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Redditor itsallaguesswork discovered a new setting on his Pixel 2 this weekend that allows the selection of a default smart assistant. Most notably, Alexa is one of the new choices. Simply download the Alexa app and select your preference in the appropriate settings menu (depending on your device). Once done, you can invoke Alexa by name or by holding the home button.
This is a small change, but one that could potentially have huge ramifications. Starting today, Alexa has essentially escaped the confines of the living room and can be triggered on a phone without the hassle of diving into an app. It will be interesting to see how many people switch from Google Assistant and Bixby.
ZTE was caught violating US sanctions by illegally shipping telecommunications equipment to Iran and North Korea. The company then made things worse by “making false statements and obstructing justice, including through preventing disclosure to and affirmatively misleading the US Government,” according to the Department of Commerce. The company reached a settlement with the government, agreeing to pay up to $1.2 billion in penalties and discipline the employees involved in the sale.
Recently, the Commerce Department found ZTE was not complying with this settlement, which triggered the next part of the agreement: a seven-year ban on US exports to ZTE. The company is no longer allowed to use US components and, possibly, software in its devices.
On the ZTE Temp Go, the first Android Go smartphone:
The $80 Tempo Go went on sale on March 30 and quickly sold out in about a day. Since then, the device has been listed as “Out of stock” on ZTE’s website. Since the devices use a Qualcomm SoC and Google software, is the Tempo Go dead after a single day on sale?
Damn. Cold blooded, but fair. Hopefully returns will be in order for Temp Go owners.
In emails to The Verge, both companies said they do not employ similar practices with their smartphones. An HTC spokesperson said that designing phones to slow down their processor as their battery ages “is not something we do.” A Motorola spokesperson said, “We do not throttle CPU performance based on older batteries.”
The Verge also reached out to Google, Samsung, LG, and Sony for comment on whether their phone processors are throttled in response to aging batteries. A Sony spokesperson said a response would be delayed by the holidays, and a Samsung spokesperson said the company was looking into it.
Effortless, positive PR for HTC and Motorola, but also Android as a whole. Most people will see this as Android versus Apple, not Apple vs. HTC vs. Motorola vs. LG vs. Samsung, et al.
Though I still don’t agree with how Apple carried out their throttling, I’d take a slowed-down iPhone over an Android device any day. In fact, I’d be curious to compare real life results (read: not quantitative benchmarks) between a throttled iPhone 7 and a comparable Android device.
Since the beginning of 2017, Android phones have been collecting the addresses of nearby cellular towers—even when location services are disabled—and sending that data back to Google. The result is that Google, the unit of Alphabet behind Android, has access to data about individuals’ locations and their movements that go far beyond a reasonable consumer expectation of privacy.
Quartz observed the data collection occur and contacted Google, which confirmed the practice.
Explanation by Google:
“In January of this year, we began looking into using Cell ID codes as an additional signal to further improve the speed and performance of message delivery,” the Google spokesperson said in an email. “However, we never incorporated Cell ID into our network sync system, so that data was immediately discarded, and we updated it to no longer request Cell ID.”
Don’t be evil [and get caught]. ™
On a serious note, when location services are disabled, nothing better be using or logging my whereabouts. Furthermore, who is to say the data they collected was really discarded? Caveat emptor.
Yesterday some users spotted a fake version of the most popular WhatsApp messaging app for Android on the official Google Play Store that has already tricked more than one million users into downloading it.
The app maker added a Unicode character space after the actual WhatsApp Inc. name, which in computer code reads WhatsApp+Inc%C2%A0.
However, this hidden character space at the end of the WhatsApp Inc. would be easily invisible to an average Android user browsing Google Play Store, allowing this dodgy version of the app to masquerade as a product of WhatsApp Inc.
According to Redditors, who first spotted this fake app on Friday, the app was not a chat app; instead, it served Android users with advertisements to download other apps.
What a total shit show. Google removed the app from the Play Store, but not before it was downloaded by one million people. Think about how damaging this could be to the WhatsApp brand. I also wonder how vulnerable this makes Google to a lawsuit.
Google has touted advanced malware scanning as a feature of Android 8.0 Oreo, dubbed Google Play Protect. That’s nice and all, but this protection should be baked in to the Play Store for everyone, not only for operating systems with a .2% market share. Turns out the often-complained about walled garden that is Apple’s App Store has its benefits.
Linking to Business Insider’s coverage of this story.
Vic Gundotra, former Google SVP of Engineering, posted the following on Facebook yesterday in reference to recent shots taken of his family with an iPhone 7 Plus:
The end of the DSLR for most people has already arrived. I left my professional camera at home and took these shots at dinner with my iPhone 7 using computational photography (portrait mode as Apple calls it). Hard not to call these results (in a restaurant, taken on a mobile phone with no flash) stunning. Great job Apple.
In a later comment, he goes on to explain why other phones trail behind. Here it is in its entirety, because it’s fantastic:
Here is the problem: It’s Android. Android is an open source (mostly) operating system that has to be neutral to all parties. This sounds good until you get into the details. Ever wonder why a Samsung phone has a confused and bewildering array of photo options? Should I use the Samsung Camera? Or the Android Camera? Samsung gallery or Google Photos?
It’s because when Samsung innovates with the underlying hardware (like a better camera) they have to convince Google to allow that innovation to be surfaced to other applications via the appropriate API. That can take YEARS.
Also the greatest innovation isn’t even happening at the hardware level – it’s happening at the computational photography level. (Google was crushing this 5 years ago – they had had “auto awesome” that used AI techniques to automatically remove wrinkles, whiten teeth, add vignetting, etc… but recently Google has fallen back).
Apple doesn’t have all these constraints. They innovate in the underlying hardware, and just simply update the software with their latest innovations (like portrait mode) and ship it.
Bottom line: If you truly care about great photography, you own an iPhone. If you don’t mind being a few years behind, buy an Android.
Damning words by Gundotra. If you have ever scoffed when Tim Cook says “this is something only Apple can do”, remember this post. It all goes back to owning as much of the technology stack as possible (hardware and software). As Gundotra points out, Apple has virtually no limitations when it comes to innovating because of this. Also for good measure, and because it’s so true, here’s Alan Kay’s legendary quote: “People who are really serious about software should make their own hardware.” Google has just begun to do this with their Pixel phone line, but they’ve got a long way to go to execute at the level Apple does.
Andy Rubin is one of the co-founders of the Android Operating System, which was purchased by Google in 2005. Back in October 2014, Andy left Google to pursue a new startup we have come to know as Essential.
This past March, Andy tweeted out the following teaser.
Augmented Reality and enhanced cameras are something the industry is pushing towards very rapidly, and the device sticking out of the phone definitely looks like it has something to do with a camera.
Not too much else is known about Essential or this new phone they are teasing, other than Eric Schmidt (Executive Chairman, Alphabet) essentially1 confirming it will run Android (see below). We also know it will have a rounded screen and small bezels, based on the first tweet above. This is definitely on par with the latest design trend (Samsung Galaxy S8 and the rumored iPhone 8).
It will be interesting to see if Essential will be able to differentiate themselves beyond the rounded-rectangle, glass, and aluminum standard that is the smartphone world.
One thing’s for sure, though. I fully support the ‘war on bezels’, and 2017 is shaping up to be the year we make substantial progress.


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The organisation behind the Webby Awards -- the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS) -- has set up a sister awards scheme for Europe called the Lovie Awards (after the 'first computer programmer' Ada Lovelace).
The Lovie Awards has been created to specifically honour achievement and the huge amount of outstanding work in Europe, says the organisers, while taking into account local market differences. Hence, it is open to entries in five different European languages (English, French, Spanish, Italian and German).
Judges for the Lovie Awards include musician Imogen Heap; Jesus Encinar, founder of Idealista; Iain Dodsworth, founder and CEO of Tweetdeck; Stefan Glaenzer, founder of Whitebearyard; Mirko Pallera, director of Ninja Marketing; Tom Uglow, creative lead at Google; Elke Klinkhammer, executive creative director at Neue Digitale / Razorfish; David Rowan, editor of Wired; and Niklas Zennström, co-founder of Skype.
The winners of The Lovie Awards will be announced at an awards’ event, doubling up as the grand finale of the Internet Week Europe show from November 7-11, which is also run by IADAS. Work can be entered in four main category types: websites, mobile apps, online film and video; and interactive advertising and media. Within the four groups, there are over 70 sub-categories, ranging from experimental websites and viral video through to mobile innovation, apps and integrated campaigns.
Entries can be submitted online through the Lovie Awards site. The early entry deadline is 29 July.

domain: news


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Hugo Boss today reports that its second-quarter sales fell by more than half when its shops shut during Covid-19 lockdowns. Online sales grew by more than 74% – but that wasn’t enough to stave off a bottom line loss.
The upmarket fashion brand, which recently announced the opening of a new flagship store in New York’s Soho (pictured), today reported group sales of €275m (£244.8m) in the second quarter of its financial year. That’s down by 59% compared to the same time last year.
Hugo Boss’ own retail sales fell by 58% as, on average, half of its stores closed temporarily during the second quarter, amid Covid-19 lockdowns around the world. Wholesale revenues were still harder hit, falling by 64% during the quarter. However, online sales grew by 74% during the quarter, while sales in mainland China returned to double-digit growth in June. Overall, earnings before interest and tax came in at a loss of €124m (£110m) at the retail brand, ranked Top150 in RXUK Top500 research. When asset writedowns including the value of its inventory were included its second quarter earnings came in at a loss of €250m (£222.5m).
The retailer said the “vast majority” of its shops and concessions in its largest markets of Europe and the Americas had been closed between mid-March and the end of May, while wholesale deliveries had been “significantly lower” during the quarter. But online sales improved across Europe, the Americas and the Asia Pacific region, and Hugo Boss said the quarter had been the strongest for ecommerce for 11 quarters – or nearly three years.
Sales across the Asia Pacific region were down by more than a third (36%) but Hugo Boss said sales in mainland China had continued a gradual recovery that started towards the end of March. The retailer took action to cut operating costs, reduce incoming stock, and postpone non-essential investments. It also put in place borrowing facilities of €633m, of which €212m was used by the end of June.
Yves Müller, spokesperson of the Hugo Boss managing board, said the second quarter had been “as challenging as expected” although measures to protect the brand’s financial stability had yielded strong cash flow. He said: “It is equally encouraging to see that the momentum along our strategic growth drivers China and online has either returned quickly or further accelerated. Now, we will put all our effort behind the further recovery of our operations in order to return to top and bottom-line growth as soon as possible.”
Hugo Boss said that sales had improved from month to month in the second quarter and that trend had continued into the third quarter, but it was too soon to predict how its business would develop in 2020.


