that differs is the point of interaction. Think about this in terms of how we now engage with music – from CD to MP3 – the vehicle has evolved though the consumption remains the same. This is a key point that Retail Banks would be advised to embrace.
In order for Retail Banks to retain transactions they need to engage with and educate their customers on the use value of mobile banking – to offer a seamless service to match the offerings of technology giants such as Apple and Google. Or, as the old saying goes, if you can’t beat them – join them. There’s enormous potential for Retail Banks to extend their offerings by working together with tech companies – improving the service they offer to existing customers while thinking innovatively about how to attract new ones. They should also strongly consider engaging with the next generation, a demographic currently hugely underserved.
For example, you must be aged 16 or over to register for Barclays Mobile and Online Banking. Despite technology existing to be able to serve those under 16 to offer appropriate banking services, little has been done to engage with this demographic – key clients for the sector as the next generation of customers. While acknowledging the drive over the last two decades to engage with young adults as they head off to University, attractive incentives including free rail cards and large interest free overdrafts, Retail Banks may be missing a trick by not engaging with consumers one step earlier. Yes, the young can be fickle – but if a mobile banking app was as simple to use, as quick to provide results and as intuitive as some of Apple’s products, perhaps Retail Banks could begin to match Apple’s customer retention rates of over 76%.
The responsibility of Retail Banks should be one of proactivity and adaptability – to evolve their mobile banking service to be able to work for customers as an individual, personalised platform. That’s not to say that every retail banking service would be most effective on a digital platform – take first time mortgage applications for example. Some view mobile banking as impersonal and prefer to visit a branch to carry out their transactions, but imagine how personable mobile banking could be if it was flexible enough to suit your individual needs – allowing people the freedom to, for example, set their own daily transaction limits.
There’s huge scope for Retail Banks to embrace mobile payments in order to both retain customer loyalty and attract the next generation – whether this gauntlet will be taken up remains to be seen.

domain: news


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This year, Black Friday is infringing on Thanksgiving Thursday as stores are starting their sales earlier and earlier to keep up with the competition. While many stores enjoy the increased traffic associated with Black Friday sales, there were a few that made out decidedly more than their competitors in the past. Below we’ve compiled the top 5 stores from Black Friday 2012. These are some to keep your eye on for even more competitive discounts this year:
5.) Fry’s Eletronics
Fry’s Electronics may not be a household name here in the Midwest, but the West Coast-based electronic store did pretty well on Black Friday in 2012. In 2012, customers enjoyed deals on televisions and laptops, with most deals having free or low cost nationwide shipping. What makes Fry’s Electronics strategy unique is that the majority of their deals were featured on the Saturday after Black Friday. This shop certainly wasn’t jumping on the early-open bandwagon.
newegg is an online electronic store that offers deals on laptops, computer parts, software and more. In 2012, newegg also avoided the early-open bandwagon and featured most of its best deals on Black Friday. While newegg used mail-in rebates to provide their customers with the lowest prices, the company did offer a number of good non-rebate deals, such as a dual-core-equipped 16” laptop with Windows 8.
3.) Best Buy
While Best Buy had a significant decline in popularity in 2012. People were still anxious to get the best deals on electronics and games for their Christmases. The store offered discounted video games, movies, televisions, and laptops. They also offered many of their best deals on Thanksgiving, but fell short on the actual Black Friday. They’re anticipated to increase their deals this year to compete with Amazon.
It’s unsurprising that the retail giant appears on this list. While Walmart still lags far behind Amazon in the companies with the best Black Friday sales, their aggressive tactics ensured them a number 2 spot in most popular Black Friday sales. Last year, Walmart was most popular with families shopping for toys, and it was also popular with younger generations for looking for smartphones. While the company offered good deals on Thanksgiving in 2012, they saved their best for Black Friday. They’re even anticipated to release even more deals this year to compete with online companies.
The online marketplace takes the number 1 spot in this list. Their diverse stock and noteworthy deals attract many customers every Black Friday. Like Walmart, Amazon also offered deals on Thanksgiving day, but saved their best deals for Thanksgiving. Their aggressive price matching strategies meant that they easily beat out BestBuy and Walmart in providing the best deals.


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The initial impact of the COVID-19 lockdown is less severe in tech than other industries, according to the Dice Tech Job Report: The Early Impact of COVID-19.
At a high level, the data in the report suggests that, currently, the tech industry is more insulated from COVID-19 than other industries such as food, hospitality and tourism. As a whole, there was a significant increase in job postings in Q1 of 2020 compared to Q1 of 2019.
Amidst the lockdown, businesses still require a stream of professionals who can keep operations running as usual, or to help pivot their strategy in order to better meet demands such as expanded e-commerce.
For many tech leaders, however, the degree to which the pandemic would impact every aspect of company operations came as a shock. Some organizations already have remote policies in place, and their workforce is adept at off-site collaboration. But many others have never had to embrace remote work to such a degree.
While larger businesses are experiencing challenges, it appears that they're more insulated than their smaller peers that require a consistent flow of cash to maintain (or grow) their workforces. If the COVID-19 crisis continues for several quarters, though, even large enterprises may need to radically adjust operations and strategies in order to maintain their customer base and revenue, which could impact how they hire.
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text: The Evil Within was announced a long time ago, but there is always a question towards publisher Bethesda and developer Tango Gameworks is that the PC version will be locked at what frame rate? Well, now it seems like we got the answer. This question, which is usually avoided, ignored or didn't get looked at is now answered. Jason Bergman, who is the Senior Producer of Bethesda once in July was asked that the game is locked at 30fps or not? Bergman simply just said to ask him closer to launch. Now then again just a month ago when he was asked if this game is locked at 30fps or not? He said ”He didn’t understand the question” and said ”let’s the specs, release” and also said to stay tuned and then he just declined to answer more questions. We didn’t hear anything about The Evil within framerate again.


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HEALTH: Hospitals Grapple With Use, Costs and Concerns
Rady Children’s Hospital holds a world record for fastest genomic diagnosis. Instrumental in the feat: artificial intelligence.
AT&T Inc. is laying off 101 employees in San Diego County, representatives of the employees’ labor union said earlier this month. The cuts affect premises technicians who install new services and make repairs.
TECH: Customer Data Platform Casts Big Net Across Systems
San Diego-based software company Tealium closed a $55 million funding round May 15. The new funds will help Tealium grow as the competition heats up Chief Financial Officer Doug Lindroth said.
FUNDING: Investment Cycle Could Be Reaching Its End, Chairman Says
Tech Coast Angels, an angel investment group with five chapters across Southern California, invested $10.8 million into 58 startups last year. The total amount invested decreased slightly from 2017, when the group invested $14.2 million into 43 companies.
LEGAL: Incubator Includes Legal Services Office Space, IP Advice
After expanding its offices earlier last fall, Procopio is hosting five startups at its LaunchPad incubator at the firm’s Del Mar Heights location. The nine-month program provides technology startups with office space and legal services, including assistance with valuation and intellectual property protection.
ENERGY: Battery Maker Plans to Move to Larger Facility
Flux Power Holdings Inc., which produces advanced lithium batteries for small industrial vehicles, reported a net loss of $3.8 million, or 8 cents per diluted share, on net revenue of $1.75 million during its third quarter, which ended on March 31.
BIOTECH: Co. Gets Licensing Fee From Argenx
San Diego-based Halozyme reported higher revenue and net income in first quarter results, thanks to the company’s platform technology. Looking forward, the company is heading for an inflection point.
OFFICE: Monthly Rents Expected to Rise 3% to 4% By Year’s End
Demand for office space is getting ever more intense, according to a report from the commercial brokerage firm Colliers International.
TECH: Electronics Specialist Has 40% of Revenue From Defense
Kearny Mesa-based Cubic Corp. reported 21 percent year-over-year growth in sales from January to March 31.
Tealium raised $55 million in a series F round that closed on Wednesday.
life science: Also On the Move, BioLegend Claims Entire Street
Two biotechs, Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. and BioLegend, recently opened new campuses in San Diego.
TECH: VC Led $5.3M Round for MedCrypt
Section 32, the local venture fund started by former Google Ventures founder Bill Maris, made its first San Diego investment May 7. The firm led a $5.3 million Series A round in MedCrypt, a San Diego cybersecurity startup that helps medical device vendors ensure their devices are secure. Previous investors Eniac Ventures and Y Combinator also participated in the round.
HMD Global, which makes Nokia phones, signed a licensing agreement with Qualcomm to be able to use its 5G technologies.
STARTUP: Leader Tells Cos. to Start Taking Action Within Weeks
Silvia Mah joined Connect as its president and chief operating officer in March. The nonprofit, which recently merged with San Diego Venture Group, hosts one of San Diego’s oldest accelerator programs, Springboard.
Steve Mollenkopf was awarded 40,794 fully-vested shares of company stock.


