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SAN FRANCISCO--Microsoft (MSFT)
chairman Bill Gates described the PC as a shoo-in for the living room, essentially as a high-end interactive TV.
Because the PC is already based on digital technology, it is well suited for future consumer electronics products as they make the switch from analog models, Gates said today at the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference, a trend-setting industry gathering.
"As the TV world goes digital, the PC will provide an instant platform...Instead of buying an expensive new digital TV, millions and millions of PC will be ready for this," Gates said.
"This a new opportunity for the PC. This will help drive PC sales."
Gates demonstrated the difference between what a TV would offer and what a PC may offer in the home. In the demonstration, he inserted a DVD disc into a consumer-electronics DVD player hooked up to TV. Then he played a movie. After this, the same disc was inserted into a PC. The PC not only played the movie but offered a variety of interactive alternatives while the movie was playing.
But not everyone is impressed. "I think Microsoft is missing the point...98 percent of what people want is just the digital TV, not the PC stuff," said Martin Reynolds, an analyst at Dataquest.
Gates also brought up a potentially thorny problem with the current
lower-quality "interlaced" format used on TVs. "[Interlaced] is not doable on the PC," he said, adding that Microsoft's PC98 initiative will support the PC format, not its TV counterpart.
Memphis, the next version of Windows 95, was demonstrated with a very simple interface whereby a user could choose "entertainment" as one of the options to launch an appropriate interface.
But not every device in the home will be a PC running a Window 95 or Memphis operating system, he said. At the low end of the spectrum will be the Windows CE devices, Gates said. TV products such as WebTV will use Window CE and have fewer features than PCs.
Gates also alluded to "Windows Terminal," Microsoft's technology for corporate computer users now using "dumb" terminals that generally process only video data, leaving the processing of applications to be done on a more powerful server computer. Dumb terminals have traditionally been connected to mainframe computers.
The NetPC, a new computing platform proposed by Intel and Microsoft, could also be a pared-down corporate computer, he said, but it could be used either as a higher-end device for "knowledge-based workers" or as more of a dumb terminal. The Windows Terminal, on the other hand, can only serve one role: as a dumb terminal.
In a sarcastic remark about the network computer or NC being proposed by companies such as Sun Microsystems and Oracle,
Gates said that "NC" stands for "not compatible."
"The NC is not really a well-defined term. Which OS? Which chipset? The only sure thing about the NC is that it's not compatible," Gates said.
"It's a situation like Unix where all the extensions are different...it's a weaker form of compatibility. They?re having to grope and scratch. This presents all sorts of compatibility challenges."


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Taco Bueno this week closed 16 locations, or nearly 10% of its unit count, as part of a broad review of its restaurants’ performance.
The closed units are in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri. Workers and managers were given the opportunity to transfer to other Taco Bueno locations. The Dallas-based chain had 179 locations before the closures were announced.
“We continually review our restaurant portfolio performance,” CEO Omar Janjua said in a statement. “These closures were a strategic decision based solely on business demands and changing traffic patterns.”
He said the company plans to “reinvest in new locations” and to remodel in other locations.
Janjua was brought on board earlier this year from Krystal, and one of his first tasks was to identify “underperforming business areas and reallocate resources toward more productive pursuits.”
The closures are at least somewhat surprising. The Mexican chain’s system sales rose 5.1% last year, to $200.5 million, according to Technomic data. Average unit volumes increased 2.3% to $1.1 million.
The locations that were closed include two in Arlington, Texas, three in Fort Worth, Texas, and restaurants in North Richland Hills, Dallas, Balch Springs, Granbury and Harker Heights in Texas. Oklahoma restaurants in Oklahoma City, Enid and Norman were closed. One restaurant was closed in Kansas and two in Kansas City, Mo.

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Grand Seiko, the luxury watch brand of Japanese giant Seiko Watch Corporation, is aggressively eyeing sales volumes of at least 1,000 units in two-three years, targeting the billionaires, millionaires and the rich and famous in the country. “In terms of value, we are targeting sales of about Rs 50 to Rs 60 crore from our luxury Seiko brand watches in India in two-three years,” Susumu Kawanishi, senior vice-president at Seiko Watch Corporation, told Financial Chronicle.
The brand opened its eighth store in Pune last weekend. It sells imported Japanese luxury watches with a starting price of Rs 3.80 lakh and goes up to Rs 42 lakh for the top-end collection. “We are retailing quartz, spring drive and mechanical calibre luxury watches in India,” Kawanishi said, adding that each of these would have 50 variants each on offer.
He said Grand Seiko watches are the most advanced practical watches in the world. “And India is witnessing a growth in the luxury watch segment and we are here for a long haul,” Kawanishi said, adding that the company is in investment mode without disclosing value. Kawanishi further said the brand has 80 exclusive boutique stores in international markets.
Despite an import duty of about 22-23 per cent, he said the luxury watch segment in India is clocking 30 per cent growth annually whereas mass market watch is growing at single digit.
“The luxury watch segment in India is growing faster than the mass market, even the premium watch segment with prices starting from Rs 25,000,” said Niladri Mazumder, president and COO at Seiko Watch India. In India, Grand Seiko competes with global giants Rolex and Omega, luxury watch brands from Switzerland. Seiko Watch India is the fully-owned subsidiary of 3 billion Euro Seiko Holdings Corp, which is listed on the Tokyo stock exchange. This year Grand Seiko opened its first exclusive franchise boutique store in Bangalore and later in New Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai.
“We plan to add 8-10 stores by the end of this financial year to aggressively tap the growing luxury watch market in the country,” Mazumder said.
He said Grand Seiko’s customers are self-made individuals and self assured men and women with an international exposure. “Our clients are traditionally rich but they are not loud in wearing our luxury watches,” Mazumder pointed out. He said the clients included presidents, MDs, CEOs, CFOs of companies, and entrepreneurs and successful businessmen and women in the country.


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Porsche trashes cheating charges, readies response
This follows the appointment of Volkswagen Group Sales India in April last year as the sole importer of Porsche cars in India and the termination of the previous eight-year-old contract with Precision Motors, reportedly without any notice.
The Volkswagen Group owns Porsche and seven other car brands, including Audi, Skoda, Lamborghini, Bentley and Bugatti.
“The allegations in the criminal proceeding in which the court in Jaipur/India has issued the bailable warrants are in the view of Porsche baseless and without any material substance. Porsche is taking steps to have the warrants and criminal proceedings quashed within the applicable periods. Porsche's lawyers are confident to be able to demonstrate that the complaint is completely frivolous,” a company statement said.
The arrest warrants were issued by a Jaipur High Court order dated November 5, 2012, based on which local police and the CBI approached the Interpol to arrest the accused who were based out of Germany and the UAE.
Precision Motors had filed a case pertaining to “cheating, extortion, dishonestly inducing delivery of property, criminal breach of trust and criminal conspiracy” against Porsche.
Promoted by Mumbai-based Ashish Chordia, Precision Motors is also the Indian importer for other luxury car brands, such as Ferrari and Ducati. Sector
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Frankfurt, 05 July 2010
Macquarie Securities Group, the institutional equities arm of Macquarie Group (“Macquarie”), today announced Rupertus Rothenhäuser has joined as Head of Sales for Structured Products & Exotics, Europe. Based in Frankfurt, he will be responsible for sales and marketing of Macquarie’s structured products across Europe.
The Macquarie Structured Products & Exotics business is represented in Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Italy by Macquarie Oppenheim, the equity derivatives and structured products business Macquarie acquired from Sal. Oppenheim in April this year, complemented by a growing institutional derivatives business.
Mr Rothenhäuser has extensive experience working across the European and Asian markets and brings with him more than 18 years of experience. In his new role, he will be focused on expanding Macquarie’s activities in the European structured products market, including the development and marketing of new product issues.
‘’Rupertus’ experience in the European structured products market will be invaluable as we expand our services within Europe and develop innovative products for our clients,’’ said Frank Langer, Head of Derivatives, Europe. Mr Rothenhäuser joins Macquarie from BNP Paribas where he was a Managing Director and Head of Retail Listed Products in Germany and Austria.
Todd Steinberg, Global head of Derivatives Delta One commented, “We are committed to leveraging the strong structured products platform in place at Macquarie Oppenheim and to building our European presence. Rupertus’ broad experience is an asset to the team as we deliver innovative products to clients throughout Europe".


