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One of the buzziest conversation last week was governor of Ondo, Rotimi Akeredolu, in Thailand to learn how to grow cannabis and urged the Nigerian government to tap into the global marijuana market. Thailand is a pro-cannabis country who only recently legalised medical marijuana back in January, so it’s easy to see why Akeredolu wants to model Ondo, a chief producer of cannabis, after Thailand.
Akeredolu wasn’t alone for the marijuana excursion to the South East Asian country. He was in the company of the NDLEA chairman Muhammad Abdallah – the governor posted pictures via his Twitter account wherein attended a cannabis farming workshop. According to a recent report from Punch, the NDLEA has destroyed 3,900 hectares of cannabis sativa in Ondo, saying it never advocated for the growth of cannabis either for medical or economic purposes.
”The purpose of the visit to Thailand is to understudy how the country has successfully migrated some of her citizens hitherto engaged in illicit plant cultivation to the cultivation of legitimate economic crops and other lawful businesses. The NDLEA under my leadership has been consistent in our opposition to legalisation and decriminalisation of cannabis.”Abdallah said in a statement on Monday, debunking widely circulated reports that visited Thailand to advocated for cannabis cultivation.
This is rather shocking, Abdallah’s statements conforms to the NDLEA Act that criminalizes cannabis possession and other narcotics. It would mean that Abdallah isn’t a hypocrite. So it begs the question: why did Akeredolu bring Abdallah on a trip to learn how to grow cannabis only for him to oppose the objective? Is there something we don’t know? Let’s see how this plays out.
When Bernard Dayo isn’t writing about pop culture, he’s watching horror movies and reading comics and trying to pretend his addiction to Netflix isn’t a serious condition.


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US-based ride-hailing multinational Uber acquired American food delivery service Postmates in an all-stock transaction of $2.65 billion. The firm plans to run its own UberEats delivery service along with Postmates with integration taking places mainly in the backend such as drivers being able to take orders from both platforms.
Uber has been looking to expand its footprints aggressively in the last mile markets (delivering services to the end-use customers) like moving people or products especially since Dara Khosrowshahi took over as Uber ‘s CEO. The global company has been struggling with its ride-hailing services which is continuing to leak revenues.
Currently, increasing margins seem unreachable for its cab services because although Uber continually adds more drivers and reports more rides each quarter, its operating expenses remain high. In many markets and geographies, including China, Southeast Asia, Russia and the Middle East, this has prompted Uber to shut down or sell off its ride-hailing operations.
Though Uber’s most profitable segment is the Eats division, it is still losing considerable money. Earlier Uber had made its decision to focus on companies showing the potential of growth clear with Khosrowshahi’s comment “growth at all costs is over” during the company’s first-quarter earnings call.
Uber had earlier set its eye for acquisition on food delivery company GrubHub, a market rival publicly traded. Unfortunately, the deal fell through for Uber, as European food delivery major Just Eat Takeway.com bought GrubHub in June for $7.3 billion.
Although the recent purchase of Postmates should definitely not be called a knee-jerk reaction to its GrubHub fiasco, it is clear that Uber is trying to find a way to expand its footprint in the industry. The February report of Postmates suggests that it has completed 5 million deliveries and owns at least 5% of the food supply market in the US.
With COVID-19 in the picture, food delivery services are obviously in higher demand within cities than car rides. Uber experienced this first-hand as its ride-hailing gross bookings dropped over the first quarter, while UberEats’ gross sales shot up 54% from the fourth quarter of 2019. Given that the pandemic continues to play a major role in how societies function, this trend is likely to stay for a long time.