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[UPDATE] Sony confirmed the leak, stating that the PS5 reveal event will indeed take place on Thursday June 11th at 9M BST.
— PlayStation (@PlayStation) June 8, 2020
[ORIGINAL STORY] The PS5 reveal event was scheduled to take place on Thursday June 4th, but Sony decided to delay it amidst the current social tensions exploded in the United States.
However, it looks like the PlayStation platform holder has decided to reschedule the PS5 reveal event exactly one week later, on Thursday June 11th at 9 PM British Time.
To be clear, the news isn't officially confirmed yet by any means, but the ad image added above has appeared to several Twitch users. We will likely get a confirmation one way or another very soon from Sony. Meanwhile, let's recap what exactly should be showcased at the event.
First and foremost, everyone is expecting to see the final design of the next-generation PlayStation console. It's been quite a few months since Microsoft shared the design of its Xbox Series X, and PlayStation fans are eager to see what the PS5 will look like. Of course, we've had the leak of the development kit, but the retail unit could look very different if the previous consoles made by Sony are any indication.
Additionally, according to sources like GamesBeat's Jeff Grubb, an 'entire slate' of PS5 games should be showcased at the presentation, which is believed to be at least an hour long.
As to which ones exactly, the latest rumors indicate that we might be seeing Guerrilla's highly anticipated sequel Horizon Zero Dawn 2. Given that the first game launched in early March 2017, the Dutch studio could have had enough time to ready the follow-up entry for early 2021 or even late 2020.
Additionally, the next mainline installment in the Resident Evil franchise, purportedly titled Resident Evil 8, may make an appearance at the PS5 reveal event as well according to insider Dusk Golem.
Other strong possibilities include the long-rumored Demon's Souls remake, possibly in development at Bluepoint Studio (which remade Shadow of the Colossus for PS4), and the console launch exclusive game Godfall. Stay tuned on Wccftech for other leaks and rumors ahead of the PS5 reveal event!


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Who knew that it would be enough to artificially age a contemporary painting to multiply its price by more than 100? Of course, such a scam has to be done conscientiously, with a certain method and a high degree of impudence.
The fraud in question took place on November 21, 2023, at Deutsch Auctioneers, a Viennese auction house. The scandal has just come to light, thanks to an article by Simone Facchinetti in Il Giornale dell’Arte. It was enough — in the words of Facchinetti — for a layer of “cunning makeup” over a rather trivial canvas by the Neapolitan painter Donato Grieco (born in 1939) for it to be convincingly attributed to the Baroque master Pacecco De Rosa (1607-1656).
The estimated price of the piece — which ranged between 900 and 1,800 euros ($980 and $1,960) — was already somewhat suspicious. As Facchinetti indicates, “who would be willing to part with an (alleged) masterpiece by an established painter at a bargain price?” Some of its potential buyers assumed that it was the work of an imitator, or someone worthy of De Rosa’s workshop, but they still bid for it. Nobody questioned its age and the possibility of its value continuing to appreciate in the medium-term.
In the end, Scena di Mercatto (in Englush: A market scene) — which is the title of the 45 x 70 inch painting — received several offers and was sold for a final amount of 72,000 euros, or $78,000. The anonymous collector who acquired the piece did so, apparently, without even having the opportunity to see it in person; they were guided exclusively by the images displayed online by the auction house. These same images allowed an anonymous fan to verify that it was the same piece that had been sold two months earlier, on July 17, for a mere 650 euros, or $710.
The transformation of an authentic (but low-value) Grieco into a false De Rosa was very simple. The author of the hoax limited himself to carefully erasing the two signatures (one was in the lower left margin of the painting and the other on the back), applying a layer of yellowish varnish and making a series of small surgical points of damage that ended up giving the fabric an aged look. In this specific case, the buyer may return the work and demand a refund, given that it has been proven that the attribution of authorship wasn’t only erroneous, but also fraudulent.
In the opinion of gallery owner and art curator Llucià Homs, “the business of buying and selling art has barely evolved in the last century-and-a-half, but the emergence of virtual auctions and NFTs — the varieties of digital art associated with the rise of cryptocurrencies — have completely transformed the rules of the game.” For Homs, “the valuation criteria that served as a compass in the sector have been disrupted and diluted” by the emergence of “a generation of young collectors and speculative investors with a lot of money and, often, [limited] judgment.” This new buyer profile is “artificially inflating [prices at] online auctions, which have almost become like television shows.”
Beatriz Ordovás — director of Contemporary Art at Christie’s, one of the main auction houses in the world — shares, with nuances, Homs’ opinion. From her point of view, “a sifting” should already be taking place and “quality criteria” should be recovering, but the market still hasn’t finished processing the impact of that speculative spring of crypto art, back in 2021. During that period, a collage of 5,000 images in NFT format — the work of an American artist named Beeple (Mike Winkelmann) — “sold for more than $69 million, a scandalous amount, completely [beyond the scope] of the market. That can only be attributed to a speculative bubble, which has now subsided to a large extent, but has left a deep mark.”
Take the money and run
Compared to the systemic convulsions that the art market has suffered from in recent years, the De Rosa fraud could be interpreted as a minor collateral effect of an influx of fresh money and a loss — temporary or not — of good judgment. Despite everything, it’s refreshing to note that, in the era of Beeple, there’s still room for artisanal picaresque in the art business, as various shameless actions — halfway between conceptual transgressions and crude scams — have revealed.
One such case is that of the “immaterial” sculpture that the Italian artist Salvatore Garau sold for $15,000 in 2021. For his detractors, it’s white-collar theft, given that Garau didn’t sell a concept or a sketch, but rather sold a supposedly finished work that cannot be seen or felt… because it doesn’t even exist. That is to say, he put a price on “nothing,” taking minimalism and conceptual art to the most fraudulent and deranged extreme.
For art critic Eli Federman, this is the equivalent of unscrupulous people trying to sell their souls on eBay: “Even if it’s a free transaction between adults, if they buy your soul and you don’t send it, they can sue you for breach of contract.” And suing Garau is precisely what another artist — the American Tom Miller — did. Although the reason for the legal action is that Miller demands that he be recognized as the person who came up with immaterial sculptures. He argues that he was the first to develop the concept and (not) put it into practice.
Even more baffling is the case of the Danish artist Jens Haaning, famous for his conceptual creations with political content. The Kunsten Museum of Modern Art in Aalborg (Denmark) sent him an advance of 84,000 euros ($91,000) to update one of his most famous performative works: a tablet showing enlargements of two bank statements, that of an average Dane and that of an immigrant in Denmark. Haaning took his time, exhausted all the agreed-upon deadlines, and ended up sending the museum two empty frames in which he had written a title: Take the Money and Run.
As the artist explained, the work — as he conceived it — had been completed: “It simply consisted of keeping the money.” He invited the institution to display the empty frames, contextualize them and let the public draw their own conclusions.
Lasse Andersson — director of the museum — wasn’t at all satisfied with the proposed solution. He’s still demanding that Haaning return the advance, given that the planned work was never delivered. However, he thinks that the artist should be allowed to keep an amount (940 euros, just over $1,000) as reasonable remuneration for his creative efforts.
Finally, Zachary Small reports in The New York Times the elaborate hoax that the young New York-based artist Zachary Ginsberg has been subjected to. After years of exhibiting his work through his website and Instagram page (making few sales in the process) Ginsberg received an online offer from a supposed collector for $3,400. The buyer offered to send him a check and include an extra amount for shipping costs, since the work had to be sent to its destination through an intermediary, a certain Lisa Shady, with a postal address in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. Ginsberg sent Shady the $2,000 that, in theory, it was going to cost to transport the piece. But as soon as he attempted to cash the buyer’s check, it bounced.
Fond du Lac, by the way, is the town of 46,000 people where Beeple (Mike Winkelmann) was born 42 years ago. Nobody can say that scammers don’t have a sense of humor.
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Pernod Ricard, the second largest beverage group in the world, saw substantial growth last year thanks to China and India. Profit however remains below expectations due to higher prices of raw materials.
Growth despite "geopolitical and monetary uncertainties"
Pernod Ricard, the world's second largest spirits producer after Diageo, has increased its turnover by 6 % in the broken financial year 2017/2018. China and India performed particularly well and saw their turnover rise respectively 17 and 14 %. In the United States, growth was robust at 4 %. In Europe, however, France and Spain displayed disappointing results.
The profit figures too were a setback for analysts: in the past financial year, which ended on 30 June, the operating profit increased in line with expectations by 6.3 % to 2.36 billion euros. However, this year the producer of Absolut vodka and Jameson whisky expects operational profit growth of between 5 and 7 %, compared to 7.4 % for analysts. The beverage group says it faces geopolitical and monetary uncertainties worldwide, while the cost of raw materials is rising. The makers of Ricard and Chivas Regal especially refer to the prices for cognac grapes and agave for tequila.