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- UAVs are expected to be available for mass consumption by the end of the next decade
- While globally, drones are used for aerial mapping extensively, India is still at a nascent stage
The CIA first used unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) over Afghanistan in 2000, and post the 2001 terror attacks in the USA drones have become a part of the US military. However, since then the consumption of drones has evolved considerably. From military to commercial sectors, drone technology is fast being adopted by individuals, corporates and governments.
In fact, experts are hopeful that the commercial use of drones will soon turn it into a booming sector, thus making these available for mass consumption. According to a report by Pricewaterhouse Cooper LLP last year, the global commercial market for drones is expected to reach US$ 127 billion by the year 2020. Currently, the global commercial market for drones is at US$ 2 billion. While this is something that will happen in the future, there are a few business opportunities that have already caught the eye of drone enthusiasts.
UAVs are expected to be available for mass consumption by the end of the next decade. With industries across the globe betting big on this technology, it has become imperative to create engineers who are professionals in operating UAVs. Thus, a lot of drone technology firms are venturing into the UAV training space, which will ultimately create demand for the technology. And with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) expected to come up with a clear set of regulations for operating drones commercially, India is expected to witness a sharp rise in the number of drone enthusiasts. According to a report by 6Wresearch last year, the Indian UAV industry is projected to hit US$ 421 million by 2021.
“Drone technology is the future, but we cannot expect everyone to have access to auto-operated drones as these are very expensive. Hence, we need professionals who understand how to operate drones, their technicalities and features, among others,” says Jagadesh Chander Munivel, director at Maavan Aeronautics, a drone training institute in Chennai.
Currently, the institute has more than 50 engineers training on the various aspects of operating a drone. The institute has courses in UAV design and manufacturing, flight dynamics, pilot training, autopilot training, aerial mapping and imagery. The initial cost (to set up an institute, which includes buying drones, rent among others) is estimated to be US$ 38,000, with an additional investment of US$ 30,000 to US$ 40,000.
Across the globe, the biggest challenge continues to be the high prices of drones, which make it difficult for training institutes to impart hands-on experience to their students. Most institutes initially train their students on simulators as handling of drones is an unwarranted cost.
In the commercial space, a lot of sectors such as mining, real estate, infrastructure, agriculture and oil have been relying on drones for data that is otherwise difficult to access. As per a study by Allied Market Research, aerial photography via drones is estimated to reach the US$ 2.8 million mark worldwide by 2022. For instance, Mumbai based drone startup Airpix specialises in using drones for aerial mapping of areas that are otherwise difficult to reach. “We provide data acquisition and analysis solutions using UAVs for multiple industries. The solutions and reports provided by the company help its clients in project design, progress monitoring, volume calculations and inspection of critical assets,” says Shinil Shekhar, co-founder of Airpix.
Shekhar adds, “Drones are just a platform. What you make of them depends on how you select the sensors based on your project requirement and what kind of insights you derive after processing that data.” Currently, the company’s client portfolio includes the Indian government and the Indian Railways as well as a few private firms such as Larsen & Toubro, Shapoorji & Pallonji and JSW Steel.
While globally, industrial use of drones for mapping is done extensively, India is still at a nascent stage. Industry players hold the current regulations responsible for the slow growth in this business category. “For drones to become a great business, healthy regulations have to be in place—regulations that will promote the technology, safeguard national security and ensure public safety,” notes Shekhar.
Aerial cinematography and photography
This is one category that took flight immediately after drones made their debut commercially. Drones are being extensively used in filming, news reporting, real-estate and wildlife photography. In India and the rest of the world, high-profile events such as weddings have been using drones to capture aerial views of the event for quite some time. And with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) legalising the use of commercial drones last year, drone photography and cinematography are anticipated to grow.


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GTx stock collapses on FDA news
After news of its Enobosarm drug not performing to expectations came out this morning, GTx Inc. (Nasdaq: GTXI) saw its stock price drop more than 67 percent to $1.36 by late afternoon trading. It opened the day trading at $4.15 per share.
The drop in price was the largest drop GTx has seen since 2010, when the price dropped 35 percent after less-than-encouraging results on its now scrapped development of Toremifene 20 milligram from clinical trials.
In November 2009, shares of the company’s stock dropped 49.2 percent to $4.56 from almost $8, when the company received a complete response letter from the FDA on Toremifene 80 milligrams. The company had submitted that dosage of the drug for clearance in late 2008.
Michael Sheffield covers bioscience and biotechnology; manufacturing; tourism and hospitality; and sports business. Contact him at email@example.com.
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Marnie, a 12-year-old rescue dog, is an Instagram must-follow
Her owner says she loves watermelon, walks, and parties. We’d like to add “Souls of Mischief singles” to the mix.
How’s a tiny dog get to traipse around some of New York City’s finest convenience store establishments? By looking like a toy dog—specifically the kind you wind up and run around.
Meet Marnie, the 12-year-old rescue dog who’s spent the past two months taking the Internet by storm. Her owner says she loves watermelon, walks, and parties. We’d like to add “Souls of Mischief singles” to the mix, as well as cool cop costumes.
Marnie’s most popular video so far finds her cruising through a Duane Reade in Manhattan. In two weeks, it’s picked up 300,000 views.
Despite all the attention showered on that clip, it’s obvious Marnie possesses a nose for real adventure. Clips posted over the past two months have found her in Chinatown, at the laundromat, shopping for casual wear at Uniqlo, and partying her poochy tail off.
Those looking for even more Marnie will be best served on Instagram, where the adventurous dog’s now showing up on the daily for its 121,000 followers.
Photo via Marniethedog/Instagram
Chase Hoffberger reported on YouTube, web culture, and crime for the Daily Dot until 2013, when he joined the Austin Chronicle. Until late 2018, he served as that paper’s news editor and reported on criminal justice and politics.


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Some of South Africa’s biggest retailers recently won a court case against the National Credit Act (NCA). The outcome? Consumers will no longer have to provide proof of income when applying for credit.
For longest time, buying goods on credit was contingent on consumers proving that they earn enough money monthly to repay the instalments. However, many people and businesses thought there was an element of discrimination.
“The previous law was discriminatory in many ways because it excluded potential consumers solely based on the fact that they have ‘non-traditional’ means of income. This applies to freelancers, self-employed people and informal traders,” says Adv. Jackie Nagtegaal, LAW FOR ALL’s Managing Director.
Of course, most of the other documentation, like proof of identity, is still applicable, but retailers will now be able to exercise more of their own discretion when it comes to assessing consumers’ credit applications.
Much like the controversial club fee ruling, this has been hailed as a victory for consumer rights in South Africa.
“However, we have to remember that South Africa is one of the most indebted countries in the world, and making it easier for people to apply for credit might increase the amount of debt South Africans have to pay off,” warns Nagtegaal.


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Given all the headlines about a deal between President Trump and House Democrats over revisions to the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement (USMCA), it would be easy to miss another trade issue that had been brewing even before this welcome development. And connected to it is a need for information that Congress has recently taken a thoughtful step to address.
Imported aluminum is one of the most important components in American manufacturing, as Department of Commerce data shows that the U.S. imported five times as many tons of primary aluminum as it produced in 2016. Last month, President Trump announced plans to impose tariffs on imported steel and aluminum from Argentina and Brazil, following on last year’s declaration that he would impose a 10 percent tax on imported aluminum.
Argentina and Brazil initially escaped the tariffs by agreeing to quotas on the amount of steel and aluminum they could sell to Americans. Canada and Mexico also received a reprieve from the tariffs earlier this year, when the administration dropped tariffs on aluminum and steel from imported from those two countries as part of its bid to secure approval for the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement. This should have had a significant impact because Canada and Mexico accounted for approximately 42 percent of U.S. aluminum imports. Yet for many firms that utilize aluminum in their products, this was not the case.
U.S. aluminum prices are based on a “Midwest Premium” which is added to the base price of aluminum to create a Midwest Transaction Price. Some aluminum consumers allege that these Midwest Transaction Prices are inflated and non-transparent. In addition, these industries are concerned that they are effectively paying tariffs on metal that should not subject to such levies – including metal from Canada and Mexico, and domestically sourced scrap. In response, S&P Platts, which generates the Midwest Premium, says their prices reflectmarket conditions. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross recently expressedhis own concerns by noting “the Midwest premium is now based on a survey of market participants, not actual trading.”
(For our part, access to data or facts on how the Midwest Premium functions was not always easy to come by.)
Why is seeking answers to this controversy important? Because if public officials are to craft policy that best serves consumers and taxpayers in market-based system, they must be able to determine the causes and effects that are reasonably attributable to the trade levers they hold, as opposed to other factors they don’t control or understand. Without this knowledge, U.S. leaders might be chasing down blind alleys by pursuing trade policies that are either ineffective or worse, counterproductive.
In reaction to this ongoing dispute, the House Agriculture Committee included language in the Commodities Future Trading Commission Reauthorization Act of 2019 requesting additional information on aluminum pricing. According to the bill, H.R. 4895:
The Comptroller General of the United States [Government Accountability Office, or GAO] shall conduct a study of the aluminum markets in the United States and globally, in general; the effectiveness and efficiency of the markets for purchasers of aluminum; what factors and policies influence the supply, demand, and movement of aluminum around the world; and the effectiveness of government oversight over the markets. Within 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a written report that contains the results of the study.
This is a reasonable first step toward providing Congress with much-needed information on what some have characterized as an obscure pricing structure.
In the meantime, tariffs will continue to create problems for U.S. aluminum users. For example, the Commerce Department has received more than 3,200 requests to be excluded from the aluminum tariffs. As of December 3, 2019, fewer than half of these requests had been granted.
The Trump administration should quit requiring manufacturers to request tariff exclusions and instead should end all remaining tariffs on aluminum -- and also on steel -- that weaken the U.S. economy and make it harder for American manufacturers to add new jobs.


