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It is finally here, the First Official Press render of the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 edge+ has been leaked online.
The photo shows a The Galaxy Note 5 with its new stylus, similar shape and design of the S6 but wider. The image also shows the new official wallpaper of the TouchWiz on the latest Android 5.1.1 build that will be pre-installed on the Note 5 devices.
The Galaxy S6 edge+ photo render doesn't show anything new it terms of design, except a thinner bezels in the sides, but we can expect a boost in the device's hardware specs. Both device is expected to launch on Samsung's upcoming Unpacked event on August,13th. Stay tuned!
A German retailer called" Cyberport", accidentally listed the HTC One (M9) along with its official press photos and specs, set to arrive on two color options gunmetal grey with black accents and silver with gold accents. Now the images don't exactly align with previous leaks which showed new design for the speaker grilles so this might be a mere publicity stunt by the retailer.
Though the listing has been redacted now, the images and specs were already downloaded. Bearing a close resemblance to the HTC One (M8) design, the new One (M9) features 5-inch display and fresh batch of rumors based on leaked wallpapers point towards 1080p resolution. Powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 chipset, it packs 3GB RAM, 32GB on-board storage and up to 128GB microSD expansion support.
Measuring 9.61 mm thick, One (M9) will run Android 5.0 Lollipop with HTC Sense 7. In the front is a 4MP UltraPixel camera and at the back is a 20MP camera with dual-LED flash. HTC has packed 2900mAh battery to power this smartphone. The Device will be announced on March,1st.
Leak after leak, information about the HTC One (M9) has been leaking a lot lately, since the Taiwanese company's next flagship smartphone is due to be made official this Sunday. Now though, we may have the clearest look yet at the One (M9).
What you see below (and above) are a couple of official press renders that seem to show two different promotional materials for the One (M9). They come from a source that has leaked stuff in the past, so they could be legit. On the other hand, they may not, so don't take anything for granted just yet.
This leak tells us nothing about specs, but the handset should sport a 5-inch 1080p touchscreen, a 20.7MP rear camera, a 4MP (possibly UltraPixel) front camera, 3GB of RAM, and a 2,900 mAh battery. Running the show will be Qualcomm's Snapdragon 810 SoC with a CPU coming with four Cortex-A57 cores clocked at up to 2GHz, and four Cortex-A53 ones that only go up to 1.5GHz. The One (M9) will run Android 5.0 Lollipop Out-of-the-box. Stay tuned!
Here's the Official Press Photos of the HTC One M9 in its all 4 Colors (Gunmetal Gray, Amber Gold, Silver/Rose-Gold, Gold/Pink). HTC made some design modifications and used a Dual-tone Metal unibody. Enjoy the photos!
IFA 2015 was held in September this year and the next major event for world's mobile geeks will be the - CES 2016. It will happen in Las Vegas in January, 2016. Many mobile device manufacturers will be showcasing their devices in this expo.
In general Samsung unveils a lot of consumer electronic products during these kind of events, and it will follow the same route during CES 2016 too. The South Korean electronics behemoth has already started sending out invites for the expo. They will organise a press conference at CES 2016 on January 5, 2016 between 14:00 and 14:45 hours. That gives the tech giant good 45 minutes to showcase the products and it is rumoured that some of the devices will be from the Galaxy series.
Right now there is no information on what Samsung has planned to show during the keynote. Although it is highly unlikely that they will unveil S7 in the event, some are speculating the same. The reason behind this is that Samsung usually reveals the S series during this time period. The company might showcase the Galaxy A9, which is supposed to be powered by the Snapdragon 620 chipset, along with some other audio and video devices.
Samsung recently released the details of their CES 2016. Keynote would be held on the 7th of January and the press conference is scheduled for January 5th.
There have been speculations that Samsung may announce their new Galaxy S7 smartphone in January. But contrary to all the speculations there won't be any S7 show-case in CES.
The Korean tech giant will once again start its CES with a press conference, revealing its latest offerings in TV, home appliances and smartphones on January 5.
For all the latest updates, media resources and content related to Samsung at CES 2016, you will soon be able to check out Newsroom's special page. Samsung's CES-related information can also be accessed on social media by using the hashtag #SAMSUNGxCES2016.
Samsung has already attained a significant level of optimization with the Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 edge+, and it would be interesting to see TouchWiz become even more efficient in the coming future (Samsung might also have plans to fix the prolonged multitasking issues present in the high end devices). The report also says that the microSD slot will come back with the Galaxy S7, but right now all we can do is wait for the device.
Evan Blass from @evleaks has just released a few renders online via Twitter and they show the three colors of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 in full flurry. The colors are Black Onyx, Silver Titanium and Blue Coral, as supposedly named by Samsung. However, they have raised some eyebrows as the almost confirmed iris scanner we had seen before in the leaked photo of the Note 7's front panel, is missing here. The three circular lenses necessary for the iris scanner to work (as per a recent patent filed by Samsung) are nowhere to be seen in these alleged press renders of the next Note.
It should be noted that Evan Blass himself had declared that the Note 7 will have the much anticipated iris scanner, yet his own leak counters that theory now. Nonetheless, we can see a slightly curved back over here in this render, as well as an even lesser camera protrusion that seen on the S7. The S-Pen and its placement looks identical to that of the Note 5 and the dual Edge display can be clearly observed. Whether this is indeed the final render that will be seen on August 2 is something that we will find out in about a month's time from now.
Author: Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)
Today, Samsung officially unveil its schedule for CES 2015. The huge trade show is fast approaching, as we're now exactly one month away from its debut.
January,5th is when Samsung will hold a press conference at CES, starting at 2 pm Las Vegas Time. This will be followed by a keynote address by BK Yoon, Samsung Electronics CEO and President, at 6:30 pm.
On the same day also, Sony will hold its CES presentation, though that will start at 5 pm. So this is shaping up to be a pretty crowded day, as the day before the trade show's doors open has always been.
The first press renders of the upcoming long-rumored Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 has been leaked online. The images shows a two variants, one with 8-inch display and another one with 9.7-inch display tablets.
Both versions of the tablet will feature a screen with 4:3 ratio and a resolution with 2048 x 1536 pixels the same as the one found in the Apple iPad family. The 9.7" Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 will debut with the model number SM-T810, while the 8" variant will carry the SM-T710 moniker. The tablet is rumored to be only 5.4mm thin.
Specs-wise, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 is expected to pack the same 64-bit Exynos 7420 SoC as the Samsung Galaxy S6, coupled with 3GB. The chipset is among the most powerful solutions currently on the market, thus meaning that the slates won't lack hardware oomph.
We already posted the first Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 Android 5.0.2 Lollipop firmware few days ago. The device is expected to be announced by next week.
Samsung's Galaxy A-series is one of its most popular line-ups in the mid-range section and the latest iterations of the series are now officially confirmed by Samsung Malaysia to make their debut at the CES 2017 on January 5. Today we have official press renders for you to look at and get an idea of what's coming.
Both the Galaxy A devices seems to have a more rounded design this time around with slimmer bezels and a metal frame. The renders we see here are clearly showing three color variants for both the Galaxy A3 (2017) and the Galaxy A5 (2017), although the rumored pink/pink gold variant is missing, from these renders at least.
Samsung Galaxy A3 (2017)
4.7-inch 720p Super AMOLED display
Samsung Exynos 7870 chipset
16GB internal storage
8-megapixel front and 13-megapixel rear camera
NFC, Bluetooth 4.1, etc.
Expected price: 379 euro/396 USD
Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017)
5.2-inch 1080p Super AMOLED display
Samsung Exynos 7880 chipset
32GB internal storage
16-mp cameras at both the back and the front
NFC, Bluetooth 4.1, etc.
Expected price: 479 euro/500 USD
Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)
We knew that the Galaxy Tab S3 was going to be the unveiled at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona and as expected, we were right. Samsung's email invitation to the media houses for the MWC confirmed that piece of info by containing a teaser preview of the upcoming tablet's bottom bezel. Since Samsung has now confirmed that the Galaxy S8 won't be making an appearance at this event, the Tab S3 will in all likelihood be the company's main attraction in Barcelona.
Samsung will hold its unveiling event at 7PM CET, on the 26th of February where it may or may not showcase a few other smartphones as well. Just in case you are wondering what kind of hardware the Tab S3 will be packing, we have you covered.
9.6-inch 2,048 x 1,535 pixels display
Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 SoC
4GB of RAM
32GB of internal storage
13-megapixel/5-megapixel rear and front cameras
Although the specs mentioned above are gathered from a recent rumor that originated in Korea, the chances of them being right are pretty high.
Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)
Evan Blass has leaked another image of the Galaxy S8 today on Twitter, which could be the upcoming press release render for the smartphone. The render even has the date on the phone displaying March 29, Wednesday; the official launch date for the two smartphones. From what we can see, it seems that this time around Samsung may launch the Pearl Black color variant right from the start, instead of waiting like it did with the S7 Edge last year. Whether this is the S8 or the S8+, is a bit hard to discern since both devices look essentially the same this year with their curved edge-to-edge displays.
Additionally, we have a leaked video for you as well from Slashleaks on YouTube, which clearly shows the S8 and the S8+ in action. However, the quality of the video is quite bad, as is the camerawork itself. Nevertheless, they do give us a look at the two devices and is worth checking out. If you want a much shorter but high quality video showing off the S8, check it here.
Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)
The Galaxy C10 is coming soon as the device has now officially entered the final software testing phase. We are not saying that firmware version C9150ZCU0AQF2 is the final version, but it isn't impossible either. When the smartphone comes out, it will be the first Samsung device to carry the C10 moniker. The specs seem pretty good on paper (figuratively speaking!) too, thanks to the Qualcomm SD 660 chipset and 6GB of RAM. Rumor has it that the famous (or infamous) Bixby hardware button will be making its way onto the C10 as well.
The OnePlus 5 rumors will soon come to an end as the release date is probably about two weeks away from now (June 20), but that time is not yet here! Today's leaks are probably as realistic as it can get though with press renders. If it is showing the right phone then the OnePlus 5 will not have a curved bezel-less display, unlike previous rumors had suggested. Nevertheless, it does look gorgeous though.
Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)
What you see above is almost certainly the Galaxy Note 9 in all its glory, which Samsung will be unveiling in just a few weeks' time. As you can see, even the S Pen is out and clearly visible in this image and everything looks pretty good, albeit similar to what we have already seen with the Galaxy Note 8 last year.
The leaked press image comes straight from one of the most reliable leaksters in the field, @evleaks, so the authenticity is not really in question. Besides, at this point, it's only natural for these leaks to come in from all around the internet. The all blue handset is complemented quite nicely by the golden S Pen (except on top) which will have Bluetooth support this year. If you like what you see, get ready for the unveiling on August 9 and the release on August 24. Pre-orders will likely start by mid-August so you better start saving!
Oppo is reported to release the Oppo N2 successor before 2015, Today, We got some press rendered images of the upcoming Oppo N3 from GSM arena, please note the the photos may be just fake. As you can see, a very weird design from Oppo with large display and roll-camera.
These photos show a phone that's impressively thin, save for a bulbous circular section above the screen that houses the rotating camera and dual flash module along with a speaker on the side, possibly twinned on the opposite side for stereo.
Beneath the screen you can just barely see Oppo's usual capacitive navigation buttons. The body looks like aluminum, but that could just be the matte grey coloring.
And the rumors begins, LG is preparing to reveal its 2015 flagship which will be called "LG G4". Today, we got a glimpse of what it might look like, as an early Press render image leaked on twitter that showcases the back of the smartphone in what appears to be a gray color scheme.
As you can see above, LG G4 appears too look a lot like its predecessor, LG G3. A beefed up camera sensor is the biggest difference between the newcomer and the 2014 top dog. LG's power/lock key, volume rocker, laser focus, and dual-LED flash have remained intact. The same goes for the placement of the sole speaker on the back of the phone.
The render is reportedly an early one, so the final device might look a tad different when it launches. Purported measures of the LG G4 are 148.9 x 76.5 x 9.9mm.
Motorola is definitely going to release a successor for its last year's Moto 360 smartwatch, we saw many leaks and rumors about the new Moto 360. Today, we got the first official renders of the Next-generation Moto 360 smartwatch.
The new renders show two slightly different size variants of the next-gent Moto 360. As previously reported, the larger model could be called Moto 360L (or Moto 360 2 L), while the smaller one might be dubbed Moto 360S (or Moto 360 S). It's said that the former has a 375 mAh battery, while the latter comes with a 270 mAh one. Both may offer displays with resolutions of 360 x 360 pixels. For now, we don't know anything else about the two new smartwatches.
Motorola may plan to announce its new Moto 360 smartwatches next week at IFA 2015 in Berlin, and we assume that both will be available to buy in the near future.


