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Smartphones are becoming one of the most widely used devices in the world, with vendors shipping more than one billion smartphones in 2013 alone. In The Smartphone (The New Press, 2014), author Elizabeth Woyke offers readers an in-depth look into the smartphone industry, including some of its more troubling aspects. This excerpt, which is from Chapter 5, “Waste: Money and Trash,” discusses how smartphone plans cause consumers to overpay for the mobile data they use from day to day.
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Excess Mobile Data Ends Up In The Wireless Waste Bin
Every day, when Todd Dunphy checks his e-mail, he finds messages from people begging for assistance with their smartphone plans. One December 2013 e-mail came from a person who was paying $1,200 a year for unlimited service but only using 150 voice minutes, 25 text messages, and a scant amount of mobile data each month. The issue wasn’t the person’s smartphone—a Galaxy S model that the phone’s owner liked—but the expense of the accompanying plan. “I just feel like I am paying so much money for services I don’t use, but [I can’t] find a very good [alternative] option,” the owner explained. “Please help!!!”
Dunphy has been receiving these kinds of “Please help!!!” e-mails for years. He is a former Verizon Wireless salesman, and in 2007 he co-founded a mobile analytics firm called Validas to save people and consumers money on their wireless service. The Houston, Texas–based company analyzes the cellphone bills of companies, government agencies, and consumers for extraneous charges using its own software. As a result, Validas claims to now have amassed the largest collection of wireless bill information in the United States outside of the carriers.
Sifting through the data, the company says the biggest trend in spending habits is wireless waste—the gap between the service capacity people sign up for and the amount of that service they actually use. Says Dunphy, “the only way I win, as a smartphone consumer, is when I perfectly buy and use [an exact number of gigabytes], which never happens.”
We all like to think we’re savvy shoppers. Yet Validas’s data shows that most of us spend more than we need to on wireless service month after month, year after year. Validas estimates 80 percent of American wireless subscribers are paying carriers $200 a year for excess minutes, messages, and data. On a national level that adds up to $52.8 billion of wireless waste a year. On a global level the figure could be as high as $926 billion, Dunphy says. Smartphones are the biggest source of wireless waste, because their plans are particularly expensive and complicated. According to Validas they are responsible for $45 billion, or 85 percent, of the United States’ total overspending on wireless service.
As a company that aims to lower its clients’ mobile costs, Validas has business incentives to call attention to wireless waste, and potentially to overstate its scope. But others in the industry agree that wireless waste is a problem. A New York–based company called Alekstra, which was founded by a former Nokia executive and provides services similar to those of Validas, has estimated that U.S. wireless waste is as high as $70 billion. A 2013 Consumer Reports survey of more than 58,000 of the publication’s subscribers found 38 percent of its respondents were using half or less than half of their monthly data allowance. Logan Abbott, president of MyRatePlan.com, a comparison-shopping site for wireless plans, says the vast majority of consumers don’t use all the data or minutes they’re allotted.
How do we end up with these supersized smartphone plans? The short answer is that carriers keep pushing us into pricier plans to maximize their profits. The carriers wouldn’t phrase it that way, but industry analysts say carriers are wringing more money out of their subscribers to counteract slowing growth. For years carriers grew by just signing up people who were brand-new to wireless service, but now virtually every American who wants and can afford a cellphone has one. Carriers can still boost their revenues by upgrading subscribers from basic cellphones to smartphones, which require more expensive service plans, but that group is dwindling, too. More than 65 percent of Americans already have smartphones.
Carriers are now primarily concerned with maintaining or increasing profitability, which, until recently, has meant cutting operational costs and raising rates on their smartphone subscribers. Smartphone users are obvious targets. Just by purchasing smartphones users indicate they are more capable of spending, or at least more likely to spend, than basic cellphone users.
The Price of Mobile Data
When estimating the cost of smartphone ownership, many consumers focus on the upfront cost of new smartphones rather than on the price of the accompanying plans. But the devices cost much less than the plans, which are a recurring expense.
Carriers sell two basic types of service plans: postpaid and prepaid. Postpaid plans are contractual agreements between subscribers and carriers, with carriers billing subscribers for service at the end of each month. Carriers traditionally gave postpaid subscribers deep subsidies on new phones. Since subsidies average around $400, and carriers typically price new smartphones somewhere between $0 and $250, carriers actually lost money each time they sold a subsidized smartphone. To ensure they recoup their costs and turn a profit, carriers make these subscribers agree to purchase service from them for a set period of time, usually two years.
With prepaid plans, customers pay for service in advance, by either purchasing credits for set allotments of voice minutes, text messages, and data bytes or prepaying for a bundle of services per day or month. Prepaid users also buy their phones on their own. Since carriers don’t take on any financial risk with prepaid plans, users aren’t required to sign contracts.
In many regions, such as Africa and Latin America, prepaid plans are more prevalent, but in the United States postpaid plans are more common, especially for smartphone owners. About two thirds of U.S. cellphone users are on postpaid plans and one third are on prepaid plans. To carriers, postpaid customers are more valuable, because they generate more revenue.
The future of the carrier business lies in mobile data. Carriers in the United States and a few other countries, such as Japan, already make more money from data than voice services and most U.S. carriers now automatically include unlimited voice in their smartphone plans. As the Wall Street Journal pointed out in October 2013, “the carriers aren’t making this change because they think customers should just have unlimited calls for free. . . . Focusing on data and giving everything else away seemingly as a freebie actually centers the companies on their main source of revenue growth.” Mobile data is a $90 billion market in the United States alone; globally, it is worth about $400 billion.
Smartphones and data plans are inextricably linked. For the most part, carriers won’t let consumers buy smartphones without signing up for mobile data plans. Asymco analyst Horace Dediu calls the iPhone a “mobile broadband salesman.” Carriers “hire” the iPhone to sell mobile data plans to consumers, and the phone’s job is to move people from $50-a-month plans to $100-a-month plans by transitioning them from basic to smartphones. The prices that carriers pay Apple are essentially sales commissions for accomplishing this job. “Apple gets a huge commission in the form of a price premium and subsidy on the iPhone,” Dediu explains. “It’s the carriers saying, ‘Thanks, you’ve helped us attract more customers to our most profitable service plans.’”
Those service plans can change frequently, in both composition and price. Carriers are comfortable raising rates, because they know consumers are dependent on their smartphones and apps and many are locked into multiyear contracts. “Smartphones are close to a life necessity now,” says Dunphy. “It’s become ‘food, water, shelter,’ and ‘do I have my phone with me?,’ and the carriers know that.”
The Disappearance of Unlimited Mobile Data
One common carrier move is to kill unlimited data plans. A few years before the iPhone was unveiled, carriers started rolling out 3G technology, which increased their capacity to support mobile data usage. To spur consumers to access the mobile Internet on their phones, they introduced unlimited plans at affordable rates. But iPhone, Android, and other smartphone users started sucking up more bandwidth than anticipated. “Unlimited plans became the operators’ arch enemy,” says Jake Saunders, ABI Research’s vice president of forecasting. “Operators were blindsided by the small percentage of users who took those plans to the ultimate limit.” In response, AT&T and Verizon adopted tiered pricing to safeguard their networks and profits: subscribers select the amount, or “tier,” of voice minutes, text messages, and data they believe they will use per month. Subscribers who consume more than their allotments are charged a high rate for extra data usage.
Today only 12 percent of mobile subscribers around the world have access to unlimited “all you can eat” data plans, down from 15 percent in mid-2013, according to ABI Research. Tiered, wage-based plans are much more prevalent—they are available to 64 percent of mobile subscribers globally. In fact, unlimited data has become so rare that Sprint launched an unlimited guarantee policy in 2013 and is touting it as a major asset for its customers. But how long can Sprint buck the industry trend toward tiered plans? Sprint has fewer subscribers than AT&T and Verizon, so it has more bandwidth to support unlimited plans. Following its 2013 merger with the Japanese carrier Softbank (Japan’s number-three carrier and now owner of about 80 percent of Sprint), the formerly cash-strapped Sprint also now has funds it can use for network upgrades and maintenance. Deepa Karthikeyan, an analyst for the market research company Current Analysis, says Sprint has to “pull out all stops to create a strong differentiator against the leading carriers,” for the next couple of years. But if it “gains critical traction” in the marketplace and no longer needs such enticements to lure consumers away from its rivals, she thinks Sprint may stop offering its unlimited guarantee to new customers. In a sign that Sprint is seeing network congestion, it recently warned its top 5 percent of data users that it may start reducing their mobile throughput speeds “during heavy usage times” to keep connections fast for other customers.
When AT&T first adopted tiered pricing, the company said the change would “make the mobile Internet more affordable to more people,” because its lowest data tiers cost less than the unlimited plans they were replacing. That was true, but the catch is that bandwidth consumption is escalating as smartphones gain features, a wider range of high-definition media launch, and data connections get faster. Karthikeyan says that “the overall smartphone experience” keeps improving for consumers, but they are also spending more on tiered pricing plans. Subscribers may start out paying relatively little in the lowest tiers, but they quickly move up to more expensive ones, because they need more data and they are charged overage fees if they exceed data caps.
Carriers have also been increasing data prices. Consider the short history of AT&T’s data plans for the iPhone. The iPhone launched in 2007 with a $20 unlimited data plan. A year later, when the iPhone 3G debuted, AT&T upped the price of unlimited data to $30. In June 2010, AT&T switched to tiered pricing, which meant new iPhone 4 buyers had to choose between paying $15 for 200 MB or $25 for 2 GB. Today an individual AT&T iPhone user can still pay $20 for data but will get only 300 MB, and buying 2 GB costs $40. Verizon’s plans have followed a similar trajectory and are even more expensive. Until July 2011, unlimited data on Verizon cost $30. After it moved to tiered plans, $30 bought 2 GB. As of may 2014, $30 will buy 500 MB on Verizon, and 2 GB costs $50.
New types of mobile data plans can cost consumers even more. Multidevice shared-data plans allow subscribers to use a set amount of 4G LTE data among different types of devices and pay only one monthly fee. These plans look pragmatic on paper, since the costs and data can be divvied up many ways, including among family members. But analysts say the plans can easily accelerate consumers’ data consumption and costs, on top of which they must pay a monthly line access fee for each device (independent of data usage). The result is that these plans end up being 10 percent to 15 percent more expensive than other mobile data options, according to Saunders.
Multidevice plans are also more effective at locking in subscribers, since it’s more complicated to switch service and carriers when multiple devices and people are involved. Ralph de la Vega, the president and CEO of AT&T’s wireless business, has described the company’s mobile share plans as “a good plan for us from a loyalty point of view.” AT&T showed its enthusiasm for multidevice shared-data plans in October 2013 when it dropped its regular tiered plans and began requiring new subscribers to sign up for Mobile Share plans. Only 9 percent of global mobile subscribers currently have access to multidevice shared-data plans but that number has nearly doubled since May 2013, showing that carriers are quickly adopting this newer type of plan. Saunders expects more carriers will follow, noting, “Operators realize . . . they can get more money out of the user” with them.
Consumers would make better choices if they understood what they were buying. In July 2013, AT&T, Sprint, T-mobile, and Verizon offered a total of nearly 700 combinations of smartphone plans, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis. Which plan is best? The only honest answer is: it depends. Dunphy advises consumers to buy voice minutes, text messages, and data the same way they buy milk. He means that people should take more care to buy only what they need, since anything left over will be thrown away (or taken away by the carriers, in the case of wireless plans). “Smartphone plans are supercomplicated, with lots of variations,” admits Dunphy. “But we’re trying to get people to think about the way they buy other things in life and apply that thinking to their wireless plans.”
The Problem with Mobile Data
The problem is that mobile data is not sold the way most products are. In order to select a data tier, consumers must estimate how much bandwidth they will use in a month. But most people have no idea how to quantify mobile data, which can fluctuate due to a number of variables. An e-mail with attachments takes up more bandwidth than a text-only e-mail. Browsing graphic-heavy, video-enabled websites requires more data than surfing simple sites. Streaming video over 4G is more bandwidth-intensive than 3G video. Streaming high-definition video can eat up more than twice the amount of data as standard video.
Even carriers disagree about the amount of data a particular activity will consume. Verizon says downloading a song will eat up 7 MB; AT&T says 4 MB. Verizon says sending a text-only e-mail should take 10 KB; AT&T and Sprint say 20 KB. AT&T estimates video streaming will consume 2 MB a minute; Sprint and Verizon say it’s more than double that, on average. The three companies also list different rates for music streaming (500 KB or 1 MB per minute) and Web surfing (256 KB, 400 KB, or 500 KB per page). These are just estimates, which will vary by smartphone model and operating system, and which reflect technological differences between the networks, such as download and upload speeds. Nevertheless, the variance between the carriers’ numbers may increase consumer confusion about data rates and consumption.
Uncertainty breeds risk aversion. People overspend because they are anxious they will exceed their voice and data quotas. Most consumers would rather oversubscribe and know they’ll stay within their plans’ bounds than pay less and have to worry about penalties. Carriers may stoke those fears to make more money. “Sales reps will say, ‘Go with a fifteen GB plan; you have a teenager, you need that,’ [even if you don’t],” says Dunphy. He blames the industry’s sales commission system, which he claims has not changed much since he worked in a New Jersey Verizon Wireless store in the early 2000s. He says: “Every single thing [your carrier sells you], someone is getting a commission on. When a sales rep sells you a higher plan when you should be on a lower plan, it’s because he’s getting paid based on the size of that plan. The system is built like that. Your bill is directly tied to commission.”
This excerpt has been reprinted with permission from The Smartphone, by Elizabeth Woyke, published by The New Press, 2014.


