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|By Marketwired .||
|February 4, 2013 04:38 PM EST||
HONG KONG -- (Marketwire) -- 02/04/13 -- iMing Corp. (PINKSHEETS: IMNG) announced today that the company plans to launch its new product line for the iPhone accessories market in the second quarter(Q2) of 2013. The company's new device is called the "imRemote". The "imRemote" is the smallest and most powerful universal remote control device made for the iPhone. The imRemote controls a TV, DVD, VCR, home Theater, Blu-ray, Cable Boxes, Satellite Boxes, Receivers, etc.. The imRemote is compatible with the iPhone 4, 4S, 5, iPod Touch 3rd, 4th, 5th generation. It is also compatible with the iPad, iPad 2, iPad 3, and iPad 4. The company is expected to launch it's imRemote for the Android and Windows phones later this year.
The latest worldwide smartphone data from IDC reveals that Apple's (NASDAQ AAPL) worldwide market share grew to 25.1 percent in 2012. Apple's total iPhone shipments increased 46.9 percent last year, from 93.1 million handsets in 2011 to 136.8 million in 2012.
Controlling a quarter of smartphone shipments, Apple was squarely in second place worldwide, in a two-horse race with market leader Samsung - the only other company among the top five vendors that managed to grow its share.
Samsung easily outpaced Apple in 2012, growing its shipments by 129.1 percent, more than doubling Apple's year-over-year growth. Samsung also saw its market share grow from 19 percent in 2011, when it was in a dead heat with Apple, to 39.6 percent in 2012, or nearly 15 percentage points ahead of Apple.
In third place, Nokia continued its tumble, losing 54.6 percent of its shipments from 2011. The Finnish handset maker represented just 6.4 percent of smartphone shipments in 2012.
HTC off 25.2 percent from 2011, which was good for a 6 percent share in 2012. That tied it with Research in Motion, which also had a 6 percent share after its shipments slid by 36.4 percent.
IDC found that Huawei grew its shipments 89.5 percent year over year to 10.8 million, good for 4.9 percent of the market in the fourth quarter. In fourth was Sony, which surged 55.6 percent and took 4.5 percent of the market. And ZTE took fifth, growing 48.4 percent and capturing 4.3 percent of the market.
ABOUT THE COMPANY
iMing Corp is positioning its self to be a leading technology solution provider of set-top boxes (STB) which supplies high-definition television through the Web (Web TV) in China, with the goal of being a leading provider of set-top boxes through out Asia and expanding into North America and Europe. The iMing's Set-Top Box can play source files from USB, SD/MMC card, SATA or an internal 2.5"storage installed into the Web TV Box. By supporting the latest format 1080P Full HD decoding, SPDIF.7.1.DTS decoding and HDMI 1.3, the iMing Web TV Box brings superior quality and flexibility to consumers home entertainment experience. The technology used by iMing makes its competitive with the other industry players such as Google TV, WDTV, Apple TV, Roku and Boxee Box.
For further information please refer to the Company's website at www.imingcorp.com
SAFE HARBOR STATEMENT
Certain of the statements set forth in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements." Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, any statement that may predict, forecast, indicate, or imply future results, performance or achievements, and may contain the words "estimate," "project," "intend," "forecast," "anticipate," "plan," "planning," "expect," "believe," "will likely," "should," "could," "would," "may" or words or expressions of similar meaning. Such statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause the company's actual results and financial position to differ materially from those included within the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including those relating to the Company's ability to grow its business. Actual results may differ materially from the results predicted and reported results should not be considered as an indication of future performance. The potential risks and uncertainties include, among others, the Company's limited financial resources, domestic or global economic conditions -- especially those relating to China, activities of competitors and the presence of new or additional competition, and changes in Federal or State laws, restrictions and regulations on doing business in a foreign country, in particular China, and conditions of equity markets. The Company disclaims any obligation subsequently to revise any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such statement or to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events.
This announcement is distributed by Thomson Reuters on behalf of Thomson Reuters clients. The owner of this announcement warrants that: (i) the releases contained herein are protected by copyright and other applicable laws; and (ii) they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein.
Source: iMing Corp. via Thomson Reuters ONE [HUG#1675389]
"We host and fully manage cloud data services, whether we store, the data, move the data, or run analytics on the data," stated Kamal Shannak, Senior Development Manager, Cloud Data Services, IBM, in this SYS-CON.tv interview at 18th Cloud Expo, held June 7-9, 2016, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY.
Jul. 29, 2016 05:00 AM EDT Reads: 1,418
Machine Learning helps make complex systems more efficient. By applying advanced Machine Learning techniques such as Cognitive Fingerprinting, wind project operators can utilize these tools to learn from collected data, detect regular patterns, and optimize their own operations. In his session at 18th Cloud Expo, Stuart Gillen, Director of Business Development at SparkCognition, discussed how research has demonstrated the value of Machine Learning in delivering next generation analytics to imp...
Jul. 29, 2016 04:45 AM EDT Reads: 2,560
DevOps at Cloud Expo – being held November 1-3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA – announces that its Call for Papers is open. Born out of proven success in agile development, cloud computing, and process automation, DevOps is a macro trend you cannot afford to miss. From showcase success stories from early adopters and web-scale businesses, DevOps is expanding to organizations of all sizes, including the world's largest enterprises – and delivering real results. Am...
Jul. 29, 2016 04:45 AM EDT Reads: 2,357
With the proliferation of both SQL and NoSQL databases, organizations can now target specific fit-for-purpose database tools for their different application needs regarding scalability, ease of use, ACID support, etc. Platform as a Service offerings make this even easier now, enabling developers to roll out their own database infrastructure in minutes with minimal management overhead. However, this same amount of flexibility also comes with the challenges of picking the right tool, on the right ...
Jul. 29, 2016 04:30 AM EDT Reads: 1,395
The 19th International Cloud Expo has announced that its Call for Papers is open. Cloud Expo, to be held November 1-3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA, brings together Cloud Computing, Big Data, Internet of Things, DevOps, Digital Transformation, Microservices and WebRTC to one location. With cloud computing driving a higher percentage of enterprise IT budgets every year, it becomes increasingly important to plant your flag in this fast-expanding business opportuni...
Jul. 29, 2016 04:15 AM EDT Reads: 2,670
With over 720 million Internet users and 40–50% CAGR, the Chinese Cloud Computing market has been booming. When talking about cloud computing, what are the Chinese users of cloud thinking about? What is the most powerful force that can push them to make the buying decision? How to tap into them? In his session at 18th Cloud Expo, Yu Hao, CEO and co-founder of SpeedyCloud, answered these questions and discussed the results of SpeedyCloud’s survey.
Jul. 29, 2016 03:45 AM EDT Reads: 1,036
The Internet of Things will challenge the status quo of how IT and development organizations operate. Or will it? Certainly the fog layer of IoT requires special insights about data ontology, security and transactional integrity. But the developmental challenges are the same: People, Process and Platform. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Craig Sproule, CEO of Metavine, demonstrated how to move beyond today's coding paradigm and shared the must-have mindsets for removing complexity from the develo...
Jul. 29, 2016 02:45 AM EDT Reads: 1,598
SYS-CON Events announced today that MangoApps will exhibit at the 19th International Cloud Expo, which will take place on November 1–3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. MangoApps provides modern company intranets and team collaboration software, allowing workers to stay connected and productive from anywhere in the world and from any device.
Jul. 29, 2016 02:30 AM EDT Reads: 1,456
Large scale deployments present unique planning challenges, system commissioning hurdles between IT and OT and demand careful system hand-off orchestration. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Jeff Smith, Senior Director and a founding member of Incenergy, will discuss some of the key tactics to ensure delivery success based on his experience of the last two years deploying Industrial IoT systems across four continents.
Jul. 29, 2016 02:00 AM EDT Reads: 1,678
Redis is not only the fastest database, but it is the most popular among the new wave of databases running in containers. Redis speeds up just about every data interaction between your users or operational systems. In his session at 19th Cloud Expo, Dave Nielsen, Developer Advocate, Redis Labs, will share the functions and data structures used to solve everyday use cases that are driving Redis' popularity.
Jul. 29, 2016 12:30 AM EDT Reads: 1,700
Basho Technologies has announced the latest release of Basho Riak TS, version 1.3. Riak TS is an enterprise-grade NoSQL database optimized for Internet of Things (IoT). The open source version enables developers to download the software for free and use it in production as well as make contributions to the code and develop applications around Riak TS. Enhancements to Riak TS make it quick, easy and cost-effective to spin up an instance to test new ideas and build IoT applications. In addition to...
Jul. 29, 2016 12:15 AM EDT Reads: 1,993
Predictive analytics tools monitor, report, and troubleshoot in order to make proactive decisions about the health, performance, and utilization of storage. Most enterprises combine cloud and on-premise storage, resulting in blended environments of physical, virtual, cloud, and other platforms, which justifies more sophisticated storage analytics. In his session at 18th Cloud Expo, Peter McCallum, Vice President of Datacenter Solutions at FalconStor, discussed using predictive analytics to mon...
Jul. 29, 2016 12:15 AM EDT Reads: 2,091
Identity is in everything and customers are looking to their providers to ensure the security of their identities, transactions and data. With the increased reliance on cloud-based services, service providers must build security and trust into their offerings, adding value to customers and improving the user experience. Making identity, security and privacy easy for customers provides a unique advantage over the competition.
Jul. 28, 2016 11:45 PM EDT Reads: 1,243
In his session at @DevOpsSummit at 19th Cloud Expo, Yoseph Reuveni, Director of Software Engineering at Jet.com, will discuss Jet.com's journey into containerizing Microsoft-based technologies like C# and F# into Docker. He will talk about lessons learned and challenges faced, the Mono framework tryout and how they deployed everything into Azure cloud. Yoseph Reuveni is a technology leader with unique experience developing and running high throughput (over 1M tps) distributed systems with extre...
Jul. 28, 2016 10:15 PM EDT Reads: 2,228
"We've discovered that after shows 80% if leads that people get, 80% of the conversations end up on the show floor, meaning people forget about it, people forget who they talk to, people forget that there are actual business opportunities to be had here so we try to help out and keep the conversations going," explained Jeff Mesnik, Founder and President of ContentMX, in this SYS-CON.tv interview at 18th Cloud Expo, held June 7-9, 2016, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY.
Jul. 28, 2016 10:15 PM EDT Reads: 1,444