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LANSING, Mich. (WXYZ) — A St. Clair County woman almost passed out after winning $1 million playing the Michigan Lottery's Millionaire Maker instant game.
Jodi Sass, 31, bought her winning ticket at the Fargo Market, located at 6885 Fargo Road in Avoca.
"I ran to the store to grab some sour cream for dinner and picked up a ticket," said Sass. "I scratched it when I got home and the first number was a match for $1 million.
"My heart started racing and my vision went blurry! I had to ask my daughter to read the ticket to make sure what I was seeing was accurate!"
She chose to receive her prize as a one-time lump sum payment of about $634,000, rather than annuity payments for the full amount. With her winnings, she plans to complete some home renovations, start college funds for her children, and then save the remainder.
Players have won more than $92 million playing Millionaire Maker, which launched in April 2019.
Each $20 ticket offers players a chance to win prizes ranging from $40 up to $1 million. More than $6 million in prizes remain, including two $1 million top prizes and 11 $5,000 prizes.
Lottery instant games may be purchased at 10,500 retailers across the state.
In 2019, Lottery players won more than $1.2 billion playing instant games.


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Whether it’s a small ice cream shop or a manufacturer of golf balls, small businesses can benefit from using Twitter.
Twitter’s popularity has grown over the past few years as people from all walks of life have been embracing the idea of communicating in 140 characters or less. What began as short Internet-generated text messages followed by a handful of people, has morphed into a huge juggernaut where some celebrities have more than a million followers and post regular comments online. And Twitter is also becoming a second home to many small, medium and large businesses.
“It’s a very valuable tool if you use it right,” said Steven Strauss, author of The Small Business Bible: Everything You Need to Know to Succeed in Your Small Business. “If you’re doing it right then you should be building your brand and getting more business as a result.”
According to Strauss, Twitter is an ideal marketing tool for service-oriented businesses and retailers that can run promotions or highlight specials in the alloted word count. Some business owners say the idea of becoming a member of Twitter and actually Tweeting (the lingo for posting comments or content on the site’s feed) is just too overwhelming, or seems downright silly. Yet there are others who say they grew business and/or saw sales rise as a result of being on the platform.
Take Michael Jensen, an entrepreneur who develops applications for the iPhone and Twitter, among other technologies. Jensen’s Tweetbeep.com e-mail application alerts him when someone on Twitter tweets about a subject of interest.
“If someone tweets about something similar to what my App does, I usually respond to them,” said Jensen. While small businesses can create a business account, Jensen suggests creating instead a personal account and Tweeting about business there.
“Business accounts aren’t really something that excites people,” he said.
When engaging in social networking, especially Twitter, a small business should follow some basic rules to ensure its efforts are effective and to avoid getting admonished by the Twitter crowd. First thing to consider: time spent Tweeting. It’s not advantageous for a business owner to spend all day on Twitter and zero time running the operations. The experts suggest that professional users should schedule specific time slots, say first thing in the morning and again in the evening, to post content and respond to followers.
According to Christopher Sherrod, founder and chief thinker at AbundanceUnlimited.com, a Web consulting company, there are two major no-nos: don’t automate your responses or fail to respond to followers.
“Some people get banned on Twitter by automating everything including all their posts,” said Sherrod. “People don’t like robots. They like real people. Social media helps with personal branding because people buy from people they like.”
When using Twitter, small businesses should also keep it informal, but not too personal. With social media there’s a tendency to be very casual, but keep in mind too much personal information may turn off potential customers.
“Nobody wants to know what you’re cooking for dinner,” said Sherrod.
The key to being successful on Twitter is engaging your followers. That can be achieved by providing the right content -- whether it’s a summary of an interesting article or updates on advances in your industry. It can also be done by tweeting promotions and specials. And is there such thing as the “wrong” content? The experts say: yes.
“If you’re a business you don’t want to share political views unless that’s part of your business,” said Jensen. “Keep it neutral.”


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Aug 6 (Reuters) - Online dating services provider Match Group Inc forecast third-quarter sales above estimates and reported better-than-expected second-quarter revenue on Tuesday, as its popular app Tinder attracted more users.
The app reported 5.2 million average subscribers in the quarter, 1.5 million more than last year.
Tinder, which has made “swipe left” and “swipe right” a point of pop culture conversations, grew its subscriber base manifold with new launches.
Tinder’s lighter app version, Tinder Lite, was launched in the quarter on Android platforms in a few South-east Asian and South American countries.
The company also launched two new features Read Receipts and Super Boost for its premium Tinder Gold and Plus subscribers on iOS platform. Read Receipts allows a person to see if their match on the app has seen their messages, while Super Boost gives a person more visibility.
Average subscribers at June-end rose 18% to 9.1 million.
Match now expects to add over 1.6 million average subscribers in 2019, above the 1 million the company had forecast earlier.
The company forecast third-quarter revenue between $535 million and $545 million, significantly above expectations of $521 million, according to IBES data from Refinitiv.
Match said it sees adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) of $200 million to $205 million, above estimates of $202.1 million.
Revenue for the three months ended June 30 rose about 18% to $498 million, above expectations of $489 million.
Net earnings attributable to shareholders fell to $128 million, or 43 cents per share, from $132.5 million, or 45 cents a year ago.
Excluding effects of foreign exchange, Match’s average revenue per user was up 5% at $0.60.
Reporting by Sayanti Chakraborty in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.


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Gemologist Tina Little discovered up-and-coming jeweler Michael Beaudry at the 1996 New York Jewelry Show, and it changed her professional life. At the time, Little was the manager of the jewelry department at Sarasota’s Saks Fifth Avenue, but she sensed that Beaudry was a rising star, and her eye for spotting talent gave her the confidence to quit her job and open her own store. Within 30 days, she obtained financing from a private angel and welcomed her first customers to Queens’ Wreath Jewels.
That was in 1999. A year later, brandishing strong initial sales numbers, Little went back to Beaudry—who, at 41, is now one of the most respected jewelry designers in the luxury niche—and asked if he would do a trunk show for her in Sarasota.
He did, customer response was enthusiastic, and the two have been a powerhouse duo ever since. Little continues to show and sell Beaudry’s designs, along with a variety of other luxury jewelry. Her store, now on St. Armands Circle, is one of the region’s most upscale jewelry businesses, with customers—many of them from Sarasota—who have the ability and desire to pay six figures for an heirloom-quality piece.
Being an upscale retail jeweler is not a bad position to be in these days, according to both Little and Lauren Thompson, public affairs coordinator for the New York-based industry trade association Jewelers of America.
“Retail jewelers are experiencing greater sales growth than other retailers,” Thompson says. “Consumers will pay more for quality. And high-end consumers are still shopping. Ken Gassman, president of the Jewelry Industry Research Institute, predicted that the higher-end retail jewelers might see growth as high as eight to 12 percent.”
“We tend to sell at the extremes,” she says. “We’re living in a bubble here in Sarasota, as far as a luxury market goes.”
Click HERE to keep reading!


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In the second installment of our outlook on how COVID-19 will impact the advertising industry, we analyze future potential scenarios for the outdoor advertising industry. Each advertising format will be affected differently, and it is important to understand the historical relationships between each format and broader economic conditions in order to assess potential recovery scenarios.
In this article, L.E.K. Consulting analyzes future scenarios for outdoor advertising, including looking at its historical relationship with U.S. GDP, and forecasts potential growth trajectories — ultimately drawing out strategic implications for the format.
US outdoor advertising spend closely tracks GDP growth
Growth in U.S. GDP and outdoor advertising spend has been highly correlated for the past 40 years (R2 = 0.66). That potentially spells bad news for outdoor advertising in 2020.
The COVID-19 disruption has touched nearly every segment of the economy. U.S. GDP contracted at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.8% in Q1 2020, the biggest drop since Q4 2008, despite the fact stay-at-home orders only began to roll out across the country in mid-March. The outlook for Q2 is even more dire, with some economists forecasting much larger declines.
Certainly as stay-at-home orders are lifted and Americans begin to move around again, outdoor advertising could bounce back quickly. However, it’s worth noting that after the last recession, U.S. outdoor advertising spend did not reach 2007 levels until 2015.
If GDP forecasts and past relationships between GDP/advertising hold, outdoor ad spend is unlikely to reach 2019 levels by 2021
The various consensus scenarios for GDP produce highly variable ad spend projections, though all project that outdoor advertising spend will not return to 2019 levels by 2021.
In the most optimistic scenario, outdoor ad spend is projected to decline 12% in 2020, then recover and grow 8.5% in 2021 for an overall CAGR of -2.2% from 2019-21.
Under the U-shaped recovery, ad spend is projected to decline 4.9% p.a. 2019-21.
However, things could be much worse: The W-shaped and L-shaped recoveries project overall declines of 7.1% and 12.7% p.a. 2019-21, respectively.
Given the variability of the projections, what strategic considerations should advertisers keep in mind?
Key takeaways and strategic considerations
Indoor lockdowns — Decreased foot traffic and commuting miles have lowered the visibility, reach, and number of impressions outdoor advertising is able to make.
Top outdoor advertisers have been especially impacted — Travel, restaurants, and retail are all mainstays of outdoor advertising and have all been hit particularly hard. Local businesses are also an important part of the outdoor advertising ecosystem, though they may switch to lower-cost forms of digital advertising as their businesses remain financially challenged.
Digital transformation — Outdoor advertising’s digital transformation has been accelerating over the past few years. We’ve discussed how recessions accelerate trends that are already taking place — and outdoor’s digitization will be no different. Expect outdoor digital formats to become the norm where allowed by local ordinances, and look for the outdoor advertising industry to begin to incorporate some of the basic targeting techniques seen from the early days of digital.