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Ron Trujillo | Aug 21, 2019 | 0
Sales dip, prices reach new record in April
Active listings, time on the market increase as all-important home-buying season starts
Fewer buyers and more homes on the market caused home sales to tumble in April, creating a more “balanced housing market” entering the spring home-buying season.
April sales dipped 0.1% compared to March and were off 4.8% from a year ago, according to the California Association of Realtors. Sales dropped to an annualized rate of 396,760 homes — basically how many transactions over a one-year period based on April sales.
‘A more balanced housing market’
Despite fewer buyers and lower sales, home prices reached another record in April at $602,920, a 6.5% increase compared to March and up 3.2% from a year ago.
“Weak buyer demand, largely prompted by elevated home prices, is playing a role in the softening housing market,” says CAR president Jared Martin. “However, with low interest rates, cooling competition and an increase in homes to choose from, buyers can take advantage of a more balanced housing market.”
Perhaps, but many home shoppers are already priced out of or worried about purchasing at the top of the market. Cautious consumers embracing a wait-and-see approach could hurt the all-important spring home-buying season, but with an abundance of homes and lower mortgage rates, real estate officials say it’s too early to wave the white flag.
“While we started off the spring home-buying season on a down note, home sales in the upcoming months may fare better than the top-level numbers suggest,” says Leslie Appleton-Young, senior vice president and chief economist for CAR. “The year-over-year sales decrease was the smallest in nine months, and pending home sales increased for the second straight month after declining for more than two years. While we don’t expect a sharp sales rebound, we also don’t expect an acceleration in declines.”
Home prices, sales compared to a year ago
$1.63 million, down 1.1%; sales up 16.1%
$649,000, up 2.2%; sales up 2.4%
$544,170, up 3.0%; sales down 0.1%
$385,000, up 4.3%; sales down 6.8%
Active listings increased 10.8% in April compared to a year ago, but the gains in listings have definitely slowed in recent months.
Those listings would take about 3.4 months to sell, compared to 3.2 months in April 2018.
Time on the market
The average home on the market sold in 21 days in April vs. 15 days a year ago.

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The pandemic has shown what a “stationary” world looks like. The fall in demand for goods has led to an unprecedented reduction in the volume of transport services provided worldwide. Prospects are disappointing – by the end of 2020, global freight traffic will decline by 36%
Record losses in the transport sector
During the pandemic, 90% of flights were cancelled in the EU countries, the volume of passenger traffic by cars decreased by 60-90%, and by public transport by 50%. Today, the countries are in a transitional stage: in the transport sector, there is an adaptation to the updated operating conditions and a gradual recovery after the crisis.
Against the background of a decrease in the volume of sea freight, 11 of the 12 largest shipping lines were forced to return the rented vessels to their owners. The main reductions fell on the Danish company Maersk and the international company MSC (headquartered in Switzerland).
According to the Flightradar24 app, in April 2020, an average of 69.6 thousand flights per day was recorded worldwide, which is 62% less than in April 2019. The number of commercial flights decreased by 73%.
More than 71% of truck drivers continue to operate scheduled services, according to a survey conducted by the truck manufacturer MAN Truck & Bus. Out of these, 29% did not feel the impact of the pandemic on their daily work, 14% experience minor difficulties and only 9% of drivers complained about the serious impact of the situation related to the spread of the virus on their work processes.
In the face of a decrease in passenger traffic, railway companies are considering ways to activate cargo transportation. Free passenger traffic lines are used to increase the throughput of freight trains. Rail carriers are mentioned in the list of those who have been given new opportunities by the pandemic. Many enterprises have begun to change their vehicles to railways – this is the global trend.
The strict lockdown introduced in the UK in March 2020 has resulted in a 95% reduction in London tube rides. This is confirmed by data from a popular smartphone application that provides information about public transport. There has been a more than 90% drop in travel since the onset of the crisis in many major cities around the world. As of the end of August 2020, the occupancy of public transport has increased, but at the same time, it is 24% in New York, 24% in Mexico City, 80% in Moscow, 61% in Paris, 42% in Rome, and Seoul – 28%, in Tokyo 11%.
In April, the International Road Transport Union and the International Transport Workers’ Federation issued an open letter to governments of all countries asking for support to the transport industry as COVID-19 spreads: “Governments and international organisations must give the highest priority to maintaining the continuity and strength of supply chains.” And the response from the governments of all countries was not long in coming.
The U.S. Senate has voted to pass the Coronavirus Support, Aid and Economic Security Act, with a $ 2.3 trillion financial disbursement. A total of $ 58 billion was allocated to the aviation industry, including $ 25 billion in loans and loan guarantees for passenger airlines, and another $ 25 billion to pay benefits to industry workers until September 2020. Air cargo carriers received the US $ 8 billion. In addition, a number of companies critical to maintaining national security, including Boeing, have received $ 17 billion in loans.
The Chinese government has abolished road tolls (including tolls for bridges and tunnels) for all vehicles, checks and fees for vehicles carrying essential supplies and medical personnel, and provided financial support to small and medium-sized businesses affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. As well as companies involved in the transportation of essential goods.
The European Commission has presented new guidance on the implementation of green corridors for freight transport at EU borders. To ensure the continuity of supply chains in the European Union, Member States must immediately designate all relevant internal border crossing points (“green corridors”) along with the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T). Green corridor crossings should be open to all freight vehicles regardless of the goods being transported. Crossing the border, including any checks and medical examinations, must take no more than 15 minutes.
The Australian government is no exception. The Australian Government committed an additional $241.9 million to continue the International Freight Assistance Mechanism (IFAM), helping keep international freight routes and flights operating.
Ways of overcoming the crisis and prospects
COVID-19 is changing established transportation habits. Some of them managed to keep their professional approach and quality. For example, if you will be needed reliable Perth transport you’ll have luck.
Many cities have begun to expand their cycle paths and have also provided new subsidies for low-emission vehicles.
The need to reduce human contact as a precautionary measure during the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the relevance of the use of unmanned aerial vehicles – drones. China became the first country to use drones in response to COVID-19. In February, the drone successfully transported test samples and medical supplies from a local hospital in Zhejiang province to a nearby medical centre.
Digital technologies for automated mobility and intelligent traffic management systems will help improve efficiency and make transport cleaner. Smart apps and mobility as a service will also play an important role. In aviation, the Single European Sky initiative aims to significantly reduce aviation emissions at zero cost to consumers and businesses by reducing flight times.
Experts from the IBM Corporation (USA) believe that automated highways will be created, where cars will be connected to the system to automatically change their direction and optimise traffic flows. Smart roads can optimise routes and reduce congestion.
The COVID-19 pandemic could be the starting point for global changes in the transport sector, as it fundamentally changes the established habits and order in the industry. Thus, the period of challenges and threats can be seen as a unique opportunity for governments to facilitate the transition to more sustainable modes of transport.