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Samsung has been one of the best OEMs in the past few years to deliver Android updates as well as security updates to its phones right on time. Over the past few months, the company has updated a bunch of its phones to One UI 4 based on Android 12 in the Galaxy S series, Galaxy M series, and also in Galaxy A series.
At the beginning of 2022, Samsung started to roll out One UI 4.1 software for the Galaxy S22 series. Since then, the company has been pushing the update to other Galaxy devices as well. Now a new report has confirmed the next iterative update, One UI 4.1.1 will arrive later this year. More information about this upcoming software version is expected to be revealed later this year as well.
One UI 4.1.1 Confirmed to Arrive Later This Year
The next iteration was tipped by a GoodLock moderator at the Samsung Community site in South Korea (via TizenHelp). The moderator was answering a question of users who were facing issues with the Wonderland module. In response to the question asked by the users, the moderator responded by saying “The error reported by the customer requires a lot of platform-level code correction and is reflected on One UI 4.1.1 version.”
He also further added that the v 4.1.1 will take some time to arrive at customers and once the update has arrived, it should fix the issues. The report suggests that the One UI 4.1.1 update might launch alongside the next-gen foldable, which is expected to launch in August this year. The Galax Z Fold 4 and the Galaxy Z Flip 4 are expected to launch at August’s Unpacked event and the Galaxy Watch 5 series is also expected to launch on the same stage.
Last year, Samsung announced one UI 3.1.1 update for the Galax Z Fold 3 and the Galaxy Z Flip 3 devices and later on the update was also rolled out to Samsung Galaxy tablets. With One UI 4.1.1, we are expecting to see a few new features on top of the existing One UI 4.1 for the foldable and large screen devices. Also, the issues mentioned by the moderator is also expected to be fixed with the update. Version 4.1.1 will be on base don Android 12 and the One UI 5.0 is likely to be based on Android 13, based on the previous track record.

domain: news


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Mercedes announced the name EQ in 2016 as a new sub-brand for its battery-electric vehicles. The company’s first EQ-branded model arrived in 2019, but the name may no longer be around if there’s a new model. Handelsblatt accurate report.
According to the German publication, Mercedes will remove the EQ designation from its BEVs from 2024, returning to its traditional naming structure. One of the sources for the report said that Mercedes will no longer need a separate sub-brand for its BEVs once the automaker stops producing combustion-powered cars. The report also states that the decision to kill the EQ sub-brand has already been made, and it’s just the question of when that will happen that remains unanswered within the automaker.
Another insider told Handelsblatt that the latest Mercedes may remove the branding from its cars as soon as BEV sales surpass the brand’s gas and diesel vehicles. One of the first models to buck the EQ trend is the electric G-Class, which is scheduled to go on sale in 2024. The automaker also unveiled its new MMA architecture that same year. Mercedes designed the platform for BEVs first, but can accommodate gas and diesel powertrains as needed. Handelsblatt reached out to Mercedes, but the automaker would not comment on the speculation.
While the EQ branding will be gone from future Mercedes models, the company hasn’t completely abandoned the name. The automaker wants to use the brand as a technology brand for EV accessories and services, such as wall boxes, charging services and more. Mercedes announced at CES last week that it plans to invest $1 billion into its North American EV charging network, which could be the perfect recipient of the EQ name.
As Handelsblatt noted, the move will make it easier for customers to navigate the crowded Mercedes lineup. Names like the C-Class, E-Class, and S-Class have recognition with customers, and names like the EQE SUV and EQS SUV aren’t all that powerful when they’re on par with the popular GLE and GLS. Mercedes had put a lot of resources into the brand, but the end seemed inevitable as EQ went from a simple sub-brand to the core of the automaker’s lineup.


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Jacques Vert and contemporary menswear brand Steel & Jelly are the latest names signed up to open at the £150m Grand Central shopping centre in Birmingham when it opens in September.
The new retail and dining location will be anchored by John Lewis, and other fashion retailers already confirmed to open include The White Company, Hobbs, Joules and Cath Kidston.
Grand Central leasing director Keith Stone said: “Being situated above New Street Station will make Grand Central the ideal location for leading brands and extremely convenient for people, offering a unique shopping and station experience.
“The retail industry is very quickly seeing the value of transport hubs becoming shopping destinations and Grand Central is expecting to attract around 50 million shoppers and commuters a year, both locally and from across the country.”
When the new site opens, Birmingham will be the only city outside London to have a Harvey Nichols, Selfridges, Debenhams, House of Fraser and John Lewis.


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will be among the speakers at the 21st annual Garden and
Landscape Symposium of Western Pennsylvania on April 23 from 8
a.m. to 4 p.m. at Shady Side Academy’s Hillman Center for the
Performing Arts in Fox Chapel.
“A Guide to Bearded Irises” won the 2013 American Horticultural
Society Book Award. His latest book, “Plants with Style: A
Plantsman’s Choices for a Vibrant, 21st Century Garden,”
showcases plants that will “make your jaw drop and your pulse
quicken,” he says.
talk, he will discuss underutilized plants that have thrived in
his garden. But in a phone interview, he wanted to talk about
the questions consumers should be asking themselves when they’re
Can I eat
it? Will it benefit pollinators? Will it live a long time? Is it
drought-tolerant? Breeders should be growing plants to fit this
new, sustainable paradigm, Mr. Norris says. He also challenges
garden designers to change the way people see, appreciate and
value the landscape.
to create both motion and emotion. We need to change out the
product and change the dynamics in order to achieve gardening
with a greater sense of purpose,” he says.
urban green space as an example. “A life, a city, a living space
without horticulture is a blank, destitute kind of existence.
Horticulture is an act of humanity. It’s not just about
of people living in cities is growing. Currently, a little over
half of the world’s people live in urban areas. By 2050, that
will increase to 66 percent, according to projections by the UN
Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Cities, as well as
individual landowners, are looking at the contributions their
spaces provide to the environment, Mr. Norris says.
lifelong gardener holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in
horticulture from Iowa State University. He says now is the
perfect time to start blending your personal gardening style
with environmental benefits.
is the best way to savor life on earth,” he says.
The cost is $120 for a day of
lectures, breakfast and lunch. Register for the April 23
symposium by calling 412-482-3465 or go to extension.psu.edu/garden-landscape-symposium.
A Garden Marketplace and Daffodil Show are free and open to the
Starring tree of
the Spring flower show


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More than a year in the making, Mugshot Diner will grand-open Thursday, May 30 at 2424 E. York St. (215-426-2424), a few blocks west of Aramingo Avenue, in Fishtown.
Mugshot is named after owner Chris Voz's former diner, in Mount Holly, and has no affiliation with the Mugshots coffee shops in Fairmount and Brewerytown. Voz also runs the Diamond Diners in Hainesport and Egg Harbor Township, N.J.
The retro newcomer - at York and Gaul Streets on the corner of the 2424 Studios mixed-use development - is huge: a 150-seater with an open-kitchen countertop, yellow and blue booths, plenty of chrome and granite, and multicolor LED lighting indoors and outdoors. Mugshots decorate the walls. Menu is the size of a good-size phone book.
Hours will be 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. Sunday to Wednesday, 7 a.m. to 3 a.m. Thursday, and 24 hours on Friday and Saturday.
They plan to have a DJ from 2 to 6 a.m. weekends.