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Palm Springs OKs bag ban, delays food trucks
PALM SPRINGS – In six months to a year, the shopping and dining experiences in Palm Springs will be slightly different than they are today.
For one, those little, thin plastic bags that are so ubiquitous in grocery stores will be gone. And food trucks will very likely be a part of the Palm Springs dining scene, serving everyone from pedestrians out on a stroll, to office workers.
On Wednesday, the Palm Springs City Council unanimously approved an ordinance to remove single-use plastic bags from grocery stores and other shops within the city. Retailers will be required to make paper bags available — at a cost of at least 10 cents per bag — to shoppers without their own reusable bag. The ordinance takes effect in six months for large stores of 10,000 square feet or more, and in 12 months for those smaller than 10,000 square feet.
The move was strongly supported by the council and the few residents who spoke on the proposed ordinance. Though Steve Rosenberg opposed some of the requirements, such as requiring the paper bags be constructed of at least 40 percent post-consumer waste.
"Prohibitions on plastic bags are fun, but it's the mandates," said Rosenberg, as he tossed aside numerous bags, which he said did not state how much post-consumer waste was part of the bags' makeup. "I'm suggesting we have some problems with the ordinance."
The ordinance — which is modeled on the same bag-ban language passed in roughly 100 California cities and counties — has the support of the California Grocers Association.
"The model that Palm Springs has, it follows in line with the ones our industry can work with," said Dave Hylen, a spokesman for the CGA, adding the association's top priority is consistency from one municipality to the next. "I think for both the business community and for consumers, we think that it's more effective to be consistent with whatever the model is."
And the council placed a temporary six-month hold on food trucks, until the city drafts an ordinance permitting the businesses. A Riverside County ordinance enabling food truck businesses goes into effect April 8.
"I think we are just taking our time to get it right," said Mayor Steve Pougnet. "We are not 'anti-food trucks.' "
The ban on the trucks will not prevent their participation in special events or serving on private property.
The regulations the city will likely consider will have to do with what streets the vendors will be allowed to operate on and how close they can be to existing brick-and-mortar restaurants or institutions like schools.
However, the city ought only consider public safety when drafting its regulations, said Matt Geller, president of the Southern California Mobile Food Vendors Association.
"What doesn't make sense is saying, 'You can't park 500 feet from a restaurant,'" said Geller. "What's the public safety concern there?"
Last week, the Palm Desert City Council passed the desert's first set of regulations, which prevent a food truck from parking within 750 feet of a conventional restaurant.
The trucks are also not allowed on streets with a speed limit of more than 35 mph and must be at least 1,500 feet from K-12 schools.
"Of course, you're going to get places like Palm Desert say, 'Oh, 750 (feet) is fair,'" said Geller. "It's not right. It's not fair. And it's not legal in the state of California. And it's ripe for challenge."


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Volkswagen will use the annual GTI gathering at Lake Worthersee in Austria to reveal the fastest and most powerful Golf GTI ever to reach production, celebrating 40 years since the launch of the first generation Golf GTI.
Just weeks after the first drives of the convertible 718 Boxster, Porsche has unveiled the new 718 Cayman.
Audi’s timing is impeccable. Just as winter blows one last Arctic breath across the land out comes Audi with a new convertible.
Childhood dreams could be about to come true for many a middle-aged motorist, with news that a Ford Capri used in the Professionals is coming up for auction next week.
Spring has sprung – and that means a new motor racing season is under way.
Audi has revealed a futuristic concept car powered by hydrogen and helped by a battery, four-wheel drive and the world’s largest in-car solar panel.
It can take your shopping in the boot, your kids in the back, roar from 0-62mph in four seconds flat and emits just 70g/km of CO2.
When people ask what’s the best car I’ve driven over the nine years I’ve been The Courier’s motoring editor one car is always close to the top of the list.
Are you lucky enough to have almost £50,000 to spend on a new car?
The new, second generation Hyundai i20 will cost from £10,695 when it goes on sale in early 2015.


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Condé Nast Launches New Social Sidekick
The company is introducing a new web tool that will aggregate content from its brands.
Worldwide magazine publishing company Condé Nast is launching a social tool that will aggregate the most shared content from its major brands online. Social Sidekick will showcase popular articles from Teen Vogue, Glamour, W, Style.com, Self and Lucky.
The tool will include the title ‘See what’s trending now…’ and will display the most shared stories on Twitter, Facebook and other social networking sites when users click on it. Condé Nast’s chief marketing officer Lou Cona said:


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fring, the multi-award winning mobile application that lets users communicate and share web-based experiences from their mobile devices, has announced the world’s first mobile video calls over internet protocol (IP).
fring video enables users to conduct video calls with other fringsters as well as with Skype contacts over their device’s WiFi or 3G internet connection.
This video feature is embedded within the fring application that enables free voice calls to other fring users, Skype and GTalk buddies as well as friends on regular phone lines via Skype-Out and hundreds of popular SIP services. fring users live chat, update profiles, share files and talk with friends from several Instant Messaging services like MSN, AIM, GoogleTalk and Skype, in addition to interacting with popular online social networks including Twitter, Facebook, Last.fm and more, all from one integrated fring contact list.
Avi Shechter, co-founder and CEO at fring, said: “As the mobile VoIP trail blazers since this industry’s inception, we have a responsibility to continue breaking the mobile internet barriers, and bringing users all the choices, richness and always-on connectivity that internet communications on mobile can deliver.”
Shechter continued: “fring was the first to bring Nokia, iPhone and Android users the choice to make free calls together with live chat over their devices’ internet connection, the first to enable cost saving mobile twitter over internet, and now we’re proud to continue leading the field with the world’s first mobile video over internet including fring and Skype mobile video calls.”
The new fring version with video calls support is currently available to users with Nokia X6, N97 mini, N97, 5800, N95 8G, N95 and N82 devices. Versions for other handsets and operating systems will be launched very shortly.


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By Paul Hayes
SYDNEY, NSW: Canon Oceania managed to do more than keep its head above water last year, with the company keeping its market leading position for DSLR and digital compact cameras, according to its 2009 Sustainability Report.
“Despite a challenging environment during the global financial crisis, Canon Oceania maintained its economic sustainability and number one market position through transforming the business and extending coverage to reach consumers,” said the company.
According to the report, other highlights included a 13 per cent reduction of waste to landfill in Australia, as well as a survey revealing that 93 per cent of customers would recommend the company’s products and services.
Environmental challenges have been highlighted by Canon as key concerns for the future, with the company for the first time setting a carbon emissions reduction target of 1.5 per cent until 2010.


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Tokyo-headquartered companies Square Enix and Konami have shut down servers for their online games due to power concerns following last week's disasters in Japan.
As power companies in Japan impose rolling blackouts due to facilities damaged by the recent earthquakes and tsunamis that have devastated the country, companies and households have been advised to reduce their usage of electricity for unnecessary equipment and appliances.
Square Enix responded by temporarily suspending services
for its Final Fantasy XI
MMORPGs for "at least a week" starting yesterday. The company says that users will not be billed for PlayOnline, the service hub for its online games, throughout the April billing cycle.
Additional PlayOnline services typically available through Square Enix's site, such as Friends List Plus, Friend List Application, and others are also unavailable. Support services like password recovery, account cancellation, and anything requiring personal info confirmation are offline, too.
The publisher intends to update fans on when the services will be reinstated once it has more information regarding the energy shortages in Japan. The official sites for the Final Fantasy
MMOs, their forums, and the Square Enix Support Center remain online for customers to view updates.
Konami also shut down its servers for Metal Gear Online
due to the power shortages, though it has not provided an estimate for how long the game will be down.


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JENISON, MI, May 9, 2018 – MHR Brands, the parent company to several leading hemp retail and wholesale brands, celebrates five years of business today.
Founded by Jeff Gallagher in 2013, MHR Brands manufactures hemp-derived CBD products in the form of concentrates, tinctures, vape oils, edibles, and skin care. What started as an operation out of Gallagher’s basement has flourished into a professional facility and a successful e-commerce platform. MHR Brands is supported by a team of nearly thirty and caters to a global audience.
The month of May marks five years of success for the MHR Brands team.
“The last five years have been defined by growth and change,” said Gallagher. “I value and appreciate the MHR Brands team as this business wouldn’t have been possible without them.”
Since the company’s foundation, the team has held close the MHR core values: a passion for hemp, helping people, an excitement for change, and doing the right thing.
Located in Jenison, Mich., MHR Brands encompasses several retail brands including Made by Hemp, Tasty Hemp Oil, Abinoid Botanicals, and Purfurred, and a hemp wholesale company titled US Hemp Wholesale. For more information, visit www.mhrbrands.com.


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Online Corporate Sales Systems on Rise amid Virus Crisis
Tokyo, Aug. 25 (Jiji Press)--As the novel coronavirus epidemic forces Japanese companies to curtail their sales activities, many small firms are increasingly introducing online sales systems as they adapt to the “new normal” of living with the epidemic.
With the help of financial institutions that have a large amount of information on businesses, many companies are finding new clients without ever meeting them face-to-face.
“We expanded our sales routes for disinfectant wipes to a wholesaler in Tokyo,” a sales representative from Hakuzo Medical Corp., a medical goods sales company in the western Japan city of Osaka, said. She showed excitement over having been able to find a client other than firms in the medical field.
The company used Biz-Create, a corporate matching service offered by Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp., to find the new client. The free service matches over 1,200 products, skills and needs offered by companies with potential clients. Talks between the companies are conducted fully through email, and the sales representative said that Hakuzo Medical was able to sign a contract without meeting the client.
According to SMBC, the number of such online business negotiations in the four months through June totaled 576, double the number in the previous four months.
[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]


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Home Authors Posts by Adrian Back
The Blue Company has been taken on by the Italian brand and will work as a sales representative for the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland.
Belgian company launches an 'Internet of Things' device that uses blockchain technology to bring transparency to the mining industry.
A statement from the four assay offices in the United Kingdom states that the Platinum Jubilee Mark will be made available again later this month.
Fortune and Great Place to Work released a list of the best places to work in the retail sector, with Signet Jewelers earning a place for the first time.
The Jewellery Boutique Show made a successful return with more than 1,000 brands exhibiting at the Expo Centre in Vicenza.
A Lange & Söhne, IWC Schaffhausen, Jaeger-Lecoultre and Pandora are just a few of the brands adding momentum to the movement for positive change.
The combination of strikes and the new school term had a major impact on tall retail destinations, according to retail expert Springboard.
PJ asks industry insiders what were the top trending styles and developments in men’s jewellery.
Award-winning ethical jewellery brand Lebrusan Studio launches its Artisan Collection of story-telling engagement rings.
Students looking to embark on a career in the jewellery sector will be encouraged to attend the Striking Futures event.