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Flatheads Car Upkeep is formally open, in line with householders Brad and Juanita Lafferty, at its new space at 830 Broadway in Paintsville.
“Flatheads will probably be a cherished ones-helpful institution,” Lafferty mentioned. “This will probably be a place precisely the place consumers with younger kids will be capable of maintain out for his or her automotive though savoring a few of the quite a few options we strategy to give you instantly after our grand opening, on the weekend of the 18th.”
Lafferty states they’ve formally been open up contemplating the truth that Memorial Day, however put together to have a grand opening on the weekend of June 18, all by means of which they are going to be implementing different professional providers outside of car mend.
With hours of operation from 9 p.m. to six p.m. Monday by way of Saturday, Flatheads Automotive will lengthen to entire automotive or truck detailing services and products, with decide up and fall off corporations accessible, in line with Lafferty.
“We need to be a a single-prevent store — not only a mechanic store, however a spot our neighborhood can recognize the a number of professional providers we’ll provide,” he defined.
Lafferty states they may also be web internet hosting pool tournaments on Saturdays and states all within the group are welcome.
For added information or to pay money for Flatheads Auto to inquire about their options, attain out on social media by exploring for Flatheads Car Mend on Fb, or by cellphone at, (606) 372-2324.

domain: news


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CEO Enrico Gaglioti
and CIO Ryan Caldwell
hosted a dozen reporters at the startup's first ever press luncheon in Midtown Manhattan.
Gaglioti and Caldwell founded Chiron in September 2015 and launched their first fund in December of the same year with $25 million of their own capital. Today, they've still got one fund, but it has grown to $500 million in assets.
Though the firm has seen solid growth in twenty months, Gaglioti isn't building Chiron to compete with industry giants. He intends to keep the product suite focused to somewhere under ten funds.
"Our goal is to build a boutique asset management firm," explains Gaglioti
For now, he says, the focus is on continuing to grow the fund they have. They're building out
their distro force and looking to launch one or two more products at the end of 2017 or beginning of 2018. At the end of the month, they're launching UCITs in partnership with UBS
Caldwell, a former Waddell & Reed
portfolio manager, also explained Chiron's quantamental investing approach. The firm's chief administrative officer John Paul Armenio
was also in attendance.
The event was held at the Del Frisco's
at Rockefeller Center. Attendees had their choice of bacon-topped or caesar salad as a first course; steak, salmon or chicken for the lunch course; and chocolate cake or nutella bread pudding for dessert.
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You have searched for "Volvo"
Showing 1-10 of 2042
San Francisco (Reuters) - Luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz will partner with self-driving sensor maker Luminar Technologies Inc to enable fully automated driving on highways for its next-generation vehicles, Luminar's founder said.
Connected and autonomous, loaded with new technologies and respectful of the environment – the cars of tomorrow are taking shape ever more precisely through the latest concepts and prototypes unveiled by manufacturers in recent months.
(Reuters) - RR.AI, a unit of self-driving technology startup Robotic Research, and U.S. bus maker GILLIG said on Monday they will jointly develop driver assistance systems and self-driving technology for commuter buses in the United States.
KUALA LUMPUR: Nearly 20 automotive companies with a network of more than 1,000 registered service centres nationwide have agreed to participate in the Keluarga Malaysia Automotive Discount Voucher initiative so far, the Ministry of Finance (MoF) said.
Floods: Owners of damaged vehicles can redeem discount vouchers at automotive service centres, says MOF
KUALA LUMPUR: Nearly 20 automotive companies with a network of more than 1,000 registered service centres nationwide have agreed to participate in the Keluarga Malaysia Automotive Discount Voucher initiative so far, says the Ministry of Finance (MOF).
(Reuters) - Major automakers like General Motors Co, Ford Motor Co and Volvo Cars deepened ties with key technology partners this week to gird for the fight against electric car challenger Tesla Inc and Apple Inc as it revs up to enter the market.
(Reuters) - Volvo Cars and self-driving sensor maker Luminar Technologies Inc said on Wednesday a hands-free driving system called "Ride Pilot" will be first released in California, though the companies did not give a specific date.
(Reuters) - Qualcomm Corp on Tuesday announced deals to supply chips to automakers Volvo Group, Honda Motor Co Ltd and Renault SA, accelerating its push to partner with legacy automotive firms digitizing their product lines.
The fast-rising autonomous vehicle industry is lobbying US federal safety regulators to limit the amount of data companies must report every time their cars crash, arguing that the current requirements get in the way of innovation that will benefit the public.
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) -Sweden's Northvolt said on Wednesday its new gigafactory in northern Sweden has assembled its first battery cell, making it the first European company to design and manufacture a battery on the continent.


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Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. co-founder Jack Ma has donated millions of coronavirus test kits, face masks and equipment to African countries.
Hours after joining Twitter and announcing the first shipment of masks and coronavirus test kits to the US, Jack Ma said he will issue out a total of 1.1 million testing kits, 6 million masks and 60,000 medical use protective suits and face shields to be distributed among the 54 African nations.
Each country will receive 20,000 testing kits, 100,000 masks and 1,000 medical use protective suits and face shields.
The equipment will be shipped to Addis Ababa and distributed to African States by Ethiopia’s Prime Minister.
“Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed of Ethiopia has agreed to take the lead in managing the logistics and distribution of these supplies to other African countries. I want to express a big ‘Thank You’ to the Ethiopian government and Prime Minister Abiy,” said Jack Ma.
He said the Jack Ma Foundation and the Alibaba Foundation will immediately start working with medical institutions in Africa to provide online training material for COVID-19 treatment.
“Africa can be one step ahead of the coronavirus.
“We cannot ignore the potential risk to Africa and assume this continent of 1.3 billion people will blissfully escape this crisis. The world cannot afford the unthinkable consequences of a COVID-19 pandemic in Africa,” he stated.
Africa can be one step ahead of the coronavirus. To each of the 54 African countries, we will donate 20,000 test kits, 100,000 masks and 1,000 medical use protective suits and face shields. Thank you @PMEthiopia @AbiyAhmedAli for your support. pic.twitter.com/6oKptVCjNx
— Jack Ma (@JackMa) March 16, 2020