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|Existing Director Richard L. Federico named Chairman
EMERYVILLE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 22, 2016--
Jamba, Inc. (NASDAQ:JMBA) (“Jamba” or the “Company”), a leading health
and wellness brand, today announced that David A. (Dave) Pace will be
the company’s next Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Pace, a member of
Jamba’s Board of Directors (the “Board”) since 2012, succeeds James D.
White. Mr. Pace has been appointed CEO effective today, and will start... |


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Android malware that sidesteps the measures introduced by Google in March, to restrict the use of SMS and Call Log permissions and thus prevent credential-stealing apps from abusing these permissions and bypassing SMS-based two-factor authentication, has been discovered by Slovakian security firm ESET.
Digital rights organisation Electronic Frontiers Australia has urged Australians to do three things to protect their online privacy: get a password manager, review their Facebook settings and turn on two-factor authentication.
Hardware authentication security key provider Yubico has released its YubiKey 5 range of products in Australia, offering mobile-free multi-factor authentication as well as password-less Windows 10 login.
Does this mean smart traffic lights? For example, in Macquarie Park (the technology hub of Sydney) traffic light changes take[…]
Telstra had a badly run down copper distribution phone system.NBN has a large chunk of their network on an antiquated[…]
Just sell the whole thing to Telstra already. It can't get any worse.
I have no words to describe this development.Are they out of their minds?!In what universe would you choose to run[…]
There is a 25/5 speed tier, which used to be the default that all the ISPs were using, but then[…]


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- Innocent, the smoothies manufacturer and serial advertising account reviewer, has put its £6 million creative business up for pitch.
Read more: http://bit.ly/TO8p55
- Superdrug, the UK's second-largest health and beauty retailer, is reviewing its £5 million advertising account.
Read more: http://bit.ly/RZ5gkj
- SCA has confirmed details of its global advertising review process, which includes feminine hygiene brands such as Libresse and Libra as well as Bodyform.
Read more: http://bit.ly/QiORJ5
- Gatwick Airport has called a review of its £15 million five-year media planning and buying account, currently held by Mindshare.
Read more: http://bit.ly/XMJZ0H
- Avios, the travel loyalty programme previously known as Airmiles, is on the hunt for a digital and direct marketing agency.
Read more: http://bit.ly/Qj1jbM


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One thing there will be less of this holiday season is gold lamé. For starters, it’s gold lamé. But, more important, Kylie Jenner beat you to it last year, with 20 feet of it exploding from every branch of her Christmas tree.
Hers wasn’t your grandmother’s holiday display. It was a blitzkrieg of bedazzlement, Xmas in extremis, lavishly executed by L.A. “flower whisperer” Jeff Leatham and eventually consumed on Instagram by 19 million to the tune of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You.”
From Calabasas to the Upper East Side, ’tis the holiest season of all: the Olympics of showing up your neighbor with the bigger, louder holiday decorations. For some members of the one percent, the period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s (and sometimes even later) has become a time of high intensity hall decking that makes Dyker Heights look like a minor Hallmark special.
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Households are even competing against themselves. Rudy Giuliani and his soon-to-be-ex-wife Judi are in divorce court reportedly fighting over not just their combined $30 million fortune but also Judi’s “huge walk-in closet of decorations,” including “six-foot-high wooden soldiers” that she claims hizzoner is holding hostage at his Madison Avenue condo.
In a way, the holidays have always been interior design’s thirst trap, Christmas cards the original Pinterest humblebrags. Social media has only raised the stakes, and if you’re one of the people Elizabeth Warren wants to tax, now is the time to broadcast to the max.
“I’ve been to parties where they had a caviar trough you could Greg Louganis into, or entire 12-foot blocks of ice that time-traveled from ’90s Miami,” says Jill Kargman.
The event planner Bronson van Wyck specializes in dioramas that can start with a $15,000 Christmas tree hand-picked in the Adirondacks and decorated with all the fixins’. But he usually doesn’t stop there.
“A visit from Santa is made so much better when he’s accompanied by his reindeer,” van Wyck says. “Let’s just say I’m well acquainted with many an animal handler.”
In this quest to flex like Daddy Warbucks, no demand is off-limits. In Los Angeles budgets for the holidays can start at $25,000 and go up to as much as $200,000, says event planner Mindy Weiss. She was once asked to hang a client’s indoor Christmas trees upside down, which presented a technical challenge.
“I lost sleep for the entire month they were up—but they looked beautiful!” Weiss says.
In Palm Beach, too, clients can spend $25,000—not on their homes but on the interiors and exteriors of their yachts, says designer Tom Mathieu. In Dallas the florist Rusty Glenn once decorated a three-story stairwell with 7,150 stems of white Dendrobium orchids shipped from Thailand, several hundred red amaryllis blossoms, and fresh greenery. The cost? $21,000.
For another winter wonderland Glenn dragged in several hundred flocked 20-foot trees. “The daughter said, ‘I want real snow.’ So even though it was 80 degrees outside, we brought in snow machines and had them sprinkling from the roof over the valet,” Glenn says.
New Yorkers, meanwhile, take their competitive decorating indoors. For one prewar apartment that appears in his new book, Born to Party, van Wyck used 500 white feathered bird ornaments, 300 glitter-encrusted pinecones, 2,000 glass icicles, 2,500 feet of Christmas lights, and 10 yards of silk damask for a custom tree skirt.
“They do it for themselves. They spend thousands and thousands of dollars and they’ll have 10 people over,” says Michael Giannelli, the proprietor of East Hampton Gardens.
“It’s really about showing off their real estate,” Kargman says. “It’s a dick measuring contest, literally. The higher the ceiling, the bigger the tree.”
Americans are expected to spend just over a trillion dollars at retail this holiday season. For members of the highest income brackets, the astronomical sums spent perfecting a seamless celebration are an extension of the sort of made-to-order luxury they have come to expect in other parts of their life. For them Santa is not make-believe—he’s for hire. It just turns out that in the real world elf power isn’t cheap.
“The challenge is the install. We have to go in very quickly right after Thanksgiving and design a whole house in a short window of time, because they don’t want a giant military operation in their house,” says Bryan Rafanelli, the events designer and author of the new book A Great Party, which documents dozens of his events, including Christmas at the Obama White House.
For the first family Rafanelli created “dog trees” of Bo and Sunny, and now they’re a “huge trend,” he says. “They are very realistic. They can be covered in fun fur; we’ve done one covered in Christmas balls—all done by hand. This is beautiful, high quality stuff, not an inflatable Santa on the lawn.” Prices can run up to $25,000 for some 300 hours of work.
While some people helicopter into their second and third homes to find that hired elves have done the heavy lifting, others take pride in taking matters into their own hands. Kathy Hilton’s obsession with Christmas started when she ran a gift shop, the Staircase, in Los Angeles in the ’80s.
“I would do 24 trees, and they would each have a different name,” she says. “The Lucille Ball would be covered in red hearts; the Liz Taylor would be dripping diamonds and bottles of perfume.”
When her children were born, Hilton started incorporating personal touchstones into the festivities. Two years ago, when her daughter Nicky married James Rothschild, Kathy turned fabric from the bridesmaids’ dresses into garlands hung from her balcony.
“This year my son Barron is expecting a child with his wife, so that’s being worked in,” she says. The tradition extends from her home in Bel Air, where she has 3,000 square feet of storage for holiday knickknacks—she already lit her Crushed Candy Cane Voluspa candle two weeks ago—to the annual Christmas party she organizes for hundreds of her nearest and dearest.
“I go into a different world,” Hilton tells T&C. “And the decorations don’t come down until right before Valentine’s Day.”
This story appears in the December 2019/January 2020 issue of Town & Country. SUBSCRIBE NOW