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Pepsico, Inc. (PEP) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Buy” by Analysts
Shares of Pepsico, Inc. (NYSE:PEP) have received a consensus rating of “Buy” from the twenty brokerages that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $123.30.
A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. BidaskClub upgraded Pepsico from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 17th. Zacks Investment Research upgraded Pepsico from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $132.00 price objective for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 22nd. Susquehanna Bancshares Inc reiterated a “positive” rating and issued a $133.00 price objective (down from $134.00) on shares of Pepsico in a report on Thursday, July 6th. Credit Suisse Group upped their price objective on Pepsico from $124.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 12th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $115.00 price objective on shares of Pepsico in a report on Friday, June 30th.
In other Pepsico news, Chairman Indra K. Nooyi sold 452,830 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.44, for a total transaction of $52,727,525.20. Following the sale, the chairman now directly owns 733,315 shares in the company, valued at approximately $85,387,198.60. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Mehmood Khan sold 63,396 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, July 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.39, for a total value of $7,378,660.44. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 174,273 shares in the company, valued at $20,283,634.47. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 898,164 shares of company stock worth $104,585,929. Company insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.
Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in Pepsico by 4.0% during the 2nd quarter. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. now owns 6,907 shares of the company’s stock valued at $798,000 after purchasing an additional 265 shares during the last quarter. State of Wisconsin Investment Board boosted its stake in Pepsico by 13.3% during the 1st quarter. State of Wisconsin Investment Board now owns 1,440,520 shares of the company’s stock valued at $161,137,000 after purchasing an additional 169,049 shares during the last quarter. Westpac Banking Corp boosted its stake in Pepsico by 7.8% during the 1st quarter. Westpac Banking Corp now owns 209,821 shares of the company’s stock valued at $22,373,000 after purchasing an additional 15,215 shares during the last quarter. Wright Investors Service Inc. boosted its stake in Pepsico by 69.2% during the 2nd quarter. Wright Investors Service Inc. now owns 22,280 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,573,000 after purchasing an additional 9,110 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gilbert & Cook Inc. boosted its stake in Pepsico by 80.4% during the 2nd quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 4,744 shares of the company’s stock valued at $548,000 after purchasing an additional 2,115 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.06% of the company’s stock.
Pepsico (NYSE:PEP) traded down 0.19% during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $111.43. The company had a trading volume of 5,122,348 shares. Pepsico has a 12-month low of $98.50 and a 12-month high of $119.39. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $116.31 and a 200-day moving average price of $114.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $158.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.60 and a beta of 0.68. Pepsico also was the target of unusually large options trading on Wednesday. Investors acquired 1,176 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 536% compared to the typical daily volume of 185 call options.
Pepsico (NYSE:PEP) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 11th. The company reported $1.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.40 by $0.10. Pepsico had a return on equity of 59.74% and a net margin of 10.77%. The business had revenue of $15.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.57 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.35 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Pepsico will post $5.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 1st were paid a dividend of $0.805 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 30th. This represents a $3.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.89%. Pepsico’s dividend payout ratio is 68.22%.
TRADEMARK VIOLATION WARNING: This story was reported by The Cerbat Gem and is owned by of The Cerbat Gem. If you are viewing this story on another website, it was illegally stolen and republished in violation of United States & international trademark and copyright law. The legal version of this story can be accessed at https://www.thecerbatgem.com/2017/09/30/pepsico-inc-pep-given-consensus-recommendation-of-buy-by-analysts.html.
PepsiCo, Inc is a global food and beverage company. The Company’s portfolio of brands includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker and Tropicana. The Company operates through six segments: Frito-Lay North America (FLNA), Quaker Foods North America (QFNA), North America Beverages (NAB), Latin America, Europe Sub-Saharan Africa (ESSA), and Asia, Middle East and North Africa (AMENA).
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A deal to build a $7 billion port and rail complex in Western Australia's Pilbara, which could become the biggest port in Australia, has been signed off.
Panasonic Australia has expanded its Toughbook lineup of rugged machines for mobile workers with the introduction of the new semi-rugged CF-54 Windows Toughbook.
This guide has been developed to assist importers, exporters, transport operators and other landside supply chain operators in managing the busy peak season.
Capgemini Consulting, Penn State University, Korn Ferry, and Penske Logistics have announced findings from the 2016, 20th Annual Third-Party Logistics (3PL) Study.
We are in the final stages of our land development on our block in Hope Valley, we expect the yard to be available for operations starting October 2015.
On day one of the ChAFTA, more than 85 per cent of Australian goods exports will be tariff free, rising to 95 per cent on full implementation.
No matter what part of the logistics industry you’re in, these principles provide a great foundation for customer relations.
Through intensive data analysis, industry workshops, case study interviews and an online transport operator survey, the Truck Productivity Study.
In coordination with the changes to the Chains Of Responsibility in WA. The Port of Fremantle have released a smartphone app.
Chain of Responsibility Legislation has been introduced in WA on 27th April 2015.
Even though it's only July you should be thinking about planning for the peak season.


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Streaming music service Pandora is buying ticketing firm Ticketfly, in a deal valued at $450m with a “nearly equal balance of cash and stock”.
Ticketfly has tended to focus on smaller venues, carving a niche for itself in the ticketing market with its emphasis on social networking features.
It may be smaller than giants like Ticketmaster, but as a startup it has been well-funded: investment rounds of $3m in 2010, $12m in 2011, $22m in 2012 and then $50m in July 2015 – $87m raised in total so far.
In March this year, the company said it had passed $1bn in tickets sold since its launch in June 2009, with half of that coming in 2014 alone. That year, Ticketfly sold more than 16m tickets to over 90,000 events.
“We’re combining forces to create the world’s most efficient platform for connecting listeners with live shows from their favourite bands,” wrote Pandora founder Tim Westergren in a blog post.
“It’s the perfect solution for listeners, artists, promoters and club owners, bringing the power of scale and personalisation to bear on the working musician’s most intractable problem.”
Yes, we hear you sceptics: isn’t that problem the low royalties artists (let alone songwriters) get from Pandora? But unsurprisingly, that’s not the problem Westergren is thinking of. It’s clear how Ticketfly slots in to Pandora’s pitch to artists.
“75% of concert tickets are sold to venues with less than 7,000 seats, and that share is growing. But well over $1 billion of tickets go unsold at those events every year. That represents a huge opportunity for artists and we’re going to help them capture it,” he wrote.
“We know it works. We’ve demonstrated that using smart, targeted messages, delivered to the right audience, at the right place, with the right music preferences can dramatically impact the attendance at shows.”
Westergren said that Pandora users can expect a “personalised flow of local shows they love, with simple ticketing and no obscene fees”.
For its part, Ticketfly’s director of communications Rachel Durfee published a blog post outlining how the company will sit alongside another recent Pandora acquisition: Next Big Sound.
“Pandora and Ticketfly are both deeply data-driven. We will harness our combined data to improve recommendations for fans and create new tools for artists and promoters,” wrote Durfee.
“The coming together of Pandora and Ticketfly, plus Next Big Sound, will create the most powerful fan analytics platform in the world for venues, promoters, and artists.
Pandora’s interest in live isn’t new. The company recently ran pre-sale ticketing partnerships with the Rolling Stones and Odesza, selling tickets for their respective US tours earlier in 2015.
“We decided that live music was certainly one of the places we could add value fastest and most definitively,” SVP Lars Murray told Billboard in September.
In the case of the Odesza campaign, audio and banner ads on Pandora as well as blog posts drove fans to the presale ticketing offer, with Pandora selling 25k tickets to listeners it identified as Odesza fans.
Pandora is far from the only streaming service to be exploring live opportunities. Spotify has started working with selected artists to offer exclusive or early pre-sales to their top listeners on its service: Foo Fighters, Disclosure and Elbow frontman Guy Garvey are among the early guinea pigs for that feature.
Meanwhile, Spotify is also testing out a new feature called Concerts in its desktop application. Revealed in a screenshot published to showcase a different feature in mid-September, it sees “Concerts” as a menu option alongside Browse, Activity and Radio in Spotify’s left menu bar.
Watch now to see if there is a knock-on effect from Pandora’s acquisition of Ticketfly. Its streaming rivals may decide now’s the time to snap up some of the latter firm’s competitors.