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Trion Worlds' MMORPG Rift
is set to go free-to-play, starting June 12, alongside the launch of its next major content update.
The move to free-to-play is a significant change for the subscription-based game, which launched over two years ago with an initial development budget of $50 million.
launched as a subscription-based game as an increasing amount of MMOs were embracing the free-to-play, microtransaction-based model.
Trion said that the entire game world and all current and future updates will be available free of cost. The game will feature an expanded in-game digital storefront where players can buy virtual items like mounts and clothing.
There will also be a subscription option that gives paying players extra benefits. Other rewards are planned for current and previous subscribers.
More info here


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WELCOME TO The WHEELS REPORT
Feature market insights and perspectives from top C-Level executives, elite technology influencers and thought leaders from your company here. This signature initiative has garnered immense support...
PROCUREMENT AND SOURCING
Taylor | July 05, 2022
Taylor Corporation has introduced a new shipping and fulfillment service that reduces freight costs for customers while conserving natural resources.Taylor’s innovative PrintMerge process merges orders for print-on-demand (POD) items with orders for pre-existing warehoused items to create a single outgoing shipment. By combining orders in this fashion, Taylor is able to reduce the number of labels and cartons needed to ship customer orders. It also results in significantly lower freight co...
SOFTWARE AND TECHNOLOGY
project44 | September 09, 2021
project44, the leader in real-time supply chain visibility, unveiled its new Preferred Telematics Program, accessible to carriers through the project44 website. The industry-first Preferred Telematics Program reduces the cost of purchasing and installing telematics devices on vehicles by delivering discounted fleet management solutions and dedicated sales channels for project44 carriers through the program’s partners. In addition, carriers can take advantage of industry-leading fleet manag...
Elroy Air | November 15, 2021
Elroy Air, the Aerospace and Logistics company developing the world’s first end-to-end autonomous vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aerial cargo systems, has partnered with AYR Logistics, an aircraft owner and operator with over 20 years of hands-on experience providing logistics support to the humanitarian community, including the United Nations, World Food Programme (WFP), Governments and NGOs. At the Dubai Air Show, Elroy Air and AYR Logistics announced plans to develop an autonomous...
Tesla | March 31, 2020
Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced that the automaker has ventilators and it is going to use its logistic network to deliver them to hospitals for free. Several hospitals in the US are finding themselves in need of ventilators to help save patients who are more badly affected by the coronavirus. In previous comments over the last month, Musk has been skeptical that there’s going to be a need for more ventilators. The CEO believes that we “may have passed the inflection point for US cases ...
PROCUREMENT AND SOURCING, SUPPLY CHAIN
SOFTWARE AND TECHNOLOGY, LOGISTICS
SOFTWARE AND TECHNOLOGY, SUPPLY CHAIN
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Toyota Motor Corp.'s Yoshio Ishizaka, executive vice president in charge of overseas operations, expresses the usual self-congratulatory tone of Japanese automakers about their North American operations.
"We're investing in America, expanding r&d, increasing purchasing and employment," he says. "We've already localized 60 percent of our sales. We don't have any issues in front of us."
If the goal is 60 percent local production - the percentage of cars sold in the United States that are made in North America - then he is right to be pleased. But that implies he is satisfied with imports accounting for 40 percent of Toyota's model mix in the United States.
In Europe, GM and Ford are at a higher level. Locally built cars account for almost all of their sales there.
By contrast, the Japanese industry's production rate in North America peaked at 69.3 percent in 1996. Then it slipped. It dropped to 61.9 percent in 1999 and 2002.
As the U.S. market grew after 1996, Japanese carmakers boosted their North American production. But they increasingly relied on imports from Japan to meet the higher demand.
Japan's exports to North America fell in 1996 to 30.7 percent. They've risen four of the seven years since.
Japan's exports to North America last year fell to 1.79 million, down from 2.08 million the year before.
The pattern for years has been for Japanese sales in the United States to rise, after which the Japanese build plants to meet demand. Local production, therefore, remains above 60 percent but below 70 percent of total sales. That's not true for each Japanese carmaker. But the pattern is well established across the industry.
Several new assembly plants, notably Nissan Motor Co.'s plant in Canton, Miss., and Honda Motor Co.'s factory in Lincoln, Ala., raised the local production level back to 67.2 percent in the first five months of 2004.
But there is little evidence that the Japanese industry as a whole will break through the unofficial ceiling that limits local production to less than 70 percent anytime soon.
One result of the Japanese industry's continued reliance on exports to America is that the overall U.S. automotive trade deficit with Japan, including vehicles and parts, has not improved all that much recently.
The deficit narrowed from $43.3 billion in 1993 to $29.60 billion in 1996. By 2003, it had widened again to $43.86 billion. Automotive trade thus made up the lion's share of America's total 2003 trade deficit with Japan of $65.97 billion.
Toyota President Fujio Cho says the local production rate remains stuck in the 60 percent to 70 percent band because of American appetites for Japanese cars.
"We keep trying to raise it by opening new plants," he says. "But thanks to American consumers, our sales keep growing faster" than new plants can come onstream.
Niche marketing plays a role as well. Toyota will always rely on imports to some extent to meet American demand, he says.


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Seattle has now become the first major city in the United States to ban certain single-use plastics.
Seattle’s ban on plastics began on July 1st and targets restaurants using items such as plastic utensils, plastic straws, and plastic cocktail picks.
Dune Ives, the Executive Director of environmentalism group the Lonely Whale Foundation, refers to these as “gateway plastics” and points out that more than 10 million tons of plastic enter our ocean every year in her blog.
The Lonely Whale Foundation recently ran a campaign called #stopsucking to encourage individuals to turn their back on "gateway plastics" for posing a threat to marine life around the globe.
California also has more than a dozen bills aimed at banning plastics such as plastic bags, plastic straws, and bottle caps, including one bill that would jail or fine waiters $1,000 for even offering a plastic straw to a restaurant patron.
The state has also passed a law charging for plastic bags at grocery stores.
California's fight against plastic pollution and Seattle's ban on single-use plastics potentially open a new market for compostable alternatives.
Aardvark Straws would dominate the market as the only producer of FDA-compliant compostable paper straws in the United States.
"It's a wonderful thing right now to see this movement, but fortunately, or unfortunately, right now there is not another viable option other than Aardvark,” said David Rhodes, the company's global business director, USA Today reports.
This ban isn’t the first step Seattle has taken towards this initiative against plastic pollution. According to Seattle Public Utilities, “In 2008, the City of Seattle put in place an ordinance to require that one-time-use food service items, including packaging and utensils, be recyclable or compostable.”
Seattle is following an international trend in banning single-use plastics. Earlier this year, McDonald’s announced that they are banning plastic straws in their UK restaurants. The EU set an agenda to promote recyclable and reusable plastic packaging by 2030.


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Delta Goodrem: ‘Dreams can and do come true’
Delta Goodrem’s latest fragrance reveals an honest and fresh connection to the hard-working and talented Australian songstress.
When it comes to her music career Delta Goodrem is used to success, with nine No.1 singles, four No.1 albums, 17 top 10 hits and counting to her name.
Now the 23-time platinum-selling artist is hoping for a similar feat with her latest foray into the fragrance world.
Last year Delta broke Australian sales records for her first scent, the aptly named Delta, with more than 30,000 bottles flying off the shelves and sales topping $1 million in just eight weeks.
That perfume, a collaboration with Bondi Perfume Company, was two years in the making and saw the artist “hands on” with its development.
Delta and the development team carefully considered each and every scent.
“We had to get all the formulas just right,” Delta says. “It’s perfect that a fragrance is described in ‘notes’. The base notes are those fragrances that you can still smell after many hours.
“The top notes are those scents that tend to stand out right away and wear off the quickest. The process is quite scientific.”
Opening with top notes of juicy nectarine, wild moonflower and whipped orris root, with added heart notes of almond milk, gardenia petals, iris blonde woods and heliotrope, Dream is a floral woody musk fragrance that evokes a feeling of smooth sensuality by mimicking the elegant scents of nature.
“When I created my first perfume, I wanted to have a fragrance that could blend into any woman’s life,” Delta says.
“My inspiration and purpose is that we all have our journey in life and a favourite scent gives us memories, purpose and confidence. Dream is the continuation of this wonderful journey that we’re on together.”
A dream come true
Bondi Perfume Company managing director Matthew Verrocchi says the love and support for Delta’s fragrance to date has been astonishing.
“Delta’s first fragrance, Delta By Delta Goodrem, was such a major success as it allowed fans from all around the world to forge a greater personal connection with Delta,” Matt says.
“Our vision for Dream was to continue to strengthen those connections by sharing a different side of Delta’s personality with her fans.”
For Delta, Dream is an avenue for sharing her passions and love for life with fans across the world. “Dream is all about having the belief that dreams can and do come true,” Delta says.
“Each of our dreams are so important and the belief in them is critical to them coming to fruition,” Delta says. “My hope is that Dream is something that we can continue to share together. It’s the continuation of the journey that we’ve been on together. It’s the story continuing to unfold.”
Dream by Delta Goodrem is available exclusively at Chemist Warehouse stores and online at chemistwarehouse.com.au.