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Jeremy Allaire Considers Bitcoin Could Surpass $10,000 In June After The Launch Of Facebook’s Coin
- Bitcoin could surpass $10,000 in the near future according to Jeremy Allaire
- He considers this would happen if Facebook launches its digital asset
Jeremy Allaire, the CEO of Circle, believes that Bitcoin is going to reach $10,000 in June due to the launch of Facebook’s virtual currency called GlobalCoin or Libra. On Twitter, Allaire said that this digital asset is going to make a massive inflexion point in the global adoption of virtual currencies. As he mentioned, this will be the beginning of the crypto summer.
Jeremy Allaire Bullish About Bitcoin’s Future
According to Techcrunch, Facebook’s Head of Financial Services & Payment Partnerships for Northern Europe Laura McCracken told German magazine WirtschaftsWoche’s Sebastian Kirsch that the white paper of Libra would be released on June 18. At the same time, the virtual currency is going to be pegged to a basket of currencies rather than just a single US.
— Jeremy Allaire (@jerallaire) June 15, 2019
Allaire believes that once Facebook’s Libra is released to the market, the most popular virtual currency could surpass $10,000. Allaire considers that the launch of Facebook’s cryptocurrency will be a catalyst for crypto adoption around the world. It is worth mentioning that Facebook has reportedly 2.38 billion monthly active users that could start dealing with the digital currency created by the platform.
A few days ago, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) released an article in which they informed that there are several companies that will be supporting Facebook’s Libra digital asset. These companies include MercadoLibre, PayPal, Mastercard, Uber and Visa, among others. Apparently, these firms would be investing $10 million each in a consortium that will govern the digital coin.
A collection of companies including Visa, Mastercard, PayPal and Uber will invest around $10 million each in a consortium that will govern the digital coin https://t.co/k6TroXX8Oz
— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) June 14, 2019
This shows that Facebook has very interesting plans for the virtual currency that it has been developing over the last months in a top secret project. Allaire considers that Facebook’s Libra cryptocurrency would demonstrate the use case of virtual currencies on a broader scale.
At the same time, Bitcoin could benefit from this digital currency launched by Facebook. Users that prefer to have more privacy will move to Bitcoin and other digital currencies rather than using the one that Facebook released. Mark Zuckerberg has been talking to regulators in order to be compliant with all the regulatory framework in different countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom.
Facebook could have control over users’ data that might be shared with the establishment and other companies. In the end, Facebook’s business model is to sell data to companies that want to place ads on its platform. Bitcoin does not request data from users and it allows users to transact funds using pseudonymous, which seems to be better for individuals that care about their privacy.
- Source: First Appeared Here
- Published Time: 2019-06-16 18:50:42
The views and opinions expressed in the article Circle’s Jeremy Allaire Puts Bitcoin Above $10,000 BTC/USD In June Due to Facebook Coin Launch do not reflect that of 48coins, nor of its originally published source. Article does not constitute financial advice. Kindly proceed with caution and always do your own research.
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SmartKem attends UK Plastic Electronics Leadership Group (PELG) meeting as invited member at BIS
SmartKem Ltd attends April meeting of Plastic Electronics Leadership Group at Business Industry and Skills (BIS) headquarters in London
(11 April 2013) SmartKem Ltd were pleased to accept an invitation to join the Plastic Electronics Leadership Group (PELG) and attended a recent meeting in April at the Business Industry and Skills (BIS) headquarters in London.
The PELG has been established by representatives from industry, research and public organisations to actively promote research, development and manufacturing of plastic electronics in the United Kingdom.
SmartKem’s Head of Product Development, Mike Cowin attended the PELG meeting in April, “SmartKem are eager to support the efforts of the PELG, it’s a great fit for us as a technology leader in the supply of flexible semiconductors but it also allows us to contribute to the UK PE efforts as a whole, given our experience and position in the Asian market”.
Indeed BIS has previously rated the UK as third in the world in relation to commercial activity in the field of plastic electronics and this has recently been bolstered by the latest injection of £5.6M funding from BIS to create the EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Large Area Electronics which brings together four specialist universities to tackle the research challenges involved in supporting the transition of the UK supply base for the PE industry into the large area electronics manufacturing industry.
SmartKem Ltd is one of the leading developers and suppliers of high performance organic semiconductor inks to the printed electronics industry.
For more information on SmartKem and its innovative materials, please call 01745 535190, email email@example.com or visit www.smartkem.com
SmartKem is a high tech enterprise developing an exciting new technology platform focusing on high performance organic semiconductor materials that can ultimately be ‘printed’ onto lightweight low cost polymer films to deliver flexible circuits and transistors. SmartKem’s main objective is to respond to the demand for low cost, low energy, lightweight, rugged electronics that can be processed at low temperature and potentially by roll to roll production methods. SmartKem has a business model that focuses 100% in this field and has an unrivalled pipeline of new materials ready for exploitation via chosen business partners. The SmartKem team has proven expertise and experience in the fields of organic semiconductors, specialist ink-technology and printable transistors and was a recent winner of the inaugural Oxford Venturefest gold award for ‘British Technology Innovation of the Year’.
For further press information please contact: Claire Aniteye, The Scott Partnership, 1 Whiteside, Station Road, Holmes Chapel, Cheshire, United Kingdom Tel: + 44 (0)1477 539539 Fax: +44 (0)1477 539540 E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.org


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Domain names ending with .中国 – the Chinese characters for China – will become available in mid-October and China is gearing up for the rush of expected applications.
The addition of the .中国 top level domain is a result of ICANN's decision to add top level domains that don't use Latin script. When announced last January ICANN argued doing so was simply a fair thing to do.
China has since outlined how the process will work, for two groups of potential users.
One of those groups, owners of .cn domains, have been granted a “privileged upgrade” period from October 15th to October 23rd. Owners of .cn domains can use that period to apply for the addition of a .中国 domain.
Trademark-holders of names using Chinese characters are the other group, and have until October 14th to file proof of trademark ownership with the China Internet Network Information Centre (CINIC) in order to claim domain names in Chinese characters.
The new domain names are bound to attract attention around the world, thanks to China's colossal real-world and online populations. The latter, the Chinese Social Sciences Academic Press reports, according to a Xinhua report, is expected to reach 800 million in 2015. China also claims 415 million instant messaging users, plus the world's largest population of micro-blog users. The latter claim is, however, a little rubbery as China claims 274 million micro-bloggers. Twitter is reputed to have more.
Whatever the true numbers, the arrival of the .中国 top level domain is surely a signal that the English language's dominance of the internet is unlikely to persist. There's no need, however, to figure out just how to coax the characters '中国' out of your keyboard, as addresses typed in the Latin alphabet will continue to reach sites using both .cn and .中国 addresses. ®


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Sloboda Cacak will be producing ammunition for America thanks to the adopted NATO standard and the contract with General Dynamics, a company which cooperates with the US army.
Cacak’s arms factory has doubled its production relative to 2016 and reached the level of around USD 60 million. More than 90% of the produced goods is meant for export.
– Sloboda might operate at full capacity for another two years based on all arrangements, without signing a single new contract. In 2016, we had EUR 6.65 million of investments. This will lead to a doubled production of goods – says director Zoran Stefanovic.
Sloboda will soon open a new facility in the renowned hall which was destroyed during the bombing.


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September 1 2021
Weintraub’s client, the exclusive distributor of a product, discovered that two of its two former employees who had been involved in selling and bidding on jobs to install the product, had, prior to their departure, taken company trade secret information including customer lists and strategic information relating to the client’s future project pipeline, and had set up a competing business. The U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada issued a TRO in favor of our client and the product manufacturer,
June 11 2021
In a June 8, 2021 article in the Sacramento Business Journal, Sonya Sorich writes that Mattone Ristorante has been sued by Biba Restaurant, Inc. for creating “a false designation of association between their new venture and Biba Restaurant.” The complaint states that “Defendants have also stolen Biba Restaurant’s trade secrets, such as her trade-secret recipes, including her treasured Lasagne Verdi alla Bolognese. In fact, Mattone Ristorante’s menu is nearly identical to Biba Restaurant’s menu.”
September 24 2020
Law360’s recent article Ex-Hemp Co. CEO Accused Of Selling Secret Strain For $3.8M details legal action by Josh H. Escovedo on behalf of Weintraub client Big Wuf Enterprises LLC. Big Wuf, partial owner of a failed venture to breed, cultivate, and sell hemp seeds, has filed suit against the venture’s former CEO, accusing him of selling its trade-secret hemp strain to Canadian company Canopy Growth for $3.83 million under a contract allegedly worth $13 million.


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Barclays is Putting an End to the Uber Credit Card
Back in 2019, I wrote a post that declared Barclays had just ruined my favorite credit card. Well, this week, they officially killed it dead. As U.S. News reports, the Uber Credit Card is officially being discontinued and current cardholders will be moved to the new Barclays View Mastercard sometime in October.
Not to rehash the past too much but the Uber Visa card started off as one of the best no annual fee credit cards when it debuted in 2017. In addition to offering 4% back on dining, it also earned 3% on travel expenses, 2% on online purchases, and more. Sadly, the card underwent a significant revamp in 2019, which erased some perks and, most notably, turned the card into one that earned Uber Cash instead of regular cashback. At the time, I was pretty livid about the changes, but I’ve since settled down — only for this latest announcement to raise fresh hell.
So what does this Barclays View Mastercard offer? Like the current Uber Credit Card, it earns 3% back at restaurants. Next, the card will earn 2% on Internet, select streaming, phone, and TV services as well as 2% back on grocery store purchases (excluding Target and Walmart, of course). Finally, all other purchases will earn 1% back.
At first glance, I thought that this card was completely useless to me. Between my Amex Gold and Savor One cards, I’ve already got dining and groceries covered. Plus, thanks to this week’s moves by Chase, my wife’s Sapphire Preferred card will earn 3x on select streaming services. However, I then took a closer look at that 2x category and noticed that it also includes phone, TV, and Internet services. Although my Internet and TV are included in our rent at our new apartment, we do still have a cell phone bill to pay each month. Thus, it seems as though that recurring payment will become this card’s only job (and even then it’s not that great since there are plenty of 2% flat rate cards we could get if we wanted).
By the way, apparently the Uber Credit Card isn’t the only co-branded product Barclays is cutting loose and pushing customers to the View card in the process. Those who previously had the Apple Rewards card were moved to the View card (which, I should mention, is not co-branded with the ABC talk show) in May. Funny enough, the website for the Barclays View Mastercard still notes that May transition exclusively, so I suppose the product isn’t available to new applicants.
Personally, I already said “farewell” to the Uber Visa two years ago so this week’s news isn’t that Earth-shattering. Nevertheless, the change over to the View will make the card even less useable in my mix, with the aforementioned cell phone bill likely being the only changes I’ll put on it just to keep it open — although other cards may actually be a better option when insurance coverage is considered. Meanwhile, it is ironic that Barclays is making this overhaul while other issuers such as American Express, Chase, and Capital One have all recently positively revamped cards my wife and I hold. I guess that’s a sign as to where we should take our business in the future.