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Mondelēz Global LLC and the Mondelēz Canada have issued a voluntary recall on Ritz Cracker Sandwiches and Ritz Bitz products.
These products are indicated on the Mondelēz International websites, namely:http://www.inspection.gc.ca/about-the-cfia/newsroom/food-recall- warnings/complete-listing/2018-07-20/eng/1532132946628/1532132952548 and https://us.mondelezinternational.com/~/media/MondelezCorporate/us/uploads/downloads/press-releases/2018/Ritz-Recall-2108.pdf)
According to Mondelez, “these products contain whey powder as an ingredient, which the whey powder supplier has recalled due to the potential presence of Salmonella”.
Salmonella is defined as a microorganism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Most people infected with Salmonella develop diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps. While most infections usually last from four to seven days and most people recover without treatment, some persons may develop severe diarrhea that requires hospitalization.
The Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs is also advising consumers that they should immediately seek medical attention should any of these symptoms occur.


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It looks like you’ll need to start being a whole lot more careful about where you get your iPhone charging cables. Mike Grover, a security researcher, has developed a charging cable that looks just like a standard iPhone charging cable, but actually allows hackers to remotely take over a computer when plugged in. Not only that, but Grover, who goes by the name MG, is even mass-producing and selling the cable online. The cable was first reported on by Motherboard. The cable itself can actually charge devices and transfer data, just like a standard lightning cable. It goes beyond that, however, by also offering a wireless hot spot that a hacker can connect to, which then allows the hacker to run commands on a computer, control certain aspects of it, and more. MG is hoping that the cable will help raise awareness of the fact that anything you plug into your computer could be malicious. “It’s like being able to sit at the keyboard and mouse of the victim but without actually being there,” said MG at the Def Con hacking conference in an interview with Motherboard. According to the report, MG is distributing the cable, called the O.MG cable,… Read full this story
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New Lightning cable that can hijack your computer looks like Apple built it have 344 words, post on www.digitaltrends.com at September 30, 2019. This is cached page on X-Buy. If you want remove this page, please contact us.


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In Skift's top stories this week, Hopper partners with JetBlue to expand its reach, Google cuts back on business travel, and Cambodia digitizes its tourism industry.
Throughout the week we are posting original stories night and day covering news and travel trends, including on the impact of coronavirus. Every weekend we will offer you a chance to read the most essential stories again in case you missed them earlier.
Hopper Fills a Gap With JetBlue Partnership: The partnership enables JetBlue to do business with a younger clientele, particularly beyond the U.S. East Coast. Hopper filling a gaping hole in its airline lineup.
Google Is Cutting Back on Corporate Travel for Workers – Report: We last heard expressions like essential and business-critical travel only during the lows of the pandemic, when companies ceased travel to protect their employees. It’s not the sort of language the travel industry wants to hear right now.
Radisson Hotel Group Isn’t Finished With Transformative Strategy: Radisson Hotel Group is nearly unrecognizable from the company it was five years ago, thanks to a strategy shift and metabolism boost. Now, turnaround artist and CEO Federico González aims to double the company’s footprint by 2025.
Europe’s Hotels Risk Lights Out in Energy Crisis Spawned by Ukraine War: European natural gas prices are roughly ten times higher than a year ago. Hotel owners may struggle to pass on to guests added costs for heat and lights, given that they’ve already been charging higher than average rates.
5 Ways Global Tourism Must Rethink Its Influence as an Industry: More than two years have passed. Where are the new metrics tourism desperately needs? How will this industry actually treat nature and communities as equal beneficiaries? Is tourism ready to demolish its neocolonial mindset? Those are the pressing questions facing the industry. For now, it’s mostly talk and no walk.
Cambodia’s Long Overdue Effort to Digitize Its Tourism Industry: Cambodia can digitally upskill its workforce and adopt technologies all it wants, but it won’t ever reach its potential as a top tourist destination if it doesn’t invest in creative digital marketing campaigns to match.
Calling Booking.com a Gatekeeper Wouldn’t Have the Impact European Regulators Expect: The European Commission found that banning certain rate parity provisions impacted competition minimally. Therefore, perhaps designating Booking.com a “gatekeeper,” were it to happen, wouldn’t be the end of online travel as we know it.
Qantas May Exclude Some Agencies With New Exclusive Lower Fares: Australia’s flag carrier is telling travel agencies to either sign up, or lose out, as its breakaway distribution strategy enters a new phase.
Ukraine Is Slowly Building Back Its Domestic Tourism Sector: Ukraine is not letting the ongoing war stop its efforts to build back a tourism base, especially for when foreign tourists eventually return. The tourism dollars would help the country rebuild its economy faster.
Yatra CEO Says an India IPO Will Help Finance Future Acquisitions: A listing on the Indian bourses for Nasdaq-listed Yatra would also help the online travel agency to partner with companies who may not have been comfortable with an overseas structure.
Have a confidential tip for Skift? Get in touch
Photo credit: A JetBlue plane Eric Salard / Wikimedia Commons