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The new investment adds to the $17 million of Series A funding it received in 2012 and provides a sizable balance to fund continued growth.
PE and VC deal flow dropped 17 per cent to 418 between 2011 and 2013, though VC funds did far better than PE funds.
The number fell short of last quarter's $9.08 billion, the strongest showing since late 2007, but still marks one of the biggest quarters in recent years.
We are the largest marketplace (by number of sellers), but we are not in valuations game. Hence, we don’t get talked about that much, says eBay India's MD.
Quikr is a large-scale cross-category online classifieds business with more than 30 million monthly consumer and small businesses users in 940 cities.
The two funds will invest Rs 84 crore in the Bangalore-based company in a deal that values the company over Rs 600 crore.
Manthan, which added 30 new clients, provides its analytics products to over 120 retailers and consumer goods companies across 19 countries.
Forging partnerships with global ventures help startups get a global perspective and they take it as a means to enter the Indian market.


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By Heather Hamilton, contributing writer
Qualcomm and Apple are again in conflict, reports Bloomberg. With another lawsuit against pending, Qualcomm has accused Apple of sharing proprietary code with Intel by copying an Intel engineer on an email request for proprietary information and failing to allow an audit review regarding Apple’s handling of software, which Qualcomm claims was listed in their contract. According to the lawsuit, which was filed on November 1 in California state court in San Diego, Apple breached contract with chipmaker Qualcomm regarding software required to allow mobile chips to interact with the phone.
The suit also alleges that an Apple engineer working with a competitor asked a colleague to request data download technology information from Qualcomm. Right now, Apple manufactures phones using chips from both Qualcomm and Intel, though there is speculation that Qualcomm will soon be dropped entirely, which would lower their business by roughly 7.5%.
The conflict between the two companies began with a lawsuit in January in which Apple sued Qualcomm, accusing them of overcharging for use of patents. Apple alleges that Qualcomm leverages their market position to overcharge for chips. Qualcomm has accused Apple of lying to regulators in an attempt to force Qualcomm to lower prices. In a countersuit, Qualcomm sought injunctions that would stop the sale of iPhones in the United States and China. They also sued Apple for copyright infringement.
So far, Apple has declined to comment on the lawsuit.
As of now, it is unclear what exactly Qualcomm is seeking as a result of the lawsuit, but previous legal battles give reason to believe that it is likely a large sum of money. According to TechCrunch, the lack of royalty payments from Apple to its suppliers has greatly impacted Qualcomm’s bottom line. On November 1, Qualcomm reported its earnings, which exceeded analyst expectations as its profits dropped 90% year over year.
Fortune reports that Qualcomm is prepared for a lengthy fight, despite a few hints this summer that things between the two companies may be settled out of court.
“There are a lot of levers between the companies to figure out things,” said Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf on a call with analysts after announcing quarterly results. “I just think we’re not at a point where we’re announcing anything different and I think we want to be upfront that this could take some time to resolve.”
Don Rosenberg, who serves as general counsel, added, “It’s important to keep in mind that litigation of this size and magnitude takes a while and you can’t focus on any particular event in the short-term.”
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April 19Sou Yu Te Group Co Ltd :
* Says it will pay cash dividend of 0.25 yuan per 10 shares (before tax) and use additional paid-in capital to distribute 10 new shares for every 10 shares to shareholders of record on April 25, for FY 2016
* The company's shares will be traded ex-right and ex-dividend on April 26 and the dividend will be paid on April 26
Source text in Chinese: goo.gl/I4o9Oj
Further company coverage: (Beijing Headline News)
Even with Whole Foods, Amazon would need many more warehouses to reshape grocery delivery
June 23 If Amazon.com Inc hopes to revolutionize grocery delivery, then its bid to buy Whole Foods Market Inc for $13.7 billion will be just the start of a long and costly process.


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By Jim Boyce
Decanter has released the results of its 2013 World Wine Awards and 20 entries of the 49 entries from China received a ranking of “commended” or higher. While the total number of wines receiving awards was higher this year, the pickings were slimmer, with silver the top achievement. The vast majority of awards were taken by Domaine Helan Mountain and Xi Xia Wang in Ningxia and by mega operators Dynasty and COFCO, the latter by its brands Great Wall and Chateau SunGod.
Wine operators in China have been entering the annual Decanter awards for the better part of a decade. The most press came in 2011 when a Ningxia wine — “Jia Bei Lan Dry Red 2009” from Helan Qing Xue — won a “regional trophy“, went on to claim an “international trophy” and caused quite a ruckus — see Decanter’s response to the ruckus. Last year, a wine from Chateau Reifeng-Auzias won a gold medal. (Note: I have tried wine from Reifeng-Auzias twice and found it sub-par.)
It is obvious, but worth mentioning, that the awards do not indicate the best wines in the world, or even in China, but the best wines of those entered and as determined by the judges.
Here are this year’s award winners. This info is re-organized from the Decanter site. See the image below for the official list.
- Domaine Helan Mountain Special Reserve Chardonnay 2011, Ningxia
- Great Wall Terroir 2006, Shandong
- ChÃ¢teau Sungod Prime Selection Cabernet Sauvignon 2008, Hebei
- Domaine Helan Mountain Special Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2010, Ningxia
- Domaine Helan Mountain Special Reserve Merlot 2010, Ningxia
- Domaine Helan Mountain Special Reserve Pinot Noir 2010, Ningxia
- Dynasty Winery Merlot Imperial Noble Cask Collection 2003, Ningxia
- Dynasty Winery Premier Royal Selection 2008, Tianjin
- Great Wall Terroir Reserve 2008, Hebei
- Great Wall Terroir Riesling 2011, Shandong
- Ningxia Xi Xia King Winery Italian Riesling Dry White Wine 2011, Ningxia
- Chateau Hedong Manor Chardonnay 2012, Ningxia
- ChÃ¢teau Sungod Reserve Riesling 2009, Hebei
- Domaine Helan Mountain Xiao Feng 2010, Ningxia
- Dynasty Winery You Like NV, Tianjin
- Great Wall Centenary Old Vine Longyan 2012, Hebei
- Great Wall Chateau Huaxia, The Chief Winemaker’s Selection Cabernet Sauvignon 2009, Hebei
- Great Wall Chateau Yunmo 2010, Ningxia
- Ningxia Xi Xia King Winery Chardonnay 2011, Ningxia
- Xiangdu Les Champs D’Or 2003, Xinjiang
- Decanter Wine Awards 2012: Did China wine more medals because it had more entries?
- Decanter Wine Awards 2012: 17 wines, 9 producers in China receive regional recognition
- China wine word: Decanterâ€™s Sarah Kemp reflects on Jia Bei Lan brouhaha
- From Xinjiang to Liaoning: Five years of Decanter awards for Chinese wines
Good content takes resources. If you find Grape Wall useful, help cover its costs via PayPal, WeChat or credit / debit card. Also check out Grape Wall on Facebook. Twitter and Instagram. And sibling sites World Marselan Day, World Baijiu Day and Beijing Boyce.