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Players flock to EA’s latest FIFA game.
EA reports that the launch of FIFA 23 has led to a new record in the number of players. According to the gaming company, over 10.3 million will have played the game during the launch week. This is a new record for the series.
In comparison, last year’s FIFA 22 “only” managed to reach 9.1 million players in the first 10 days after the game went on sale.
– The response from the fans has been absolutely incredible, and we are overjoyed that the gaming community is playing with their favorite players and teams and mustering record numbers for FIFA 23, EA CEO Nick Wlofyka says in the press
With this, it looks like EA’s FIFA series is rounding off on a high note, at least in terms of players. As we learned this summer, FIFA 23 will be the last game from EA to bear the FIFA name, thus putting an end to the nearly 30-year-old collaboration. Starting next year, the series will be renamed EA Sports FC, after EA and the International Football Association have failed to reach a new agreement.
For its part, the association promises to continue with its own soccer games after the break with EA.
Even though FIFA 23 has reached a new player record for the series, this year’s feature cannot adorn itself with as much critical praise. On the review aggregator site Metacritic, the PlayStation 5 version of the game has a score of 76, which is a few points lower than the series’ high.


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French startup Million Victories raises $3 million to scale Million Lords
November 16, 2021 |
The Lyon-based dev is best known for the strategy war MMO Million Lords, which has been downloaded over 500,000 times.
The studio has reported high-level engagement from its spending players, who on average spend around 90 minutes a day in the game.
Million Victories will use the funding to invest in stronger marketing and user acquisition strategies, as well as scaling its team and expand its portfolio.
“We appreciate Griffin Gaming Partners’ approach and their support during this round,” said Million Victories co-founder and CEO Benoît Ducrest.
“It’s uncommon for an American venture capital fund to support a French company in our sector. It’s with great ambition that we start the next phase of our development, in France as well as in the US.”


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Hyundai ix25 Will Be Called 'Creta'; Launch Soon
By Vikas Yogi
1 mins read
Published on June 2, 2015
Though the company hasn't revealed anything about the product except its name, we believe it's the Hyundai ix25 since it's the company's global product that will also be launched in India during this year's festive season.
Also Read: 10 Things You Must Know About The Hyundai ix25 Compact SUV
Set to rival Renault Duster, Nissan Terrano, Mahindra Scorpio and others in the league, the Hyundai Creta will share its engines with the Verna. Though there is no official confirmation about the engine options either, we are of the opinion that it will be offered with all of Verna's 4 engines i.e. 1.4-litre petrol & diesel and 1.6-litre petrol & diesel - thus giving buyers multiple options to choose from.
Based on the i20's platform, the Hyundai Creta will take its design inspiration from the company's Fluidic 2.0 design philosophy. The Hyundai Creta will measure 4270mm in length, 1780mm in width, 1630mm in height, and sport a wheelbase of 2590mm, thus making it as spacious as the Renault Duster and Nissan Terrano.
Also Check - First Drive Review: Hyundai Creta
Since the company plans to achieve over 90 per cent localisation level to build this product, the Creta is likely to be cheaper than most of its rivals.
Last Updated on August 14, 2015
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The latest spy shots of the Tata Punch EV reveal the new LED DRL design on the offering, while the all-electric offering is expected to bring comprehensive upgrades.
This support initiative will run for 10 days from 8 December to 18 December for customers of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry affected from the flash floods
The manufacturer also said that it would hike the prices of its commercial vehicle range
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The motorcycle is powered by a 457 cc parallel-twin engine that churns out 47 bhp of max power
5 hours ago
Tata Motors will extend the vehicle warranty of customers affected by Cyclone Michaung, while the company is taking additional measures to improve accessibility to service their vehicles
7 hours ago
Along with monetary aid, Hyundai Motor India Foundation is also working with the state government to delivery emergency relief and essential commodities
7 hours ago
The carmaker said that rising input costs necessitated the revision in pricing.
8 hours ago
Jawa Yezdi motorcycles is holding a mega service camp in Cochin, Kerala from December 14-17 for owners to get free check-ups
3 days ago
Images of the next-generation Hyundai i20 have recently surfaced online, and this time around a couple of prototypes of the car have been spotted testing in India. Unlike the previously seen spy photos of the new-gen Hyundai i20, which features alloy wheels, the cars in these latest images are running on steel wheels with hub caps, but we do get a much closer look at the front section of the car.
13 days ago
This campaign aims to emphasise the importance of regular maintenance for Hyundai cars.
14 days ago
In the Navratri period, India's largest carmaker- Maruti Suzuki sold 96,700 units reporting a growth of 27 per cent in retail sales when compared to 76,000 units retailed in the same period last year.
15 days ago
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16 days ago
Under this initiative, Hyundai states that all its dealerships across India will be wheelchair-accessible by February 2024


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If you've spent any time researching media stocks recently, it's likely you've seen comments and analysis suggesting we're in the midst of "the death of television." That's not technically true. A more nuanced description of what's going on is that consumers are increasingly rejecting bloated cable packages and bills in favor of streaming substitutes such as over-the-top and connected TV (CTV) services.
But nuanced view or not, this trend is happening. After losing 5 million pay-TV customers in 2019, the biggest media companies are finally committing to the idea of a post-bundle world and getting serious with their streaming strategies. While many on Wall Street seem to be focused on the various over-the-top services owned by Disney (Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+) at the moment, big media players like Comcast (Peacock) and ViacomCBS (CBS All Access) have also been rapidly growing their streaming services in 2020.
Savvy investors understand there's money to be made from this significant shift in consumer behavior. Many have been searching for investment opportunities among the mid-cap companies that are helping the major content providers deliver and monetize this relatively new format.
Not all CTV stocks are going to be winners, though. For instance, two mid-caps are often mentioned as likely beneficiaries of this trend: Magnite (MGNI 9.26%) and Limelight Networks (EGIO 1.42%). Only one of them, though, is a buy.
Magnite is a name you need to know
If you're unfamiliar with Magnite, that's understandable. The sell-side ad-tech company has undergone a few changes, starting with the merger of equals -- programmatic advertiser The Rubicon Project and connected TV specialist Telaria -- that created it.
The result of that merger was a company that can provide digital publishers with an omnichannel advertising experience (desktop, mobile, and CTV) and can capitalize on the significant growth in streaming hours happening via CTV. Like most media companies, Magnite had a rough first half of 2020 as many brands decreased their ad spending, particularly in the desktop and mobile formats. However, its third-quarter earnings report quickly changed the narrative. Investors were elated as the company reported that total CTV revenue grew over 50% year over year, and eight of the top 10 demand-side platforms more than doubled their CTV spend on Magnite's platform.
Even better, hidden in the Q3 earnings report press release was the fact that the number of advertisers using Magnite's audience-targeting feature increased by 2.5 times. That feature is the "secret sauce" that keeps Magnite's customers coming back. Taken together, the various results show that Magnite is quickly becoming a major player in this growth market, and with a client list that includes Walt Disney and Discovery, this company has a long runway in front of it.
Limelight stock is cheap for a reason
Another streaming play investors are paying close attention to is Limelight Networks. At first glance, this makes sense: The content delivery network (CDN) provider's services are critical to ensuring that the ever-growing flood of data moving from video-streamers and other content providers to users reaches them with the speed they expect.
Limelight boasts an enviable customer list that includes Amazon. And it's in the same general industry as high-flying stocks like Fastly and Cloudflare, but trades at a considerable discount to both companies.
After listening to Limelight's third-quarter earnings conference call, I've concluded that the discount is warranted. Management decided to take on a $125 million convertible debt offering for "flexibility in accelerating our growth initiatives," but aside from brief passing commentary, offered no tangible plan for how it would deploy the cash. Even worse, the company missed its estimated earnings entirely because of this debt.
However, what I'm truly worried about is customer power in a market where switching costs are low. Amazon alone accounts for 30% of Limelight's revenue, and its top 20 customers account for 72%. It's clear these powerful customers have the upper hand in negotiations and can significantly impact business operations.
During the Q3 conference call, CEO Bob Lento and former CFO Sajid Malhorta discussed repricing risk, with Lento noting that the impact of one large customer renegotiating its contract was significant enough that it took Limelight two or three quarters to pull its margins back up to where they had been. It's clear the company's customers consider CDN a commoditized product, so I expect further erosion of its margins.