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Factory making CK, Gap to close, lay off 3,600
SAN PEDRO CITY, Philippines—At least 3,600 workers of a multinational garments factory that supplies famous international brands would file a case of illegal closure in the labor department today against the company that “suddenly” stopped its operations in Biñan City, Laguna province.
The complaint will be filed against Carina Apparel Inc., a British-owned lingerie factory located at Laguna International Industrial Park, by Carina Apparel Inc. Labor Union-Independent (Cailu), said Gina Cedron, a union member and spokesperson of the militant labor alliance Kilusan ng Manggagawang Kababaihan-Timog Katagalugan.
She said the company unilaterally decided to permanently cease operations without informing the employees and by writing instead to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).
The company supplied products to known brands such as Marks & Spencer, Calvin Klein, Gap, Forever 21, Victoria’s Secret, Uniqlo and Toray, said Cedron, a machine operator in the company for 14 years.
She said the letter the company sent to the DOLE stated that it would completely cease operations effective March 27 and would “dissolve the corporation by shortening the corporate term, subject to approval from the Securities and Exchange Commission.”
A copy of the letter, dated Feb. 20, a copy of which was furnished to the Inquirer by Cailu, was signed by Carina’s senior operations manager Anthony Wong.
Wong said the company was “incurring significant losses” since December 2011, when Carina, a subsidiary of British ACE Style International Ltd., was placed under receivership.
In 2012, the company received financial support from another party, Eastside Holdings Ltd., in order to make it “commercially viable” but “has continued to incur heavy trading losses largely due to its low production efficiency arising from a consistently high rate of employee absenteeism and their unwillingness to embrace greater flexibility in the workplace,” the letter read.
The management blamed the closure on Cailu for the union members’ alleged lack of “cooperation and support” and “reluctance” to adapt to the company’s new measures.
The letter did not specify what these measures were but Cedron said these referred to adjustments on the employees’ working schedules.
She denied absenteeism was even an issue, saying that in the last six months, “they asked us to report on holidays, extended the working hours that some had to spend overnight at work.”
Cedron said the shutdown came without warning as they had tons of shipments months prior to the closure. She said the company had also hired new “casual” workers and “regularized” 50 employees early this year.
But on Feb. 14, she said the management forced all workers to go on a weeklong leave, supposedly until Feb. 21. The company, she said, announced that this was because raw materials did not arrive on time.
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The Natural oil and gas Suppliers Association of Nigeria (NOGASA) has said the current fuel scarcity being witnessed in parts of the country could be attributed to the high cost of diesel for transporting fuel.
This was disclosed by the National Chairman of the Association, Mr Benneth Okorie while fielding questions from journalists in Abuja.
He called for a slight increase in fuel price to tackle the challenges of scarcity, especially in Abuja.
He believed the reason the nation was having scarcity of petroleum products in Abuja particularly, is as a result of the high cost of diesel.
He explained that diesel as at today, was N850 per litre in the market, adding that the money being paid to transporters was not enough.
“If you look at it at N850, and you are giving your driver N1, 200 litres from Abuja to Lagos, if you plus and minus it, you will find out that it is about N40 per litre.
“So, if you add it to PMS, buying the depot price and selling here is too high. If you bring it at N40 and you buy at N155 plus N40 which is 195, you now sell at N165, who will do that business ? It is at a loss .
“Even with the PEF, you will not get the product to Abuja, so the answer to your questions is the price of diesel is too high at N850 as at today in the market.
“As far as I know, nothing for now to address this situation. The only way out, if you want to know, is that they should increase the price of fuel a little to reduce the money spent on the PMS subsidy.”
Okorie said that the hike in diesel price was responsible for most activities because you use diesel to transport fuel to filling stations, it is used for businesses in Nigeria because of lack of light.
He said that if the fuel price could be increased a little, although it would hurt Nigerians, the challenge would be resolved because that was the only solution.
“Increase the fuel price a little so that the savings will be enough for the Central Bank (CBN) to have enough forex .
“You and I know that everything now is imported, the diesel is imported and it is a full deregulation business.
“So the importers are not getting dollars to import this diesel at the official rate of CBN.
“So everybody is going to black market to get dollars to import their diesel, so you expect the price of diesel to be high.”
According to Okorie, if the rate of the user on that foreign exchange can be brought down, it will help other businessmen importing diesel to bring it at a low price.
He said that other places like Lagos and Port Harcourt were not experiencing queues because of the presence of ports in those states.
“You are talking about Lagos to Abuja and you are talking about Port Harcourt to Abuja and you are talking about Warri to Abuja so the cost of diesel for transporting the product is high.
“Not just that, the roads are bad, the maintenance is too high. So you cannot make any profit, if you go round now you see 75 per cent of filling stations in Nigeria are going out of business.”
Okorie said that the government needed to do something fast otherwise diesel would be sold between N1,000 to N1,500 in the next two weeks.
He said that another way forward was to ensure that the refineries were working. I heard in the news that Dangote needs $1.1billion to complete the refinery before the end of the year.
“I will advise that if all the Banks can come together and assist him to get it done quickly, this is the only remedy we have for now.”
Okorie called for urgent steps to address the situation before it affected salaries and businesses in Nigeria.
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APS Tuesday, 10 April 2018
ALGIERS- Nearly 700 national and foreign economic operators are taking part in the 16th international food fair, Djazagro 2018.
The fair was inaugurated Monday by Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries Abdelkader Bouazghi and Minister of Commerce Said Djellab at the Exhibition Centre of Algiers.
The two ministers visited several stands of the economic fair, which sees the participation of 170 Algerian producers.
The Fair which runs from 9 to 12 April is expected to receive over 21,000 professional visitors.
“The fair includes 170 Algerian producers,” Djellab told a news briefing following the fair inauguration.
The integration rate of their products currently exceeds 60%.
The Minister of Commerce added that the national production is of “good quality” while two and three years ago, many agricultural products were “imported.”
“There has been a keen interest in investment and in increasing the local production capacities. Operators at this fair have already exported and have the potential to increase their exports to other countries,” he added.
As for him, Minister Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries said that the fair is “very successful” given the large number of the participating exhibitors.
Economic operators from 34 countries are participating in the 16th Djazagro Fair.
The 170 participating national operators are activating in the fields of the manufacturing of basic equipments for food processing industry.
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Cab-hailing company Ola may leverage the 125K food delivery riders from its food delivery unit, Foodpanda, for grocery fulfilment. The move comes as Ola’s global rival, Uber, looks to launch a few pilot projects for grocery delivery in India by next year.
Foodpanda’s Indian business was acquired by Ola from its Germany-based parent firm Delivery Hero Group in an all-stock deal for $31.7 Mn (INR 202 Cr) in January.
It is being speculated that Ola has been working on a grocery-specific platform for the last five months and aims to launch it in early 2019, a media report said, citing unnamed sources.
The Bengaluru-based company is also in talks with major retail chains and cash-and-carry companies across the country to work on a few partnerships and plans to offer retailers a revenue-sharing model.
An email query sent to Ola didn’t elicit any response till the time of publication.
Interestingly, this is not the first attempt by Ola to foray into the grocery delivery segment. Earlier, in March 2016, the company had shut down its grocery arm, Ola Store. Here are a few facts about Ola Store:
- Ola started beta testing its app ‘Ola store’ for grocery and daily needs in June 2015
- The app was operational in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Gururgram, with tie-ups with retail chains such as PNP Retail, Top N Town, and Namdhari’s Fresh, among others
- It started with more than 12,000 products under 13 product categories including fruits and vegetables, breakfast, dairy, bread and eggs, etc
- Ola Store’s Android app had over 250 grocery stores providing over 16,000 products in 13 categories
Ola, founded in 2011 by Bhavish Aggarwal and Ankit Bhati, has been expanding its presence across the globe — including New Zealand, the UK, and Australia. At the same time, it is working on strengthening its foothold in India.
Recently, Ola announced the integration of food delivery app Foodpanda into its cab-hailing app. Foodpanda claimed to have witnessed a substantial increase in the number of food orders after the introduction of new offerings and upgrading its delivery logistics in India.
Ola’s plans to leverage Foodpanda’s delivery network for its grocery business comes at the time when online grocery sector is expected to almost quadruple over the next three years to touch $1.38 Bn (INR 100 Bn) in terms of revenues.
A Goldman Sachs report forecast that the Indian online grocery market is set to reach $40 Mn (INR 270 Cr) by FY19, growing at a CAGR of 62% from 2016 to 2022.
The sector, which has seen with high-investor attraction from the likes of SoftBank, Tencent, Temasek, etc, has been struggling for growth and to manage high rates of cash burn. Here are a few highlights about the big players in the segment who could challenge Ola:
- Gurugram-based online grocery startup Grofers may soon raise $140 Mn-$150 Mn (INR 1100 Cr- INR 1200 Cr)in a fresh round of funding led by Japanese conglomerate SoftBank’s Vision Group, with participation from German retail group Metro AG
- Flipkart Supermart, Walmart-Flipkart’s online grocery arm, is currently operational in all major pin codes of Bengaluru with plans to expand to five to six major cities by the end of 2018
- Amazon Pantry, Amazon Prime Now, and the Google-backed Dunzo are some of the other big players making their way into the online grocery segment in India
- Micro-delivery players such as Milkbasket, Daily Ninja, ZopNow, Satvacart, and Godrej Nature’s Basket also hold a significant share of the online grocery market
- With plans to touch a $1 Bn (INR 7283 Cr) gross sales run rate by the end of FY19, BigBasket is aiming at slashing its cash burn rate
A report by Kalagato suggested that as of March 2017, BigBasket held about 35% of the market share in the online grocery segment, closely followed by Grofers at 31.5%, and Amazon at 31.2%.
With leading ecommerce companies like Flipkart and Amazon already waging a war against established players such as BigBasket and Grofers, Ola’s entry into this segment is sure to intensify the competition further.
[The development was reported by Business Standard.]