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ICE London’s acclaimed reputation as the most important centre of learning for international gaming professionals has been underlined with confirmation that the make-up of speakers bringing 2020 vision to this year’s ICE VOX will be the most impressive in terms of seniority and diversity of the event’s history.
Daniela Johansson, Deputy CEO and Chief Responsibility Officer, PAF, Monika Racek, CEO, Admiral Casinos and Ulrik Bengtsson, CEO, William Hill will be among the 200+ speakers sharing their insight and knowledge at ICE VOX, which comprises six tracks running across the 3-4 February at ExCeL London, UK.
Previewing this ground-breaking edition of the two-day ICE VOX conference, Clarion Gaming’s Sadie Walters said: “For 2020, we will feature an unprecedented amount of C-Level speakers with some of the most influential decision makers and thought-leaders from across the entire global gaming ecosystem primed to provide insights and knowledge tackling the biggest issues in global gaming. This year’s edition will feature 48 hours of learning delivered by key speakers drawn from both within and outside the gaming industry who will deliver tangible benefits that delegates can take back to their businesses and improve performance. We have worked closely with the industry to ensure ICE VOX reflects the dominant themes and trends, hence the inclusion of a second day for the Casino Conference focussing on hospitality, tech and innovation and an entire track dedicated to Advertising & Marketing.
“One of the most notable aspects of this year’s line-up of industry leaders is the representation of diversity across the board,” she added. “Currently the line-up features several women of C-Level or above, which is hugely encouraging in terms of highlighting the growing position of influence women have across all levels of seniority throughout the various sectors of gaming. As our team continues to deliver a fresh new conference of prominent voices whom attendees may not have engaged with before for ICE VOX 2020, we hope to continue to see that number increase, so watch this space!
“Our research has shown how much importance the industry places on the learning programme that’s a part of the ICE London experience and our goal this year was to reflect the position of women in power and ensure this is part of the conversation. Crucially however, this isn’t simply about representation, it’s about ensuring the make-up of our panels is reflective of the industry as a whole and ideas and insights on display across the agenda come a variety of voices dedicated to helping shape and drive the industry forward into the future.”
The most recent C-Level decision makers to be added to this year’s ICE VOX, the broadest, most international gaming conference on the planet, comprises: Adekunle Adeniji, CEO, 9jawin; Anna Hemmings , CEO, GamCare; Bashir Are, CEO, Lagos State Lotteries Board; Bob Soper, CEO, Sun International; Britt Boeskov, Chief Experience Officer, Kindred Group; Daniela Johansson, Deputy CEO and Chief Responsibility Officer, PAF; Elen Barber, Chief Marketing Officer, Kindred Group; Elicia Bravo, Chief Strategy Officer, Lottoland; Erwin Van Lambaart , CEO, Holland Casino; François Maugis, Chief Information Security Officer, PAF; Gustaf Hagman, CEO, LeoVegas; Itai Pazner, CEO, 888; Jose Antonio Esteban Sanchez, Product CTO, Codere; Martin Nordh, CEO, Acuminor; Michael Siberling, Chief Operating Officer, Mohegan Sun; Monika Racek , CEO, Admiral Casinos; Morten Eriksen, CEO, Lotteries Entertainment Innovation Alliance; Nyreen Llamas, Chief Strategy Officer, MoPlay; Nick Tofiluk, CEO, Cyprus Gaming and Casino Supervision Commission; Pontus Lindwall , CEO, Betsson; Remi Iwayemi, CTO, Lagos State Lotteries Board; Rostyslav Maikovych, Chief Data Officer, Parimatch; Shelley White, CEO, Responsible Gambling Council; Simon Thomas, CEO, Hippodrome Casino; Ulrik Bengtsson, CEO, William Hill, and Younes El Mechrafri , CEO, MDJS (Moroccan Lottery).


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Samsung will offer the ITV Player app exclusively on its devices after signing a deal with the broadcaster.
The app, which allows consumers to watch the past 30 days of content from ITV's channels, will be exclusively available on devices such as the Galaxy S4 and Galaxy Note II until 31 August. User can browse recommended programmes and search for favourites.
James Micklethwait, online product director at ITV, said: 'We are very excited to have launched the new ITV Player app on Samsung devices. The fragmentation of the Android ecosystem is well known therefore, as a commercial broadcaster, it makes sense for us to partner with the leading manufacturer of Android devices to further increase our technical knowledge of the operating system. We plan to launch the app onto other Android devices in the future.'
Simon Stanford, vice-president of the IM division for Samsung UK and Ireland, said: 'At Samsung, we are committed to providing our customers with the latest range of content and apps. People are increasingly watching programmes on their way to work, between meetings or on holiday, and this partnership means they can now catch up on their favourite ITV programmes on our devices wherever and whenever they choose.'
Author: Graeme Neill


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Cross-posted at River Twice Research.
So bipartisanship isn’t dead. By a vote of 348-79, Democrats and Republicans alike put aside their acrimonious differences and agreed, at least for a moment, to stop blaming each other for the sad state of American economic life. Instead, they agreed to blame China.
The bill authorizes the president of the United States to impose tariffs on Chinese goods in response to what it considers an illegal subsidy of Chinese exports in the form of an undervalued currency. It helps that the supporters in the House know that this bill has precious little chance of becoming law; it will not pass the Senate and it is unlikely that it would be signed into law by Obama if it ever came to that. As a result, the bill is the perfect campaign gesture, bombastic, angry, self-righteous, and without much real-world consequence.
The office AFL-CIO union leader Richard Trumka issued a statement that encapsulated the thinking behind the bill: “the House of Representatives voted to put an end to the Chinese government’s currency manipulation, which has destroyed millions of good American manufacturing jobs. For more than a decade, the Chinese government has deliberately manipulated the value of its currency, ballooning our trade deficit with China and costing American communities good jobs….Working people continue to mobilize to elect candidates who will put America’s workers first and are committed to rebuilding an economy that values working people. This November we will send a powerful message that we will support those who vote for an economy that works for everyone.”
The idea is that there is direct line between China, its currency, its exports of lower-cost goods to the United States, and the erosion of middle-class life and now soaring unemployment. But U.S. manufacturing has been bleeding jobs for decades, since the early 1970s, when the Rust Belt began to decay faced with competition from the likes of Japan and Germany. That continued almost unbroken for the next decades, as countries ranging from Taiwan to Mexico became the low-cost producers (remember Ross Perot’s famous warning about NAFTA in 1992 and “the giant sucking sound” of jobs heading south-of-the-border?). California and the state of Washington were hit hard by cuts in defense spending in the early 1990s, and industry throughout the country shed jobs as technology and robotics allowed fewer workers to do more. China is simply the latest example of these trends and hardly a cause.
What’s more, the recent loss of millions of jobs since 2008 has everything to do with the collapse of the construction and housing industries, along with the near-death of the Big Three American auto makers than with any competitive challenge from China. China has become a large car market for General Motors, but not for export to the United States: for sale in China. It would take a massive leap unsupported by any fact to lay the demise of the U.S. auto industry at the feet of China, or for that matter hold China responsible for the sub-prime and derivative debacles. Those are the cause of recent job loss.
Furthermore, China has been revaluing its currency, nearly 20% between 2005 and 2008 and now nearly 3% since June when the government resumed that policy having shelved it during the midst of the global financial crisis. It is in the domestic interest of the Chinese government to raise the value of their currency because they are focused on building up on internal, domestic consumption market. They have no wish to be dependent long-term of the vagaries and whims of American consumers, and higher purchasing power for Chinese consumers is the answer. They are not revaluing quickly enough to suit an America stuck in second gear and looking for someone to blame, but revaluing they are.
Of course, reason and fact aren’t driving these measures. Emotion, anger and frustration are. There are good reasons to be angry with the state of affairs in this country and frustrated by the inability of the political class to do more than contribute to the confusion. But blaming China for a series of domestic challenges is not an act of strength or courage. It is an act of desperation, and the only saving grace is that this measure is a gesture, not an actual law – yet. But it suggests that the only thing Congress can agree on is how to shoot ourselves in the foot, which requires minimal skill and even less aim. Railing against Beijing may feel empowering, but seriously grappling with growth, investment, infrastructure and innovation, well that would actually be empowering.
For a look at additional blogs and other writings of mine, feel free to visit River Twice Research.


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Adidas to invest in 2012 Olympics
LONDON (Reuters) - German sports goods maker Adidas ADSG.DE said on Thursday it will invest 100 million pounds in the 2012 Olympic games in London.
Adidas Chief Executive Herbert Hainer, in London for a news conference with the organising committee of the games, said this was the biggest single investment Adidas has ever put into a UK sporting event.
"We want to become the leading sportswear brand in the UK, Europe's largest sportswear market," Hainer said.
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- Putin says Russia not isolated over Ukraine, blames West for frosty ties
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Why the industry is in a sweet spot right now.
CPAMD's Bryan McDonald shows clients how to start off on the right foot.
He suggests ancillary businesses, not growers.
By 2022, Matthew Karnes, CPA, said he expects every state in the country will have implemented either a medical-only or a fully legal cannabis market to reach $35 billion in retail sales.
Lind Mizar specializes in helping clients problem-solve around cash management
Cannabis businesses aren’t getting the justice they deserve as it relates to their financial needs.
As Maine’s largest medical cannabis organization, the Wellness Connection fields many questions from individuals interested in cannabis. And it makes sense – though recreational use was approved by voters in 2016, legislation is still unclear on the way forward.
"Every one of my cannabis clients needs multiple services and I think that’s what got people excited."