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Tom Dougherty, CEO – Stealing Share
11 May 2020
COVID-19 effects: What lasts, and what doesn’t
I’m fascinated by the changes the COVID-19 virus imposes on products as consumer habits change. For example, the COVID-19 effects produce an uptick in hair products (especially hair dyes) and a downturn in beer.
At least for the moment.
Things are always subject to change and I urge you to read Peter King’s enlightening interview with Dr. Anthony Fauci on the feasibility of the NFL opening its season in September and what that may look like.
But the COVID-19 effects are producing some weird results when it comes to brands. Beer, whose sales you would think would rise with everybody staying home, struggles. Anheuser-Busch InBev said its global revenue dropped 6% in the first quarter because of the virus. And it expects revenue to continue declining.
The reason? One-third of its sales usually come from bars, restaurants, sporting events, concerts and other events. With all those shut down, InBev and its competitors are selling less beer.
If, as Dr. Fauci suggests, there will be no fans at sporting events or a limited number of them, the COVID-19 effects put all beer brands under pressure to be more meaningful. Which may not be a bad thing in the long run as beer brands often fail to distinguish themselves from each other.
The COVID-19 effects still uncertain
Then there’s hair products. If you haven’t noticed, they are increasing their ad spends as sales skyrocket. The latest is a home-made ad by actress Eva Longoria, shot on her iPhone.
“I imagine most are simply waiting out the COVID-19 effects and hoping to get back to business as usual. That would be a mistake.”
Granted, the spot is basically a how-to video. But it demonstrates how the COVID-19 effects change ad spend and even how ads are shot. When/if salons come back, what will be the effect then?
It’s not that important in the big picture, but the virus has not only made ad agencies and brands get more creative. It’s also forcing brands to reconsider what they mean to audiences.
I’m not too optimistic brands will seriously try to become more meaningful to consumers. I imagine most are simply waiting out the COVID-19 effects and hoping to get back to business as usual.
That would be a mistake. The effects of the virus are unknown to a buying public. But brands should take advantage now of making themselves more meaningful. As brands.
HBO Max arrives Tom Dougherty, CEO - Stealing Share 28 May 2020 HBO Max finally arrives, and what it says about streaming’s future Because we're all being shut in to prevent the spread of COVID-19, streaming TV is booming. And new services are popping up...
Universities post Covid-19 Tom Dougherty, CEO - Stealing Share 27 May 2020 New positioning for universities post Covid-19 Higher education is upside down. What was a given just five months ago is no longer certain. Universities post COVID-19 are facing...
Auto sales Tom Dougherty, CEO - Stealing Share 26 May 2020 COVID-19 speeds up auto sales evolution The COVID-19 virus has certainly changed the way we shop and how retailers react. But what changes will stay, evolve or simply go away? If one thing’s...


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The Senate has said it will hand over companies found culpable in its investigation into an alleged N30 trillion revenue scam in the import and export value chain to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for prosecution.
The chairman of the Joint Committee on Customs, Excise and Tariff and Marine Transport, Senator Hope Uzodinma (PDP-Imo West), while speaking with journalists in Abuja on Wednesday, said those to be handed over to the EFCC were found to have manipulated the foreign exchange procedure and also involved in money laundering, round tripping and abuse of foreign exchange manual.
Uzodinma, who noted that the committee would pass all established evidence against the companies to the commission for immediate prosecution, said companies with established cases of infractions would be referred to the Nigeria Customs Service for blacklisting.
He said: “We have also established another department of the investigation, which is an abuse of fiscal policies from Federal Ministry of Finance. Most of these companies that have applied and got approval as manufacturers of different products, assemblers of various products but import finished goods in the name of CKD, will be charged for economic crime.
“We are going to follow up the prosecution with all evidence available to us. As we are about concluding our investigation on the 60 selected companies being currently investigated, it is very clear that so much collectable revenues are still hanging, monies government would have used to ease governance and provide necessary infrastructure and amenities to the citizenry.
Uzodinma pointed out that a significant amount of money has been returned by some of the companies.
“Many of those companies have paid partially. I know that with the evidence we have against them, we are confident that these companies are now aware that we caught them. We cannot let go of what belongs to government,” he said.


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Welcome Readers and New Subscribers,
The markets are due to open in a couple hours here in the U.S. and it is going to be a “SELL” day to book profits or cut losses. Buying into the sell frenzy later in the day is something we would watch carefully as the Euro dropped dramatically today after a 3 week run, China Export to the US dropped lower than expected and JPMorgan is set to announce lower than expected earnings by almost 10%. JPMorgan stock could still rise as they tend to target their earnings lower since the banking crisis hit in the last few years.
On the stocks we recommended to watch last week:
They are doing well as of yesterday’s close.
Sebring Software (SMXI.OB) has yet to announce any news of their contracts discussions with one of the largest manufacturers in the computer industry.
We are hoping to launch the new website this weekend so stay tuned for our “Top Pick” we promised this weekend.Share


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The third day of Cloud Wars Expo concluded with a flurry of presentations from industry startups, with the 2022 Startup of the Year title going to Wisy.
The way that data and collaboration tools, cross-team engagement, and SOAR tools are improving is expanding the how and where that the SOC can add value to an organization.
In the latest Future CXO Minute, Ep. 37, Wayne explores three specific areas that may prove resistant to Oracle’s efforts to streamline healthcare.
In My Metaverse Minute, Ep. 107, Kieron previews this week’s newsletter, which will cover what Metaverse sports sponsorship is, how it works as an investment opportunity, and who’s already doing it.
On the third and final day of Cloud Wars Expo: Oracle EVP Mike Sicilia lays out the company’s healthcare and industry-cloud vision. Startup winner is named.
Business agility may just be the most critical element for fast-growing, high-profit firms. Is your partner at the same pace as you?
As the world is rapidly changing, businesses need to embrace data intelligence in decision-making and meeting the objective of creating demand.
Aaron reports the top 10 highlights from the second day of Cloud Wars Expo, covering Cloud ERP, Cloud Security, Cloud Data and AI, and Supply Chain Cloud.
The Cockroach Labs 2022 Cloud Report looked at criteria such as price, processor performance, storage costs, and more.
In Data Revolution Minute, Ep. 22, Pablo dives into the kerfuffle around Microsoft’s switch to a subscription model for GitHub Copilot.
The second day’s onstage events delivered fresh insights on sustainability, supply chains, post-pandemic business strategies, and customer centricity.
Prepare to collaborate with the next generation of CXOs — the digital natives who grew up with technology being a part of everyday life.
In the latest My Metaverse Minute, Ep. 106, Kieron says the Japanese carrier’s move may represent the early steps of decentralization within the massive telecommunications industry.
The final group of Cloud Wars Expo Innovation Path startups focus on supply chains, manufacturing quality, ERP, data security, and career growth.
Cloud Wars Founder Bob Evans provides the 10 best moments from the first day of Cloud Wars Expo this week.
Landit’s objective is to “democratize and drive performance and career success so that work is working for everyone,” says Lisa Skeete Tatum, the recruitment software startup’s founder and CEO.
In this Future CXO Minute, Ep. 36, Wayne explains the significance of one of the largest CRM and ERP companies in the world acquiring one of the top health medical firms in the world.
In the latest Metaverse Minute, Ep. 105, Kieron examines how Metaverse users can protect and insure increasingly valuable virtual goods.
Kieron looks at how cybersecurity, user rights, data privacy, and interoperability figure into administration of the decentralized virtual world.
The growing generation and storage of data exceeds anything that human beings have ever measured before, which is why real-time data, or ‘data streaming’, is on the rise.
In installment 2 detailing Cloud Wars Expo Innovation Path companies, Tom Smith looks at software for HR optimization, supply chain streamlining, and CPG retail execution.
The software supplier aims to streamline the spare parts market for heavy industry by sending out digital files, so that parts can be produced on demand.
Focused on everything from cloud spend management to sustainability to ERP deployments, these companies are among the standouts at this week’s event, says Tom in Ep. 17 of Cloud Wars Horizon Minute.
The intersection of 5G and the Metaverse occurs with VR. The pairing will clearly change everything, but it’ll take a while.
In this Enterprise AI Minute, Ep. 60, Aaron examines the latest in advanced cyber threats: more human-like AI bots.
In this Future CXO Minute, Ep. 36, Wayne uses a client example of procure-to-pay (P2P) and ERP conversion for consolidation projects.
In this My Metaverse Minute, Ep. 104, Kieron talks about the new dating metaverse for people who love to play games.


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Microsoft has filed a federal lawsuit against an alleged hacker who broke through its copy protection technology, charging that the mystery developer somehow gained access to its copyrighted source code. For more than a month,...
Detailed look at the Synology DS716+ NAS
Windows 10 seems to be a big hit with businesses
After four months, Marshmallow is now on just 1.2% of Android devices
Oukitel K4000 Pro - an affordable phone with a monstrous 4600mAh battery
oukitel k4000 pro
Insider Preview build 10586.71 rolls out to Slow ring
windows 10 mobile promo
VAIO's aluminum-bodied Windows 10 Mobile phone is official
Are you planning to buy a Windows phone?