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Huawei recorded sales revenues of CNY220.19 billion (£23.18bn) and a net profit of CNY15.38 billion (£1.61bn), according to its audited 2012 financial results released today (8 April 8 2013). Sales revenues grow by 8% on 2011, while net profit was up 32.1% on the same year.
However, while revenues have grown steadily over the last five years, net profit, despite the improvement on 2011, was below the CNY24.71 billion (£2.60bn) Huawei made in 2010 and CNY19.00 (£1.99bn) it recorded in 2009.
Looking forward, Huawei said it had achieved a steady business growth and forecasts a compound annual growth rate of 10% over the next five years.
The company grew each of the three of its business groups (BGs) in 2012. The Carrier Network BG achieved sales revenues of CNY160.1 billion (£16.8bn), an increase of 6.7% year-on-year.
The Enterprise BG continued to grow in the Chinese market and actively expanded internationally, achieving CNY11.5 billion (£1.2bn) in sales revenue, a 25.8% increase from the previous year. The Consumer BG, which includes the company’s smartphone products, saw global sales revenue reached CNY48.4 billion (£5.0bn), an increase of 8.4% year-on-year.
Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) saw strong growth and contributed record regional sales revenue of CNY77.4 billion (£8.14bn), an increase of 6.1% year-on-year.
In the Asia Pacific region, sales revenue was CNY37.4 billion (£3.93bn), an increase of 7.2% year-on-year; in the Americas, sales revenue was CNY31.8 billion (£3.35bn), an increase of 4.3% year-on-year. Huawei generated CNY73.6 billion (£7.74bn) revenue from China, an increase of 12.2% year-on-year.
In 2012, Huawei invested CNY30.09 billion (£3.16bn), or 13.7%, of its total sales revenue into research and development (R&D). The company has established 16 R&D centers and 28 joint innovation centers across the world.
The company said that moving ahead it will focus the Carrier Network BG on meeting the opportunities presented by the increased demand for professional services, carrier data centre integration and cloud services.
‘In 2012, Huawei met business performance expectations through improved operational efficiency,’ said Guo Ping, Huawei's rotating and acting CEO. ‘Today, telecom networks are yet to meet the requirements for ubiquitous connections - zero wait time, ultra broadband, and smart applications.
‘In the future, ICT will continue to grow, with new opportunities coming from cloud computing, BYOD (Bring Your Own Device), and big data, and feature phones being replaced by smartphones at a faster rate.
‘Huawei will continue to focus on its pipe strategy, integrate and develop businesses around the information pipe, and create value for customers, while achieving sustainable and effective growth,’ said Ping.


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Ecuador’s capital has big plans for welcoming business travellers
It’s all in the eye of the business, says John Burroughes, Managing Director, Uniglobe Preferred Travel
It’s all in the eye of the business, says John Burroughes Managing Director, Uniglobe Preferred Travel
Rose Dykins finds fast cars, high fashion and Japanese culture in the dynamic German city.
The Irish capital is attracting attention from financial firms weighing up their post-Brexit options, Rose Dykins reports.
Bumping passengers is actually common practice, says John Burroughes Managing Director, Uniglobe Preferred Travel
The ambitious Indian tech hub has become one of the fastest growing cities in the world
Vietnam’s unique history and landscape make for mind-blowing corporate incentives and events.
How British Airways can learn from Mr Henry Lindfield’s unfortunate accident
The latest news from Gatwick Airport by Tom Sommerfelt
A more authentic Middle Eastern experience
Meeting face-to-face is still the best way to seal the deal
Is Cuba a worthwhile destination for business?
What is our Right Honourable Secretary of State doing about the Southern Rail? Not a lot
Discover the incredible past, the present challenges and the future business prospects of Hong Kong.
Rose Dykins finds blockbuster-worthy scenery in Dubrovnik, then escapes to its serene surrounding islands
A look at the world of business in Rio De Janeiro, in the aftermath of the Olympics.
British Airways has announced it is to end its inclusive food offering on its short-haul economy class.
Barcelona’s architecture oozes with individuality, the football is best in the world, but what else does it excel in? Business!
The rise of robots seems to have lifted! Uniglobe’s John Burroughes reveals his encounters…


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Google Earth is rolling out its desktop computer version of its cloud computing platform.
The latest version of Google Earth for Windows, which is now available in the Google app store, is available to download and install.
The desktop computer can handle up to 12 virtual desktop PCs, and the company claims it can handle more than 2,000 virtual desktop computers at once.
Google Earth Desktop Edition, as the new Google Earth PC is known, comes with Google’s popular desktop browser, Chrome.
Google is offering a free trial of Chrome for Windows PC to users who download and try the Google Earth desktop PC version of Chrome.
In addition to the desktop PC, the Google desktop computer is also available for purchase for $79.99, which comes with a one-year subscription to Google Cloud Platform.
Google Earth for Mac OS X 10.9 Snow Leopard is now in the Mac App Store.
Google’s desktop computer for Mac can run up to 32 virtual desktop machines.
Google Cloud OS for Mac, which was first released in 2014, offers a virtual desktop server that can handle two virtual desktop servers.
In the new version of the Google OS, Google Earth Server for Mac supports up to two virtual servers and can handle 2,048 virtual desktop hosts.


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Discover more from The Shortcut
iPhone 15 Pro USB-C: leaked photo suggests Apple will ditch Lightning port
The alleged photo appears to confirm several rumors, while the reliable tipster promises more to come
➡ The Shortcut Skinny: iPhone 15 USB-C
📸 A leaked image shows the iPhone 15 Pro USB-C port, brushed metal sides
👍 The leaker, Unknownz21, has a limited, but bulletproof, history
🤔 iPhone 15 Pro USB-C ports have been rumored, but no actual images seen yet
Apple switching to USB-C looks all but confirmed for 2023. Following renders from last week’s iPhone 15 Pro leak, Twitter user Unknownz21, who has a short, but accurate, leak history tweeted a purported image of the bottom of the iPhone 15 Pro, showing off a USB-C port, as well as a brushed metal finished for the frame of the phone, which we expect will be made of titanium, as we’ve discussed in our coverage of the iPhone 15 Pro Max release date.
iPhone 15 Pro leaks: Unknownz21’s credibility
Unknownz21 was, well, unknown to me prior to this leak, but a story in AppleInsider covering the leaked image says they have been a reliable source in the past, but with a short history. Previous accurate call-outs by the leaker have included releasing iOS 14 code and the Gobi AR code scanning app that eventually became App Clips, an iOS feature that allows users to download small snippets of code to perform specific tasks, such as previewing apps, buying goods and services and more.
The Shortcut is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
More recently, Unknownz21 tipped that the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max will be the only phones equipped with Wi-Fi 6E (via MacRumors), a relatively minor but key feature that will let the Pro lineup stand out versus the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus. Following the leaked image of the USB-C port, they said they will probably release another image, showing a corner of the phone and the display curve, bezel and other differences compared to the iPhone 14 Pro.
Then, this morning, the Unknownz21 posted a Twitter poll asking whether they should release an image of the volume buttons or the screen – the buttons are winning as of this writing, with nearly 60% of the vote, so it looks like we’ll be seeing that next, if anything. If the tipster’s leaks are accurate, that could reveal whether the new phones will be getting solid-state buttons, as rumored, or not.
iPhone 15 USB-C
iPhones have hung onto the proprietary lightning standard for its charge ports for years, even as the rest of the industry moves to USB-C (including Apple itself, which introduced the standard on its MacBooks starting in 2016). Its stubbornness finally came to a head when EU regulators forced the company’s hand last year, requiring the company to take up the standard, which may or may not be why we now will likely get iPhone 15 USB-C ports.


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Bethesda has dropped the 1.7 update for Skyrim on Steam. Just connect to the service to get it.
Console owners will have to wait a little while longer, the company has said: the update's been submitted to Sony and Microsoft.
This is the full list of updates the patch will bring into effect:
General memory and stability optimizations.
Fixed crash related to new water shaders.
Fixed rare crash related to dragon landings.
Using vampiric grip and swimming no longer prevents swimming animation from playing afterwards.
In addition Xbox 360 players will get their own tweaks:
Fixed logic error with loading screens from add-ons.
Improved recognition with Kinect voice commands.
Kinect-enabled dragon language shouts for French, German, Italian and Spanish work properly.
Fixed issue with Dawnguard Kinect-enabled dragon shouts for French, German, Italian and Spanish.


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Foreign trade in positive growth since May
Monthly total foreign trade volume in Songjiang has seen positive growth for eight consecutive months since last May. The district’s annual total foreign trade volume in 2020 amounted to 305.57 billion yuan (US$47.27 billion), up 13.1 percent year on year, ranking No. 2 in Shanghai under the category.
The resilient and competitive development of Songjiang’s import-export volume has been achieved thanks to the district’s encouraging government policies, friendly business environment and relatively complete industrial chains.
To ensure foreign-invested companies, the backbone of the district’s foreign trade sector, resumed work in the first half of 2020, district officials helped them with the purchase of face masks and disinfectant while taking advantage of the comprehensive bonded zone’s global purchasing power to satisfy the companies’ resources and logistics needs.
Toppan Leefung Packaging (Shanghai) Co, a subsidiary of Toppan Printing in Japan and a high-end packaging solutions provider based in Songjiang since 2003, decided in mid-February 2020 to invest US$30.1 million in building a health-care packaging production base in the district when the country was in the grip of COVID-19.
“We were considering the investment as early as 2019. When the epidemic struck China at the end of 2019, managers in our headquarters in Japan hesitated. But district officials’ diligent work in helping us solve all kinds of problems when we applied for work resumption strengthened our determination to further cultivate our business in Songjiang,” said Dai Jingcheng, general manager of the company.
Government policies were also released to reduce foreign companies’ operating costs, support small and medium-sized companies to expand their global market and offer subsidies for foreign companies that had purchased export credit insurance.
“All kinds of support policies in the district boost our confidence in expanding our global market,” said Zhang Song, manager of the foreign trade division of Shanghai Huitian New Material Co.
The company’s export volume exceeded 200 million yuan in 2020, up 46 percent year on year.
The district’s integrated circuit industry achieved an export volume accounting for 70 percent of its total annual foreign trade volume.
This was achieved thanks to the district’s relatively complete IC industrial chains. In addition to industrial giant TSMC, the district also has the OmniVision Technologies, AST and Nissi High-tech Services (Shanghai) Co companies.