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Huawei foresees a 40 percent jump in its revenues from India this year, riding on the 3G expansion and LTE rollout in the country and despite India's telecom sector undergoing major upheavals in recent times.
The Times of India reported Thursday that Huawei India CEO Cai Liquin said the country's large-scale 3G expansion and impending 4G, or long-term evolution (LTE), deployment will drive mobile broadband growth. He added that the company's India revenue in 2011 increased 30 percent from the year before to hit US$1.2 billion.
"Last year, we got 25 percent of total 3G equipment order that were made by Indian service providers," said A. Sethuraman, Huawei India's executive director for products and solutions, who added that the local 3G expansion will likely boost its sales for this year.
The company expects equal contribution to its revenue from the three business groups--enterprise solutions, device, and carrier networks, the report noted.
Huawei's projected growth come amid a time when India's telecommunications landscape is in a flux. The country last month unveiled a new telecoms policy that changes how licenses, both telecoms and bandwidth, are allocated, among others. The new laws come after the Indian Supreme Court revoked all 122 2G license agreements issued since January 2008, on suspicions of government fraud.


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A decade has passed since the start of the worst global financial crisis in history. Banks and financial institutions have yet to fully recover—most report an average return on equity that is well below pre-crisis levels. Many have spent the past 10 years developing robust compliance processes and systems to keep pace with rapidly changing regulatory requirements. Meanwhile, cyber attacks against financial services providers have increased in frequency and sophistication, requiring companies to continually step up cyber-security protocols, systems and training.
Consumer demands that have transformed other sectors are putting pressure on financial services providers to improve service delivery. Customers expect to be able to conduct business on their own terms, when and where it’s convenient for them, using whichever device they prefer—and they’re willing to switch providers for a more effortless experience. Financial institutions that have relied heavily on fees and aggressive product sales will need to shift strategies. To become profitable in the Age of the Consumer, providing a high-quality customer experience is the competitive differentiator and the key to sustained growth.
The digital transformation that has been rapidly evolving other sectors has been slower to gain a foothold in traditional financial institutions. Fintech companies have emerged to offer tech-savvy consumers personalized, fast and efficient access to products by incorporating artificial intelligence, machine learning algorithms, digital currencies and big data into the experience. While making it easier for customers to conduct transactions via mobile is enabling fintech startups to rapidly expand, with growth comes the need for additional staffing and support to provide top-notch customer service when complex questions and issues arise.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) compliance requirements and the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) enacted by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) have elevated the level of service that call center outsourcing companies provide to customers of financial institutions. Subprime doesn’t mean substandard service. Financial institutions have turned to CustomerServ for guidance on outsourcing vendors that specialize in prime and subprime banking, credit cards and consumer loans.


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The gaming industry has witnessed rapid growth as the relevant technology evolves by the day, setting new game development trends. The changing trends get adopted by top game development studios to deliver uncompromised gaming projects that are playable on repeat and are highly profitable.
The future of game development and industry trends altogether influence the revenues and project flow experienced by game developers. The new trends in this industry are slowly but surely changing how video games are perceived by consumers these days. Read on to learn all about the top game development trends that are here to stay shortly and even grow further.
A trend would stick around when consumers particularly love it and it is profitable. According to Statista, the revenue of the game industry is expected to reach USD 467 billion by 2027 at a CAGR of 8.74% between 2023-2027. Needless to say, the industry is highly profitable, especially if one can make the most of the latest trends.
The number of video game users is likely to reach 3.1 billion by 2027. Mobile games specifically have the largest market volume at present with a valuation of USD 173.60 billion in 2023.
The game development industry is witnessing rapid growth of several new technologies at the moment. From haptic technology to realistic art, blockchain to metaverse- there are several trends shaping the future course of development in the game industry. Here we have listed ten such popular game development trends that help to make the best-trending games in the industry:
Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality have been around for several years. But it is only in the past couple of years and now that both technologies have witnessed rapid development. Both technologies together can make the game immersive and engaging. The gaming experience can get elevated by leaps and bounds when both these technologies are together synced in a game. One of the most advanced uses of AR in gaming is witnessed in Pokemon GO and Harry Potter: Wizards Unite.
VR gaming is highly addictive and is expected to improve more than ever in the coming years. Hardware to enable VR gaming is improving rapidly. The latest addition is the Sony DualSense which makes VR gaming as immersive as it can get at this age.
Users these days often play the same game from different devices depending on which they can access at the moment. The same account can be used to start the game where you left it off. Cross-platform game development enables this flexibility.
This is becoming a popular trend by the day as game developers realize how different platforms can maximize their reach to potential users. This development process is attributed mostly to enhancing the convenience associated with gaming on the go. You will witness cross-platform development and its benefits in games like Genshin Impact.
Irrespective of the device that players use the most or where they last saved the game, they can access it from any other device where the same account has been synced. Cross-platform development also promotes inclusivity and a sense of community among players. You can enjoy the game with any of your friends even if both of you are using different devices.
The gaming industry trends remain incomplete without the mention of cloud gaming at this stage. Cloud gaming was introduced decades ago. However, it is considered a feasible mode of gaming only recently as internet services have improved rapidly. Earlier gaming was considered an expensive hobby when you take into account the variety of hardware and software upgrades.
With cloud gaming, a wider audience has access to a large library of games with basic equipment. At the same time, game developers can monetize old but classic titles which are still in demand. Cloud gaming is here to stay especially as internet services develop. Cloud gaming services democratize gaming for all and make it accessible. The projected market value of the cloud gaming industry is likely to become USD 18.71 billion with a CAGR of 44.09% between 2023-2027.
Though mobile gaming has been around for many years now, it is becoming a trend if you consider the quality of the popular mobile games available today. Popular game franchises are focusing on developing mobile versions of their games to become more accessible to potential users. Simultaneously, many new trending games are designed for mobile primarily and also feature cross-platform development.
The demand for mobile games is on the rise these days and game developers strive towards creating game apps that are compatible with various types of mobile OS like Android, windows, and iOS. There is likely to be a growing shift towards mobile-first game development or mobile-exclusive game app development to keep up with the demands in this genre.
Metaverse has gained immense popularity over the years as it draws parallels to real-world activities and transactions. However, the technology is still in a developing stage and is rather experimental. Though there are different metaverse games available the technology is in a nascent stage that is developing.
The global metaverse market is projected to be USD 38.81 billion to USD 710.21 billion at a CAGR of 38.2% between 2022-2027. Metaverse games are improving by the day and today there is a wide variety of these games like Decentraland and Roblox.
Crypto instantly brings to our mind the concept of cryptocurrencies. It has become widely popular because cryptocurrency is highly secure and traceable. The popularity of the currency has paved the way for crypto-based games. In the crypto games, those associated with the game can own a share. This means the users can transfer their share, purchases, and rewards to another game within the same crypto network easily. Such games are built on the blockchain network and every computer on the network can access an equal amount of information. As a result, the game is decentralized and owners and players gain equal power and authority.
Crypto games are becoming popular by the day because of the in-game transactions and the ability to buy or win cryptos in the game environment. These digital assets continue to grow in demand, making crypto gaming one of the top game development trends in recent times.
eSports has been around for a while now but it gained major popularity in recent times as the mobile game industry grows rapidly. It is a competitive and professional gaming solution for gaming enthusiasts. Such games are available to watch and follow live as well.
Today such events not only attract more participants but also viewers who want to know the results of the games in real-time. According to Statista, the global e-sports market is expected to grow to USD 1.87 billion by 2025.
The best-trending games today use advanced technology like ray tracing to create realistic graphics. Take the example of games like God of War, The Last of Us, or even Genshin Impact where these technologies play a crucial role in making the game appear more sophisticated and their graphics are detail-oriented. Such technologies would continue to evolve and even make photorealistic game graphics possible.
Even now some games have such graphics in small part but not like the entire game features photorealism. The realistic graphics make the game more engaging, addictive, and immersive which is why there is an emphasis on achieving such high standards of graphics.
From a small vibration of the smartphone to something as big as jolts and shocks in sync with movements in VR games- haptic feedback has come a long way. The latest gaming hardware like Sony DualSense enables such haptic feedback very accurately and ensures the game feels immersive. Tactile sensations are a crucial part of making a game engaging as players become thoroughly engrossed in the story when they play the game and can feel it at the same time.
Both are transformative technologies that are still in development. But they have attained a certain perfection already that has impacted every industry to a significant level. Every game development company strives towards harnessing the ability of AI and ML to create game elements and mechanics that are more realistic and can make the experience immersive. This includes the creation of more expressive NCPs who are participating intricately with the storyline.
ML algorithms help with tailoring the gameplay and mechanics per the skill and expertise of the player. The game development trends are such that, there is a significant shift towards customized gameplay that sets its courses based on the player’s actions.
The game development trends these days are more inclined towards creating tailor-made experiences and engaging the users through the storyline and gameplay simultaneously. New technologies are emerging that are changing the ways video games are perceived.
At Juego Studios, we strive to provide you with development solutions that are based on the latest technology and concepts in the industry that are steadily changing the game development landscape.
to make your gaming ideas a reality