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As a competitive gymnast, 12-year-old Sawyer Miller is used to feeling disoriented after spinning and jumping. But he knew something was wrong two years ago when he still felt dizzy after practice.
The Bend boy had a hard time remembering his gymnastic routines. He told his parents it felt like he had a pingpong ball in his head. His parents thought their son might be suffering from vertigo.
But the feeling in his brain turned out to be a cancerous egg-sized tumor, which doctors at OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital in Portland successfully removed in December 2017.
Sawyer is in remission following several radiation treatments. He makes periodic trips back to the children’s hospital for checkups. After every clean scan of his brain, Sawyer celebrates as only a child can.
“After they give us the news,” Sawyer said, “I go out in the hall and I do a handstand.”
Sawyer now has another reason to celebrate. He is one of six patients at the children’s hospital recently selected to design specialized Nike shoes and apparel through the hospital’s Doernbecher Freestyle program.
The program allows the children to work side by side with Nike designers and brainstorm ideas to create new Nike products. The children’s designs will be revealed at an auction Nov. 8 at the Portland State University Viking Pavilion.
Not surprisingly, the gymnast in Sawyer influenced his idea.
“I asked for a shoe that I could dance in, I could flip in and move around in,” he said.
Since the program started in 2004, nearly $24 million has been raised to benefit the children’s hospital through the auction and sales at Nike stores.
Patients at the children’s hospital have to be nominated for the program.
Nathan Selden, the pediatric neurosurgeon who nominated Sawyer, described the boy as intelligent, thoughtful and creative. He believes Sawyer will use his passion for the outdoors, playing golf and doing gymnastics to help guide how he designs the shoe.
“He’s an amazingly creative person, and he wants to use the shoe he makes for a lot of the activities he does,” Selden said. “I can’t wait to see what Sawyer brings us.”
Sawyer will have an advantage at the November auction. He was in attendance at the auction last year, and his family bought a pair of shoes designed by one of the other children.
The experience of being at the auction and seeing the other children present their designs gave Sawyer confidence for his chance this November. But speaking in public is still a bit intimidating, he said.
“I am kind of nervous to get up in front of people and talk,” he said.
The event in November will represent a special moment for Sawyer, his parents Casey and Shiley Miller and his three siblings, including his twin brother, Finn.
The past two years have been a challenging time for the family, with regular trips back and forth between Bend and Portland.
By February 2018, Sawyer had 30 rounds of radiation. His parents took turns staying with him at the hospital. Since then, Miller has only had to return to the children’s hospital every few months.
“We are super happy,” Shiley Miller said. “He doesn’t go back for another five months.”
Sawyer and his family are not sharing the specific details of his design until it’s revealed at the November auction. But the design will incorporate the support Sawyer has felt since his diagnosis two years ago, his mother said.
“The shoe will tell the story of the support he had from the community in Bend,” she said. “We had lots of support.”
— Reporter: 541-617-7820, firstname.lastname@example.org


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A Buffalo building that once housed the U.S. Postal Service will soon have new life. The facility on Monsignor Valente Drive near the Central Terminal on the city's east side is set to become a research and manufacturing plant for CBD products, which are gaining popularity with many people for their health benefits.
Sound Wellness, a subsidiary of Florida-based Jushi, Inc. will invest more than $5 million into the building. The company has teamed up with Dr. Laszlo Mechtler, medical director of the DENT Neurologic Institute in Amherst. He's a leading research on medical marijuana and CBD products. CBD comes from the hemp or the cannabis plant, but does not get a person high like marijuana because it contains small amounts of the compound THC. Mechtler CBD can help with anxiety, pain relief and other health issues.
The operation will help him with research, while initially providing CBD products to patients at DENT at more affordable prices than currently available.
"My research is not supported by anybody because pharmaceutical companies have no interest in medical marijuana. So how do I do research? A research study costs $50,000 to $100,000," Mechtler said.
The company recently received its hemp-processing license. It plans to work with New York State hemp farmers for raw materials and create 30 to 65 new jobs. The plant is expected to be operational by April.


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Data privacy breach and hacking are the top reasons why consumers in Singapore, China, and Australia would not use or allow Internet of Things (IoT) devices to make online purchases on their behalf, according to Connected Consumer report by Worldpay.
More than 70 percent of 6,043 consumers polled for the study expressed concerns that manufacturers would share their personal data or cybercriminals will hack the connected devices.
Despite the security concerns, 61 percent of respondents in China said they would be comfortable with a connected device shopping for them even without their permission.
In Singapore, majority of the polled consumers (55 percent) said they still want to approve a purchase before buying it. Meanwhile, respondents in Australia are divided, with half of them saying a set of rules is needed to limit the products the device can buy, and when.
"The beauty of technology advancements means that there are many opportunities for virtual assistants and connected devices to make consumers' lives easier. If machines can offer consumers a 'concierge' style service that reduces day-to-day life admin and menial tasks then there is no reason why they won't want to delegate some of their shopping responsibilities - after all, we would all appreciate an extra bit of time to ourselves. In the end, consumers need confidence that machines can be trusted to make the right decisions and keep their owners informed and in control," said Phil Pomford, general manager of Worldpay in Asia Pacific.
The Connected Consumer report gathered the opinions of consumers about IoT devices in the home and how comfortable they are to make payments using such technologies (e.g. smart appliances, drones, and virtual assistants).
- APAC emerging markets outpace more developed counterparts in mobile shopping
- Taobao collection now available on Lazada Indonesia
- Swarovski leverages cloud to improve its HR processes
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Interatlantic exec: China remains a processing powerhouse
Economists have been predicting the decline of China’s seafood processing sector for years, but that prediction may not be correct, Jesús Martínez, Asia managing director at Interatlantic, a Vigo, Spain-based seafood trading firm, told SeafoodSource recently. Founded in 1994, Interatlantic has an office in Dalian, China, and has increasingly turned to China and its booming seafood market for a bigger share of its revenue.
Statistics do show a decline in the Chinese processing sector – the number of Chinese aquatic product processing enterprises dropped from 9,674 in 2017 to 9,336 in 2018, according to the Chinese Agriculture Ministry, and the country’s processing capacity of aquatic products processing enterprises fell from 29,262,300 tons per year in 2017 to 28,920,600 tons per year in 2018. Additionally, actual processing volume of aquatic products in China decreased by 1.79 percent compared with 2017, to 21.56,850 tons. Freshwater processing products and seawater processing totaled 3.883 million tons and 17.75 million tons respectively.
It’s true that some of China’s processing factories may have closed, but others are opening, according to Martínez. Martínez predicts China will hold its competitiveness as a processing base due to slower wage growth and a rise in processing for domestic markets buttressing China’s traditional business of processing for export. Martinez also sees China as an increasingly important consumer market.
SeafoodSource: How is the sourcing business changing? Are we seeing a move away from Chinese processors to other locations like Poland and Vietnam?
Martínez: Four to six years ago, some processors moved to Vietnam and others closed down, but in the last two years, following the economic slowdown in China, salaries and costs have stabilized. We have not noticed more processors moving away. In fact, it is the opposite – some new factories and cold storages have been opened.
SeafoodSource: What are the new factories processing? Are they processing for the domestic market?
Martínez: New factories are based on a combination of both export markets and domestic market. They don’t rely only on one.
SeafoodSource: Which products are your customers in Europe most seeking this year?
Martínez: Our product range has not changed. Squid, salmon, pollock, arrowtooth flounder, cod, mackerel are the main items.
SeafoodSource: Can you get better prices (and demand) in China? Won’t you shift your focus there instead of supplying lower value species like cod and mackerel to the European Union?
Martínez: Cod, salmon, and squid are not low-value fish. We do in both ways, we continue buying more and more from China but also in recent years since we got a better knowledge of domestic market we are increasingly selling more here.
SeafoodSource: How important is China as a market for your company? Do you plan to expand sales to China and if so which products?
Martínez: Interatlantic is a worldwide processing and trading company [and] China is an important part of our scheme. From China, we buy many items but we also sell into China, so the overall volume from this country is important for us. Local market demand for seafood products is booming here.
SeafoodSource: Is China your biggest market, or is it the European Union?
Martínez: The biggest market for us is still Europe.
SeafoodSource: Has the Sino-U.S. trade war effected your business or your sourcing operations?
Martínez: Definitely. Demand in the U.S.A. for most of the items which have … faced tariff increases have decreased drastically and prices dropped, such as scallops or cooked tuna loins.
SeafoodSource: How do you adapt to the price drop? Has it hurt your revenues?
Martínez: As we are not deeply involved in the U.S. market and it represents a small part of our business, this has not hurt us.
SeafoodSource: Does the continued growth of the Chinese squid fleet in Peru, Argentina, and other places impact your ability to source squid products, or do you also buy from the Chinese trawlers?
Martínez: We buy squid from all around the world. We also regularly buy squid from the Chinese fleet.
SeafoodSource: Many Chinese processers report losing competitiveness and profitability and some of them have closed. Do you continue to operate processing facilities in Dalian and do you experience similar difficulties?
Martínez: Four to five years ago, the amount of product on offer exceeded demand. There were many processors, some of them unexperienced in seafood and in international business, who saw profitability reduced, and a good number of factories had to close down. [However,] we have a long experience and good knowledge of China and therefore we continue doing business here and our volume continue growing year after year.
Photo courtesy of Interatlantic


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Sports Authority hiring for new Puerto Rico locations
Sporting goods retailer Sports Authority announced Thursday it will be hiring 200 people for the company’s two newest locations in Plaza Las Américas and Plaza Carolina, which are set to open in early April 2014.
Sports Authority is looking for candidates who are “enthusiastic, eager to learn and passionate about sports.”
Recruitment efforts for open team member positions will continue through the fourth week of January and interested applicants are encouraged to send their resume to email@example.com, ATTN: Sports Authority/Plaza Las Américas or Carolina by Jan. 24.
“We are excited to open two new Sports Authority locations in Puerto Rico,” said Michael E. Foss, chief executive officer of Sports Authority. “We are seeking candidates to join our team and support our mission of providing great value, quality brands and outstanding customer service.”
For more information on what positions are available, visit jobs.sportsauthority.com/puertorico.