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Full profile →'">
The author is a Forbes contributor. The opinions expressed are those of the writer.
Even as the new HondaJet HA-420 was going through its paces for certification, the industry knew it would be a game changer.
“It is the high performance sports car in the sky,” said AirInsight Partner Ernest Arvai, after the aircraft was granted Part 23 certification by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) last week. In addition to having a taller and roomier cabin than its competitors, Arvai said the HondaJet offers higher performance for its higher price: a speed of 420 knots, a higher operating altitude – up to 43,000 feet – and is 17% more fuel efficient than its competition.
Honda Aircraft CEO Michimasa Fujino calls it the Acura of its class, which could foreshadow a wholesale change in the business aviation marketplace considering that is exactly what Honda and Toyota did to the automobile industry in the 1970s. The big question is whether or not it can meet the high expectations for quality set by , its automaker parent company. But given early reports on its composite fuselage and production quality, it likely won’t take long to find out. The investment in the HondaJet is estimated between $1.5 and $2 billion.
What makes the $4.5 million aircraft different is how HondaJet has tweaked the aerodynamics with a unique design and deployed new materials that contribute to its efficiency. The major aerodynamic change is the unique placement of the GE-Honda engines above the wing. Fujino defied conventional wisdom, which said doing so would negatively impact wing aerodynamics. After testing the concept in a wind tunnel, he proved that conventional wisdom wrong by showing that putting the engine above the wing is more efficient than a clean wing. It also makes it easier to stretch the fuselage.
“With the engines above the wings HondaJet leverages natural laminar flow technology to optimize the aerodynamic performance of the wing and fuselage adding to its efficiency,” said Arvai. “The HondaJet has a unique design compared to competitors whose engines are attached to the fuselage.”
The engines also contribute to the unique development of the aircraft, which, dates back in the 1980s, when using engines from other manufacturers was the plan. Instead, it began developing its own engine in partnership with GE Aviation ultimately creating the GE-Honda HF20 turbofan engine.
Targeted at customers with $20 and $40 million in assets, the HA-420 can seat up to seven including the pilot and, in what Fujino calls a significant competitive advantage, is equipped with a lavatory. With a cabin 20% larger than competitors, its range is 1,358 miles. As an indicator of how it has excited the market, it took in 100 orders during the four-day National Business Aviation Association convention when it launched in 2006.
There is no question HondaJet’s very light jet gives the market dominators – , and Textron/Cessna – a run for the money. Indeed it will compete directly with the Cessna Mustang, the Bombardier Learjet and the Embraer Phenom 100E. It also puts Eclipse and Cirrus on notice they have to up their game.


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February 11th, 2008
Couch to Supermarket: Connecting Dots
By Stephanie Kang
Wall Street Journal
New Firm Will Match Data From Cable Boxes, Frequent-Shopper Cards
Web marketers can easily tell whether a particular consumer visited a specific site, when she visited, and whether she bought something. But despite a decades-long head start, television advertisers haven’t been as successful connecting the shows people watch to the products they buy.
Now a new media research company, TRA—for “True ROI Accountability for Media”—is taking another crack at the problem. It merges data from people’s cable set-top boxes with consumer-purchase databases, such as the information stores gather from frequent-shopper cards. For instance, a company could see whether households that watched an ad for its toothpaste later bought that brand of toothpaste.
As the Web’s ability to target specific consumers races ahead, TV advertisers, who collectively spend about $70 billion a year in the U.S. alone, are under increasing pressure to demonstrate that their money is well-spent. For years, the industry has searched for ways to better measure the results of ad campaigns. Some services offer estimates of how many people see an ad and are affected by it, but efforts to get more detailed data have been stymied because of the costs of such research, which often includes developing panels and paying households to participate.
TRA is using data from cable boxes to measure second-by-second viewership of TV programs and commercials in 300,000 households in Southern California. The company says it expects to have more than one million households across the country by the end of this year. The company will match that information with data from seven grocery-store chains, with information about more than 12 million households’ grocery-store purchases based on frequent-shopper-card data. Those cards track what a consumer buys on each trip, including the brand, specific product, price paid and date and time bought. The information is anonymous—that is, TRA says it doesn’t see the identities of the people in the household.
TRA’s clients include networks such as CBS, media agencies such as WPP’s Group M and a handful of advertisers. Senior agency executives such as Group M Chief Executive Irwin Gotlieb say they welcome additional media measurements. But it’s unclear how many research companies the TV ad industry will ultimately support.
TRA is rolling out its service nationwide at the same time that a higher-profile venture tackling the same challenge is reaching a crossroads. For the past several years, Nielsen and Arbitron have been testing a research service called Project Apollo. The venture merges purchasing data from Nielsen with Arbitron’s portable people meters, which track TV-watching and radio-listening habits.
Consumer-goods companies including Procter & Gamble and Johnson & Johnson have helped fund the project. But people familiar with Project Apollo say the companies that are keeping the project afloat will decide in the next few weeks whether to continue testing or to scrap the endeavor. At issue is whether advertisers will want to purchase the service, which likely would be very expensive, according to these people.
TRA says its research service is more affordable because it uses existing databases and doesn’t rely on individual households to participate in a panel. The company says its approach, merging databases using its unique algorithms, differentiates it from earlier efforts. TRA’s technology includes some algorithms developed over ten years at a cost of $6 million.
TRA says its service will help an advertiser tweak its media buy based on insights gleaned from its data. For instance, an advertiser could find out which networks’ viewers are most likely to watch its ad. It could decide to air most of its ads on Thursdays or Fridays, knowing that shopping data show that consumers typically purchase its product on Saturdays.
The service can also merge a company’s proprietary research about its customers into TRA’s existing databases. The next step, TRA says, will be accumulating more databases from sectors such as autos, consumer electronics and financial services.
While TRA is small, with about 25 employees, it has some big backers, including former TV, cable and ad executives. Its investors include venture-capital firm Kodiak Venture Partners and Kantar, a research unit of WPP.
TRA was conceived two years ago by media-measurement researcher Bill Harvey and Mark Lieberman, a media executive who has helped oversee publications such as Variety and Broadcasting & Cable and who in the 1990s founded a video-server company that offered early versions of video on demand. He is TRA’s chief executive. Mr. Harvey, TRA’s president, has worked in media research for more than 35 years, including stints as the strategy head of the American Research Bureau, which later became Arbitron. He says he has been pushing for this kind of accountability for decades.
“We’re filling a gap in the marketplace,” says Mr. Lieberman.


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CES 2010: Samsung takes aim at the DSLR and Micro Four-Thirds camera markets with the NX10
ces 2010 in pictures
Every year, we head to Las Vegas for the Consumer Electronics Show, looking for the gadget that's going to be the next big thing. And, every year, we come home amazed and amused. Sure, there are great products at CES--and then there are the products on this list. Read on to find out what made our list of the biggest bummers from the show.
CES may have "consumer" right in its name, but this year's show featured plenty of hot new products aimed squarely at small and midsized businesses.
Microsoft's demonstration Wednesday of "Slate PCs" made by HP, Pegatron, and Archos is by no means its first attempt to help develop such a form factor. The Slate PC seems to be identical to a Tablet with only the name changed. In fact, the Tablet PC has long been a pet project for Microsoft founder Bill Gates, who showed the first Tablet PC prototype in 2000 at the now-defunct Comdex trade show in Las Vegas.
Dell's upcoming Mini 5, which was first shown publicly at this years CES, will be made available in a range of colors and will also feature integration with a host of Amazon services, according to a recently leaked internal document.
Samsung plans to release its 3D-compatible LED televisions in Australia, with models expected to be released in mid-April.
Skype is introducing high-definition video calling that it plans to make interoperable with corporate videoconferencing gear, so individuals could join conferences at high resolution for little cost. The news was unveiled last week during the Consume...
The excitement around 3D TV at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) did not appear to be influencing companies at the AVN-Adult Entertainment Expo taking place at the same time, despite the fact that the adult industry is often a first m...
Every year, we head to Las Vegas for the Consumer Electronics Show, looking for the gadget that's going to be the next big thing. And, every year, we come home amazed and amused. Sure, there are great products at CES--and then there are the products ...
There's no doubt that 3D was the buzzword of CES 2010. Between big announcements like Disney and ESPN 3D TV channels and the slew of monitors and TV sets that support stereoscopic 3D, however, we have to wonder where video games fit in. On the one ha...
The International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) began in 1967 as an off-shoot of the Chicago Music Show. In the forty-plus years since, the show has developed a distinct identity as the premiere destination for companies to announce, display, and d...
When you're in front of your PC, waiting for something to transfer to removable media, that's when seconds feel like minutes, and minutes feel like hours.
With the Xbox 360 playing a big part in Microsoft's plans at CES 2010, there has been plenty of new topics for discussion at this year's show. I was able to chat with Xbox spokesman Aaron Greenberg about Game Room, 3D gaming, and the status of CES it...
E-readers are making a big play at CES this year, and I got to hold and play briefly with two new ones: the Que from Plastic Logic and a preview version of the Skiff from Skiff LLC.
Last year, Australians lost more than $2.8 million (AUD) in fake ATO scams
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“It’s not enough to just design a great collection — you have to do something new and different, something extra, to get people’s attention,” says Rita Liefhebber.
The young designer isn’t talking about her recent fall collection. Rather, she’s referring to the effort it takes to stage an a mesmerizing show — often with limited resources. Designers want to attract not just media attention but also buyers, and ensure they leave a lasting impression.
With a background that included stints as a model and fashion editor, Liefhebber understands the lure of a striking presentation.
During Toronto fashion week, which ends today, competition is fierce for coveted evening time slots. Established designers and mega-brands fly in big-name models to add star power to their world-class runway presentations that, in turn, capture media attention. So how does a young designer stand apart in the crowd?
Welcome to the pop-up fashion show.
Liefhebber, for her second collection, staged a presentation with nine models in the back of a truck. She staged a similar event in a truck during New York fashion week last month. The idea was to take the show directly to the audience, she said of the truck that was parked near Milk Studios — one of the show venues — so people leaving could pop in and take a look.
But in Toronto, instead of parking the truck outside desolate Exhibition Place where Toronto fashion week was held, Liefhebber opted for the edgy, hip Trinity Bellwoods neighbourhood. Besides, her boyfriend’s restaurant, The Black Hoof, was across the street, enabling waiters to come out serving pork chops and paté to guests as they gathered on the street corner.
While creating a unique fashion presentation, Liefhebber also left a small carbon footprint — which falls in line with her eco-friendly aesthetic. She grew up in a green household — her father is an environmental architect — and her collection featured recycled materials, such as the reused leather strips in her leggings, a sweater made from reclaimed mohair, and vintage shoes from her last show that were redyed.
Proving that you don’t need to spend a fortune on a runway show, designers Mikey Thomas and Drew Thomas (no relation) made their debut last week on a budget just under $300.
The Thomas label show of both men’s and women’s wear — their hand-ravelling technique creates the effect of cobwebs in knitwear, and is best viewed up close and personal — was held before 50 guests in the tiny Clint Roenisch Gallery on Queen St. W. Yet pedestrians had a better view from the sidewalk as models walked to the large window to pose.
“We wanted a neutral space — sort of like a blank canvas to show clothes,” said Mikey, who studied at the Ontario College of Art & Design. “And since a gallery is the best way to show art, we wanted to use that same approach to clothing.”
As well, they deliberately did not offer chairs to ensure equality among guests, without the drama of front-row seating plans. So everyone stood to watch and sip wine, which is where most of the budget went.
Their show was a success, judging by the buzz, and Mikey remains firm that the team won’t abandoned small-and-intimate. “LG (Fashion Week) is a great thing and the FDCC has stepped up the profile of Canadian designers, but a big runway or production is not really our style,” he says.
How did they compete with other shows that same night? With tried-and-true social networking. From Facebook, to blogs, to their website, they got the word out to friends, customers and select media.
“It’s a great way to convey your aesthetic and how you want people to perceive your brand,” he said. And the cost was minimal.
Another designer who went off-site, but with a splashy production, was Salem Moussallam. The designer behind Hibebe, a label that has provided outfits for Lady Gaga and Ciara, staged his runway show in trains parked in the Bay Street ghost subway station.
While he acknowledged it cost a pretty penny for the location, he had sponsorship — including a television show doing a series on behind-the-scenes drama leading up to his big presentation.
Moussallam says he takes a European approach to his shows, inspired by the spectacles staged by Jean Paul Gaultier and the late Alexander McQueen, where the presentation is as important as the clothes.
“It’s a performance, after all,” he notes.