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The amount earmarked is the “highest brand investment for Solpadeine in four years”, Perrigo said.
The campaign will include digital advertising, posters and leaflets in GP surgeries – which have already been distributed – and TV adverts going live on June 11 and running until August, Perrigo said.
“The campaign explains how consumers might need to consider a visit to their pharmacist to explore treatments to manage their acute moderate pain effectively,” it added.
Perrigo senior marketing director Holly Turner said the “campaign will help sufferers understand that both their pharmacist and Solpadeine are there for them when regular forms of pain relief are not enough”.
A 32-tablet pack of Solpadeine Max Soluble retails at £7.69.
To order, contact 0800 1216 909


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Welcome to the Internet of toys.
Hello Barbie, Mattel’s Internet-connected iconic doll, has a few insecurities. Computer security researchers dug into the toy’s accompanying app and discovered several flaws that let hackers eavesdrop on communications between it and the cloud servers it connects to.
The doll uses Wi-Fi to transmit audio from children talking to it to servers that process the speech and prepare responses. The doll acts sort of like a digital assistant, like Apple’s Siri or Microsoft’s (MSFT) Cortana.
Andrew Hay, research director at Cisco-owned (CSCO) OpenDNS, and researchers at Bluebox Security, a security firm based in San Francisco, found that the toy uses a digital ID that attackers can abuse and potentially let them spy on the chatter between a doll and a server. The vulnerability affects the Google (GOOG) Android as well as the Apple (AAPL) iOS versions of the Hello Barbie app.
Additionally, the researchers found that phones with the app will automatically connect to any Wi-Fi network that includes “Barbie” in its name. The servers that link with the dolls were also vulnerable to Poodle, an encryption-busting bug that Google researchers raised the alarm bells about more than a year ago.
To design the doll and app, Mattel (MAT) partnered with ToyTalk, a tech startup founded by former Pixar executives in 2011 that has raised $31 million in venture capital funding to date. Bluebox alerted the company to the problems before releasing its report.
“We have been working with Bluebox and appreciate their Responsible Disclosure of several issues with respect to Hello Barbie,” Martin Reddy, chief technology officer and co-founder of ToyTalk, said in a statement emailed to Fortune. He said the company has patched the Poodle vulnerabilities, although he did not say whether the issue with the digital ID, or authentication credential, had been, or would be, fixed.
Per the note:
It is important to note that this attack is only possible during the few minutes that a user takes to connect the doll to their WiFi network and, even after circumventing this feature, the attacker gains no access WiFi passwords, no access to child audio data, and cannot change what the doll says.
VTech, another children’s toymaker, recently suffered a data breach that leaked information on 6.4 million children and 4.8 million adults.
In companies’ push to connect everything to the Internet—from automobiles to ovens to toys—vulnerabilities are certain to abound. In the case of Hello Barbie at least, no one can say they didn’t see this coming.
Follow Robert Hackett on Twitter at @rhhackett. Read his cybersecurity, technology, and business coverage here. And subscribe to Data Sheet, Fortune’s daily newsletter on the business of technology, where he writes a weekly column.
For more about the app-enabled toys, watch the video below:


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- Peloton is recalling all its treadmills after a child died in an accident and users reported injuries.
- Shares of the company fell sharply in trading Wednesday after the announcement.
- See more stories on Insider’s business page.
Peloton is recalling all its treadmills after one child died in an accident with one and users reported injuries, the company said in a joint statement with the Consumer Product Safety Commission on Wednesday.
Federal regulators pressured the company last month to recall its $4,295 Tread+ treadmill after the product fatally injured a child in March.
Some customers reported injuries and malfunctions with the treadmill as early as 2019, Insider previously reported.
“I want to be clear, Peloton made a mistake in our initial response to the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s request that we recall the Tread+,” CEO John Foley said in the release. “We should have engaged more productively with them from the outset. For that, I apologize.”
Shares of the fitness company, known for its bike, treadmill, and standalone subscription models, fell as much as 7% in trading following the announcement.
Peloton instructed customers to immediately stop using the treadmill and contact the company for a full refund or “other qualified remedy,” the statement said. Peloton has also stopped the sale and distribution of the Tread+.
“The agreement between CPSC and Peloton is the result of weeks of intense negotiation and effort, culminating in a cooperative agreement that I believe serves the best interests of Peloton and of consumers,” Robert S. Adler, acting chairman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission. “Today we have taken steps to prevent further harm from these two products.”


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On Wednesday, October 15, 650 entrepreneurs, business leaders, and investors converged on the Oregon Convention Center to celebrate the state’s boldest, brightest, and best entrepreneurs.
What a night! After a lively opening reception, we were excited to showcase the inspiring work being done by this year’s finalists and to announce the winning companies and entrepreneurs. Congrats to GlobeSherpa, Salt & Straw, Elemental Technologies, Puralytics, Lindsay Nelson of Theme Dragon, and Luke Kanies of Puppet Labs. Learn more about the finalists and winners here.
And now, for the highlight reel:


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We’ve already been treated to a sneak preview of Apple’s new iPads - even if it was by accident - but for eager beavers wanting to get the details of the debut as it happens, here’s how you can watch.
The whole thing kicks off at 10am today in California. That’s 6pm here in the UK, so fingers-crossed there are no delays on the commute home.
Hopefully, this live stream won’t be accompanied by a Chinese translation drowning out Tim Cook talking on stage (except in China of course), like last time. We're sure Apple's fixed that now. It is a tech company after all.
Be warned however, Apple only lets you stream it on an Apple device running Safari or iOS. Good for them, bad for PC users. Go and buy an iPhone 6 or a Mac. We see what they’re doing there.
Those already on board through Apple TV can watch it on the Apple event channel, which has already gone live ahead of the event, 9to5mac reports.
There’s also further good news about the new tablet - it’s going to be completely U2-free.
Bono apologised after U2 essentially iTunesbombed Apple users (the musical equivalent of photobombing. It’s a thing.) with their new album which was added automatically to iTunes users' accounts as part of Apple's last launch bonanza.
It wasn't something welcomed by the majority of iTunes’ non-U2 fans and in a Facebook Q&A yesterday the lead singer said the band got “carried away”.
No chance of an unwanted free U2 album making an appearance anywhere near the iPad 2 or iTunes at tonight's launch then. Phew.


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Patna-based Ergos had announced an investment of Rs 35 crore in its Series A round from Avishkar Bharat Fund (ABF) in April. The company had allotted convertible debentures worth Rs 20 crore to ABF earlier this year. The ongoing round could see it raise as much as Rs 80 crore.
The company provides farmers a platform that operates similar to a bank, but for grains, offering facilities for storage, digitisation, credit and liquidation. The startup said it works with small farmers, and over the past five years has been able to help them improve their incomes.
Kishor Jha, founder and CEO at Ergos said, “We are building the Ergos Grainbank to serve small and marginal farmers by leveraging technology and data sciences to disrupt the way farmers deal with their produce. We intend to rapidly scale our geographic footprint…at over 2,000 Grainbank locations over the next few years.”
TCM Sundaram, founder and MD at Chiratae Ventures said, “Ergos is bridging the large gap between the selling price of produce and the realisation of farmers at the farm-gate by using technology to facilitate credit and market linkages to the grains stored with it, Ergos is expected to capitalise on its early lead to become a market leader that creates sustainable development to the farmers’ life.”
The company said it currently supports over 20,000 farmers on its platform and has a physical presence in over 60 locations across the state of Bihar. It also provides farmers with a post-harvest supply chain solution that utilises technology to ensure seamless delivery.
Ergos was backed by Avishkar in 2016 when it was in the ideation stage. At present, Ergos claims to have close to 30,000 farmers registered on the platform who have sold Rs 125 crore worth produce.


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Sniper Elite V2 launched in 2012 as somewhat of a sequel to 2005’s Sniper Elite. However, Sniper Elite V2 also served as a remake, telling an alternate version of Sniper Elite’s events. Interestingly, it appears this telling of the story is gearing up for a second wind, as the Australian Classification Board has leaked Sniper Elite V2 Remastered.
The title appeared on the Australian Classification Board’s website on December 24, 2018. According to this listing, akin to the 2012 release, Rebellion Developments is developing the title; 505 Games will publish. Naturally, the Classification Board also offers details on the game’s rating.
In Australia, Sniper Elite V2 Remastered will receive classification as MA 15+, due to “strong violence.” Additionally, the listing states that “gaming experience may change online,” which suggests Sniper Elite V2’s online functionality will carry over into the potential remaster. At present, the leak has yet to be addressed by Rebellion and 505 Games.
A screenshot of the listing, as it appears on the Australian Classification Board’s website, is featured in the image below:
Since Sniper Elite’s 2012 revival with V2, Rebellion has launched two additional titles in the franchise’s mainline series. Sniper Elite III hit store shelves in the summer of 2014. The third-person tactical shooter’s most recent release, Sniper Elite 4, launched on the PlayStation 4, PC, and Xbox One in February 2017. If Rebellion has plans for a brand-new installment, the developer has not made the news public.
Sniper Elite V2 Remastered Appears on the Australian Classification Board
The latest title from Rebellion, Strange Brigade, is a third-person cooperative shooter and is available now on the PlayStation 4, PC, and Xbox One.