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Shanghai-based Wangcl Glasses, a start-up that allows users to order prescription eyeglasses online, has completed RMB150 million (US$23 million) series B round of financing from two Chinese venture capital firms, according to an announcement (in Chinese) posted on the company’s Weibo account.
Qifu Capital and Shilan Fund are the two investors. The valuation of the round is not disclosed.
Founded in 2013, Wangcl Glasses received an undisclosed series A funding from Qifu Capital in March this year at a valuation reportedly around RMB200 million.
Wangcl Glasses’ offline scanning stations can capture key information of users’ eyeglasses order prescription, and users can choose eyeglasses brand, material and color by the touch of a button.
Several start-ups focused on the eyeglasses sector have received venture backing this year.
Kede.com, an eyeglasses and eye care B2C (business-to-consumer) e-commerce platform, completed RMB320 million investment from Zhejiang Conba Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. in July.
In September, eyeglasses O2O start-up Loho Eyeglasses completed US$20 million series B round from Sequoia Capital and Vertex Venture.
In the U.S., a similar platform Warby Parker was valued at US$1.2 billion at its last funding round in April.


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Travel in 2015? Yes, please, Minnesotans say
About one-half of Minnesota residents vacation in the state, and 78 percent said they plan to spend as much or more of their money on leisure travel in 2015 as they did in 2014, a new survey by the University of Minnesota Tourism Center reveals.
Among respondents surveyed during the fourth quarter of 2014, 49 percent (382 respondents) said they plan to spend the same on leisure travel in 2015 compared to 2014, and 29 percent reported they plan to spend more. This intention to spend more is up 10 percent from 2012 and 3 percent from 2013. Previous visitor research indicates travelers spend most of their travel dollars on food, followed by nearly equal amounts on lodging and retail, and then by recreation and transportation spending.
"The Minnesota consumer travel spending intentions may be viewed positively by the industry and tourism-dependent communities" said Ingrid Schneider, director of the U of M Tourism Center.
The tourism industry generates $12.5 billion in gross sales in Minnesota, including $811 million in sales tax, and accounts for close to 245,000 jobs, according to Explore Minnesota Tourism.
The research study was one of several studies supported by the Carlson Chair of Hospitality, Travel and Tourism, and was conducted as part of the 2014 Minnesota State Survey by the Minnesota Center for Survey Research. More than 800 telephone interviews were conducted with residents of Minnesota aged 18 or older from September 30 to November 25, 2014. The margin for error was 3.5 percent.
The University of Minnesota Tourism Center is a collaboration of University of Minnesota Extension and the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences. For more information on tourism research and Extension programs, visit www.tourism.umn.edu.


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The early May bank holiday is right around the corner. Ahead of a relaxing three-day weekend make sure to check what the opening and closing times are for supermarkets like Asda are
Image: Getty Images)
The May Day bank holiday weekend is almost upon us, which means many of us will be off work on Monday, May 2.
With some extra time off work to look forward to, it can be easy to forget to stock up on our groceries and essentials until we realise we’ve run out of all important things in the kitchen or bathroom.
As with most major holidays, supermarkets and shops will be working on altered hours over the May bank holiday. So, it’s important that customers prepare themselves by checking the opening and closing times of their nearest stores.
For Asda shoppers, here’s what they need to know about the chain’s hours.
What are opening and closing times for Asda?
Asda opening hours will vary massively from store to store across the UK for the May Day bank holiday. While most stores are likely to open at normal hours, it’s pretty safe to assume that all of them will close early on May 2.
For superstores, which usually open at 6am and close at midnight, the bank holiday hours will see them open at normal times but close earlier, by 8pm. Some stores may even close as early as 5pm.
The change in hours is only for Monday May 2, with stores remaining open as normal for the rest of the bank holiday weekend.
Pretty much all stores will shut earlier than usual on Monday, however, it’s always worth double checking to make sure regarding specific stores near you.
To check your local shop’s opening times, Asda’s online store locator lists all the operating hours for across the UK.
Full list of supermarket opening and closing times
Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Aldi – Aldi stores will be open from 8am to 8pm on bank holiday Monday. The stores are closing two hours sooner than usual, but opening times are as usual.
Lidl – Lidl is also open from 8am to 8pm on bank holiday Monday across all UK stores.
Tesco – Tesco stores will be operating under two different times, depending on the type of store near you. Express stores will be running as normal from 6am to 11pm while Extra stores will only be open from 10am to 4pm. Find out exact times on Tesco’s online store locator.
Sainsbury’s – Stores will be operating on reduced hours, opening at 10am and closing at 5pm. Check your local shop’s opening times on Sainsbury’s online store locator.
Morrisons – Morrisons will be open at usual time of 7am, but closing at 8pm, which is a couple of hours sooner than normal days. Find operating hours of all UK stores with the online store locator.
Waitrose – All Waitrose stores across the UK will open at 8am on bank holiday Monday and close much earlier than usual at 6pm. Waitrose also has an online store locator to check timings for specific stores.


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Dell has talked of a strength in the technology market that has not only helped the firm with its own third-quarter results, but continues to support reasons to be optimistic about the future.
The firm unveiled its third-quarter numbers up to 30 October, a period that has covered months affected by the global coronavirus pandemic, with revenues up 3% to $23.5bn.
Jeff Clarke, vice-chairman and COO at Dell Technologies, said that digital transformation and the need for customers to develop their systems remained in place, even with Covid-19.
“The mega technology trends that we have long called out are accelerating, and these trends are highly favourable to Dell Technologies. We are uniquely positioned to win in the growing markets of 2020, and we are making the right investments and innovating to capture the growing markets of tomorrow,” he told analysts on the firm’s results earning call.
The firm recently announced Project Apex, a unification of its as-a-service and cloud capabilities. Clarke added that it was important that the company could respond to customer demands for more flexible consumption models.
One of the challenges has been getting partners out in front of customers, and that has been a potential issue with some of the more complex technology systems.
Clarke was asked if that had been problematic with Dell’s PowerStore storage range, and he revealed that the channel had been instrumental in helping to keep customers informed.
“We put a large number of seat units in front of our largest channel partners across the globe. They are 95% up and running in front of customers at our channel partners. Today, we put an active try-and-buy programme in place. We have our team out delivering units to customers,” said Clarke.
Patrick Moorhead, from Moor Insights & Strategy, said that the third-quarter numbers reflected the strength of the vendor’s wide portfolio.
“Dell had a very solid [third quarter], increasing revenue 3% in a very uncertain time. I believe its revenue growth is a testament to its diversity across PC, infrastructure, software and cloud,” he said.
“The PC group led the revenue (+8%) and operating income ($1bn) charge driven by consumer (+14) and commercial (+5%) personal computers. I am pleased to see growth in both the premium and higher revenue and margin gaming systems and XPS.
“The biggest surprise for me was on commercial PCs that grew at a time that IT was pulling back. That requires a little more analysis on inventories and time spans to get a clearer picture, but this is a positive sign,” he added.
Read more about Dell
- Dell CEO Michael Dell says customers aren’t concerned about his company’s plan to possibly spin off VMware shares; VMware’s CEO says the companies will continue to ‘R&D together’.
- Dell Technologies has created a real-time dashboard to make sense of data about the Covid-19 coronavirus and safely guide its employees’ return to the workplace.