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|By Marketwired .||
|April 3, 2014 12:01 AM EDT||
SAN FRANCISCO, CA and NEW YORK, NY -- (Marketwired) -- 04/03/14 -- Retoy (http://www.Retoy.com), a company focused on bringing in-app purchases into the real world and the inventor of technology behind the hugely successful Angry Birds Telepods, today announced Retoy on Demand, a self-service, connected toy platform, at DEMO Enterprise 2014.
Currently in private beta, Retoy on Demand is the first full-service SaaS platform that enables mobile game developers to turn virtual characters and in-app items into physical, collectible toys -- and that lets these toys store data and confer in-game benefits upon players. In addition to letting developers translate their existing 3D models into production-ready toys, Retoy on Demand will help them design high-quality custom packaging, create custom Web storefronts, and program physical-to-digital interactions between the toys and their games.
As kids spend more time with mobile smart devices, the toy industry is increasingly becoming dominated by physical collectibles with a digital tie-in. Activision's Skylanders franchise, a console-first connected toy line, generated more than $1.5 billion in its first 18 months in market(1).
In 2013, Retoy invented and licensed to Hasbro a technology called Telepods, a mobile-first and extremely low-cost method for creating collectible toys that can store and rewrite cloud data to confer digital benefits. This technology was employed in the Angry Birds Star Wars Telepods line, which sold more than one million units in its first month of sales, and Angry Birds Go! Telepods.
With Retoy on Demand, Retoy aims to bring similar functionality and "big toy company" supply chain manufacturing and distributing power to developers of all shapes and sizes. The company is assembling a new supply chain, a hybrid of traditional deco and packaging techniques, along with cutting-edge industrial 3D printing systems, to create affordable product at multiple scales.
"Mobile devices have completely rewritten the rules of play," said Josh Shabtai, CEO of Retoy. "The App Store is the new toy aisle. In-app purchases are competing with toys for allowances. We're building a platform that will let the creators of tomorrow's most beloved brands transform their virtual in-app purchases into physical collectibles -- at any scale."
Retoy on Demand will be shown at DEMO Enterprise 2014 on April 3rd. Retoy is currently accepting developer submissions for a private beta at www.retoy.com.
Founded by game designers, toy industry veterans and tech entrepreneurs, Retoy is a company focused on bringing in-app purchases into the real world. We're on a mission to help today's leading IP creators -- mobile game and app developers -- to transform their virtual characters and goods into digitally active collectibles. Our invention Telepods is one of the world's lowest cost methods for connecting physical collectibles to digital game experiences, and through a licensing partnership with Hasbro, powered the multi-million selling Angry Birds Telepods toy lines in 2013. Retoy aims to bring Telepods-like functionality and full-service toy production to game developers of all sizes through its Retoy on Demand platform, expected to release out of beta in 2015.
Produced by the IDG Enterprise events group, the worldwide DEMO conferences focus on emerging technologies and new product innovations, which are hand selected from across the spectrum of the technology marketplace. The DEMO conferences have earned their reputation for consistently identifying cutting-edge technologies and helping entrepreneurs secure venture funding and establish critical business. For more information on the DEMO conferences, visit http://www.demo.com/.
All product and company names herein may be trademarks of their registered owners.
Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=2558325
SYS-CON Events announced today that Loom Systems will exhibit at SYS-CON's 20th International Cloud Expo®, which will take place on June 6-8, 2017, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY. Founded in 2015, Loom Systems delivers an advanced AI solution to predict and prevent problems in the digital business. Loom stands alone in the industry as an AI analysis platform requiring no prior math knowledge from operators, leveraging the existing staff to succeed in the digital era. With offices in S...
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Historically, some banking activities such as trading have been relying heavily on analytics and cutting edge algorithmic tools. The coming of age of powerful data analytics solutions combined with the development of intelligent algorithms have created new opportunities for financial institutions. In his session at 20th Cloud Expo, Sebastien Meunier, Head of Digital for North America at Chappuis Halder & Co., will discuss how these tools can be leveraged to develop a lasting competitive advanta...
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"My role is working with customers, helping them go through this digital transformation. I spend a lot of time talking to banks, big industries, manufacturers working through how they are integrating and transforming their IT platforms and moving them forward," explained William Morrish, General Manager Product Sales at Interoute, in this SYS-CON.tv interview at 18th Cloud Expo, held June 7-9, 2016, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY.
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For organizations that have amassed large sums of software complexity, taking a microservices approach is the first step toward DevOps and continuous improvement / development. Integrating system-level analysis with microservices makes it easier to change and add functionality to applications at any time without the increase of risk. Before you start big transformation projects or a cloud migration, make sure these changes won’t take down your entire organization.
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With billions of sensors deployed worldwide, the amount of machine-generated data will soon exceed what our networks can handle. But consumers and businesses will expect seamless experiences and real-time responsiveness. What does this mean for IoT devices and the infrastructure that supports them? More of the data will need to be handled at - or closer to - the devices themselves.
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DevOps is often described as a combination of technology and culture. Without both, DevOps isn't complete. However, applying the culture to outdated technology is a recipe for disaster; as response times grow and connections between teams are delayed by technology, the culture will die. A Nutanix Enterprise Cloud has many benefits that provide the needed base for a true DevOps paradigm.
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My team embarked on building a data lake for our sales and marketing data to better understand customer journeys. This required building a hybrid data pipeline to connect our cloud CRM with the new Hadoop Data Lake. One challenge is that IT was not in a position to provide support until we proved value and marketing did not have the experience, so we embarked on the journey ourselves within the product marketing team for our line of business within Progress. In his session at @BigDataExpo, Sum...
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The taxi industry never saw Uber coming. Startups are a threat to incumbents like never before, and a major enabler for startups is that they are instantly “cloud ready.” If innovation moves at the pace of IT, then your company is in trouble. Why? Because your data center will not keep up with frenetic pace AWS, Microsoft and Google are rolling out new capabilities In his session at 20th Cloud Expo, Don Browning, VP of Cloud Architecture at Turner, will posit that disruption is inevitable for c...
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SYS-CON Events announced today that Telecom Reseller has been named “Media Sponsor” of SYS-CON's 20th International Cloud Expo, which will take place on June 6–8, 2017, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY. Telecom Reseller reports on Unified Communications, UCaaS, BPaaS for enterprise and SMBs. They report extensively on both customer premises based solutions such as IP-PBX as well as cloud based and hosted platforms.
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SYS-CON Events announced today that Ocean9will exhibit at SYS-CON's 20th International Cloud Expo®, which will take place on June 6-8, 2017, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY. Ocean9 provides cloud services for Backup, Disaster Recovery (DRaaS) and instant Innovation, and redefines enterprise infrastructure with its cloud native subscription offerings for mission critical SAP workloads.
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Providing the needed data for application development and testing is a huge headache for most organizations. The problems are often the same across companies - speed, quality, cost, and control. Provisioning data can take days or weeks, every time a refresh is required. Using dummy data leads to quality problems. Creating physical copies of large data sets and sending them to distributed teams of developers eats up expensive storage and bandwidth resources. And, all of these copies proliferating...
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DevOps is often described as a combination of technology and culture. Without both, DevOps isn't complete. However, applying the culture to outdated technology is a recipe for disaster; as response times grow and connections between teams are delayed by technology, the culture will die. A Nutanix Enterprise Cloud has many benefits that provide the needed base for a true DevOps paradigm. In his Day 3 Keynote at 20th Cloud Expo, Chris Brown, a Solutions Marketing Manager at Nutanix, will explore t...
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In recent years, containers have taken the world by storm. Companies of all sizes and industries have realized the massive benefits of containers, such as unprecedented mobility, higher hardware utilization, and increased flexibility and agility; however, many containers today are non-persistent. Containers without persistence miss out on many benefits, and in many cases simply pass the responsibility of persistence onto other infrastructure, adding additional complexity.
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Mar. 23, 2017 02:30 PM EDT Reads: 1,465


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Simply Business has confirmed departure
Simply Business chairman Phil Zeidler has stepped down from his role.
Zeidler was appointed as chairman of the board in March 2015.
He was brought in to support the management team in developing Simply Business’s direct and partnership propositions.
Simply business chief executive Jason Stockwood said: “I can confirm that Phil Zeidler stepped down from his position as Chairman of the board at Simply Business.
“We thank Phil for his support and advice over the past 18 months and wish him well for the future.”
Zeidler was the founder of BGL-owned Junction and also a board member at BGL. He was involved in the setting up of Comparethemarket.


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Pets at Home on track to meet full-year targets as it bags sales rise on strong dog grooming demand
Good look: Pets at Home services like dog grooming boosted revenue growth
Pet care firm Pets at Home enjoyed a boost from its VIP Club loyalty programme as well as strong trading online and during the Christmas period.
The group yesterday reported a 4.1 per cent lift in sales from stores open at least a year during the three months to January 1.
Pets at Home, which floated last year valuing it at £1.2billion, said it expects to meet full-year targets, adding that during the period it opened seven new shops bringing its estate up to 392 stores.
Services including dog grooming and vet practices were also big drivers of revenue growth.
Chief executive Nick Wood said the market for pet products and services remained resilient.
The firm (up 7.1p at 210p) opened seven new stores during the period, adding five vets practices and eight grooming parlours.
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A Russian-based chauffeur firm has promised to invest ten million pounds to develop its VIP service in London.
Wheely, an on-demand online service for ordering luxury and executive rides with personal chauffeurs, relaunches in the city this month, according to the company’s website.
Targeting the £500 million exec and VIP-class car hire segment, Wheely is expanding its operations in London, relaunching two key products – EXEC (E-Class) and VIP (S-Class).
Anton Chirkunov, founder and CEO of Wheely said; “Wheely is using the newest premium cars (2016 or later, mainly Mercedes-Benz) and is working with experienced drivers who know the city and meet high standards of service and VIP-level etiquette. It puts us in a good position to win over London – the largest exec car hire market in Europe by market size”.
Wheely’s business model is already proven in Moscow where it provides a full range of services from EXEC (E-Class) to VIP (S-Class), EXEC MPVs and LUXE (Mercedes-Maybach).
For the past 5 years, Wheely has experienced a booming 100% YoY growth, retaining its competitive edge in the executive car hire segment. Wheely upholds strict driver and vehicle requirements.


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A new forecast released today estimates Amazon’s delayed Prime Day sales event will top last year’s by bringing in an estimated nearly $10 billion in worldwide sales when it runs later this month. According to eMarketer, which released its first-ever Prime Day forecast, consumers will continue to spend heavily on e-commerce and seek out deals ahead of the 2020 holiday season, benefitting the major sales event.
The firm says of the total $9.91 billion in Prime Day 2020 global sales, $6.17 billion will be generated by U.S. consumers.
This is ahead of what Prime Day achieved in years past. In 2019, the sales event delivered $6.93 billion in sales, eMarketer says, with $4.32 billion from the U.S.. Total Prime Day sales in 2016, 2017 and 2018, were at $1.5 billion, $2.47 billion, and $4.13 billion, respectively.
These estimates are fairly in line with those from other firms. For example, Internet Retailer had estimated Prime Day 2019 reached $7.16 billion in global sales, up from $4.19 billion in the year prior. Amazon doesn’t detail Prime Day sales volume, specifically, but last year said it had sold over 175 million items during the event.
Forecasting for this year’s Prime Day, of course, has been much more difficult due to the coronavirus pandemic’s impact on the e-commerce industry. The health crisis has disrupted supply chains, causing delays, while consumer demand can be unpredictable. Some past boosts in e-commerce spending for major retailers was also closely tied to government stimulus checks.
Due the to pandemic, Amazon this year decided to move its annual sales holiday from mid-July to October for most markets. Meanwhile, the retailer ran Prime Day in India in August — later than it had been held in prior years, but ahead of other countries’ Prime Day events planned for 2020. Following the India event, Amazon reported record seller participation, and said it gained at least 1 million new subscribers for its Prime membership program.
Despite the changes to Prime Day, the analysts at eMarketer believe Prime Day’s predictability will help to continue to drive traffic and sales this year.
“Since Prime Day’s 2015 debut, Amazon has expanded the scale and spectacle of the event in a mostly predictable fashion,” said Andrew Lipsman, eMarketer principal analyst. “The generally incremental changes from year to year gave customers and sellers a better sense of what to expect, with Lightning Deals and heavily discounted Echos and Fire TVs taking center stage. Sellers developed a playbook for their promotions and advertising strategy and could plan their inventory accordingly,” he added.
Though Prime Day doesn’t officially begin until October 13, Amazon has already started to run some early deals for Prime subscribers, including a discounted Echo Show 5 ($45 instead of $90), a discounted Echo Auto ($30 off at $19.99), cheaper Echo Dots, as well as discounts on an Amazon TV-powered Insignia 4K TV, Blink Mini devices, and others.
Prime Day has also typically inspired a range of competitive sales, given that Amazon’s event would drive an increase in online shopping that benefitted other e-commerce retailers. As of March, as many as 37% of digital retailers said their Prime Day plans were up in the air because of coronavirus, but 56% said they still expected Prime Day sales would perform well, eMarketer noted.
So far, Target has planned a massive sale, Target Deal Days, to compete with Prime Day, which promises Black Friday-like discounts on hundreds of thousands of items on the same days that Prime Day runs. Walmart, on the other hand, said it would run its event starting earlier, on Sunday Oct. 11 through Oct. 15.