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Your search for "Serko" found 24 results
Serko and First Table have been recognised by the Technology Investment Network’s 2023 report and awards for their excellence in digital technologies.
Serko has reported a strong set of interim results following what it calls “high revenue growth” across its divisions.
The business travel platform says its FY23 NZ bookings were 136% of pre-pandemic levels.
Business travel platform Serko has upgraded its revenue guidance for the year to March 2023, following a stronger than expected revenue performance across its major markets.
Total travel booking volumes rose 73% to 2.3 million from 1.3 million and online travel bookings increased 75% to 2 million from 1.1 million.
Business travel booking platform Serko has reported a net loss after tax of $36m for the year to March 2022, citing increased investment for the 22% decline on last year’s result.
Serko’s Australian transaction growth has reached 60% of 2019 volumes, but growth in New Zealand remains suppressed.
NZ’s travel recovery may take a little longer than overseas but it can still be quick, says the online travel booking firm’s CEO, Darrin Grafton.
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Serko has opened its $10m non-underwritten retail offer to eligible shareholders.
The business travel booking platform is also eyeing acquisitions to drive growth.
The growing importance of technology in designing and booking business trips ensures Serko is well placed for the global travel recovery, says chief executive Darrin Grafton.
Serko has appointed Jan Dawson as an independent director on its board.
Trading conditions remain volatile due to the global impacts of Covid-19 and ongoing travel restrictions, particularly in the Australian market, says Serko.
Online travel booking and expense management firm Serko has appointed Shane Sampson chief financial officer.
Travel volumes for April 2021 were at 84% of 2019 levels.
Serko has recorded an uplift in transactions so far in March 2021 to reach 68% of the volumes recorded for the same period in March 2019.
Online corporate booking company Serko says travel booking volumes are showing gradual improvement.
Online business travel booking company Serko has posted a $10m loss for the half-year ending September 2020.
Online travel booking and expense management company Serko says its $10m share purchase plan has closed oversubscribed with applications totalling approximately $25m.
Serko has opened its $10m non-underwritten share purchase plan which is part of Serko’s equity raising initiative.
Online travel booking and expense management company Serko is seeking new equity of up to $55m.
Strong growth in New Zealand and Australia has seen ‘pleasing’ results for online travel booking and expense management firm Serko.
Online travel booking software firm Serko said it expects its first half full year 2018 earnings to be positive at approximately $1m, up from a $1.75m loss the same period the previous period.


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The Dawn of a New Era for Copyright Online
Recent legislation that targets illegal digital streaming provides a template for digital copyright law.
EARN IT Act Calls Internet Content Moderation Into Question
Proposed legislation targets online child sexual exploitation, but tech advocates say it may hamper encryption.
Will the White House’s AI Policies Lead to Permissionless Innovation?
New artificial intelligence guidelines aim to improve oversight of growing automation in the United States.
The FTC and Net Neutrality’s Plan B
Would the FTC be an effective body for regulating Internet openness?
Why We Need Encryption Now More Than Ever
Encryption should be seen not only as an essential consumer protection tool, but also as an essential national security tool.
Solving the FBI-Apple Dispute
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The Tremor, Quake, and Aftershock of EU Privacy Norms
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Digital Copyright Reaches the Supreme Court (Perhaps)
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Monday, November 22, 2004, 12:00 pm PT (03:00 pm ET)
Head of Mac hardware leaves AppleAnother week, another top level exec departs from Apple's Macintosh division.
On Monday, November 8th, the vice president of Apple's Mac support unit left the company. Exactly one week later, Tim Bucher, head of Apple's Mac hardware engineering, did the same.
Word of Bucher's departure began to spread late-last week, though Apple at the time would not immediately confirm the report to AppleInsider. However, CNet News.com was able to receive confirmation from Apple earlier this morning.
"Apple has not named a successor for Bucher but said a team of workers is overseeing engineering efforts and reporting to executive vice president Tim Cook, the leader of Apple's Mac unit and also the head of the company's overall sales and operations."
The team reportedly consist of Apple's industrial design chief, Jonathan Ive, along with Bob Mansfield, Dan Riccio and "someone recently hired to lead the electrical-engineering group, whose name Apple did not release."
Bucher was in charge of Mac system development until May, when he was promoted to head all Mac hardware engineering, as former chief Jon Rubinstein shifted gears to head up the company's new iPod division.
Last week, AppleInsider reported on the departure of Mark Wilhelm, Apple's former vice president of Apple Care customer support.
On Topic: General
- Apple CEO Tim Cook says privacy talks with Chinese government were 'very open'
- Former Apple exec Ron Johnson wants to make online shopping personal with new startup 'Enjoy'
- Apple says its 'ambitious' sapphire manufacturing process is 'not ready for production'
- GT Advanced to exit sapphire production business, Apple to recover $439M prepayment over 4 years
- Christian Bale confirmed to play Steve Jobs in upcoming biopic, to start shooting soon


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Nov. 19—BLUE SPRINGS — When April Voyles was growing up in New Albany, she and her mom always had a fresh tree at Christmas.
"I remember going to Christmas tree farms or a tree lot or to Uncle Jack's house to cut a cedar tree," she said.
When she and her husband, Brandon, wed almost 18 years ago, they continued that tradition.
"The first year we were married, I went out and cut a cedar tree," Brandon said. "Our ceilings were 17 feet tall, and we still had trouble getting that tree in the house. It was way too big."
Both of the Voyleses love having a fresh tree at Christmas, and they wanted to continue that custom with their children, Logan and Lily. So every year, the family would drive two or three counties away to a farm to snag a fresh tree.
Four years ago, they decided to start their own Christmas tree farm.
"We'd had this land for 14 years," April said. "Brandon wanted to plant the bottom with pine trees, and I said, 'What about Christmas trees instead?'"
The couple started talking about the logistics of a farm in 2018 and had intentions of getting trees planted in 2019, but they couldn't seem to get hooked up with the right people.
In February 2020, everything came together, and the couple planted 250 Virginia pines and 350 cypress trees on their land in Blue Springs.
"The trees we'll cut this year are almost 3 years old," April said.
In fact, this year marks the first time trees will be cut from Foggy Bottom Farm, located at 1606 Highway 348. Last year, the farm was open, but the couple sold only pre-cut trees from the North.
"This year, I'd say we'll have 150 of our trees to be cut," Brandon said. "They'll range from 7- to 10-feet tall, and go for $12 a foot."
The farm will be open to the public for the first time this season on Nov. 26, the Saturday after Thanksgiving, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Folks will be able to pick out trees to cut and take home as well as enjoy other things the farm will be selling, like hot cocoa, milk and cookies, fresh wreaths and garlands, Christmas accessories and ornaments. In addition, Santa will be there for photo opportunities from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The Virginia pines need a few more years to grow, so only cypress trees will be available for cutting, Brandon said. Varieties include Leighton Green, Ovensii, Castlewellan Gold, Blue Ice and Mexican Cypress.
"All the cypress are hypo-allergenic, so even people who suffer from allergies have been known to function normally with these in their home," said April, a registered nurse who teaches health science at the Career and Technical Center in New Albany. "The Mexican cypress is my favorite tree. It has a citrus smell, and it's very feathery."
In years to come, there'll be many more trees available for cutting at the farm. The Voyleses planted 600 more cypress trees in both 2021 and 2022, and hope to plant another thousand in 2023.
"The Virginia pines we planted were seedlings, but all the cypress trees come in 1- or 2-gallon containers," Brandon said. "The cypress trees come from growers in Louisiana."
The couple will also have about 50 pre-cut Douglas Fir and Frasier Fir trees from Michigan for sale on Nov. 26. Those trees will range from 7 to 14 feet.
The Voyleses have two miniature donkeys — Hazel and Festus — and three babydoll sheep — Zeb, Daisy and Nelly Belle — who will join in the festivities next week.
"We're trying to get a live Nativity together," April said. "We've got the donkeys and the sheep, but we may draw the line at a camel. That's probably not gonna happen."
After opening day, Foggy Bottom Farm will be open Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from 2 to 5 p.m. until all the trees are gone.
"People tell us customers aren't coming out here just to buy a tree," April said. "They're coming for the experience."


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Coca-Cola Co. reported lower-than-expected quarterly revenue, hurt by a decline in North American sales volume.
The world's largest soft drink maker said sales volume fell 2 percent in North America, citing the weak economy and unseasonably cold weather in January and February. Its shares slipped in early trading.
The company also said its deal to acquire the North American operations of its largest bottler, Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc., was on track to close in the fourth quarter.
Coca-Cola expects the deal, which follows a similar one by rival PepsiCo Inc., to help turn around its ailing North American business by streamlining distribution, boosting flexibility and cutting costs.
The company also said it remained on track to achieve its goal of $500 million in annualized cost savings by the end of 2011.
First-quarter revenue rose 5 percent to $7.53 billion, but fell short of the analysts' average estimate of $7.72 billion, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
Net income increased to $1.61 billion, or 69 cents per share, from $1.35 billion, or 58 cents per share, a year earlier.
Excluding items such as restructuring charges and the impact of the Venezuela currency devaluation, earnings were 80 cents per share. Analysts on average were expecting 75 cents.
Overall volume rose 3 percent, below the 5 percent increase in the fourth quarter. UBS analyst Kaumil Gajrawala, who had forecast a gain of 3.3 percent, noted that sales in Latin America, North America, Europe and the Pacific region had missed expectations.
Volume rose 4 percent in Latin America, 5 percent in the Pacific region and 11 percent in the Eurasia and Africa division, driven by increases of 29 percent in India and 18 percent in Turkey.
Volume in Europe was flat.
In the closely watched North American market, the 2 percent volume drop followed declines of 1 percent in the fourth quarter and 4 percent in the third quarter.
North American volume fell 1 percent for carbonated beverages such as Coca-Cola, Sprite and Fanta, and dropped 2 percent for still beverages such as juices, teas and waters, which tend to be more expensive.
Atlanta-based Coke's shares fell about 1.6 percent to $54.41 in midday trading.
© 2024 Thomson/Reuters. All rights reserved.