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17-Feb-2010 - Tate & Lyle has introduced a new starch as part of its X-Pand’R range that can create non-sticky pliable doughs for snacks and baked goods processed through sheeters and extruders, the company said.
02-Sep-2009 - Studies reporting that sucralose may be detrimental to gut health were “not scientifically rigorous”, and the totality of evidence supports the safety of the sweetener, an expert panel has concluded.
01-Jul-2009 - With global consumption rates of fiber still well below recommended intake levels, consumers in Latin America and the US are most aware of the need to add more fiber into their diets, while awareness in Europe still lags behind.
23-Apr-2009 - Tate & Lyle has continued its push into the health and wellness area by linking with a Canadian coffee and tea specialist to distribute a green tea extract in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
17-Apr-2009 - Tate & Lyle’s loss of its sucralose patent case last week may have broken its monopoly of the sucralose market, but is unlikely to throw the doors wide to competitors, says one of the companies cleared in the case.
07-Apr-2009 - Tate & Lyle has lost its sucralose patent case as the International Trade Commission gave its final ruling on Monday that Chinese manufacturers did not infringe the sugar giant’s patents.


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Dick’s Sporting Goods seemed to think they finally had everything under control after their recent “assault weapons” announcements. After stopping sales of AR-15 style firearms they publicly announced their intention to destroy all of their remaining stock rather than selling it off to another vendor. They next doubled down by hiring a gun control lobbyist to work for them. Surely that would make all the hunters and sport shooting enthusiasts who frequent their stores happy, right? I mean, what could possibly go wrong?
They’ve found the answer to that question. This month they were forced to announce to their shareholders that gun sales had tanked and were not expected to recover any time soon… for some mysterious reason. (Business Insider)
Dick’s Sporting Goods decided to stop selling assault-style weapons after the tragic school shooting in Parkland, Florida. But cutting the product from its shelves has proven to be a drag on its business.
After the February shooting, Dick’s Chairman and CEO Edward Stack announced the company would stop selling assault-style rifles…
The sporting goods retailer showed a splendid first-quarter 2018 earnings report Wednesday, sending the stock up more than 20%, but gun sales weren’t a part of that success.
“Our firearms policy changes impacted our hunt business which saw an accelerated decline,” chief financial officer Lee Belitsky told analysts on the company’s conference call. “We expect these businesses to remain under significant pressure throughout the remainder of the year.”
Other aspects of their business are still doing well enough for overall profits to rise, but they’re just not moving anywhere near as many firearms (of any type) compared to previous quarters. Shareholders probably won’t be all that put off since a positive number is always better than a negative one. But Dick’s is still leaving money on the table here. How much better would their overall profit picture be if they’d stood their ground and continued selling the full range of guns rather than choosing to take a side in an ongoing political debate? (And it was clearly the wrong side for their target audience if you’ll pardon the phrase.)
If the store had decided to quietly discontinue carrying these weapons after the current stock sold out they might not have had this much of a problem. Yes, some people probably would have noticed and brought it up in the media, but it could have been framed as a business decision, with Dick’s saying that they felt the popularity of the product was dropping due to media pressure or something like that. Instead, they went in whole hog on the side of the gun control groups and launched a PR campaign to champion their position.
How did they not expect gun owners (and prospective buyers) to see that as a slap in the face? Sadly, Second Amendment rights have turned into a markedly divisive issue in national politics. Both sides are on edge and will likely be set off by any such slight. That’s a lesson that Dick’s is now learning the hard way. It may not put them out of business, but it’s going to be cutting into their bottom line for at least the foreseeable future.


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You may not think it with the national love for bitterballen, but it turns out the Dutch are going veggie. A recent study puts the Netherlands ahead of every other European country when it comes to the consumption of meat replacements.
According to research by not-for-profit ProVeg, Dutchies buy the most meat replacement products compared with their European neighbours. It looks like many have also dabbled in veganism, as the sale of vegetable-based “cheeses” is also on the rise — these are up by 400% over the last two years, reports the NOS.
A small market on the rise
Despite the Dutch love for non-meat, the market share of these products is only 2.5%. This is surprising when the national average amount of fake meat products eaten per person in the Netherlands is 870 grams per year.
READ MORE | Let’s talk about food waste in the Netherlands
The cliché that every millennial is veggie might be true. Remko Vogelenzang, director of Bobeldijk Food Group, said that it’s mainly young people driving the meat-free market.
He also suggests that coronavirus might have affected people’s meat-eating habits. He told the NOS that “some people have become concerned about factory farming and come to the conclusion that a pandemic is caused by humans, in the way we interact with animals.”
Low on “real” meat consumption
It looks like aardappelen, vlees, groente is going out of fashion, the Dutch aren’t eating as much meat as we think. In fact, surprisingly, the Netherlands is only 70th in the world for its meat consumption, according to World Population Review. That’s miles better (or we should say kilometres better) than our neighbours in Germany. Across the border they are chomping in at 19th place.
What do you think about Dutch meat consumption? Have you dipped into the meat replacement market? Let us know in the comments!
Feature Image: Sander Dalhuisen/Unsplash


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China, U.S. need to keep faith with win-win cooperation
by Xinhua writer Ma Qian
BEIJING -- Apple just last week launched its new store in downtown Shanghai, the second-largest flagship store worldwide. Tim Cook, CEO of the American tech giant, also pledged to broaden its applied research initiatives in China on the sidelines of this year's China Development Forum in Beijing.
Apple's continuous investment in China is in stark contrast with the "China threat" and "China collapse" theories peddled by Washington's China hawks and U.S. media in recent months.
The American company's commitment to China's market offers a glimpse into the very nature of China-U.S. trade relations: win-win cooperation. That is also one of the key messages Chinese President Xi Jinping conveyed during his recent meeting with representatives of U.S. businesses, strategic and academic communities.
Faced with the recent years' new and evolving situation in China-U.S. business ties, the two sides should stay committed to mutual respect, mutual benefit and equal-footed consultation, follow economic and market rules, expand and deepen mutually beneficial business cooperation, respect each other's development rights, and work for win-win outcomes for the two countries and the world at large, Xi said.
If history is any guide, cooperation, instead of competition, has always been the mainstream of China-U.S. ties since the two sides forged diplomatic relations.
Over the past 45 years, bilateral trade has expanded by more than 200 times. More than 70,000 U.S. companies have invested and operated in China, and nearly 90 percent of the operations are profitable.
Today, China and the United States stand as two of the world's top economic powerhouses, whose combined economic output is more than one-third of the world's total. Also, for the two countries, the success of one is an opportunity for the other.
U.S. exports to China have supported a broad swath of the U.S. economy. In 2021, China stood out as the largest export market for four U.S. states and one of the top three export markets for 38 states in America. And the current annual bilateral trade supports over 2.6 million jobs in the United States.
Qualcomm, FedEx and the Blackstone Group, whose top executives sat down with Xi a few days ago, are some of the American companies that have over the decades materialized their development through persistent investment in China. Their growth has also contributed to China's development.
Under the new circumstances, China and the United States have more, not fewer, common interests. American companies in China reported improved financial performance in 2023 with increased profitability, showed the 2024 China Business Climate Survey Report recently released by the American Chamber of Commerce in China (AmCham China).
Many U.S. companies also share a positive outlook on conducting business in China. According to the AmCham China's report, the two-year business outlook for China has improved, with members showing increased optimism across the board, especially with regards to domestic market growth, estimated profitability, and the economy.
In the meantime, Beijing's steadfast dedication to opening-up and high-quality development, as well as more measures to attract foreign investment will also bring about fresh opportunities for bilateral cooperation in more areas like green transition, climate change, electric car design and production, and artificial intelligence, among others.
In fact, the two sides have witnessed frequent communication and interaction in law enforcement and counter-narcotics following the summit between Xi and his U.S. counterpart, Joe Biden, in San Francisco late last year, and has made some progress.
Still, future cooperation between the two countries is overshadowed by growing China-phobia in Washington. America's China hawks have turned a blind eye to the interdependence between the world's top two economies. For them, strategic competition should define future China-U.S. ties, and taking China down is the only way for the United States to maintain global supremacy.
Nevertheless, whether it was the trade war or the so-called chip war, or any other form of small-yard-high-fences protectionist tactics against China, they have not only failed to alter the overall momentum of China-U.S. trade ties, but also brought unnecessary pain to enterprises of the two countries, and rocked global industrial chains and supply chains.
"Even if the two economies could be separated, the result would be disastrous for both," a recent editorial by The Washington Post argued.
This year marks the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and the United States. The two countries can take it as an opportunity to revisit the past successes in bilateral cooperation for future accomplishments. Just as Xi said: "The relationship cannot go back to the old days, but it can embrace a brighter future."