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by Charlie Mayes
Despite prolonged economic challenges, businesses have to continue to find ways to improve competitiveness grow revenue bases and become more agile and resilient. This can be tough when working within a sluggish economy. While the UK has narrowly escaped the dreaded triple dip recession, the economic climate remains subdued. According to the latest survey released in April by accountancy firm BDO LLP, Britain’s economy will struggle to gain momentum until the second half of this year even though business sentiment and hiring intentions are improving.
So where does this leave businesses?
Pockets of optimism and growth do exist and businesses are continuing to make investments despite the lack of momentum in the economy. According to BDO’s latest national Business Trends report, the BDO Employment Index has hit a 19-month high. The Index, which measures businesses’ hiring intentions over the next two quarters, reached 96.0 in March. This is the third consecutive month that the Index has been at or above the crucial 95.0 level that indicates employment growth. The BDO confidence index also rose to 92.2 in March from 90.6 in February.
In a similar BDO barometer survey undertaken in the Thames Valley in Q1, the results are even more favourable. Here the region appears to be bucking the trend against stagnant growth forecasts for the UK as a whole. Almost two thirds (65%) of the Thames Valley businesses surveyed have increased turnover in the past quarter compared to 46% in Q4 2012. Hiring intentions in the Thames Valley also appear strong with headcount expected to increase for 45% of respondents.
Spend or save?
So with regions like the Thames Valley showing such positive signs, the debate over whether to spend or save to strengthen the wider economy remains fierce. The Government’s austerity policy has come under continued criticism from many quarters, including business groups calling for a significant boost in infrastructure investment in the UK to help stimulate growth. In the latest budget we saw some action with the government announcing that an extra £6 billion a year will be allocated to housing and infrastructure projects. However many believe it won’t be enough and comes too late to make a real difference.
Despite the uncertain economic environment and irrespective of potential government stimuli, businesses must continue to make smart investments to improve their operations – whether that be to drive efficiency gains, reduce costs, improve productivity or help the company to become more agile. For many, this will include making significant changes to their businesses and much of this will require major investments in new technology.
Indeed, according to recent research carried out by Vanson Bourne, almost three quarters of CIOs expect to increase IT spending this year, with 10% planning ‘aggressive investments’ to improve their company’s competitiveness. Gartner also predicts an increase in IT spending – worldwide IT spending is projected to total $2.8 trillion in 2013, a 4.1 percent increase from 2012 spending.
These are huge sums of money and it wouldn’t be unreasonable to assume that any organisation committing to such spend would do everything it can to protect that investment. And I think at the outset most organisations do, but unfortunately such programmes don’t always go to plan. Few organisations fully appreciate the scale of business change required and many don’t take into account the organisational structure, process and cultural changes that are needed to support a successful outcome.
For any business change programme to succeed it is fundamentally important to understand the real drivers for change from the outset and to have unanimity of purpose across all stakeholders. If this doesn’t happen, significant tensions are likely to arise and these will threaten the success of the programme.
For example, a programme initiated to improve customer experience whilst saving money will have very different dynamics if other, more influential stakeholders view the programme primarily as one designed to deliver cost savings whilst improving customer service. The two views may sound similar but having been the ‘meat in the sandwich’ on more than one occasion I can vouch for the impact such a difference of opinion will have from a programme management perspective.
Involving a specialist third party to lead, shape and deliver such complex and strategically important change initiatives pays real dividends. The independence of being outside of the internal politics and pressures that such competing views generate brings an objectiveness that enables stakeholders to be challenged and agendas aligned, thus ensuring a clear line of site for the successful execution of the programme and, crucially, the realisation of the anticipated business benefits.
In today’s heightened economic environment, investing wisely when your competitors aren’t will ensure that you stay one step ahead. However, it’s never been more important to ensure that any business, technology or organisational change programme is delivered successfully. With every penny under scrutiny failure is not an option. Though there might still be some pain along the way, investment programmes are much more likely to succeed when everyone is working toward the same goal.
Biography – Charlie Mayes – DAV Management
Charlie Mayes is a highly experienced Programme Director with an excellent track record of managing large-scale IT and business change to deliver tangible outcomes across many industry sectors including financial services, air transport, business support services and healthcare. He started his career at UK IT services company Data Sciences where he developed a full range of Systems Development and Integration lifecycle skills over several years working on complex technology projects. With this foundation, Charlie built his management career through roles in Project and Programme Management, Service Delivery, and in Sales, Bid and Business Management, in both Data Sciences and IBM Global Services.
Since joining DAV Management in 1998, Charlie has successfully applied this wide range of technical, commercial and management skills in a variety of interesting and challenging consultancy and programme management roles. He is at his most effective leading complex change programmes or technology business operations and enabling organisations to translate their strategic objectives into realisable business benefits. He has played significant leadership roles for a variety of well-known clients including Thomson Reuters, Monarch and Alfred McAlpine and in the past 4 years has successfully delivered a number of high profile technology enabled business change programmes, with a collective value in excess of £300 million. Charlie has been Managing Director of DAV Management since 2007.
Retailers need to deliver better rewards to ensure customer loyalty
- 62% feel retailers need to improve the ways they reward consumers for shopping with them
- 55% believe that loyalty programmes rarely offer them the things they actually want or would use
- 48% want retailers to focus on making the shopping experience better for them, rather than a loyalty programme
Rewards programmes are not delivering on their promise to drive customer loyalty for retailers, according to the latest research from Adyen, the payments platform of choice for many of the world’s leading companies. The majority of customers (55%) say that rewards programmes do not offer things they actually want and that customer experience holds almost equal influence when it comes to loyalty (48%).
The findings come from a report conducted by Adyen exploring how agility will be key for the retail sector as it emerges from the Coronavirus pandemic. The research polled more than 2,000 consumers in the UK in 2020.
The results showed that, while rewards and loyalty schemes are still welcomed by many customers, the majority (62%) feel that retailers need to improve how they reward their shoppers.
“Every customer counts – especially in the context of the pandemic. Anything retailers can do to keep customers coming back for more is worth exploring. But it goes beyond a loyalty or rewards scheme. The customer experience, both online and in store really matters. Making it as easy as possible to shop is equally as important as other incentives. And, if you do go down the rewards route, a one-size-fits-all approach rarely delivers. You must make the effort to understand your customers and offer something they really want,” said Myles Dawson, UK Managing Director, Adyen.
Nearly half of the respondents (48%) want retailers to focus on making the shopping experience better for them, rather than delivering a loyalty programme. When it comes to an experience that will drive loyalty, customers want a seamless link between online and physical stores. 60% of consumers said they would be more loyal to retailers that let them buy out of stock items in store and have them shipped directly to their home. And 53% said they would be more loyal to retailers that let people buy online and return in store.
“The high street is under increasing competition from online retailers who put convenience and usability at the centre of their customer experience. To succeed now, businesses must harness the best of their physical and digital worlds to create amazing experiences. This will increase conversions and also raise the prospects of customer loyalty.
“For those consumers that want loyalty schemes, it must be as seamless and easy as possible. 61% of respondents were more likely to shop with a retailer that linked their loyalty scheme to the payment card. By doing this, businesses can track customer buying behaviour and shopper data which lets them offer a more personalised shopping experience,” Dawson concluded.
The pandemic has changed consumer behaviour and retailers need to adapt
By Mary Keane-Dawson, Group CEO of TAKUMI
It’s no secret that the retail industry has been badly hit by the pandemic, with the recent collapse of Arcadia and Debenhams providing a harsh reality check as to what the future could hold for brick-and-mortar stores. With all non-essential shops being ordered to close last month, with no re-opening date confirmed, it is inevitable that a natural shift to online platforms would occur.
Online giants, ASOS and Boohoo, have established themselves as the new industry leaders. Both e-commerce giants bought failing Arcadia brands and Debenhams and ruthlessly closed all the retailers’ physical premises. The shift to online in the retail sector has never been more apparent.
Retail brands need to establish their digital presence to serve their consumers’ changing behaviour and to remain competitive in the retail industry.
Capitalising on changing consumer behaviour
The pandemic has meant consumer needs have adapted, which in turn has led to a shift in consumer behaviour. Retailers need to capitalise on changing consumer behaviour to remain relevant, but more importantly profitable.
The ‘stay at home’ message from the government, which has been almost constant throughout the past 12 months, has meant many consumers have started to become more reliant on online channels and platforms.
Supermarkets, such as Aldi and Co-Op, responded to this change in consumer behaviour by deciding to serve their customers on delivery apps, such as Deliveroo. As fewer people were ‘popping to the shops’ due to lockdown restrictions, supermarkets reacted by offering an instant delivery service, essentially where the ‘shop pops to you’.
The shift to online platforms and influencer marketing
Retail brands need to follow suit and adapt their ways of working to reflect this shift to e-commerce. Ted Baker, the premium fashion retailer, has admitted its disappointing online sales figures last quarter could be due to its slow response to the shift to ecommerce. The retailer is aiming to “significantly improve” its online shopping platform because of this.
As the shift to online platforms accelerates, retailers need to start investing in digital marketing, for example influencer marketing, to ensure their brand stays at the forefront of their consumers’ minds. Evan Horowitz, CEO of Movers+Shakers, a creative agency, explained in our whitepaper in August how the pandemic has led his company to increase its influencer marketing as “influencers are more influential than ever”.
As such, many traditional retailers have started exploring the benefits of influencer marketing. Wickes, in partnership with TAKUMI, launched the UK’s first ever home improvement industry TikTok campaign to reach a new audience with authentic and creative content and to drive awareness of its range of products. Our whitepaper, Into the Mainstream: Influencer Marketing in Society, which surveyed over 3,500 consumers, marketers, and influencers across the US, UK, and Germany, found that almost three-quarters of marketers (73%) upped spend on influencer marketing in the past 12 months, with spending significantly increasing in the retail (79%) sector.
It seems inevitable that more brands will continue to invest in influencer marketing with social media’s popularity increasing as we start to enter a post-pandemic world.
Using social media as a tool to respond to changing consumer behaviour
With marketers upping their influencer marketing spend, many social media platforms have also responded to the growing popularity of ecommerce.
Instagram redesigned its layout to ensure its Shopping and Reels tabs were given more prominence. The Instagram shopping feature allows brands to attach a virtual shopping tag to their ads on the platform. People can click on a tagged item and then be re-directed to the brands’ product webpage.
Similarly, TikTok’s rising popularity has led it to launch its own ecommerce offering. Last October, TikTok announced a partnership with Shopify. This partnership will enable Shopify merchants to create, run and optimise TikTok marketing campaigns that will attract consumers from TikTok’s growing user base.
Instagram and TikTok are slowly evolving from content platforms to ecommerce hubs. This transformation coincides with the rise in consumers shopping online following the pandemic.
What’s to come for retailers, post-pandemic?
Consumer behaviour is changing and the pandemic has accelerated the shift towards social media and ecommerce. Retail brands need to recognise that the shift to online is here to stay.
To remain relevant, brands need to allocate appropriate budgets to digital marketing channels. Interestingly, our whitepaper found it was marketers from traditional media channels that were increasing their influencer marketing spend the most, demonstrating that the shift to digital marketing has already begun. Retail brands need to start to prepare themselves for the post-pandemic retail environment to avoid ending up like Arcadia and Debenhams.
5 Trends Driving the Future of Customer Service in 2021 and Beyond
By Matt McConnell, CEO of Intradiem
2020 ignited radical shifts for contact centre operations with the move to a remote work environment. Our customers say this trend is more of a permanent transformation – one that uncovers trends that include more flexible operations and greater efficiencies in leveraging contact centre data.
Trend 1: The Remote Agent Model is Here to Stay, Permanently
Historically, many IT teams discouraged remote working for customer service teams, but it was quickly proven virtual contact centres could work and offered a significant upside. The average annual cost to physically house a call centre agent is approximately $8,300 per agent in the United States. If a 200-person contact centre decided to move only half of its agents to home offices, that translates to $830,000 in annual real estate cost savings.
Working remotely also opened the doors to reach talent and hiring beyond a specific geography. For example, call centres based in rural locations who may have exhausted their local talent pool can bring in quality agents from anywhere in the world.
Trend 2: The Role of AI will be to Support Human Agents, Not Replace
Despite many years of buzz, it’s worth acknowledging that AI cannot entirely replace one-on-one human interaction in customer service (yet, or maybe ever). Many interactions with chatbots or other entirely automated CX tools only drive the escalation of customer issues rather than resolving them at the first touchpoint.
Instead, AI is best used to assist and manage agents to help them work more efficiently. For example, AI-powered technology can reduce handle time by auto-populating call notes or automatically log agents into or out of applications to further save time.
AI will provide an added layer of support as a management tool to keep agents on track in remote environments. AI also enables better connectivity for customer service teams and enables agents to receive consistent communications and Information they need to excel in their role in serving customers.
Trend 3: A Swift Migration to the Cloud
Call centres have been notoriously slow to move to the cloud. In the past, this has not been an issue when centres use on-premise technologies. With fully remote call centres, companies must reconsider their approach to the cloud.
Call centres can no longer rely on on-premise data with a decentralised workforce. Often their information is locked up in data centres, while operations remain outside of the office. Moving to the cloud offers more flexible operations, easier access to data and substantial cost saving, but only if call centres tap the right partners to make the most of the shift.
Trend 4: The Emergence of Predictive Analytics
Call centres generate an enormous amount of time-sensitive data that must be gathered and analysed in real-time to effectively manage their operations. Without real-time capabilities, Insights gathered on a Monday may only be contextualised later that day or week. This is not impactful as the time to act has passed and call centre conditions have already changed.
Looking beyond 2021, we will see call centres take their analytics a step further to go beyond real-time analytics, and into predictive analytics. This will leverage real-time data at scale to offer preventive support to both agents and customers, moving call centres from reactive to proactive. Instead of waiting for a customer to call with an issue, centres can leverage historical data to reach out pre-emptively.
The same approach can be used to identify agents who struggle or may be experiencing burnout earlier in order to reduce attrition rates. A smarter mindset on data will revolutionise how call centres operate and in turn, companies will see higher customer and agent retention.
Trend 5: Real-Time Technologies Will Be Applied to the Back-Office
We will also see companies increasingly apply call centre technologies to their back-office operations. They will start to leverage back-office data in real-time to cut down on wasted hours and better track employee activities.
This part of the business has not been managed with the same technology investment as the call centre, leading to inefficiencies where back-office employees may struggle with certain tasks or spend time in non-work applications. Now, companies will be able to use AI-powered technologies to drive productivity gains in the back-office — leading to significant savings to the bottom line.
2020 served as the inflection point for call centre transformation. The shift to remote work unlocked new uses of technology and opportunities thought impossible before. We are now at the tip of the iceberg, as successful call centres will continue to innovate and think differently on how they can improve their operations in the new year and beyond.
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An industry insider has claimed that the rumoured Mass Effect remasters will be revealed and released in October.
VentureBeat’s Jeff Grubb has claimed that the “an additional EA HD title” among this cluster of titles will be a remaster of Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2, and Mass Effect 3. Furthermore, he asserted that the trilogy remaster will be revealed and released by Electronic Arts in just two months’ time. This is very enticing, indeed. The company has been reticent to confirm which “fan favourites” it intends to remake, but a Mass Effect remaster would be welcomed with open arms.
It is possible to play the Mass Effect games with upscaled textures and improvements through mods, yet, that might not be an option for all players who want to (re)visit the games. In addition, the last game in the series, Mass Effect Andromeda, was very different to the tried-and-true formula for Mass Effect. As a result, it turned a lot of people off the series, sadly, and this remaster might be an opportunity for the series to gain a new audience.
At the moment, we are not able to take Grubb’s word as gospel, because there has been no official word from BioWare or Electronic Arts. But, we’ll keep you in the loop once we know more.