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A worker walks past a mural outside the JBS SA pork processing plant in Louisville, Kentucky, U.S., on Friday, June 5, 2020.
Luke Sharrett | Bloomberg | Getty Images
The cyberattack on JBS, the world’s largest meatpacking company, could cause pain for restaurants if the situation isn’t resolved quickly, analysts say.
On Tuesday, the Brazilian company said it has made “significant progress” in the resolving the ransomware attack that impacted operations in North America and Australia. JBS expects that the vast majority of its plants will be back on Wednesday. It initially disclosed the attack on Monday.
In the meantime, beef prices rose. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that prices…


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England’s Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Prof Chris Whitty, has announced 2 new circumstances of COVID-19 in the UK. «Sporadic further cases were and are to be expected given the international unfold. But the good news here is that, as for all different cases up to now, the surveillance system has picked them up and moved them into isolation, providing the most effective help for the patients and the public at giant.
«The two new instances are not unexpected — it follows the pattern of outbreaks of this nature. Thus far within the UK, we have been taobao in english a position to establish each case and get in touch with trace successfully. «It is not shocking that we’ve seen further cases at this time. Our best estimate would be over a thousand instances. Each undetected case creates at the very least the potential for onward unfold. «Given the regular transport links at this time of year between and the UK and northern Italy/Tenerife these new instances are usually not surprising.
The patients have been remoted and the hope is that their contacts will probably be traced promptly to forestall further unfold of the virus. You can buy soap made from cow dung, which is claimed to be good for dandruff, skin disease, will rid the physique of unhealthy odors (yes, with cow dung cleaning soap!) and will make your skin comfortable. Surprisingly, ロリータファッション this cow dung cleaning soap mixed with essential oils is on the market on Amazon — interested to strive?
You could find several clinics practicing traditional drugs in India and this includes cow dung medicine. The easiest way is to search for ‘Ayurvedic Treatment’ for the itemizing of such clinics. If urine therapy and cow dung as medication baffle you, taobao look forward to this Bathini Mrugasira Fish as medicine. It’s even more mind blasting. Every year since 1845, the Bathini Goud brothers from Hyderabad, India will give free treatment to people affected by asthma and respiratory problems utilizing their famed Bathini Mrugasira Fish Medicine.
On every first week of June on Mrigasira Karthi day, hundreds of people will throng the city stadium for タオバオ 代行 his or her stay Bathini fish therapy. As well as, the elastic straps are comfortable and able to suit a variety of different face shapes so that the mask could be worn with out irritation. For the reason that mask conforms to the face, it shouldn’t irritate the skin or interfere together with your make-up. It’s a disposable mask that’s appropriate for folks of all ages and taobao cosplay facial shapes.
The manufacturer recommends using the mask for motorcycle riding, operating, bicycling, exercising, sports, woodworking, and general touring.


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Many people don’t give a second thought to where their old coffee grounds go after tossing them in the trash. That isn’t the case with the folks behind Rens, a new shoe brand now fundraising on Kickstarter. The stylish sneakers are made from recycled coffee and water bottles—and they’re 100 percent waterproof.
While brainstorming ideas for a sustainable sneaker, the founders of Rens discovered they could spin high-tensile thread from old coffee grounds. Not only is this material better for the environment, but it offers some remarkable benefits to wearers as well. Fabric made from coffee is naturally odor-fighting and antibacterial. By combining the coffee with recycled water bottles, the team was able to create a shoe that’s also lightweight, breathable, and totally resistant to water.


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Dozens more RAC patrol vans are to be fitted with EV chargers in the coming months, after the breakdown organisation signed an exclusivity agreement with the maker of its EV Boost technology.
The RAC worked with engineering company Original ADS to design and develop the van-mounted charger, designed to give EVs with flat batteries enough power to get to the nearest working public charger or home, without needing a flatbed truck recovery.
EV Boost was initially launched as a 3.5kW charger in 2019, but there’s now a new 5kW version, and a further 7.5kW charger is in development.
Under the new deal, the RAC plans to have 200 vans equipped with chargers by the end of this year, and a further 120 next year.
The chargers are powered by a generator driven by the van’s engine, weigh 35kg, and are the size of a shoe box, meaning they only take up a small amount of space in the van.
RAC chief operations director James Knight said: “We were very proud to be the first breakdown company to launch a solution at scale to help out-of-charge EV drivers, and we’re even more delighted to be the only roadside assistance company in the UK that can use this pioneering British-designed technology.
“It means within minutes of arriving with one of our EV customers, our expert patrols can plug in and get the car topped up enough to be driven a short distance home or to a nearby chargepoint. We believe it’s faster, more efficient and better for the planet than having to send a big flatbed recovery vehicle or a van full of batteries.”


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Recompose, the Seattle-based funeral services startup that specializes in human composting, has launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise $5 million.
The regulation crowdfunding round is being facilitated by Wefunder and is available to unaccredited investors at a $1,000 minimum. The campaign has raised $343,000 as of Wednesday morning.
Founded by CEO Katrina Spade in 2017 as a greener alternative to conventional burial and cremation methods, Recompose is among a wave of “death tech” startups using innovative practices to upend the $20 billion funeral industry.
Recompose previously raised $17 million without using venture capital. Investors have included supporters of the company, investment groups, donor-advised funds, family foundations, and clients of financial advisors.
“All of our investors are impact driven and appreciate being invested for the long term,” Spade told Startup. “Our team is growing Recompose with intention, care, and ambition.”
She said that the plan has always been to offer the opportunity to invest in the company at a low minimum.
Recompose’s process involves placing a human body in a receptacle with organic matter that includes straw, wood chips and alfalfa. Microbes naturally break everything down into soil in about eight to 12 weeks, and the soil is returned to loved ones, similar to ashes after cremation, for use in a garden or elsewhere.
Funding rounds of $6.75 million in September 2020 and $10 million in December 2022 allowed Recompose to open and operate its first small facility in Kent, Wash. The company now has a full-service facility just south of downtown Seattle.
Recompose generated $1.6 million in revenue in its first two years of operations and is projecting $1.48 million this year, according to financial details shared on Wefunder.
Spade said Recompose has helped more than 250 families transform their loved ones into soil, saving over 200 metric tons of carbon. Another 1,300 “Precompose” members are paying in advance for future human composting services.
The process costs $7,000, with additional fees for add-on services.
Washington was the first state in the U.S. to legalize human composting when Gov. Jay Inslee signed it into law in May 2019, and others have followed, including Colorado, Oregon, Vermont, California and New York.
“The legalization of human composting in six states speaks to the real momentum that’s happening across the country,” Spade said.
Recompose employs 18 people. Cash from the crowdfunding campaign will support the development, operations, and expansion of the company.
An increasing number of Pacific Northwest startups are using technology and innovation to bring change to the funeral industry:
- Portland-based Solace is bringing digital convenience to the process of planning and facilitating cremation services.
- A team from the University of Washington called AfterLife Listings recently won the $25,000 grand prize in a student startup competition for its idea to simplify planning and transactions related to burial plots.
- Direct-to-consumer casket startup Titan Casket raised $3.5 million last year to boost its product line and shipping speeds.


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During Microsoft’s event yesterday, the company unveiled the new Surface Laptop that’s a pretty standard laptop but with Surface-like features including a touchscreen, a fabric-coated keyboard, and Surface Pen support. It also runs Windows 10 S. But what’s most surprising is it’s IO – Microsoft has opted for standard USB ports on this guy rather USB-C which is obviously the future. But why?
The company, via The Verge, says they think their target audience for this device would get more use out of standard USB and a mini DisplayPort rather a bunch of USB-C ports. This is true, as the Surface Laptop is targeted towards average consumers who probably have a bunch of USB 3.0 cables lying around. But the company definitely did explore the idea of USB-C ports on their laptop as the above video leaks a prototype which includes at least two USB-C ports.
Again, their reasoning for opting for standard USB is their audience, but it still would’ve been nice to see USB-C reach the average consumer on this level. Regardless, I guess we’ll have to wait until the Surface Laptop 2 comes out to see whether Microsoft ever adopts the technology.
- VIA: The Verge


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WhatsApp’s Global Head Will Cathcart first came to Delhi In an event held in Delhi, WhatsApp Head and NITI Aayog Chairman Amitabh Kant were present. The focus of this event is on how WhatsApp is connecting people to WhatsApp India. Apart from this, WhatsApp Business was informed about the success.About Whatsapp Business Will Cathcart said that WhatsApp Business in India is growing rapidly. Small businesses are connecting with their customers via WhatsApp.
Along with this, WhatsApp Payment was also reported.During the conversation about WhatsApp Payment, Will Cathcart has said, ‘We have successfully launched a pilot on the UPI standard, and we are preparing to expand it.’Payments on WhatsApp to anyone with WhatsApp Payments will be as easy as sending a message. We are going to start this service in India this year.
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