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Your Day in Health: February 5
DIGIDAY: Subway Enrages Twitter After It Hikes The Footlong’s Price To $6
“Nothing angers people more than a $1 increase on an already cheap sandwich. Subway is learning this the hard way after the chain announced that it’s rising the price of its footlong from $5 to $6, meaning that it’s ‘five dollar footlong’ earworm of a jingle is history.” Read full story.
WEB MD: Bit Of Chocolate In Pregnancy May Help Mom, Baby
“Pregnant women who nibble just a small piece of chocolate each day may improve the circulatory health of their unborn child, a new study suggests. The tiny treat may also reduce the risk for preeclampsia, a potentially deadly condition in which a pregnant woman with normal blood pressure suddenly develops dangerously high blood pressure, the researchers said.” Read full story.
Quartz: When Life Gave Chipotle Lemons, it Put Them Behind the Counter
“No, really. Chipotle is making a variety of efforts to improve food cleanliness and safety after sales-crushing problems with E. coli and norovirus last quarter. Apparently as part of that, the company seems to have moved the lemon slices it once kept out for food and drinks behind the counter.” Read full story.


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- Nigeria’s Telecoms Sector Attracts $68B in FDI -NCC
Federal Government efforts at diversifying the economy have started yielding results as the telecommunication sector continued to attract foreign investors.
The Nigerian telecommunication sector attracted $68 billion in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to the economy in the last 16 years, according to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) on Tuesday.
Telecoms sector contribution to the economy rose to 9.8 percent from 8 percent recorded in the fourth quarter of 2016. Higher than the 8.9 percent contributed by the oil sector in the first quarter of 2017.
The NCC Executive Vice Chairman, Prof Umar Danbatta, attributed the continuous growth of the sector despite recession to growing market.
Danbatta, however, admitted that the quality of service offered by network operators has not been impressive.
“The continued drop in service quality has really created a huge gap between consumers and the Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), “reason for some drop in subscriptions,” Danbatta said.


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Pakistan is going to witness the introduction of the fuel free electric bikes in the country in the coming few months. The company makes the impact on the bike section of automobile sector of Pakistan. The firm, Jolta International is based in Bahria Town Rawalpindi and it has displayed three E-bikes in Gwadar and the E-bikes are introduced with use of electric rechargeable batteries to run up to 80-100 kilometers. The cost of the full recharge of batteries is around Rs.20 and it is sufficient for 6-8 hours.
E-bike will be added with the alarm, keyless start, automatic locks, digital meter and disc brakes. The company claims that his bike will be available in the market in 70cc, 100 cc and 125 cc and price of the motorcycles are also varied. The company claims that E-bikes will be environmental friendly, smoke free and noise free.