text: You know what we haven’t talked about in a while, the PlayStation Vita. People like to hate on Nintendo because it’s the cool new thing to do. With all this news about Nintendo suffering it’s pretty aware that certain gaming journalist loves to beat up on Nintendo and is diametrically opposed to fact checking, one piece of news that is practically not touched upon in the fact that the PlayStation Vita is actually the worst selling console to date (At least in North America). As it stands the WiiU has games, it has variety, but it needs more sales and hopefully Bayonetta 2 and SSB4 will help in that department. So, it has a fighting chance. The same can’t be said for the Vita as 2014 will be another drought for the handheld as its biggest release this year will be another port. Compared to the Vita the WiiU is smooth sailing.


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Cermaq announced the development in a Nov. 20 press release, revealing that it cooperated with Labeyrie and IBM’s blockchain platform IBM Food Trust to enable customers to get information about the salmon value chain. All Cermaq salmon products now come with a CV and QR-code, so consumers can check details such as:
“… [fish] origin, when it was hatched, which fresh water facility it came from, how big it was when it was transferred to seawater, at which sea water facility it has been farmed, as well as health and welfare information such as which vaccinations it has received, what it has been fed, and when it was harvested.”
Labeyrie rolled out a traceability system for two of its Norwegian smoked salmon products, thus allowing consumers to see information about the whole production chain of the fish — from egg to store. Commenting on the development, Brede Løfsgaard, sales director in Cermaq Norway, said that the project was partly driven by customer demand for more transparency.
Putting food on the blockchain
Food manufacturers around the world have been actively integrating blockchain technology into their supply chains. Earlier in November, retail giants Carrefour and Nestlé began deploying IBM’s Food Trust blockchain platform to track the supply chain of milk-based formula for infants. The firms aim to advance consumer confidence in the products’ quality by ensuring more transparency of the supply chain of formulas produced by Laboratoires Guigoz.
American logistics giant UPS successfully delivered a blockchain-verified beef shipment from the United States to Japan. The company had partnered with agritech firm HerdX to incorporate its packaging technology into a blockchain network to trace the journey of beef from Kansas to Japan.


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By Lisa Johnston
New products on display at the American International Toy Fair, held in N
Directed Electronics reported a 5 percent gain in net sales but lower net income during the first quarter, ended March 31.
Net sales in the first quarter of 2007 were $78 million, an increase of 5 percent over the prior year's first-quarter net sales of $74 million. Gross sales of security and entertainment products in the first quarter were $65 million, an increase of 65 percent over the prior year's first quarter, primarily driven by the Polk acquisition and strong performance of the definitive technology business, the company said.
Polk Audio represented $25 million of gross security and entertainment sales in the first quarter. Gross sales of satellite radio products were $15 million in the first quarter, compared with $36 million in the prior year's first quarter.
Pro forma net income for the first quarter was $1.2 million compared with pro forma net income of $3.6 million in the first quarter of 2006. GAAP net loss for the first quarter was $2.8 million, which includes $5.5 million of expense related to the previously disclosed Omega lawsuit. GAAP net income for the first quarter of 2006 was $4 million, included $400,000 million of one-time income tax benefit related to the revaluation of deferred tax assets and liabilities.
Jim Minarik, Directed's president/CEO, said, "In our core security and entertainment business, we achieved a 65 percent sales increase, primarily driven by our home audio business which includes the Polk acquisition as well as continued strong growth in our Definitive Technology business.
He added, "Our mobile audio business increased principally due to the Polk acquisition which offset a decline in our mobile video business which was reflective of an overall decline in the mobile video industry. This strong revenue growth combined with lower satellite radio sales improved overall gross margins to 40.6 percent, compared with 30.6 percent in the first quarter of 2006," he noted.
In commenting on the satellite radio business, Minarik said in its first-quarter satellite radio gross sales of $15 million included a $4.0 million reduction due to a price protection action initiated and funded by Sirius in the first quarter of 2007, which "did not have any effect on our margins."
This TWICE webinar, hosted by senior editor Alan Wolf, will take a look at what may be the hottest CE products at retail that will be sold during the all-important fourth quarter. Top technologies, market strategies and industry trends will be discussed with industry analysts and executives.


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Gyeonggi governor meets CEO of Blizzard EntertainmentGyeonggi Governor Nam Kyung-pil met with Mike Morhaime, CEO and co-founder of Blizzard Entertainment, the developer of games such as Diablo, at the company’s headquarters in Irvine, California, on Thursday.
The game developer and publisher said yesterday that the visit was to discuss the Korean gaming industry and Gyeonggi’s role in it, since most local game developers are located at Pangyo Techno Valley, Seongnam, Gyeonggi.
Morhaime said government support is crucial for Korean game developers, known for their creativity, if they want to succeed overseas. He added that excessive regulations could hurt Korea’s competitiveness.
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Contract signed for Covid-19 vaccine


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Netflix is getting ready to launch World's first 4K HDR animation movie Sol Lenvante on April 2.
Netflix, the digital streaming platform that has significantly increased the number of anime content over the past few years, has partnered with Japanese anime studio Production IG to make the world's first hand-drawn 4K HDR animation movie. The anime named Sol Levante will meet with the audience on April 2.
Netflix, which is mostly known for its films, series and documentary productions, actually has a very large anime catalog. The company, which introduced many animations such as Rilakkuma and Kaoru, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Ultraman and 7seeds in the past year, bought the broadcast rights of 21 feature animations from Japanese film studio Studio Ghibli earlier this year.
Being aware of the popularity of the anime genre that has gained worldwide in the last few years, Netflix has undersigned another very important move. The company announced that it has partnered with Japanese animation studio Production IG to make the world's first hand-drawn 4K HDR animation Sol Levante.
Deciding to implement HDR, the high dynamic range technique, to deliver a more attractive visual experience, Netflix will achieve something that has not been tried before by increasing the resolution to 4K. Akira Saitoh, director of Sol Levante, said that they have been working on this project for two years and have implemented an unprecedented innovation for the anime world.
Meaning 'Rising Sun' in Italian, Sol Levante follows an adventurous journey of a young warrior and his family. The production, which promises to offer an enormous visual feast to the audience, will take its place in the Netflix library on April 2, 2020.
Netflix and similar online entertainment platforms are much popular nowadays as most of the world is under quarantine at homes. Hopefully we will be back to normal life as soon as possible. But sure, we will continue watching online anytime we can.
You can watch the video about the production of Sol Levante below.