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Nathalie Zagoda, corporate communications for Lindt, told this site: “The division of the CHF 250m foundations is not yet finally defined - but will be approximately equal.”
The money was made available through realignment of Lindt’s ‘Fund for Supplementary Pensions of Chocoladefabriken Lindt & Sprüngli AG’.
Funds will be spent on projects by third party organizations, which are as yet undecided.
The aim of the Cocoa Foundation is to achieve social and ecological sustainability in cocoa production and for other raw materials used in chocolate production, said Zagoda.
It runs alongside Lindt’s existing sourcing program, which includes $5.5 million spent in the last 4 years for local infrastructure, social, and health projects in cocoa growing communities.
Lindt sources its cocoa from countries including Ghana, Ecuador and Madagascar as well as the Caribbean.
Traceable cocoa: 75% covered; plans to scale up
Lindt has its own Geo Traceablity Project which it says will cover 42,000 farmers between 2012 and 2016 across 34 Lindt districts in Ghana.
“It is Lindt’s intention that this independent verification process will be extended to cover Lindt’s entire cocoa supply chain by 2020, reaching at least the same level as the well-known certification labels,” said Zagoda.
Around three quarters of Lindt’s cocoa supply is currently traceable.
Not using third party labels
Lindt says that “for quality reasons” it cannot dispense with the procurement of cocoa beans.
“Lindt & Sprüngli believes that it is the right way to have control over the entire supply chain our self instead of leaving this very important task and responsibility to a third party (label organization) “ said Zagoda.
The company decided six years ago not to rely on third party labels such as Fairtrade and Rainforest Alliance.
Zagoda said this was because, “Lindt & Sprüngli does not want to split its product portfolio into few ‘Fairtrade’ labeled products and ‘others’”.
Cocoa beans from third party certifiers carry a premium of around $200 per ton, which in principal goes towards paying farmers more and improving communities.
Lindt pays a premium of $60 on each ton of cocoa sourced from Ghana that goes to SourceTrust, a foundation run by cocoa trader Armajaro.
Traceability in Ghana
Lindt has been involved in the Ghana Traceable project with Armajaro and Source Trust since 2008 and has invested $5.5m in infrastructure and social projects. It is the founding manufacturing partner of the project that now includes Hershey, Ferrero, Toms and Meiji.
In its annual report it says it is the largest buyer of traceable beans from Ghana. The project traces cocoa beans back to the community in which they were grown, enabling partners to the project to respond to socially reprehensible practices such as forced child labor.
It plans to begin a similar project with small quantities of traceable cocoa in Ecuador and Madagascar.


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World Ch. Schedule : MON 06:30 KST
* Date : 2019-01-07
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Most Recent Articles In Fashion Features
Latest Fashion Features Articles
Kal Ruttenstein, senior vice president of fashion direction at Bloomingdale’s, said Paris is always inspiring. “My favorite collection of all the collections this season was Jean Paul Gaultier for Hermès. It was stylish, sexy and charming, but it was really all about class. In ready-to-wear, Chloé was a standout. Phoebe Philo’s collection was feminine, beautiful, charming and sexy.”
Ruttenstein praised Paris designers for showing “the right way to do fur” and more sophisticated and subtle beadwork and embellishment. He also praised a “new and fresh” color palette of neutrals, led by pearly grays and beige.
“There is an interesting crossroads of masculine and feminine that is wearable and very new looking,” said Suzanne Patneaude, executive vice president of designer apparel at Nordstrom. “The prevailing trend continues to be the plaid, tweed and argyle story: feminine haberdashery, all mixed up and not Savile Row — much sexier and more interesting.”
Key items she cited included capelets, cuffed pants, voluminous skirts and interesting dresses.
Given the lack of consensus on trends, retailers said they would be faced with some tough choices, especially at a time when the weak dollar is making European goods more expensive. “There is definitely a return to more elegance and more couture fashion,” said Joyce Ma of Joyce in Hong Kong. “The only problem is the euro-dollar exchange, which is very high for us in Hong Kong. One has to be more careful and reflect really on how much we can sell.” That said, Ma added that she “welcomes the return to the waist line and more elegant looks.”
Many observers detected in the disparate trends an uncertainty among Paris-based designers about where fashion is headed.
“Paris had a totally different take on the season,” said Michael Fink, senior fashion market director at Saks Fifth Avenue. “The play of feminine versus masculine has been done exceptionally well here, like at Chanel and Comme des Garçons, and then you had all-out glamour at YSL. What’s interesting is this search for what’s modern. It’s coming across as architectural shapes from younger designers and a sci-fi fantasy at Alexander McQueen.”


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Apple.Pro has photos in their hands of a new suspected front for a 9.7-inch iPad, which according to rumors site a bigger hole for the FaceTime camera. This could be an indication that Apple in this new revision of the iPad an improved FaceTime camera to use. Apple introduced the iPhone 5 recently an HD FaceTime camera, which can record 720p video.
Lately, more and more photos of a new 9.7-inch iPad over. BGR refers to this because the iPad ‘iPad four’. Past pictures confirmed that this new iPad will get a Lightning connector, as within the new iPhone 5 and iPod contact may also be discovered. There’s a likelihood that the iPad an absolutely new edition subsequent 12 months seems in the marketplace. Apple can be a brand new model of the iPad three might make out, so all iDevices the usage of a Lightning adapter.
Tonight Apple organizes a unique experience, the place possibly the iPad mini defined is finished. Apple is planning to introduce a brand new revision of the present iPad, there’ll bean announcement these days.