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TEXT OF INTERVIEW
STEVE CHIOTAKIS: The Federal Trade Commission has decided
it wants to fight “green-washing.” What’s that? Well, earlier this week it proposed a new set of guidelines for when companies make their products seem a little greener than they really are. Marketplace sustainability reporter Adriene Hill is with us to talk about what the FTC proposes. Good morning Adriene.
ADRIENE HILL: Good morning, Steve.
CHIOTAKIS: So what’s the FTC trying to do here?
HILL: Well basically, up until now, there just haven’t been many rules or guidelines keeping companies from calling their products environmentally friendly or eco-friendly. And you’ve seen those labels. They’re everywhere. Basically the FTC is stepping in and establishing some new standards.
CHIOTAKIS: And what sort of things are we talking about here?
HILL: A lot of the changes will push marketers to make more specific claims that they’ll have to be able to back up. So no super general environmental claims, like green for example. If you’re going to say your product is made of renewable material, you’re going to need to be clear about what it is and what makes it renewable. If you’re going to say you can toss it into the compost, it’s got to break down at the same rate as the other things you’ve thrown in there.
CHIOTAKIS: It seems like pretty commonsense stuff?
HILL: For us. But we’re not the unscrupulous marketers the FTC is worried about.
CHIOTAKIS: No. And if the FTC busts those people for overstating their environmentally friendliness, what then?
HILL: Well the agency can take action if it finds a company is intentionally misleading consumers. It can make them stop, issue fines. And it’s done some of this already with the current guidelines. The agency brought a case against a couple companies, including K-Mart, for calling some paper products biodegradable. The reason is that most paper lands up in landfills or recycling facilities, where it’s not going to biodegrade.
CHIOTAKIS: And that’s interesting, more transparency, more honesty — I mean it sounds pretty good, right?
HILL: Yeah, for the most part it does. It’s hard for me or anyone to try and navigate the green claims that are on products everywhere. In part because they just don’t mean a lot. And this should help the words on the packaging mean what they say. One concern with the proposed rules is that in practice, they could be really complicated. If a product now has to list all the very specific ways it’s environmentally-friendly, it can be a lot to wade through when making a choice.
CHIOTAKIS: So then, Adriene, what’s next?
HILL: Well it’s comment time. The FTC is accepting comments on its rules through mid-December. And we’d love to hear from you [leave a comment below].
CHIOTAKIS: All right. Marketplace’s sustainability reporter Adriene Hill. Adriene, thanks.
HILL: Thank you.
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Microsoft roadmap for 2024
There are some interesting innovations for Microsoft 365. The company has drawn up a roadmap for the development of Outlook, Teams and general security improvements.
Microsoft CoPilot now available
As of 16.01.2024
As the new year begins, we’re excited to see more and more people using and appreciating Microsoft Copilot in their work and lives. Our goal is to empower all people and businesses on earth to achieve more. To do this, we are making Copilot, the daily companion with artificial intelligence (AI), accessible to millions of people around the world.
Microsoft has redrawn its EU data boundary for the Microsoft Cloud
It is now possible to store and process personal data within the EU. Data generated during technical support will follow.
Microsoft expands the Azure Cloud in Germany
Microsoft has expanded its Azure Cloud in Germany and will double it by the beginning of 2024. This will be achieved by expanding the data center region Germany, West-Central in Frankfurt am Main. Microsoft is expanding its cloud infrastructure in key regions to support customers such as Bayer, Mercedes-Benz and Siemens.
Microsoft Ignite 2023
It’s about discovering the best of artificial intelligence, finding solutions and meeting experts. The company is presenting more than 100 innovations at its biggest tech conference of the year, including extensions to its cloud infrastructure, new Copilot offerings, new Copilot offerings and AI-optimized hardware.
Do you already know CoPilot? Use Copilot with SharePoint knowledge to serve your customers
We are excited to announce the preview of SharePoint integration with Copilot in Dynamics 365 Customer Service. Dynamics 365 customers can sign up now to test this feature in their trial environments and provide early feedback.
Copilot in Dynamics 365 Customer Service already works with your internal knowledge base to guide agents and improve their productivity. It can generate suggestions for chats and draft emails. Agents can also use the multi-turn conversation experience to discover quality information and serve customers with confidence.
PS: what else you can know about the CoPilot product, here in the collection.
Data theft at Microsoft – Yes or No?
Already in July 2023 there were reports about data theft at Microsoft. A Swiss portal reported “Microsoft denies data leak of 30 million user accounts“. If this were the case, then the outcry in the market would have to be great.
As of August 18, Heise now also reports about a leak at Microsoft.
Microsoft delivers a playbook for dealing with the possible leak.
Microsoft Release Wave – the official planning of new features
Microsoft publishes their plan for the 1st release cycle 2023. One has the option to view the updates via the release planner or download the document as a PDF file (monthly update). The plan for the 1st release cycle 2023 includes new features for Dynamics 365, Viva Sales and Supply Chain Platform.
The PDF also includes governance, administration and data integration information for Power Apps, Power Automate, Power BI, Power Pages, Power Virtual Agents, Microsoft Dataverse and Microsoft Power Platform.
Pioneer in in-car ChatGPT: Mercedes-Benz takes voice control to a new level with Azure OpenAI service
When I started driving in the 1990s, I thought I was living in the future. My first car had everything I thought I could ever need: a built-in radio, lights when you opened the door, windows you could roll down with a crank, a clock, and even air conditioning for those really hot days when I was growing up on the East Coast.
That car is long gone, but my passion for pushing things forward is undiminished. That’s why I’m excited to share how Mercedes-Benz is using Microsoft’s AI capabilities to improve the driving experience for some drivers.
The last six months have shown us that the power of generative AI goes beyond state-of-the-art language models – it’s what you develop with it that matters most. With our Azure OpenAI service, enterprises can harness the power of the most advanced AI models (Open AI’s GPT-4, GPT-3.5 and more) combined with Azure’s enterprise capabilities and AI-optimized infrastructure to achieve extraordinary things.
Hybrid Work and AI in the midmarket
SMEs are increasingly turning to hybrid work models to meet the needs of their employees and compete for talent. Many mid-sized and large companies have established hybrid work models with different aspects and new opportunities. However, there is no guarantee of success for hybrid working. In addition to consistent digitization, it requires a holistic view and design of work on the one hand, and qualification and further training of employees on the other. Only in this way can the full potential of hybrid work be exploited.
New functions at Microsoft
Copilot was introduced along with the launch of Viva Glint in Microsoft Viva. New features will help companies do the following: improve employee productivity and engagement. An employee’s productivity is just one metric used to evaluate their performance. Microsoft’s latest research shows that the most successful companies are those that value both productivity and employee engagement: Companies with high employee engagement have twice the financial performance of companies with low employee engagement.
AI-based features are now available in Microsoft Teams Premium
Microsoft Premium is available now at an introductory price of $7 and will be available for $10 per month per user starting in July 2023. Microsoft Teams Premium was previewed at Ignite 2022 and integrates new technologies such as Large Language Models powered by OpenAI’s GPT-3.5. For example, the Premium version includes the following features:
- New AI features for meetings, such as automatically generated meeting notes, recommended tasks, and personalized highlights.
- Enterprise-specific settings for appointments that allow, for example, IT administrators to create custom meeting templates for customer calls, brainstorming meetings, help desk calls, or more.
- New options for webinars with e.g. scheduled reminder emails to the participants
Microsoft Viva Sales now with new GPT features
Microsoft Viva Sales now allows users to generate suggested email content with data specifically relevant to the recipient, such as prices, special offers or deadlines, using new GPT features. This can be applied to a variety of scenarios, such as responding to an inquiry or creating a quote. The system automatically generates proposals as needed.
According to a study commissioned by Microsoft itself, managing emails takes up more than 66 percent of a salesperson’s working time. That percentage is now expected to be reduced by the new AI-powered feature. Viva Sales uses Azure OpenAI Service as well as GPT and provides access to data and insights in the Microsoft Cloud.
A short demo video is available on the automatically generated email suggestions in the article.
Plans for 1st wave of 2023 releases for Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Power Platform released
The plans for the first release wave 2023 for Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Microsoft Power Platform have been published by Microsoft. The new features are scheduled to be delivered between April and September 2023. This first release wave of the year offers hundreds of new features and enhancements. Focus is on helping users make informed decisions with AI-powered insights and suggested actions, automating tasks and processes more easily and integrating collaboration seamlessly into workflows, and offering new low-code ways to build solutions.
Highlights for Dynamics 365 Marketing include new features such as a new business-to-business (B2B) analytics dashboard, frequency limiting, multiple email recipient activation, email timeline, customizable preference centers and Urchin Tracking Module (UTM) marketing tagging.
Highlights for Dynamics 365 Sales include new features such as AI-powered suggestions within the salesperson workflow; an updated form layout and opportunity management workspace; improved email templates, content suggestions and text messaging capabilities; and several new features to create, cycle through and optimize sales sequences.
Further, Microsoft has introduced a new way to interact with release plans with Release Planner for Dynamics 365 and Microsoft Power Platform.
Personnel changes at Microsoft Germany
Hussain Mahmood is the new head of the Solution Sales Organization at Microsoft Germany
As of December 15, 2022, Hussain Mahmood heads the Specialist Teams Unit (STU) and is a member of the management team at Microsoft Germany. With the STU, Mahmood is responsible for the solution business and supports customers in their digital transformation. Hussain Mahmood has worked for Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. for 13 years.
Inka Nobel is responsible for the new Digital Native division at Microsoft Germany
With Inka Nobel as head of the Digital Native Unit, Microsoft Germany is further expanding its footprint in the large customer segment. As of January 1, 2023, Inka Nobel assumed the role of Industry Leader Digital Native. With her team, she will support customers from the digital native generation as pioneers in the digital transformation in their growth ambitions with technologies, services and training from Microsoft as well as an extensive network of experts.
Microsoft plans to cut 10,000 jobs
Microsoft announced that it plans to cut a total of 10,000 jobs by the end of the third quarter of fiscal 2023. This represents approximately 5 percent of the total workforce. However, the job cuts do not apply to all areas. The company plans to continue hiring in key strategic areas.
In the second quarter, Microsoft plans to spend $1.2 billion on severance, changes to the hardware portfolio and lease consolidation costs to create higher density in work areas.
Many of the traditional media have reported on the job cuts, e.g.
the Tagesschau “Microsoft cuts 10,000 jobs”.
Zeit Online “Microsoft cuts 10,000 jobs”
Microsoft and OpenAI expand partnership
Microsoft announced its expanded partnership with OpenAI through a multi-year, multi-billion dollar investment. OpenAI’s products include such AI products as DALL-E 2 and ChatGPT. The goal of the partnership is to accelerate AI developments. This agreement follows previous investments in 2019 and 2021, and further components will include collaboration in AI supercomputing and research, allowing both parties to independently commercialize the resulting advanced AI technologies.
Microsoft plans to use the new AI-powered experiences in its consumer and enterprise products, such as through Microsoft’s Azure OpenAI service, which enables developers to create AI applications by directly accessing OpenAI models.
Many media houses reported about the planned investment, e.g. also Heise Online “Microsoft invests further billions in ChatGPT developer OpenAI“, and named a total investment sum of 10 billion US dollars according to Bloomberg report. The plans to integrate the currently much discussed product ChatGPT into Microsoft’s services were also reported by Zeit Online with the article “Microsoft wants to take over ChatGPT into its cloud services”.
Latest version of Dynamics 365 Guides
With the latest release of Dynamics 365 Guides, Microsoft HoloLens 2 users can now simultaneously use step-by-step instructions as well as participate in Microsoft Teams meetings. This is to combine these two mixed reality apps into one seamless experience.
The following new features are available in Dynamics 365 Guides:
- Teams users can share their screens as holograms
- Access to Teams calendar and participation in meetings via HoloLens 2 are possible
- Streamline discussions with file sharing and text chat
- Sharing knowledge from the desktop to HoloLens 2
There are some screenshots in the article.
There is also a short product video on the page about Dynamics 365 Guides.
Dynamics 365 Marketing and Customer Insights second wave release 2022 updates.
Microsoft has shared in an article some new features of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Marketing and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Insights that will be available in Release Wave 2 for 2022. The goal is to improve the customer experience with the following new features, for example:
- A first-run experience feature in Customer Insights to help understand customers faster
- Creation of custom forms with a few clicks using a drag-and-drop editor to deploy to websites or landing pages while better tracking conversions
- More custom channels available in real-time marketing
- A frequency cap feature that limits the number of messages that can be sent to a customer or prospect per day, week, or month per channel
- Content idea generation with artificial intelligence in email marketing
- New brand profile functionality for managing and standardizing multi-brand content
Microsoft ranked a Leader in the Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Field Service Management for 2022
Status: 12/ 07/2022.
Microsoft has been listed as a Leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant 2022 for Field Service Management for the third consecutive year. IFS, Oracle and Salesforce are also in this category.
US antitrust authority blocks Activision takeover by Microsoft
As we reported back in January of this year, Microsoft wants to pay $69 billion for Activision. This would be by far the most expensive acquisition of the group in its history. The competition authority FTC has announced that it wants to block the agreed takeover of the video game manufacturer Activision by the software group Microsoft.
New Microsoft Supply Chain Platform
Microsoft has unveiled its new Microsoft Supply Chain Platform. The goal is to help companies maximize their investment in data across the supply chain through an open approach, bringing together the best of Microsoft’s artificial intelligence (AI), collaboration, low-code development, IT security, and SaaS applications into a freely composable platform. In the process, the company also announced the preview for Microsoft Supply Chain Center, a command center for the Supply Chain Platform designed to provide visibility and transparency along the supply chain.
Frankfurt: Microsoft opens new office and expands computing power
With the relocation of the Microsoft office from an industrial park in Bad-Homburg to Frankfurt, Microsoft is continuing its strategy of moving to attractive, conveniently located sites in city centers. In doing so, Microsoft aims to create ideal conditions for hybrid working for its employees.
Microsoft also wants to expand its computing power in Frankfurt. Microsoft is thus responding to the rapidly growing demand for cloud services in Germany and is expanding the computing power of its most important German data center region.
2022 Release wave 2 of Dynamics 365 and Power Platform is launched
In October, Microsoft rolled out Release Wave 2 of Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Microsoft Power Platform 2022. This is the second release wave this year and includes hundreds of new features and functionality. Microsoft has created a series of demo videos covering different business areas.
Microsoft presents quarterly results
Microsoft announced results for the quarter ended Sept. 30, 2022, compared with the same period last fiscal year. For the first time in the company’s history, Microsoft generated more than half of its revenue from its cloud business.
- Revenue was $50.1 billion, up 11% (16% in constant currency)
- Operating income was $21.5 billion, up 6% (up 15% in constant currency)
- Net income was $17.6 billion, down 14% (down 8% in constant currency)
- Diluted earnings per share were $2.35, down 13% (down 7% in constant currencies)
Customer Experience Reimagined took place on 10/26/2022
Customer Experience Reimagined is a digital event hosted by Microsoft.
The goal of the event is to provide insight into the thinking of other CX leaders and offer strategies to help companies adapt to a changing landscape. It’s about the evolution of CRM, as well as key technologies and skills for executives to shape customer experience strategy.
Speakers included Judson Althoff, executive vice president & chief commercial officer at Microsoft. But there were also speakers from Accenture or Constellation Research, a Silicon Valley tech research and consulting firm.
A whitepaper with facts, figures & data on cybercrime.
What happens in a minute when it comes to cybercrime? Microsoft has published a whitepaper with an overview of facts, figures and data.
Every minute, cybercriminals worldwide try 34,740 times to crack passwords of IT users. That’s 579 attempts per second. 1,902 times they specifically attack IoT devices and infrastructures, i.e. networked machines, manufacturing plants and sensors, but also smart household appliances and vehicles.
Mercedes-Benz and Microsoft collaborate on more efficient, resilient and sustainable automotive production
Mercedes-Benz AG and Microsoft Corporation are working together on eliciency, resilience and sustainability: with the new MO360 Data Platform, Mercedes-Benz is networking its approximately 30 global passenger car plants with the Microsoft Cloud. This is intended to improve transparency and predictability along the digital production and supply chain processes. With the Microsoft Cloud, Mercedes-Benz can, for example, virtually simulate and refine manufacturing processes before they are implemented in the factory.
Microsoft Ingnite 2022: Introducing new AI, automation and collaboration capabilities for Dynamics 365.
New AI, automation and collaboration solutions were unveiled at Microsoft Ignite 2022. These capabilities are designed to help companies work more efficiently, collaborate better across teams and departments, and create breakthrough customer experiences.
A special “Into Focus” session showcased the new Release Wave 2 features. The video is available online at the Micorosoft site. Renewals include new AI and automation updates, as well as new integrations between Microsoft Teams and Microsoft Dynamics 365.
Sales conversation intelligence available for all Dynamics 365 Sales Enterprise and Viva Sales customers.
Dynamics 365 Sales Enterprise and Viva Sales customers now have full access to Sales conversation intelligence. The goal of Sales conversion intelligence is to help salespeople by quickly identifying where their customers are in their sales process and what they can do or say next to get the most out of the interaction. But it also announced new features that will be rolled out over the next few months supported by AI and voice processing capabilities. One is real-time assistance for salespeople on the phone with customers or in a Microsoft Teams meeting. The other is suggested resources such as talking points, product and pricing details, and competitive maps to support salespeople’s conversations
Microsoft Ignite in October with local edition for Germany
Microsoft Ignite, Microsoft’s global conference for IT professionals and developers, will take place this year from October 12-14, 2022. The Spotlight on Germany will feature extensive German-language sessions and demos on October 13 and 14, specifically targeting the German market.
Bodensee Youth Conference on September 30, 2022
The Bodensee Youth Conference is a joint project of Microsoft, ZF Friedrichshafen AG and Zeppelin University Friedrichshafen. The goal of the forum is the exchange of students and young scientists with representatives from politics, business and science to analyze the challenges of our time and to initiate solutions through progress.
Microsoft delivers first HoloLens glasses to U.S. military after tech problems
According to a report from Bloomberg, the U.S. Army is now taking delivery of a first small batch of Hololens glasses from Microsoft.
Microsoft Germany Statement on Data Privacy Compliance of Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Teams.
Due to allegations regarding data privacy compliance, Microsoft Germany has published a statement. In it, the company explains why, in its opinion, Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Teams can be or are used in a privacy-compliant manner for private companies and the public sector (esp. the education sector).
Z. For example, it addresses the following statements: The cloud is insecure, the US government reads everything or data transfers to third countries such as the USA are not permitted.
Heise has also published an article on this.
Microsoft named leader in CRM suites category in The Forrester Wave Q3 2022
Microsoft Dynamics 365 has been named a Leader in The Forrester Wave: CRM Suites, Q3 2022. Joining them among the leaders are CRM vendors Salesforce and Oracle. Salesforce is even a bit further ahead in the chart with the Stronger Current Offering and Stronger Strategy categories.
Public preview of Microsoft Viva Sales is available
In week 26 of this year, we already reported on the announcement of Viva Sales. The preview is now available. The goal of Viva Sales is to allow data to be automatically entered into any CRM system via Office 365 and Teams. This eliminates the need for manual data entry. The application will be available in Q4 2022.
More about Viva Sales https://www.microsoft.com/de-de/microsoft-viva/sales
Key personnel changes at Microsoft Germany
Luca Callegari takes over as Chief Operation Officer (COO) in charge of Marketing and Operations on the Executive Board of Microsoft Germany. He reports to the Chairwoman of the Executive Board, Dr. Marianne Janik.
Florian Deter verantwortet ab 1. August 2022 als Geschäftsführer Microsoft Deutschland und Enterprise Commercial Lead das Großkundengeschäft von Microsoft Deutschland. Auch er berichtet an die Vorsitzende der Geschäftsführung, Dr. Marianne Janik.
Microsoft digital contact center platform: a solution for customer care
The Microsoft Digital Contact Center Platform equips contact centers with tools to engage customers across voice, video and other digital channels. This new platform is based on an interplay of: Microsoft Dynamics 365, Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Power Platform and Nuance.
This platform is a contact center solution that offers AI support, self-service experiences, live customer contact, collaborative agent experiences, business process automation and fraud prevention capabilities.
Microsoft’s acquisition of Nuance brings a new level of conversational AI, security and automation to the platform. This gives both customers and agents features that enable them to solve problems faster and in a more personalized way, reducing resolution times and improving customer satisfaction.
2022 Release Wave 2 – new features for Dynamics 365
The 2nd release wave this year offers new features for almost all functions of Microsoft Dynamics 365. Updates have received Dynamics 365 Marketing, Dynamics 365 Sales or Dynamics 365 Customer Service, among others.
All updated areas and the new features can be found in the article below.
Microsoft announces “Viva Sales”
Viva Sales is a new feature especially for the use of Microsoft Office 365 and Microsoft Teams. With Viva Sales, customer data from the tools just mentioned can be automatically transferred to Microsoft Dynamics and any other CRM system, eliminating the need for manual data entry.
Microsoft approaches European cloud providers after competition complaints
Microsoft said that, among other things, it will make it easier for cloud providers to host Microsoft’s cloud offerings, such as Office 365 office software apps, in their data centers. Customers in Europe are also to get more flexibility on licensing terms.
The changes follow a complaint by European cloud provider OVH to the EU Commission in Brussels. OVH felt the licensing terms put it at a disadvantage because they made it cheaper to run Microsoft’s services with the group’s own cloud platform Azure than with infrastructure from other providers.
Microsoft Build 2022 – Microsoft developer conference
This year, Microsoft introduced more than 50 new products and features at Microsoft Build. Key new features include tools and platforms for AI-powered intelligent software development, hybrid design templates for intelligent endpoints, and automation capabilities for Power Apps, Dynamics 365 and Microsoft Teams.
Dynamics 365 Sales release wave 1
The rollout of the listed features of Dynamics 365 Sales release wave 1 are planned from April 2022 to September 2022.
The approach targets three areas to improve the sales team experience and enable them to achieve even more than before:
Leading salespeople with intelligence with
Making collaboration even easier
Achieve more success with more productive tools
This will be achieved, for example, with predictive analytics, automation, conversation intelligence or improved forecasting, but also through an improved connection between Dynamics 365 Sales and Microsoft Teams, with predictive relationship intelligence or the Sales Hub app.
Microsoft Build with “Spotlight on Germany
On May 24 and 25, Microsoft Build will take place in Berlin with a special focus on Germany. Microsoft Build is an event for developers to learn about the latest innovations and technologies at Microsoft.
New service offering from Microsoft: Microsoft Security Experts
Microsoft is expanding its offering to include Microsoft Security Experts in an effort to counter the rising number of cyberattacks. As it is becoming increasingly difficult for companies to build, retain and develop a complete security team, Microsoft is now expanding its service offering. It combines expert-developed technology with services to help companies achieve secure, compliant and productive outcomes.