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Within the last six months across the developed world, the tectronic plates of business have shifted fast. Caused in large part by the need to overcome the COVID19 pandemic through changes in people behavior. The world has entered into uncharted waters and a deep recession. The good news is that these changes have given the Physical Security business some new growth opportunities.
Lifting lockdown in itself won’t fully restore the economy and even if a vaccine was produced quickly, behaviors like online shopping and remote working are here to stay. The majority of OECD countries are now open for business but consumers are still staying at home. Whilst GDP is now returning to growth we are a long way from economic recovery.
The Physical Security business has not suffered as severly as many others, partly because its products and services have been able to contribute to controlling the pandemic in buildings and the growing demand for delivering VSaaS and ACaaS. Customers, now with limited financial resources, being less likely to invest upfront in a "grudge purchase".
COVID-19 has driven growth in “Building Wellness” systems as building operators are now in the process of installing a variety of products in preparation to meet the new standards for opening up their buildings. Demand for thermal cameras to detect the temperature of staff and visitors to their buildings has grown fast and is now a multi million dollar business.
As part of a wider tracking and testing system they can provide employees and clients with a safer environment to work in. COVID-19 has therefore directly delivered the physical security business a significant new growth opportunity. However demand has recently fallen off as some suppliers have offered their systems as “fever cameras” when in fact thermal cameras can only detect body temperature.
The drive to improve the performance of Physical Security products will not be stunted by COVID-19 in particular Video Analytics software developments have now proven that they can deliver such benefits to users and that they will get a return on their investment.
In this challenging economy, customers will be demanding more value from their investments and will be less willing to commit to upfront capital expenditure. This is making ACaaS and VSaaS services even more attractive.
This shifts the investment off the building’s balance sheet, as the total service eliminates upfront capital expenditure. We also expect alliance and acquisition will become more important in strategic matters as opportunities open up during the next 24 months.
The Physical Security industry now waits for Q3 financial results to find out how fast the industry will bounce back. At this time, the most optimistic scenario would be a return to pre-COVID business trading in Q2 2021 provided that the virus is contained by the end of 2020; and a proven vaccine is made available to the world by mid 2021.


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Economists on Monday predicted that the proposed levy on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) set to take effect in April this year in South Africa was unlikely to make a sizeable dent in the fiscal deficit.
In 2016, National Treasury announced a Sugar Beverage Levy (SBL) on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) scheduled to take effect on 1 April 2018.
When the levy takes effect in April, it will amount to 2.1 cents per gram of sugar per 100ml, above 4 grams per 100ml, down from an initial 2.29 cents per gram of sugar with no exempted amount.
The aim of the levy was to prevent and control obesity in South Africa, but key industry players also viewed it as a potentially significant new source of revenue that could help plug the growing fiscal deficit.
But PwC economists Lullu Krugel, Maura Feddersen and Thabiso Mofulatsi said that their estimations suggest the tax burden is approximately 10 percent, given current levels of sugar content, down from about 20 percent previously.
In a quantitative analysis of the proposed tax on SSBs, the economists used the PwC Economic Impact Assessment Model to derive the potential impacts based on a 10 percent sales reduction calculation due to potential excise driven price changes.
“We estimated that in a scenario in which the beverages industry makes no change to the sugar content of SSBs, the levy would result in an estimated R1.5 billion loss in sales revenue and a R1.4 billion excise revenue gain for government,” they said.
“However, a reformulation by industry would result in a lower loss in sales revenues of only R1.07 billion and lower than expected excise revenue gain for government of R990 million.
“Given the estimated fiscal budget deficit of up to R250 billion, additional revenues of between R990 million and R1.4 billion are unlikely to make a significant dent in plugging the deficit and could support the assertion that the levy will focus on curbing sugar consumption rather than providing significant additional revenue inflows.”
The economists said that it was unclear whether the levy will assist in reducing consumers’ sugar consumption, but said that the industry facilitates lower sugar consumption by reducing bottle sizes and through reformulation.
“It remains to be seen how South Africans will react to the current and impending price change of SSBs and if the levy can indeed assist in reducing obesity. It is clear that monitoring and evaluation are key tools to help government and industry understand the effectiveness of this initiative to prevent and control obesity in South Africa.” (via African News Agency)


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The GMB union is taking a case against logistics firm UK Express, which is based in Birmingham but employs staff across the UK.
The GMB said it believes the drivers fall into the same category as those at taxi firm Uber, and should be classed as workers, not self-employed.
The case is the latest being brought by the GMB to tackle the growing trend of what it calls “bogus” self-employment and gig economy “exploitation”, the Press Association reported.
Maria Ludkin, GMB legal director, said: “This is another case in a long line of legal battles around bogus self-employment.
“Employers might not like paying the minimum wage or giving their workers the protections they’re entitled to in the workplace, but I’m afraid it’s not optional.
“UK Express deliver for some of the world’s largest companies, in this case Amazon.
“The drivers delivering for Amazon, like Uber drivers and delivery drivers for DX, cannot be classed as anything other than employed when you look at the law.
“We don’t get to pick and choose which laws we adhere to and which we don’t like the look of.
“This is a much wider issue than individual companies like UK Express or Uber.
“This is about employment in 21st century Britain.”
It comes after lawyers acting on behalf of around 200 riders with food app Deliveroo prepared the first stage of legal action.
Solicitors Leigh Day said this week that they were preparing to take the first twenty cases to the conciliation group Acas - a required first step before commencing legal action in the courts.
The law firm said Deliveroo riders are recruited by Deliveroo, a process which involves an interview, a trial shift and online tests.
It added that riders are required to wear a Deliveroo-branded uniform and to use a Deliveroo branded box, and are given very specific instructions about how and where they work.
In addition it said they are subject to performance reviews and their terms and rate of pay are determined by Deliveroo.
All those points are likely to feature in its future litigation.
The world of modern work is the subject of a parliamentary inquiry which MPs hope will cast more light on common self-employment practices in the gig economy.
But Katie Mahoney, an employment solicitor at Doyle Clayton, told The Huffington Post UK this week that the delicate nature of such claims could destabilise businesses currently thriving.
“There are two sides to this,” she said. “If you look at an individual’s perspective - you want more rights. If you think about giving all employees in the gig economy full employees’ rights, that would cripple the low margin models that are used.”
“More and more firms in the gig economy are being challenged in this way,” she added. “They will be looking at the level of control - the more autonomous a person is in how they do their job, the more likely it is they are self employed.”


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10 September 2006
10 September 2006
Oxford Financial Group has acquired Parkway Products, the manufacturer of engineered components and subassemblies for OEMs and contract manufacturers (“CMs”) within aerospace, commercial and industrial markets.
Parkway utilizes advanced materials and processing technologies including light-weight composites and high performance plastics such as Torlon and PEEK. The company, founded in 1946, operates additional manufacturing facilities across the US and Mexico.
Parkway’s current management and employee teams will remain intact and will continue to provide world-class products and service to its customers. “We look forward to continuing to serve our customers and helping them maintain their market-leading positions,” said President and CEO Joseph A. Klunk. “We believe the support of Oxford Financial Group will allow us to continue to fulfil our mission to our customers, employees and communities.”
“We are very excited to have identified and delivered an excellent investment opportunity like Parkway to our clients,” said Jeffrey H. Thomasson, CEO and Founder of Oxford Financial Group. “Parkway is a leader in the industry and a trusted partner to their customers. We are pleased to partner with Joe and his team as they continue to grow Parkway.”
New Zealand company Revolution Fibres is tripling nanofibre production to meet increased international demand from a range of industries, from cosmetics manufacturers through to Formula One teams.
US company Web Industries has opened its first European sales office in Hamburg, Germany.
Airborne Aerospace has been awarded a contract by Airbus Defence and Space Netherlands to manufacture 48 substrate panels for the solar arrays of 12 new Galileo FOC satellites.


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Last Monday, the CDC waited declared an end to a cyclosporiasis outbreak that was traced to basil from Mexico. The tally of laboratory-confirmed patients stands at 241, with sick people spread across 11 states.
Six of these were so ill they had to be admitted to hospitals, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is unlikely that additional outbreak victims will be identified moving forward.
The cyclospora parasite that results in cyclosporiasis is often found on fresh produce that is generally consumed raw. Cilantro from Mexico routinely causes outbreaks from the parasite during the warmer months in the United States.
Working with the Food and Drug Administration, investigators at the CDC traced the parasitic outbreak to fresh basil from Siga Logistics de RL de CV of Morelos, Mexico. The company issued a recall on July 24. Illness onset dates ranged from June 10 through July 26. Ill people ranged in age from 15 to 98 years old.