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Marketers and developers paid much more for a conversion in Apple Search Ads during the fourth quarter of 2021 than they have in the past, according to data from SplitMetrics.
The CPA in Apple Search Ads is the indicator to measure how much on average marketers or developers pay for the conversion, which equates to a tap on the “Get” button.
SplitMetrics calculated the average CPA by dividing the total spend by the number of installs from an ad in Apple Search Ads in a specific time frame.
SplitMetrics estimates the average CPA at $3.64 in Q4 2021 -- up from $2.58 in Q3 2021. It remained steady in Q2 at $2.58, but rose from $2.22 in Q1 2021. The company also estimates the compound annual growth rate at 6.42%.
The report from SplitMetrics -- a global tech company focused on analyzing data from mobile apps -- analyzed the average taps and impressions (TTR), clickthrough rates or downloads and taps (CR), spend and taps (CPT), and spend and download or the cost per action (CPA) by categories and markets for the second half of 2021.
The data also compares each measurement with Apple Search Ads benchmarks from previous years, quarter-over-quarter.
The average tap-through rate (TTR) for Apple Search Ads for the second half of 2021 fell to 8.87%, up from 9.17% in the first half of the year, according to data from SplitMetrics.
The TTR measures the number of times that App Store users tapped on an ad. Then it is divided by the total number of impressions for the ad.
In Q4 2021, the TTR came in at 8.32%, up from 8.25%, but down from 8.7% in Q2 and 9% in Q1, according to data from SplitMetrics, a global tech company focused on analyzing data from mobile apps.
Sports led with the highest TTR for the second half of the year at 19.86%, up from 1767%. In the first half. Entertainment followed with 18.79% in the second half, but fell from 19.46% in the first half. Graphic & Design rounded out the top three with 14.43%, up from 9.94% in the first half of the year. The data tracked 15 popular categories. Eight out of 15 App Store categories under consideration had TTR above the overall average, 9.34%.
The average Apple Search Ads conversion rate (CR) reflects the number of app downloads divided by the total number of taps on the ad. The average CR in H2 2021 reached 62.22% in the fourth quarter in 2021, up from 60.96% in Q3 2021.
Similar to the TTR, SplitMetrics analyzed the top CR for 15 app categories.
Eight out of 15 categories show the CR above the overall average at 62.22%. The top three were Business, increasing 10.94%; Games at 8.19%; and Sports at 7.42%.
Health & Fitness, Graphics & Design, and Music fell 17.92%, 13.21%, and 8.77%, respectively.
The average CPT in Apple Search Ads is the total spend on the ads divided by the total number of taps on those ads. The average CPT rose to $2.27 in Q4 2021, up from $1.58 in Q3 2021.
The data shows the overall average TTR at 8.87%; CR, 62.22%; CPT, $2.22; and CPA, $3.76 for the second half of 2021.
CPT for Finance came in five-times higher at $11.73, compared with the average across all categories.
The CPA for Finance also affected the average CPA for other categories -- rising to $21.22, which is 5.6 times higher than the overall average.


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Tags Amazon Web Services
Tag: Amazon Web Services
There is not a single person who doesn’t know about Amazon Web Services. But do you know the story of how it all started? Explore how it started and more!
Under the terms of the RFP, Amazon, Microsoft, Google and Oracle have been invited to bid.
Microsoft has hired Amazon cloud executive Charlie Bell as a corporate vice president. The move represents a victory for Microsoft.
Parler is at risk of disappearing, just as the social media network popular among conservatives was reaching new heights of popularity in the wake...
Using the AWS cloud, Woodside Energy has reduced the 10-day supercomputer processing time down to 90 minutes.
Amazon Web Services will invest $2.77 billion in a second cloud infrastructure region in India by mid-2022.


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The list of top 10 best-selling 2-wheelers in August 2019 registered a decline in the total sales by 15.68%. As usual, staying ahead in the game is Honda Activa, witnessing a total sales of 2,34,279 units in August 2019. The scooter registered a total decline in sales by 24.63% when compared to the same month last year. Honda Activa has registered the biggest drop in the volumes when compared to every other two-wheeler on the list.
Witnessing a sales of 2,12,839 units in total, Hero Splendor bags the second position on the list. The brand has registered a decline in total sales of the motorcycle by 13.87%. Scoring the third position is the Hero HF Deluxe, registering a total sales of 1,60,684 units in August 2019, seeing a decline in sales by 12.54% when compared to the 1,83,716 units sold in August 2018.
Grabbing the fourth spot with a major difference is the Honda CB Shine, registering a total sales of 87,434 units in August 2019. Next product on the list is Bajaj Pulsar grabbing the fifth spot and following shortly is the Hero Glamour. The former has been able to register a total sales of 70,562 units in August 2019 while the total sales for the latter stand at 60,706 units.
Taking the seventh spot on the list of the top 10 two-wheelers in August 2019, the TVS Jupiter was able to register a total sales of 57,849 units in August 2019. The eight and ninth spot has been grabbed by the TVS XL Super and Suzuki Access, registering a total sales of 55,812 units and 48,646 units in August 2019. The tenth spot on the list has been bagged by Bajaj Platina, witnessing a total sales of 44,774 units in August 2019. The brand has witnessed a total decline in the sales of the motorcycle by 2.50% when compared to the same month last year.
Top 10 Best-Selling 2-Wheelers
Sales Report (August 2019)
- Honda Activa: 2,34,279 units
- Hero Splendor: 2,12,839 units
- Hero HF Deluxe: 1,60,684 units
- Honda CB Shine: 87,434 units
- Bajaj Pulsar: 70,562 units
- Hero Glamour: 60,706units
- TVS Jupiter: 57,849 units
- TVS XL Moped: 55,812 units
- Suzuki Access: 48,646 units
- Bajaj Platina: 44,774 units


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PARIS — Apollonia Poilâne is your typical French teenager, insofar as she sometimes lounges at home in front of the television and occasionally whoops it up in nightclubs.
But the strong-willed 19-year-old is also chief executive of her family business, the Poilâne bakery founded in 1932 by her grandfather, Pierre, and made famous worldwide by her late father, Lionel, a charismatic man who perished with his wife, Ibu, in a tragic helicopter crash last November that made front-page news in France.
“My dad used to say, ‘One day Apollonia may take over the business,’ and I would correct him: ‘One day, I will take over the business,’” she says during an interview at the bakery’s original tiny outlet on Rue du Cherche-Midi. “This is what I have been wanting to do all my life. I am honored to come down here every morning and greet Felix, who taught me everything about making bread.”
But it’s not only Felix Ferreira, the master baker, Poilâne has to contend with. She oversees a company with 137 employees who produce some 3 million loaves a year, with 10 percent exported to more than a dozen countries. Gourmet recipients in the U.S. include Balducci’s and Dean & Deluca in New York, as well as Robert De Niro, Tom Cruise and Lauren Bacall, who rely on Poilâne for their daily bread.
“I have to face huge responsibilities,” says Poilâne, dressed primly in a crisp white shirt and pinstriped trousers. “But I know I also need time to myself. I still go to my classical dance class twice a week and I go horseback riding every chance I get.”
Poilâne had plans to go to college in the U.S. to study management and economics, but for now she is content to learn at the helm of a company she describes as healthy and growing. Sales last year totaled $14 million.
Somehow, Poilâne also has made time to manage her late mother’s design business. Ibu Poilâne made furniture and home objects and designed jewelry, including pieces for a Chanel couture collection.
Not surprisingly, her parents’ refined taste has rubbed off. The young Poilâne has an eye for Alberta Ferretti, Issey Miyake and Jil Sander. “I remember my mother and I would try on a Jil Sander jacket and it would fit perfectly,” she says.
But don’t expect to find this fashion lover clamoring for show tickets anytime soon. She’s not the type to seek the limelight — not that the teenage bread heiress shuns the growing media attention. “It doesn’t bother me,” she says with a shrug. “It comes with the job.”