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Rose fails to stop the rot at M&S
Mark's & Spencer will this week reveal a fall in sales as retailers warn of a squeeze in the middle-market clothing sector.
Sir Stuart Rose: Shoppers are turning their backs on the store's clothes
The High Street giant admitted in July that clothing and food sales were dropping, but the decline has continued in the past three months despite efforts by executive chairman Sir Stuart Rose to halt it.
Rose gave himself 90 days to stop the rot in the food division after sales at stores that have been open a year or more dropped 4.5% in the three months to June.
He appointed John Dixon as head of the grocery business after Steven Esom was shown the door.
Analysts say same-store sales across both areas could drop by more than five per cent.
M&S and its nearest rival Next are suffering as cash-strapped shoppers trade down to discount alternatives or buy fewer items. The trend is expected to lead to stagnant High Street clothing sales this winter.
'What we've seen is the upper end of our ranges selling better,' said Debenhams chief executive Rob Templeman.
Sales of Debenhams' designer ranges account for 36% of sales compared with about 30% this time last year. A £180 leather jacket from the in-house John Rocha range has been its toprated product in recent weeks.
However, Templeman said sales of his cheapest T-shirts in the core range had fallen by ten per cent.
Adrian Mountford, head of Sainsbury's TU clothing brand, said he had planned for a ten per cent shift out of the main range this autumn, and into the middle and higher tiers - the three categories now defined by most retailers as good, better and best.
'In more difficult times the natural instinct of retailers is to reduce prices,' he said. 'But in fact what people tend to do is make fewer visits to stores and instead buy into quality.'
Discounters Primark and TK Maxx have both reported an acceleration in sales over the past three months.
'Not everyone goes to Primark because they think it's cool to do so,' said fashion industry consultant Eric Musgrave. 'In a downturn there are people with less money who have no choice.
'It is the middle of the market that will face problems - places where products are neither super-desirable nor super-cheap.
'They might find business suffers because people who haven't got money will trade down simply because they have to.'
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Lenders to the embattled department store House of Fraser are said to be demanding evidence that the retailer’s Chinese owner will invest fresh funding into the business.
Sky News reports that lenders have expressed frustration over a lack of clarity in HoF’s financing plans for its proposed company voluntary arrangement (CVA) deal.
HSBC and Industrial & Commercial Bank of China are said to be demanding evidence that a promised £70m of new capital will be invested into the business. Talks are ongoing, but sources indicate that there is still doubt over whether a deal could be reached with lenders to launch the proposed CVA.
The CVA is already facing a backlash, as a group of landlords are set to challenge Ho to demand better terms, as it tries to push through rent cuts and shop closures.
Following the announcement in May that the business was planning to launch a CVA deal, HoF revealed a loss of nearly £44m for the year to December 31, compared with a profit of £1.5m in 2016, as one-off start-up and operating costs in China dented revenue.