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Thoma, 4th-generation owner, continues to follow family’s path
The nearly 80-year-old tradition of quality meats from local Saxonburg family business Thoma’s Meat Market continued into its newest chapter when Brad Thoma became the fourth-generation owner last month.
While the title may be new to Brad, the work surely isn’t. For the past few years, Brad’s father, Brian Thoma, former co-owner, started passing down more responsibility to his son.
“Nothing has changed for me,” Brad said. “I’m doing the same thing I was doing two months ago as far as running things.”
Paul Sr. and Dorothy Thoma opened Thoma’s Meat Market in 1945. They ran the shop until 1978 when they passed the business to their sons, Paul Jr. and Wayne Thoma.
In 2001, the management went from a brother co-ownership to two cousins. Paul Jr.’s son, Brian, and Wayne’s son, Tim Thoma, co-owned the market from 2001 until the beginning of 2023 when it was passed to Brad.
“As far as management, it’s always been family,” Brad said.
When Thoma’s Meat Market first opened, there were less than five employees, including Paul Sr. and Dorothy, and it has since grown to 27.
Paul Sr. came up with the recipe for the family’s “Famous Saxonburg Bologna” that they sell to this day.
“It is the same as it was 75 years ago,” Paul Jr. said.
In the beginning, most of the market’s products were cattle and hog. Since then, they have expanded greatly and have had their popular items change with the times.
When Brian and Tim were the owners, custom butchering for farmers was a large part of their business. During that time, they laid down the framework for the next chapter of Thoma products.
“(Brian and Tim) bought a lot of new equipment, new smokehouses, they put a new processing room on, and they went after the smoked product market,” Brad said. “They created an emblem for Thoma’s to put on all of our packaging, created a website to try and modernize things.”
According to Brad, about 95% of their business today is Thoma products.
Along with the growth of their products, their physical shop has grown too. When Thoma’s first opened, the business was in a single small building.
“My grandmother and grandfather’s (Dorothy and Paul Sr.) shop would be compared to a one-room schoolhouse,” Brian said.
They have since built additional buildings and a small parking lot.
According to Brad, some of their most popular items include the Saxonburg bologna, smoked meats, bacon, ham, freezer beef and pigs, which are custom cuts and roasting pigs.
Roasting pigs are one of the most popular items during the summer months, selling between 30 and 55 a week to large parties. Oven rentals are also available.
Another popular item is for man’s best friend. In addition to animal bones, Thoma’s offers Dinnerbell Pride, their own brand of raw dog food.
After being approached by some local dog breeders and kennels looking to order raw dog food, Thoma’s made them an order that was, “the best dog food they ever had,” according to Brad.
At first, the dog food was made with scraps, but as this aspect of the business grew, they now buy and harvest from animals that are fit for human consumption.
“It is a very large part of our business now. I would have never thought it would come to that,” Brad said.
Contrary to other businesses during the COVID pandemic, Thoma’s was thriving and they earned new customers.
“It was a huge moment of people realizing that big business isn’t always good,” Brad said. “COVID was a huge eye-opener and a huge step for our business because we gained a lot of business when people realized that we didn’t let them down when it felt like the whole world had.
“Thoma’s never ran out of anything during the pandemic because we harvest our own animals.”
Thoma’s owners prides themselves on the generations-long relationships they have with local farmers. They know the quality of the animals they purchase and butcher, and they can tell customers where their food came from.
“Within a 45-mile radius with our place as a hub, there isn’t a farm we haven’t done business with,” Brian said.
In addition to purchasing animals from local farmers, Thoma’s buy from local livestock auctions and they raise their own animals as well.
“When I was around 8 or 9 years old, I wanted to raise animals, but we didn’t have a lot of property where we lived,” Brad said. “My dad (Brian) had Italian clientele that always wanted baby goats and lambs for Easter, and it was hard to find them.
“When I was little I started raising those, and that has grown now to where we harvest a lot of lambs and goats.”
Brad raises nearly all of the lambs and goats that they butcher and sell. Additionally, he and his uncle, Bruce Thoma, raises some cattle.
The rest of their cattle are purchased from local farmers or livestock auctions.
“There’s at least 25 different farmers that we’ve been buying their cattle from them for generations,” Brad said. “We know their cattle just as well as our own.”
Bruce feeds their cattle and grows grain to make hay with Brad to feed their animals. They feed around 2,000 lambs and goats on six different farms.
They buy their hogs from local auctions and from Nowicki Farm, which is one of their closest neighbors.
“The big market thing you hear now is ‘farm-to-table,’ well, Thoma’s has been farm-to-table since 1945, that’s all we’ve ever been,” Brad said.
The one animal Thoma’s doesn’t raise or butcher is poultry, which they get from Imler's Poultry in Altoona.
Today, Thoma’s harvests more lambs and goats than they do cattle and hogs because of customer demand.
According to Brad, they do a lot of business with Nepali, Hindu and Muslim populations.
“We are not just a beef and pork butcher shop now, pretty much any ethnic group and religion who are looking for anything can come in,” Brad said.
In addition to their retail sales in-store, they also sell smoked meats wholesale to some local Giant Eagle and Walmart locations, convenience stores and gas stations, and they sell fresh to multiple restaurants in Pittsburgh and Butler County, including Cafe Contrary, Hardwood Cafe, Natili North, Mac’s Cafe and Saxonburg Hotel.
In addition to their meats, Thoma sells other local foods in their store, including Mancini Bread, Marburger Dairy Products, Troyer Products, Yeany’s Maple Syrup from Marienville and more.
After growing up coming to work with their dads, continuing the family business was simply part of their lives. According to Brad, there was never a moment where he thought about doing anything else.
“I think for all of us it is just a way of life, we’ve all done it since we were in diapers,” Brad said.
For Paul Jr., going back to work full-time was a very natural decision after spending his adolescence working at the store.
In 1955, one year after graduating high school, Paul Jr. was drafted into the U.S. Army and went to Fort Carson, Col., for basic training before being deployed to Germany, specifically, the Berlin Wall. After returning home, he returned to work.
Brad attended Knoch High School in the South Butler County School District, which is a short walk next door to Thoma’s Meat Market. He spent his high school days going to work in the morning with his father, going to school and going back to work after school.
“I grew up there, and that’s what I’ve always wanted to do,” Brian said.
Brad has two children with his wife, Kylie, 4-year-old Brycen and 2-year-old Brody; with a third boy on the way. His children love going with their dad to work or helping feed the animals.
“The people at the sales and the farms know Brycen as well as they know me, my dad and my grandfather,” Brad said. “He is coming with me all of the time. He even bids on lambs and goats with me helping him.”
According to Brad, Brycen’s animals are in one barn and he knows them well enough to know when one is sick or injured.
Brad plans to continue business as usual.
“We are so busy that I am content just doing what I’m doing and keeping going from there,” Brad said.
You can find some Thomas working at the store today. Brad’s mother, Kim Thoma, works at the store as their secretary and public relations contact.
“She’s an amazing person in our company, we wouldn’t be where we are without her,” Brad said.
Brad’s cousin, Josh Thoma, Tim’s son, also works full-time as a manager and is a large part of the fourth generation of the family business.
While Paul Jr. and Brian are retired, they aren’t done working at the shop.
Paul Jr. is a few months shy of 87, and he comes to the shop every day to visit and take bags home to put the Thoma label on them. He will help deliver orders and complete other tasks.
Brian also comes to the shop every day and is described as the ultimate handyman, fixing anything that needs to be fixed.
“I am very blessed with my crew,” Brad said. “I’m looking forward to continuing to try to do the best I can to keep them all here and happy. If Thoma’s is winning, then my employees are winning.
“I’m looking forward to bringing my kids up in the company and hoping that someday the fifth generation can take over — I’m doing it for them.”


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©IDG Communications, Inc. Photo contributed by Matthew Mikaelian.
FRAMINGHAM, Mass. – A newly released report series from International Data Corporation (IDC) finds that small and medium business (SMB) spending on security technology continues to show strong growth and will exceed $5.6 billion in 2015. While overall SMB IT spending is forecast to grow at a rate of 5-6% per year over the forecast period, SMB spending on security products and solutions is expected to grow almost twice as fast.
For the full press release click here


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The location was chosen after analyzing the city’s residential, business and retail layout, as well as traffic patterns and electrical capacity. Twelve Tesla V3 Superchargers are now operational at the plaza and four universal charging stations, two 350 kW chargers and two 150 kW chargers, will go live next year. By early Jan., the plaza will be capable of charging all types of EV models.
The installed chargers were funded by the charging network providers. The partnership between Hubject and Peachtree Corners will continue into 2021 with new innovative projects.


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A roundtable, convened by the Wines of Chile Association, surveyed the hectares of vineyards burned by the fires throughout the country, which account for 94 hectares of Vitis vinifera out of a total of 141,000 nationwide. The loss of hectares so far has been concentrated in vineyards of small producers in areas near hills and forests, several of them with w (...)
In response to the ongoing fires in Chile over the last month, the wine industry has united to create a survey of the vineyard damage and look for long-term solutions for producers affected.
Malbec is often better associated with our Andean neighbour, Argentina, however Chile proved to make top Malbec at the international Malbec Masters in The Drinks Business, surprising judges with its quality and attractive price points compared to rival alternatives.
Master of Wine Tim Atkin recently spent three weeks in Chile discovering the wine regions


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Reliance is now working on making the cheapest 5G smartphone for Indians, which will cost less than Rs 5,000, after making a big dent in the broadband market through Jio and the telecom sector. If this effort of Reliance Jio brings color, then there will be a panic in the Indian smartphone market. The company has also said that initially it will be priced at around 5000 rupees, but later on demand and sales it will be priced at 2500 or 3000 rupees.
read this also- Amazon companies are full of offers on Dhansu laptops of these companies, best in low price
200 million user target
A Reliance official has said that the company is targeting 200 million phone users and is working on a 5G smartphone plan for them. Currently these users have a basic 2G phone. Actually, internet has become the biggest need of the present time, in such a situation, Reliance is working directly on the option of cheap 5G smartphones for the people. Currently, the price of 5G smartphones in India is very high and 5G network has not even started in India.
read this also- Realme X7 series smartphones will be launched soon in India
Microsoft will get cheaper operating system!
During the 43rd AGM, Mukesh Ambani, chairman and MD of Reliance Industries, had said that the American tech company will collaborate with Reliance to build a cheap Android smartphone operating system. In such a situation, it is believed that Microsoft’s help will be taken to make the operating system for Reliance’s cheap 5G smartphones. At present, the Indian government has not even allotted the 5G network in the country. Reliance has sought permission from the government for testing 5G networks.
read this also- 10 and a half thousand TV for just Rs 3232, Sale starting, hurry up
After 4G, now 5G prepares to create panic in the market
Let me tell you that Reliance is currently providing the cheapest JioPhone 4G smartphone to the people in India, which costs 699 rupees. Along with this, the company has also brought JioPhone2, which costs 2999 rupees. Now Reliance is going to create a furore in the Indian smartphone market by making the cheapest 5G phone, which people are eagerly waiting for.