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Two more energy suppliers in the UK have failed, taking the total to 23 companies that have collapsed since the start of August in the biggest shake out of the country's retail power and gas market.
Entice Energy, with 5,400 customers, and Orbit Energy, which served 65,000 households, announced they are ceasing to trade, according to regulator Ofgem. The watchdog will help find a new firm to take over the accounts.
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When Noah Gift purchased an excellent BMW electronic hatchback out of Carvana last year, he extremely appreciated the whole process of to invest in a motor vehicle from the on the internet agent. Although difficulties appeared afterwards.
Present, good 46-year-dated application designer inside Cary, told you he bought his automobile history summer nonetheless has not acquired a concept.
Carvana, a comparatively brand new member in car dealerships, offers vehicles on the internet and has actually drawn lots of attention having the imposing вЂњcar vending hosts,вЂќ along with one out of Raleigh.
All you have to Learn
- The brand new Vermont DMV last year suspended Carvana away from offering cars inside the Wake Condition for 180 days. You to suspension system comes to an end The month of january. 29
- Brand new DMV accused the business away from “failing woefully to deliver titles to DMV, attempting to sell an auto rather than a state evaluation, and you may giving aside-of-state short term labels/plates”
- You to consumer for the Cary said the guy ordered a motor vehicle past june but still has not received the fresh new name, despite regular calls and you may issues
- Good Carvana spokesperson said, “We have been operating closely to the customers to answer the difficulty”
The latest provider got in trouble with the latest New york Company of Automobiles a year ago as well as the county frozen their licenses in order to promote automobiles for the Aftermath Condition for 180 weeks. That suspension system try upwards Jan. 30.
вЂњThere’s an abundance of advancement it did regarding the automobile-to get procedure,вЂќ Current said. вЂњThe area when you obtain the vehicle ‘s the region We have had a problem with.вЂќ
For the a management reading a year ago, the new DMV accused the organization away from “failing continually to submit headings so you can DMV, attempting to sell a vehicle instead your state evaluation, and giving aside-of-county temporary tags/dishes to own a motor vehicle marketed to help you a person in Letter.C.,” said Nazneen Ahmed, to your North carolina Lawyer General’s Workplace.
Carvana had a management hearing into the DMV in may and following appealed this new ruling to Wake County Advanced Judge. A court upheld the fresh 180-day suspension plus it first started to your dealership’s Raleigh area when you look at the August.
“Beneath the arrangement, Carvana is also look for a revival of its in the past suspended permit on the Friday,” said Marty Homan, spokesman towards New york Agency out-of Transport.
Carvana was permitted to continue offering autos within the other Northern Carolina urban centers in the Greensboro, Charlotte and Concord. The company’s Charlotte location is even lower than probation over comparable things, according to New york Mark.
However, Present says he nevertheless has not yet gotten brand new title to have their 2017 BWM i3. An issue he submitted towards the Attorney General’s Place of work shows he paid for the automobile with that loan out of their borrowing commitment to your July step 1.
The fresh complaint told you Bridgecrest Anticipate Corp., Carvana’s financing team, would not posting the vehicle title to help you him or their borrowing from the bank connection.
Gift said the difficulties which have bringing headings could cause finance companies to help you boost interest levels on the car loans, once the without the label, it’s generally a personal bank loan
вЂњIt’s an incredible trouble to expend 9 months getting in touch with, delivering to your hold with folks exactly who ghost you and do not call your straight back,вЂќ he told you.
вЂњIt’s really like you are in the check here dark,вЂќ he told you. вЂњJust give the person that ordered the automobile their term so they can get on through its lives.вЂќ
Whenever inquired about Gift’s circumstances, Carvana sent a short declaration so you can Range Information 1: “The audience is operating closely to your customers to resolve the issue.”
The better Organization Agency offers Carvana a score away from several out of five a-listers. Individual issues towards Better business bureau website list multiple trouble people have had getting papers, dishes and other essential data files from the organization.
They are did into the startups and will teach software innovation. He said the organization could easily build a thing that lets people come across the spot where the documentation is actually for their vehicles online and tune the method.


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Hell Pizza will be reminded of its obligations under the Food Act after selling fake meat pizzas to thousands of unwitting customers.
The fast food chain sold more than 3000 of its new Burger Pizzas last month, with most customers not realising its burger-like topping was made of Beyond Meat, a plant-based meat alternative.
Hell reckoned the stunt was a great marketing ploy but some customers claimed they had been lied to - and raised concerns they may have been unwittingly exposed to allergens.
Now the Ministry for Primary Industries has stepped in, saying after several complaints it will be talking to Hell Pizza about "the importance of consumers being aware of ingredients so they can make informed decisions".
These included knowing whether there were allergens in their food. Beyond Meat's website warns that pea protein, one of the product's main components, could pose a risk for people who are allergic to peanuts.
"Peas are legumes," the website says. "People with severe allergies to legumes like peanuts should be cautious when introducing pea protein into their diet because of the possibility of a pea allergy."
Dr Bodo Lang, head of marketing at the University of Auckland, said there was a chance the stunt had also breached the Fair Trading Act, which forbids "misleading and deceptive conduct" including selling in a way that is "liable to mislead the public as to the nature ... of goods".
"If you're saying "Burger", I think the vast majority of people would say burger means hamburger and hamburger means beef," Lang said.
But despite possible breaches of the law, he thought the saga could increase sales if people felt it meant Hell was confident in the quality of its product.
"Consumers may want to experience this first hand," he said. "It's implicit that they're suggesting to you that this stuff is as good as the real thing, so me and my meatosaurus friends will give it a try."


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- Nearly 50% of marketers don't know where their ads are running online due to programmatic strategies, according to a new study by the Society for New Communications Research of the Conference Board (SNCR).
- The study found that a majority of marketers are concerned about brand safety but are reluctant or unsure how to adjust their business practices accordingly. 87% of respondents said it's "moderately likely" to "very likely" that the automated nature of programmatic could place their ads near "fake news," while 88% said that adjacency to sensational headlines and false information could be problematic, as it erodes customer trust in brands.
- A majority of respondents named publishers and social media platforms as the ones responsible for addressing the brand safety problem, though just 46% said they'd consider returning to direct relationships with premium, vetted publishers.
Fake news and brand safety are nothing new but were catapulted into the spotlight this year as some of the world's biggest advertisers began to fully grasp just how little control they have over their ads once they're unleashed online. In April, Forrester Research found that marketers in the U.S. spent upwards of $7.4 billion on low-quality ads last year, with more than half going to either fraudulent or unviewable inventory.
The SNCR's study shows how many marketers believe programmatic is the culprit, at least in part. Some cases this year have shown the technology's effectiveness to be questionable, such as when JPMorgan Chase cut back the number of websites serving its ads programmatically from 400,000 to 5,000 with little impact on business performance. Still, marketers' investments don't appear to be slowing: nearly two-thirds of all digital display ads are forecast to be programmatic by 2019, representing up to $84.9 billion, according to Publicis Groupe Zenith.
Brand safety is closely connected to the lack of transparency in digital media, and some view more direct trading marketplaces as a solution to clearing out some of programmatic's murk. While most marketers understand the roots of the problem, they might need to be more agile in establishing direct relationships with publishers and other partners if a significant change is to occur.
A wider adoption of ads.txt might also improve some of the issues, as the tool, rolled out by the IAB Tech Lab in May, aims to boost transparency in the programmatic ecosystem and prevent counterfeit or unauthorized impressions. Despite the positives that ads.txt could bring, adoption has been relatively sluggish among publishers.


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Remove Your Chocolate and Books! Everything to Know About the TSA's Crazy-Strict New Carry-On Rules
Airport security is about to get even more unpleasant if you carry any of these items
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is testing new security measures that would require passengers to remove even more items from carry-ons to go through airport checkpoints.
Travelers are already required to take out liquids and laptops before passing through to their gates. They might soon be required to take out every electronic device larger than a cell phone, including cameras, game consoles, and iPads as well as any food items or books, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.
Some dense food items. like chocolate, can look like a certain type of explosive device to X-ray machines and cause delays, the article notes.
Thick stacks of paper and books are problematic because they obscure the items beneath them. In February, weighty Super Bowl programs with holograms on them caused numerous security stops in Houston.
“It is not any one particular item we’re worried about,” Darby LaJoye, assistant administrator for security operations, told WSJ. “It’s not about paper or food or anything. It’s how best to divest those items.”
WATCH THIS: These Are the Airlines Most Likely to Bump You Off a Flight
The new measures are currently being tested at several smaller airports, including Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Lubbock, Texas. But passengers have also started to encounter them in Los Angeles, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Boston, Detroit, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and San Juan, Puerto Rico, according to WSJ.
If the TSA decides to implement the new procedure across the country, it will be in place in time for the summer rush, according to the same report.
The added measures would not change what is allowed inside carry-on bags, the TSA noted in a statement on the trial phase Wednesday.
The proposed new security protocols come following the decision from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to impose cabin electronics bans on items larger than a cellphone for flights coming from several Middle Eastern cities, citing concerns that a bomb could be disguised inside the large lithium batteries of laptops and iPads.
After considering extending the electronics restrictions to airports in Europe — and millions more travelers — the administration has put that decision on hold. The ban is not off the table, however: DHS noted the measure was “still under consideration.”
This article originally appeared on Travelandleisure.com


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Jul 3, 2011
Gilt Groupe may be profitable before 2014: CEO
Jul 3, 2011
July 3 - Gilt Groupe will likely be profitable before 2014 as new businesses being launched by the online flash-sales company mature, according to founder and chief executive Kevin Ryan.
Gilt Groupe is an innovative online shopping destination offering its 3.5 million members special access to the most inspiring merchandise and experiences every day, many at insider prices.
Gilt is currently losing money because the company is spending to start so many new ventures, including a full-price men's apparel website called Park & Bond, Ryan told Reuters this week.
However, Ryan said he's "highly confident" Gilt will be profitable.
Amazon.com, the world's largest Internet retailer, took roughly six years to start making money, Ryan noted.
"We will get there in less time," Ryan said.
Ryan, former CEO of online advertising giant DoubleClick, founded Gilt in November 2007. His prediction suggests Gilt could become profitable before November 2013.
Flash-sales websites offer steeply discounted products and services for a limited time. The model has caught on quickly in the retail industry -- especially the luxury apparel sector where Gilt currently leads.
Gilt hired 56 employees last month and now has about 750 staff members. Ryan has said in the past that gross revenue for the company's fiscal year ending June 30 would be about $500 million.
Gilt is in no rush to do an initial public offering, partly because the company raised $138 million in venture capital backing in May, giving them a valuation of $1 billion.
"We've not had a single meeting about an IPO," Ryan told Reuters. "We will go public at some point, probably one to three years from now."
Gilt has many rivals, including Rue LaLa, HauteLook, owned by Nordstrom, and MyHabit, started by Amazon.com.
"There are lots of flash-sales sites out there now," Ryan said. "You're going to see a shakeout."
Ryan has experienced this in the past. At DoubleClick in 1997, there were 37 competitors, but four years later 90 percent were gone, he said.
Gilt plans to tackle this problem by expanding into many different categories. The company started a travel flash-sales website called Jetsetter about a year and a half ago. This part of the business is generating $80 million to $90 million of annual revenue, Ryan said.
Gilt also is offering discounts on restaurants, home furnishings, food, and kids' clothes, he noted.
Some flash-sales customers are now bombarded with emails from Gilt and its many competitors each morning. If they start cutting back on these emails, Ryan hopes they will stick with the company that offers the widest range of items.
"When they make this decision, I want them to just choose Gilt," Ryan said.
(Reporting by Alistair Barr; Editing by Gary Hill and Carol Bishopric)
© Thomson Reuters 2023 All rights reserved.