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Tradeshift has just announced $7 million in funding from Notion Capital. Tradeshift pitches itself as the social network for businesses. At this first stage, it allows companies to send electronic invoices to each other without costs. Previously, it has secured seed funding from PayPal, who is also a technology partner for the company. Notion Capital is a venture fund created by the team that founded and sold MessageLabs for $700 million. Tradeshift had many other investment partners to choose from, but they chose Notion Capital due to their own experience in growing a company from a startup to a global success story.
In addition to announcing the investment round, Tradeshift has also signed contracts, among others, with the French and Irish governments. It was previously written that Tradeshift’s technology and solutions are widely used in Denmark, where the company is from.
The company is on a roll to say the least. It now spans 180 countries and some 50 000 registered companies. The press release also stated that growth in 2011 is more than 60% per month.
Tradeshift will in the future provide a range of other web based financial services that make organisations more efficient. The company will also launch its Apps Store later this month that will increase the different ways the network can be leveraged.
“Tradeshift is undoubtedly one of the most exciting businesses we’ve come across since setting up Notion in 2009,” says Stephen Chandler, Managing Partner at Notion Capital. “Tradeshift is led by a team who are real subject matter experts in their field, extremely strong both technically and commercially and have a very clear vision of where they want to take the business – it has the potential to become the de facto social business network for B2B communications and processes. Tradeshift is the single most disruptive proposition to this market and is set to play a major part in its transformation.”
Christian Lanng, CEO and co-founder of Tradeshift also commented, “The fact that Notion Capital was the team behind MessageLabs was one of the main reasons we chose to partner with them. Their experience in having done exactly what we want to achieve, makes them invaluable advisors when it comes to ramping up sales and marketing, building up our brand and expanding internationally. We’re focused on building Tradeshift into a global business and feel positive about being able to draw on the experience of a team that have done it before.”
This is a huge win for the company and partnering with Irish and French governments give you a sign of the potential and direction the company is headed into.


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It doesn't matter that it's Friday night, Google is still readily rolling out updates to its apps. The latest is a beta release for the Google app, bringing us up to v8.4. Changes are pretty sparse on this one, but there are a few cosmetic tweaks, plus we're getting some more details on the nature of the Read Later feature discussed in the previous teardown. Read More
Back in June, Facebook released a new feature to the iOS app, Slideshow, which takes photos uploaded to the service and turns them into videos, much like in Google Photos. We've received a tip that says this is now being tested in the Facebook app on Android, although it's hard to say how widely.
None of the Android Police team have Slideshow in the Facebook app, so we've not actually been able to use it. However, what we can say is this: it appears in the 'Post to Facebook' Activity, above the 'Tag Friends' option. Tapping it brings up gallery pictures, of which you can choose images for the slideshow. Read More
What photo manager doesn't let you show off images in a slideshow? Google Photos, it turns out. If this is news to you, then you're finding out right at the moment when the situation is changing. Google Photos has now added a slideshow option. Read More
When I was in high school, we were taught how to use PowerPoint. Before I graduated from college, Prezi presentations were starting to feel just as commonplace. The latter allowed students to create lively, zoom-able slideshows online and access them from wherever they could connect to Wi-Fi. Starting now, they will be able to access them from their Android devices as well. Read More
About four months ago, Google added Auto Awesome Stories to the Google+ Android app. This feature groups photos taken at roughly the same place and time when you're traveling away from your home area into a nifty slideshow or "travelogue." It looks like someone at Facebook really digs the idea, because we've been alerted by multiple users who say they've seen pretty much the same thing in the Facebook app over the last few days.
Screenshot credit: Shaun McLane
Only a few users seem to be accessing the feature right now. One tipster said that he got a prompt to "view related posts in a slideshow," after which he could scroll through the relevant photos and a rough map of his journey. Read More
Using Dayframe to turn an Android tablet into a digital photo frame may not sound like the most affordable option out there, but at this point in time, more than a few of us have a couple old Honeycomb-era Android tablets lying around that aren't good for too much else. Following the introduction of Chromecast support in version 2.0 last month, it's pretty simple to turn your TV into one as well. Now the latest update is making such streaming available out of the box. There are no time limits, ads, or restrictions of any kind on the Chromecast slideshow.
This isn't all that's new in version 2.3. Read More


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Suzuki and Toyota have a new hybrid vehicle destined for Africa shortly, as well as other locations around the world. The two Japanese automakers have confirmed that production will soon start on a new hybrid SUV.
The vehicle will be made at one of Toyota’s plants in India, based on a design by Suzuki. Production will start in August this year. The vehicle will go on sale in India, as well as other export locations. Africa is one of those locations, but whether South Africa is part of that list isn’t known yet.
Suzuki-Toyota? Toyuki? Suzota?
For now, the focus of the vehicle seems to be on India. By the sound of things, both Suzuki and Toyota will market the vehicle separately, under their respective brands. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen something like this happen. The Mazda 323 and the Ford Laser were more or less the same vehicle, popping out of the same production line.
But neither of those featured hybrid technology. Suzuki will include a weak-hybrid powertrain, while Toyota is contributing a strong-hybrid powertrain to the project.
“By bringing together the strengths of both Toyota and Suzuki through the collaboration, the two companies will be able to provide a wide variety of vehicle electrification technologies to customers and contribute to the acceleration of electrification and the realization of a carbon-neutral society in India.”
This is the latest step in a partnership between the two car-makers, first signed in 2017. Currently, Toyota sells a pair of Suzuki’s vehicles in India under different branding, as part of the deal.


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Glasgow Life are pleased to invite you along to an upcoming virtual event to hear about a major new marketing campaign which will promote Glasgow to key international markets in 2022.
Date: Tuesday 30 November
Location: Virtual – MS Teams invite will be sent to those registered.
Shona Mathie, International Marketing Manager at Glasgow Life, will provide an overview of the campaign which will promote Glasgow to key international markets including USA, Canada and Germany.
Katy Reilly, Marketing Manager at VisitScotland, will provide an update on VisitScotland’s current international marketing campaign Scotland Is Calling.
James Archer, Market Manager at Expedia, will provide useful insights on Expedia’s audience and the Glasgow market. For those businesses already working with Expedia, James will also provide tips on increasing visibility throughout the campaign and how to make best use of their business tools.
PLEASE NOTE: This event will be held online via MS Teams. A link to the event will be sent out nearer the event date.