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Effects of a Weakening Canadian Dollar
By: Michael Calderone
Amidst a weakening Canadian dollar, Canadian manufacturing companies are experiencing growth in the industry. The RBC Canadian Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ index (PMI), which is essentially a measure of the manufacturing sector’s conditions, increased from a seasonally adjusted 52.9 in February, to 53.3 in March. Anything above the 50-point mark signals growth. Analysts are attributing this 0.4 increase in the PMI rating mainly to the weakening Canadian dollar, which has sparked interest from international counterparts who are able to purchase Canadian goods at a lowered price.
Analysts believe that the relative depreciation of the Canadian dollar, although responsible for growth in the manufacturing industry, has also resulted in higher input costs for businesses. Despite the rise in input prices, new export orders had still risen from 50.7 in February to 52.4 in March, signaling that the appreciation of input prices has had a negligible impact on the countries exports.
This change in Canada’s economic conditions provides an opportunity for domestic manufacturers to take advantage of the economies’ current position. Craig Wright, chief economist at RBC confirmed this sentiment, saying, “We continue to expect that underlying economic conditions – a strengthening U.S. economy and a weaker Canadian dollar – will lay the foundation for a boost in domestic manufacturing in the near term,”.


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Starbucks has rolled out a new plant-based menu in selected Asia-Pacific markets.
The brand has added two new seasonal plant-based beverages – Oatmilk Cocoa Macchiato and Almondmilk Hazelnut Latte. The beverage range will be available across eight markets: Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
The new options will remain part of the chain’s core menu in up to seven of these markets when the seasonal promotion ends.
Starbucks’ new plant-based food options will be sold in five markets: Hong Kong, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand. The company says they were created to suit the tastes and preferences of consumers in specific markets.
Hong Kong: Maize Impossible Sandwich, the Spiced Impossible Puff, and vegan chocolate bread stick.
New Zealand: Mince & Cheese Pie.
Singapore: Impossible Wrap.
Taiwan: Beyond Meat Bolognese Penne, the Beyond Meat Sausage Sandwich, and the Beyond Meatball Sandwich.
Thailand: Beyond Meat Sandwich.
“As customer demand for plant-based choices increases, Starbucks remains committed to expanding plant-based food and beverage offerings in locally-relevant ways…,” the company said in a statement.
“This menu expansion is designed to offer our customers the same flavours and handcrafted service they know and love from Starbucks, in a new way,” said Sara Trilling, president at Starbucks Asia Pacific.
According to Euromonitor, Asia Pacific is the largest market for plant-based milk options as traditions in food culture have been well established.
Industry manager at Euromonitor said plant-based options are strongly ingrained in Asian culture. Innovation is key to meeting the taste preferences of consumers seeking out new flavors and modern takes on traditional diets.


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Specially treated resin leads to self-healing 3D-printed productsMarie Donlon | January 10, 2022
A special powder added to the liquid resin used in 3D printing can result in self-healing materials, according to researchers from the University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney).
The addition of trithiocarbonate — which is a reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) agent — to the liquid resin used in 3D printing results in a material that can self-heal when a standard LED light is shone on the damage for one hour.
According to the UNSW Sydney researchers, the LED light triggers a chemical reaction and thus the fusion of the broken pieces.
Products manufactured with the specially treated resin could potentially be made stronger once repaired and the UNSW Sydney researchers suggest that the material may also reduce future chemical waste.
“In many places where you use a polymer material, you can use this technology. So, if a component fails, you can repair the material without having to throw it away,” explained the researchers.
“There is an obvious environmental benefit because you're not having to re-synthesize a brand-new material every time it gets broken. We are increasing the lifespan of these materials, which is going to reduce plastic waste.”
The material could be used to manufacture future wearable electronics, sensors and even shoes, according to the researchers.
The study, A Photoinduced Dual-Wavelength Approach for 3D Printing and Self-Healing of Thermosetting Materials, has been published in the journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition.


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Fortnite Servers Will Go Down Soon But Don’t Worry, It Is For A Good Reason
Epic Games has announced a scheduled downtime for Fortnite ahead of the patch 7.40 that will be available tomorrow. Here’s why this is not a bad thing.
Fortnite is ending its last Season with a bang. You can still complete the weekly challenges for the final week of Fortnite Season 7 before it is taken offline so don’t waste any time.
Fortnite is getting a new patch version 7.40 in time for this update. The downtime will begin before the patch is deployed and since every major update before the beginning of a season completely revamps the map, the same should be expected here.
When Will Fortnite Patch 7.40 Release?
Downtime begins February 13 at 4 AM ET (0900 UTC) according to the official social media accounts for the game. The patch will be released once the downtime is over.
What Is Included in Fortnite Patch 7.40?
We don’t know for now since Epic Games hasn’t shared any changes and there are no leaks about the upcoming content so far. We do have an idea of some of the adjustments that are being made in the game.
- Planes will no longer be able to smash through structures
- Zipline interact prompt added, and using a Zipline will grant fall damage immunity
- Hand Cannon structure damage reduced from 150 to 100
- Turbo Build delay decreased from 0.15s to 0.05s
- Rocket Launcher reload time increased from 2.52s to 3.24s
- Added the ability to crouch while in Edit Mode
As it is the case with almost every previous Fortnite update, you can expect to see it go live simultaneously on all platforms. This covers the PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch, and any Android or iOS device that has the hardware necessary to run the game.


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The emergence and popularity of cloud technology has led many companies to develop industry-specific cloud applications. Here are the vertical clouds that are drawing the biggest VC investments.
Showing results 1 to 20 of 8,541
The chip maker is expanding its StrataGX family with some new ARM-based technology headed for mobile point-of-sale terminals.
Microsoft will be rolling out its promised, free subset of mobile-device-management features to Office 365 commercial customers over the next four to six weeks.
Sensible commuters and business travellers will want to protect their mobile technology in a good-quality travel bag. Here are three contenders.
The port of Hamburg is transforming itself with technology, using telematics, analytics, and mobile apps to help it run smoothly.
The iPhone and iPad tech giant launched the new mobile software alongside its desktop operating system counterpart as a testbed for developers and early-adopters.
LaCie, the premium brand of Seagate Technology, announced the addition of USB-C technology to its Porsche Design Mobile Drive, making it the perfect match for Apple's new MacBook.
Mobile OS Android to be morphed into a platform for virtual reality applications?
Internet of Things has been one of the buzzwords at this year's MWC, and the mobile industry wants to be firmly at the heart of the emerging technology.
Gemalto and Tapit have teamed up to enable consumers to leverage NFC technology to make 'frictionless' payments on their mobile phones, and have their transactions billed to their mobile phone.
Telstra CEO David Thodey has said the incumbent has maintained its leadership position in mobile technology advances through risk taking, and putting its investments on the line.
The rough idea, outlined at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, revolves around replacing software development kits tied to individual enterprise mobility management vendors with a common standard.
Sponsored by Sap
Many people are engaged and excited when it comes to technology. They should, as we are at the crossroad of client-server to a networked economy. But as often, technology is a topic that some push to the market - with the firm believe it will be accepted as is, adopted fast and bring value instantly. Wrong.
It's encouraging to see secure browsing and messaging lead in mobile application enterprise growth. The iPhone 6 is preferred over the iPhone 6 Plus, at a rate of about 3 to 1.
Constellation Research analysts identify trends in enterprise technology ahead of Mobile World Congress 2015.
Alipay, the e-payment arm of Chinese technology giant Alibaba Group, announced on Tuesday that more than 100 million people participated in sending lucky money, or Hongbao in Chinese, via mobile apps during the past Chinese New Year holiday.
Businesses in Asia-Pacific look to IT security to gain better control as well as support increasing focus on mobile and application development, reveals a new study.
Parallels can now integrate the 2X RAS server into its solutions to improve corporate use of Parallels virtual desktop software.
Visa announces Mobile Location Confirmation service; travelers should welcome verification technology
Visa will begin rolling out a new geo-location service, powered by Finsphere, in April. Your smartphone and financial institution will work together to improve your card purchasing experiences.
Microsoft has opened up a first public preview of its real-time mobile analytics service that is based on technology it acquired with its purchase of Capptain last year.


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The federal communication commission and the wireless power consoritium (WPC) has just given it the regulatory approval required by AT&T and they are now eligible to launch their upcoming battery powered bank and wireless charger which has been dubbed the ‘Power Drum’ by the company. The mentioned power bank device can charge an Apple watch as it has a built in magnetic charging module which supports the Apple Watch. It can also charge the Apple iPhone or any Qi-compatible handle, simultaneously. However the new portable device will not be compatible with the series 4 Apple watch, it will however work with any other variants of the wearable watch item.
Moving on, the Qi charger will charge at a power level of 10W but there is also a limited power output of 7.5W for the necessary iPhone devices and the Apple watch timepiece will charge at a power level of 5W. The device as mentioned, also has the capabilities of a powerbank and the new PowerDrum comes along with a 3000mAh battery capacity which is quite low in all honesty as compared to the 10,000-20000mAh powerbanks which have now been made available in the markets all over the world, but it’s a start and you can bet, that we will see portable devices with a larger capacity for battery power very soon and well despite the low capacity you will be glad to see that the extra battery can still help you save the day.
At&T new PowerDrumis a Portable wireless charger and a power bank, gets its FCC and WPC approval
Finally the PowerDrum comes with a micro-USB port for charging the device itself, which more or less shows you that you will need to carry an extra wire with you. Other notable features of the said device include, an LED charge indicator, a Nightstand mode which allows the Apple Watch to be used in an alarm mode while it is charging and finally a softpad which provides a suitable surface for the PowerDrum. Moreover, there is still now news on when the device will hit markets or what price it will launch at, but rumors suggest that the price will likely be around $99.99, but we will have to wait to be completely sure!