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Maersk Line hopes to benefit as rivals regroup
Container shipping industry now in better shape but Søren Skou says some lines will have to make tough decisions about their future
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A couple of months ago this column discussed a drug being touted as the next ecstasy in the UK, 2C-I. Dr Alexander Shulgin, who discovered 2C-I, was the US pharmacologist who first popularised MDMA.
He synthesised over 200 other drugs, all of which he tested on himself. Unlike ecstasy, methamphetamine or other synthetic recreational drugs, the new compounds are not made in illicit factories or backroom kitchen laboratories.
Instead, research chemicals, as they are known, are synthesised by commercial labs, which openly sell their products on the internet.
Late last month there was a new twist to this story when UK police arrested and prosecuted more than 22 British customers of websites selling research chemicals online after a trail of electronic evidence from busted websites in the US led police to addresses across the UK.
The US Drug Enforcement Administration has apparently shut down many of the sites and arrested the owners after two deaths were linked to the use of chemicals bought online.
Customer records and credit-card details extracted from seized computers were passed on to the national crime squad in the UK and several arrests were made.
Backyard chemists are continuously working underground to synthesise new drugs to slip through the gaps in international drugs legislation.
The research chemicals have managed to slip under the radar for some time but in March 2004 a young American died after an accidental overdose of powdered 2-CT-21 he ordered online.
Police investigating his death traced his purchases to a Las Vegas research chemicals website, one of several professional operations importing such chemicals from labs in China and India. As a result many of these websites were shut down in a US-wide sting known as Operation Web Tryp.
So-called research chemicals are not officially listed as controlled substances under US drugs laws. However, the website operators were prosecuted under a law that prohibits the possession and supply of chemicals substantially similar to controlled drugs.
All the operators face likely life sentences. Several have been charged additionally with causing death or serious injury. Because the recommended dosages can vary by as little as a thousandth of a gram, a slight miscalculation can trigger an extremely unpleasant experience that the user is not prepared for.
Thanks to the psychedelic intensity of these drugs, few of the chemicals have made it as street drugs. They are usually used by psychonauts, drug hobbyists, usually young men, who experiment alone or in small groups.
While research chemicals are still available from websites in China, India and Japan, the illicit online drugs trade has gone underground as law enforcers have become more skilled at tracking the hi-tech drug trade.
Be aware that if you are buying these substances online there is the possibility of your purchase being tracked.


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Under the arrangement, Hasbro will introduce products inspired by Roblox games. Those products will include Roblox-branded Nerf blasters and a new version of board game Monopoly.
The Nerf blasters will be based on popular Roblox games such as “Arsenal,” “Jailbreak” and “Mad City.” Available in the U.S. this fall, the toy guns will include a code that Roblox fans can redeem for a virtual blaster to equip their avatar and use in the game that inspired it.
“We are thrilled to bring Nerf Nation and the Roblox community together for the first time with an incredible line of blasters we know they will be clamoring to get their hands on,” Adam Kleinman, vice president of Nerf global marketing for Hasbro, said in a news release.
Roblox Stock Clears IPO Base
Also, later this year, Hasbro will be launching a Nerf-branded digital experience on the Roblox platform.
The Monopoly: Roblox 2022 Edition board game also will include a digital tie-in for players. The game is available now for preorder, Hasbro said.
On the stock market today, Hasbro stock climbed 1.8% to 98.84. Meanwhile, Roblox surged 9.4% to 82.05. Earlier in the session, Roblox stock broke out of an IPO base at a buy point of 79.20, according to IBD MarketSmith charts.
San Mateo, Calif.-based Roblox went public on March 10 in a direct listing at a suggested price of $45 a share. In intraday trading Tuesday, it notched an all-time high of 83.40.
Roblox stock is on IBD’s Leaderboard watchlist.
Follow Patrick Seitz on Twitter at @IBD_PSeitz for more stories on consumer technology, software and semiconductor stocks.
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MarketsFarm — Canadian pea and lentil markets have shown some post-harvest strength in recent weeks, with good offshore demand providing support.
“On the yellow pea side, it’s China, and on lentils, it’s basically India,” Marcos Mosnaim, of Globeways Canada, said of the strength in both markets.
Yellow peas are currently trading as high as $7.50 per bushel, while large green lentils are in the 30-34 cents/lb. area, according to Prairie Ag Hotwire data.
Mosnaim was uncertain if the strength would be sustainable, but said there could be more improvement if farmers are able to hold off on sales.
“It will depend on what India does,” Mosnaim said. The major pulse-buying country has temporarily lowered tariffs on any lentils arriving from destinations other than the U.S. before Oct. 31, but anything Canada ships now would not meet that deadline.
The size of India’s own crop also remains to be seen.
“If India does not come to the market, there are a lot of lentils out there,” Mosnaim said, pointing out that Canadian supplies would be large without that demand. On the other side, “if India does come to the market, there aren’t a lot of lentils out there.”
In addition to the Chinese demand for peas, increased demand from the pet food market has also underpinned pea prices, said Mosnaim.
— Phil Franz-Warkentin reports for MarketsFarm from Winnipeg.


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With Brexit and a general election looming, the level of uncertainty in the UK seems unprecedented. As investors, we need to think carefully about what we invest in, and how our investments would hold up in the event of an economic slowdown.
One sector that has shown a remarkable resilience over the years is the luxury sector. Customers in this sector are typically wealthier and higher earning than the UK average – known as high net worth individuals – and are less likely to be affected by a downturn.
The nature of the market also provides a good buffer. Luxury markets are often characterised by far greater demand than supply, which protects pricing and sales, even in adverse conditions. The fact that many luxury products represent emotional, rather than rational purchases, along with the brand strength of the leading players, also adds to the resilience of the sector.
Watches of Switzerland Group (LSE: WOSG), which listed on the London Stock Exchange earlier this year, specialises in selling luxury watches in the UK and US. It is the market leader in the UK, where it sells nearly £600m worth of luxury products. Group sales have grown by around 20% annually over the last five years, a trend which continued into the current financial year, where sales rose nearly 18% in the first quarter, compared to the prior year.
The luxury watch retailer now has 128 showrooms, recently opening two flagship stores in central New York. A quarter of the group’s sales now come from the US, where sales have more than doubled in the last year, and look set to grow strongly for the foreseeable future.
If investing was just a case of picking companies that will grow, then this would be a no-brainer. I think business performance is only going to improve, in terms of sales growth and widening profit margins. Furthermore, I think sales will hold up, whatever happens in the wider external environment.
But I have a problem with the valuation. The shares trade on a price-to-earnings ratio (P/E) of over 30 times, even when using an adjusted profit figure. When this is combined with a high debt level, I find it unlikely that the shares will push on much from here any time soon.
Staying within the luxury sector, I think Burberry Group (LSE: BRBY) is a better option.
Since hiring a new chief creative designer last year, the brand has made a conscious move to become more upmarket. The move has gone down well with customers, with new collections achieving double-digit sales growth in the first half of the year.
Total revenue was up by 5% in the first half, and net profit rose by 13% from the prior year. Revenue even increased in the Asia Pacific region, which is amazing considering the disruptions in Hong Kong – one of the main luxury markets in the world.
As well as boasting stable revenues and profits, Burberry also achieves an impressive return on capital employed of 20%. With a P/E ratio of around 23, I think the shares have the potential to perform well in the short and medium term.
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He even anticipates that the dividend could grow nicely too — as this much-loved household brand continues to rapidly expand its online business — and reinvent itself for the digital age.
With shares still changing hands at what he believes is an undemanding valuation, now could be the ideal time for patient, income-seeking investors to start building a long-term holding.
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Thomas has no position in any of the shares mentioned. The Motley Fool UK has recommended Burberry. Views expressed on the companies mentioned in this article are those of the writer and therefore may differ from the official recommendations we make in our subscription services such as Share Advisor, Hidden Winners and Pro. Here at The Motley Fool we believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors.


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Both United Parcel Service Inc. and rival FedEx struggled with a flood of last-minute deliveries over the holidays, with varying degrees of success. But public-sector rival U.S. Postal Service said Friday it thinks it did just fine.
The secret to success? Sunday delivery.
“The key for us is the seven-day a week delivery,” said Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe during the Postal Service’s quarterly earnings call with journalists. “If we hadn’t delivered on Sunday, we would have carried heavy volumes into Monday and that would have been problematic.”
“We did get a rush of packages at the end, and our people came through. As a matter of fact, we delivered over 100,000 packages on Christmas day,” he added.
Package volume grew by 10% to 1.1 million pieces, while revenues jumped 14% to $3.9 billion in the three months ending Dec. 31. Still, the service ended up with a quarterly loss of $354 million due to a retiree health benefits prefunding requirement.
The Postal Service in November stepped up its Sunday delivery commitments after signing a five-year contract with Amazon for Sunday delivery. Under that contract , Amazon delivers packages from its warehouses to Postal Service sites late Saturday or Sunday. While the Postal Service has traditionally offered some Sunday delivery, the contract with Amazon was the first such broad initiative.
Both FedEx and UPS typically don’t deliver on Sundays or Christmas. Both utilize the Postal Service for their lower-cost SmartPost and SurePost delivery options, where they drop off a load of packages at a postal facility and letter carriers bring it to homes.
The Postal Service last year delayed plans to end Saturday mail delivery – although it would have continued delivery of packages and express mail on weekends.
Mr. Donahoe did say the unusually cold winter has created difficult working conditions difficult over the past couple of months, with snow and ice hitting even Florida.
“The weather has been tough on our people. I mean, we had a letter carrier that had to put long pants on for the first time in ten years, how ‘bout that?” Mr. Donahue said.
You would think that particular letter carrier might have been located in the South. Not so, confirms Detroit-area Postal Service spokesman Ed Morris. Kenny Martin, who is based out of Walled Lake, Mich., “always delivered the mail – even during the winter time – in his shorts, but the recent weather here has been brutal.”