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The Top 10 Facebook Apps [Poll Results]
November 7th, 2009 | by Barb Dybwad
Each week we do a Lunchtime Poll to get a sense of what tools Mashable readers use and which of today’s services and apps are your favorites. Last week we asked you about your favorite Facebook apps, and we have the results below.
As it turns out, like much of Team Mashable, many of you aren’t actually using too many Facebook() applications these days. That’s probably what Facebook is hoping to turn around with some upcoming changes to Applications.
Still, from those of you who responded both here and on Facebook, there were some clear winners in the Facebook Apps department. Perhaps expectedly, social games figured prominently on the list. Take a look below to see the Top 10 as voted by you. Is your favorite Facebook App not represented here? Let us know in the comments.
Top 10 Mashable Reader Facebook Apps
3. Static FBML
2. Mafia Wars
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Jamillah is the UK Editor for The Next Web. She's based in London. You can hear her on BBC Radio 5Live's Outriders. Follow on Twitter @jemi Jamillah is the UK Editor for The Next Web. She's based in London. You can hear her on BBC Radio 5Live's Outriders. Follow on Twitter @jemimah_knight or drop a line to [email protected]
Viggle, the second screen app for TV that offers discovery, games and rewards for users, has announced that 1.8 million users have registered for its service. Not bad numbers for the startup which marked its first birthday on Jan 26.
Those who use Viggle – amusingly dubbed Vigglers by the company – have checked in on the service 151 million times. A good sign that an engaging service for second screens can really haul in users.
It looks as though it has been a great year for Viggle. Over the past 12 months, the company says that it has given away more than 1.3 million rewards. Using the app, Vigglers can claim rewards from retailers including Amazon, Best Buy, Sephora and The Gap. Earlier this month the company also started trading points for Viggle branded merchandise.
Alongside the branded rewards, the company has also conducted 28 sweepstakes and given away 41 million Viggle points (these are handed out for watching TV shows and can be redeemed for rewards, experiences or charitable donations), a trip to Hollywood and a 3D HDTV package.
Viggle was launched in early 2012. By March it had claimed over a quarter of a million users and by July it had reached one million users. To count as a monthly active users, a Viggler needs to earn or use one point in that month, beyond registering.
In November last year the company announced that it was acquiring competitive social TV app Get Glue for GetGlue for $25 million in cash and 48.3 million shares of stock.
To celebrate a year of growth, Viggle is running a competition so that its users have the chance to meet the company founder and entertainment mogul, Robert F.X. Sillerman. To get involved, users need to send a video message celebrating the company birthday in the least conventional manner they can think of.
Throughout the year, Viggle has been working with some big names as brands experiment with marketing engagement on second screens. Over 40 brands have been involved including Burger King, CapitalOne, JetBlue, DirectTV, Mercedes-Benz, Pepsi, Verizon and Unliver.
Image credit: Unlisted Sightings / Flickr
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Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney to uphold justice on iPhone
Not content with protecting the innocent in a court of law on WiiWare, Phoenix Wright will be pointing wildly and proudly proclaiming “Objection!” on iPhones according to Andriasang. At an event at the Apple Store in trendy Ginza, Capcom announced that the first entry of the popular Ace Attorney series will be released on iPhone and iPod touch. While the port will feature the same Game Boy Advance graphics, Capcom promised that they’ll be implementing flick input to select commands.
Capcom has yet to announce any release dates or prices, but the real question everyone really wants to know is whether or not the iPhone version will come with a free Steel Samurai ringtone.


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The bad economic news continuing to roll in.
While the weekly drumbeat of job losses have already told the tale — with 26 million having already filed for unemployment during the coronavirus shutdown — first-quarter U.S. GDP gave a fuller picture of the pain being felt.
GDP fell 4.8 percent, down from a 2.1 percent increase at the end of 2019. And that decline came with just a few weeks of serious COVID-19 disruption during the three months.
The Bureau of Economic Analysis, which detailed the drop, said real disposable personal income increased just 0.5 percent for the quarter, following a 1.6 percent rise in the fourth quarter. The personal savings rate jumped to 9.6 percent from 7.6 percent.
Many retailers were already struggling to capture the imagination and discretionary dollars of consumers over Christmas, when employment was at a 50-year high. But now stores are closed, sales associates are furloughed and a return to anything like normal is a long way off.
Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell acknowledged the hardships many are enduring, the tough road ahead on Wednesday, but sought to reassure the nation that the central bank would continue to take aggressive efforts to support the economy.
“Many businesses have closed, people have been asked to stay home, and basic social interactions are greatly curtailed,” Powell said at a news conference. “People are putting their lives and livelihoods on hold, at significant economic and personal cost. All of us are affected, but the burdens are falling most heavily on those least able to carry them.
“It is worth remembering that the measures we are taking to contain the virus represent an investment in our individual and collective health, as a society, we should do everything we can to provide relief to those who are suffering for the public good,” he said.
The Fed has been working to maintain the credit market so households and businesses can continue to borrow to carry them through.
Just how far away the light at the end of the tunnel is, remains to be seen, although some states such as Texas, South Carolina and Georgia are starting to reopen their economies while other states on the West Coast have set timetables for starting to come back over the next month or so.
Stores might be starting to open, but the consumer isn’t expected to come rushing right back.
“The next phases are more uncertain, highly uncertain, but we will go through a phase starting fairly soon where we begin to reopen the economy, and probably the economic activity will pick up, as consumer spending picks up,” Powell said. “Consumer spending has gone down quite a lot. It will begin to pick up as people start to return to their normal patterns of spending.
“But the chances are that it won’t go right back to where we were because people will, until they are confident of that the virus is well and truly under control, then they will be somewhat reluctant, probably, to undertake certain kinds of activities. It may take some time for us to get back, it probably will take some time for us to get back to a more normal level of unemployment, and ultimately the maximum employment.”
Wall Street investors are at least feeling a little better with the talk of even a tentative reopening and a steady flow of support from the Fed.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 2.2 percent, or 532.31 points, to 24,633.86 Wednesday as retailers and related companies perked up some. Among the gainers were Guess Inc., up 15.3 percent to $9.66; RealReal Inc., 11.3 percent to $12.47; Capri Holdings, 10.1 percent to $16.56; Simon Property Group Inc., 8.8 percent to $68.80; PVH Corp., 6.6 percent to $53.95, and Tapestry Inc., 5.8 percent to $17.05.


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Softlogic launches its range of laptop computers
Softlogic recently unveiled its own range of laptop computers branded
'Softlogic Maxmo' which is equipped with Intel processors and Microsoft
Country Manager Microsoft, Sri Lanka
and Bangladesh, Sriyan de Silva Wijeyeratne. Softlogic
Holdings PLC Chairman, Ashok Pathirage and Country Business
Manager – Sri Lanka, Intel EM Ltd, Indika De Zoysa with the
Softlogic Maxmo’ laptops.
Softlogic Holdings PLC Chairman, Ashok Pathirage said, "We have
always been dedicated to offering our customers the highest quality at
affordable price points and today we are pleased to have launched our
own branded range of laptops strengthening the promise.
'Softlogic Maxmo' laptops, carrying a tagline of Maximum Mobility is
built with the latest technology backed by the Iron clad Softlogic
warranty making it a high quality reliable product. With the amazing
offers and payment options to the tech savvy consumer Softlogic Maxmo
laptops can be owned by any individual."
"We are proud to record that Softlogic has been appointed as a
Microsoft Named Account.
This is a great milestone for a local company to achieve and we're
proud to welcome an esteemed local computer system builder partner such
as Softlogic into this Global exclusive Family of Named Accounts.
Having achieved this strategic position within the Microsoft partner
eco-system, Softlogic will now have the ability to instal the latest
Microsoft software and other related components in direct partnership
with Microsoft similar to any Multinational PC vendor.
This will strengthen Softlogic's position in the local PC market and
open new avenues for them to partner with Microsoft to develop their
With this move we see the formation of a strong partnership that will
help reshape the country's PC market. These are exciting times for
Microsoft, especially with the upcoming launch of our new operating
"We are committed to supporting Softlogic in their journey forward,
especially during this important phase where they give birth to this
great range of new Product Brands", said Country Manager Microsoft, Sri
Lanka and Bangladesh, Sriyan de Silva Wijeyeratne.
Country Business Manager - Sri Lanka, Intel EM Ltd, Indika De Zoysa
said Intel takes pride in working with the Government and the private
sector in Sri Lanka to take ICT across the island.
As much, our involvement with Softlogic and their new range of
laptops powered by Intel will be yet another way for us to accomplish
this task. "I believe this new venture from Softlogic of introducing
Softlogic Maxmo notebooks will help to take ICT into the rural areas of
A monthly payment scheme can be made over 15 months. Softlogic is
offering a three- year extended warranty on the Softlogic Maxmo laptop
Softlogic Maxmo laptops will be serviced and supported by Softlogic's
fully fledged main service centre and Regional Service centers
islandwide, is also in support of the Education Ministry's goal to
increase the Sri Lankan information technology literacy rate to 75
percent by 2016 and make inroads towards making Sri Lanka a
fully-developed knowledge hub.