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According to the Seattle Post, Nintendo has begun shipping DS handheld units from their distribution center in Redmond, WA. This does not indicate an early launch of the system. Nintendo is simply shipping them out now so they will be in stores and ready for the November 21st launch date. What it does mean is that there might be a handful of stores across the country that accidentally (or purposefully) break the date and begin selling the systems early. This same thing recently happened to Microsoft and Bungie's Halo 2 for Xbox. [br][br]In a related story, some Nintendo promoters received their DS systems today. They'll be using their systems to spread the word on tours in various countries to get people hyped up for the system launch.
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Internet to get porn search engine
Porn will now have its own search engine on the Internet — and there’s nothing the U.S. government can do about it.
ICM Registry, which runs .xxx, will launch its own search engine — Search.xxx — on Thursday.
“There’s enough porn for anyone who wants to find it,” said Stuart Lawley, ICM’s chief executive and president. “If people hate porn, they can keep away from it.”
The Internet is about to go through the biggest domain expansion in its history with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers considering more than 1,900 applications for domains such as .cloud, .bank and .blog.
When ICANN approved ICM’s application for the .xxx Internet domain last year, the U.S. government expressed disappointment. “ICANN ignored the clear advice of governments worldwide, including the U.S.,” Assistant Secretary of Commerce Larry Strickling told Fox News at the time. “This decision goes against the global public interest, and it will open the door to more Internet blocking by governments and undermine the stability and security of the Internet.”
Commerce declined to comment Wednesday on the .xxx search engine.
But Lawley said no government has blocked access to .xxx since the domain launched in December 2011. Since that time, .xxx has registered 240,000 Internet addresses, Lawley said. Its new search engine aims to drive more traffic to those domains by scanning 21 million pages of content.
ICM’s creation of a porn-specific search engine may be an indication of the future of the Internet naming space. There will most likely be other search engines created according to topic — whether for banks or blogs or cars, Lawley said.
For ICM, which is based in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., there were several reasons to create a search engine for online adult-entertainment domains. Google and other search engines often mix porn results with nonporn results, and have recently changed algorithms that have resulted in the lower ranking of porn results, Lawley said.
Some major search engines draw data from previous searches to complete a search term, which can lead to awkward and embarrassing situations for the person doing a search with someone looking over the shoulder, Lawley said. That won’t happen in this red-light search district on the Web.
“What happens on search.xxx,” he said, “stays on search.xxx.”


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Stratasys, a leading global provider of 3D printing and additive manufacturing solutions, has collaborated with design and product development company Worrell to accelerate medical device development through the use of 3D printed injection mould
Workz, a leading secure printing and services provider, has officially opened its new headquarters in Dubai.
The 60,000-sq-ft facility includes a new expanded fulfilment, card and packaging printing facility as well as logistics a
An increasing number of printers are turning to hi-tech digital printing solutions offered by Xerox Emirates’ because of their ability to offer superior image quality with faster turnarounds and reduced costs, the company said.
Samsung Electronics has unveiled new printing solutions and NFC printers at the Samsung Forum recently held in Malaga, Spain.
The solutions cater to small and medium-sized business across different industries and include server-fr
Zebra Technologies, a leader in marking and printing technologies, will launch a new patient ID integrated printing solution for the region’s healthcare sector.
The solution, to be unveiled at the Arab Health 2014 in Dubai,
Saudi Arabia's printing market – the oldest and the largest in the Gulf – is worth an impressive $800 million growing steadily at a rate of eight percent per annum, according to a recent study.
This upbeat growth f
Bahraini firms hit by a shock 300 per cent increase in overseas postage fees are calling on authorities to reverse the decision, saying it will cost them thousands of dinars and could force them to look for postal alternatives abroad.
HP has appointed Mathew Thomas as the new general manager for its Printing and Personal Systems (PPS) unit in the Middle East.
In his new role, Mathew will be in charge of HP PPS in the region, including profitable business growth
Worldwide shipments of 3D printers (3DPs) priced less than $100,000 will grow 49 per cent in 2013 to reach a total of 56,507 units, according to Gartner, a leading IT research and advisory company.
Rapid quality and performance in
Brother International (Gulf), a leader in printing devices, has signed a strategic distributor partnership agreement with Hoshan Company Ltd (HCL), a leading workplace solutions provider in Saudi Arabia.
Under the terms of the agr


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Analysts at one of the world’s largest bank, Bank of America, have named the most promising shares from the S&P 500. Among the 505 American stocks included in this index, experts have selected one security for each sector.
Since the beginning of the year, the stock market index has risen from 2448 points to 3240 points, that is, growth amounted to 29% over the year. The bank expects the US stock market to continue to grow in 2020 by about 6% from current levels. The target for the S&P 500 index at the end of the year may be a mark of 3,300 points, according to experts at Bank of America. In the next ten years, the stock market will grow by an average of 5% per year.
In their review of the outlook for the US stock market, analysts noted that the risks associated with the trade conflict have decreased, and macroeconomic signals are showing signs of stabilization. Taking into account these factors, the securities that are worth paying attention to in 2020 are:
- In the Communication Services sector, stocks of Walt Disney, a world leader in the entertainment industry that operates film studios and theme parks;
- In the Consumer Staple sector, the most interesting were the shares of one of the world’s largest producers of pork, beef and chicken Tyson Foods;
- In the Consumer Discretionary sector, the most attractive paper is the largest US retailer of used cars CarMax;
- In the energy sector, bank experts noted the shares of the oil and gas giant Exxon Mobil;
- Utilities shares, which bring stable dividends, will help insure against sudden movements on the retail space. In this sector, experts highlighted the shares of American Electric Power – a company engaged in the generation and distribution of electricity in the United States;
- In the financial sector (Financials) the experts named the shares of one of the largest American banks Citigroup;
- In the field of healthcare (Health Care) – the manufacturer of dental equipment and consumables Dentsply Sirona;
- In the industrial sector (Industrials) – shares of the American military-industrial company Raytheon Company;
- In the information technology sector, Bank of America experts named the shares of the processor manufacturer Intel as the most attractive securities;
- In the Materials sector – shares of paper and packaging manufacturer WestRock Company look promising;
- In the real estate sector, experts noted the shares of the Kimco Realty Corporation fund, which specializes in investments in shopping centers.


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Smile more and don't flash your cash! Italian holiday resort takes out advert to advise Russian tourists on etiquette
An Italian hotelier has produced a television advert teaching Russian holidaymakers about etiquette and asking them to smile more.
The advert, which will air on Russian television ahead of the summer season, is a response to the vast quantities who descend on the Tuscan resort of Forte dei Marmi every year.
The eastern tourists have gained a reputation among locals for being 'arrogant', according to Italian newspaper La Repubblica, for not thanking staff or appearing cheerful enough.
Cheer up: Russian tourists are being asked to smile more and interact with staff at hotels and restaurants at Forte dei Marmi
Salvatore Madonna, head of the luxury hotel group Soft Living Places, wants to help Russians 'better integrate' during their stays and has employed Russian model Ljudmila Radcenko to take part in the advert.
The advice includes telling Russians to 'please smile more' and states: 'If a dish or service pleases you, show your satisfaction by saying thank you - not just leaving a big tip.'
Other Italian basics are also included in the advert, such as telling Russians not to order a cappuccino after lunch as it is traditionally a morning drink. Instead, espressos and macchiatos are the caffeine drinks of choice in the afternoon.
Mosco-on-Sea: Forte dei Marmi is packed with luxury boutiques which attract Russian holidaymakers, who have been advised in the advert not to wear tiny bikinis and high heels at the pool
Tuscan retreat: Forte dei Marmi has been dubbed Moscow-on-Sea for its popularity among Russians
They are also advised not to show off by ordering the most expensive wine on the menu or carelessly leaving huge tips as it is considered vulgar.
And women who wear high heels and barely-there bikinis are advised by Radcenko to tone it down.
The upmarket resort of Forte dei Marmi has become a favourite with Russian holidaymakers, being dubbed 'Moscow-on-Sea'.
The resort caters to its wealthy guests by translating menus into Russian and with a host of expensive boutiques for shopping.
The three-minute advert also asks Russians to interact more with hotel staff, by smiling at them and making eye contact.
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