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Royal Mail workers have voted in favour of strike action, the Communication Workers Union (CWU) confirmed this afternoon.
Over 80,000 Royal Mail workers took to the ballot, with 97.6 per cent voting in favour of action on a 77 per cent turnout.
The announcement means that Royal Mail now faces the biggest strike of the summer, with as many as 115,000 postal workers potentially staging a walkout.
Commenting on the result, CWU General Secretary Dave Ward said: “This stunning result is a testament to the phenomenal efforts made by CWU members across the country.
“It is also a vote of no confidence in Royal Mail’s CEO and board, who should seriously consider their futures in our industry.
“Crucially, the vote can leave no doubt that postal workers are united, and that they are demanding the proper pay rise they deserve”.
The CWU said they will go back to the negotiating table with Royal Mail before announcing any dates, but have called on chief execs to resign.
The dispute centres around employee pay, with the union demanding that postal firm negotiate with them to secure a straight, no-strings pay increase for employees.
The total pay offer from Royal Mail is currently worth up to 5.5 per cent, with the first two per cent unconditional, with the remaining 3.5 per cent subject to agreement on changes to improve productivity.
The union has criticised the £758m profit posted by the firm, as well as the shareholder payout of £400m.
Commenting on the ballot result, a Royal Mail spokesperson said: “We are disappointed that CWU members have voted in favour of industrial action.
“We offered a deal worth up to 5.5 per cent for CWU grade colleagues, the biggest increase we have offered for many years, which the CWU rejected. We can only fund this offer by making the changes that will pay for it and ensure Royal Mail can grow and remain competitive in a fast-moving industry.
“Despite nearly three months of talks, the CWU have not engaged in any meaningful discussion on the changes we need to make to adapt. Ensuring we can change, at pace, is the route to protecting well-paid, permanent, jobs long term and retain our place as the industry leader on pay and terms and conditions. That is in the interest of Royal Mail and all its employees.
“In the event of industrial action, we have contingency plans to minimise customer disruption and will work to keep people, businesses and the country connected.”
Unite union notably called off its strike action earlier this week against Royal Mail. The Unite represents workers at a managerial level, while the CWU represents all other Royal Mail workers.
Royal Mail is due to hold its company AGM tomorrow.


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Hareidi-religious yeshiva student Aryeh Yerushalmi stripped nearly naked in a supermarket in Tel Aviv on Sunday to protest the sale of hametz (bread and other leavened grain products) in the store during Passover. Yerushalmi, who did the same thing last year in a supermarket in Bat Yam, claims the law is on his side and dares the police to try and prosecute him.
Yerushalmi, who is 28 and lives in Bat Yam, arrived at the Tiv Taam supermarket in the Nahalat Binyamin neighborhood of Tel Aviv on Sunday. He proceeded to the bread section and began removing his clothing, leaving only a sock to cover his private parts. Several customers thought the scene was rather amusing, but the store manager and security guard asked the nudist to leave. Police, whom Yerushalmi claims he himself called, arrived on the scene and arrested Yerushalmi, after which he agreed to put his clothes back on.
As Yerushalmi said after last year’s incident, if hametz can be legally sold in a store during Passover, then he can lawfully disrobe there as well. As he explained, the 1986 Hametz Law forbids the sale of bread products in a “public” area on Passover. The law was never enforced until 2008, when then-Jerusalem mayor Uri Lupolianski directed police to bring a case against four Jerusalem stores caught selling hametz during the holiday. In the ensuing court case, judge Tamar Ben-Tzaban ruled that the inside of a store does not constitute a public place. Only the sale of hametz outside the store would be considered a violation of the law against selling hametz publicly, the judge stated.
Yerushalmi took on the mission of showing the fallacy of the judge’s argument, using the law banning a person from performing an indecent act in a public place. According to the judge's reasoning, "public" places do not include the inside of the supermarket - and therefore he should be allowed to disrobe there as well.
Last year, police released Yerushalmi without charging him. Yerushalmi claims that he wanted to go to court, but the police preferred not to give the case too much publicity.
This year, Yerushalmi was brought before the Tel Aviv district court. The police prosecutor explained to the presiding judge that the suspect had disrobed in public after which a civilian called the police to arrest him. Yerushalmi interjected and said, “The civilian who called was me. I wanted to limit my demonstration to a short period of time.” The judge asked Yerushalmi if he plans on repeating his performance again, to which Yerushalmi replied that he would “think about it,” after which the judge chose to place Yerushalmi under house arrest for a week.


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Previously, Sood served as Head-IT Infrastructure & Services for L&T Financial Services.
Microsoft has had a good 2015. The company introduced a new laptop, the Surface Book, launched a new version of Windows, updated a lot of its software for businesses, and updated its Surface Pro tablet and fitness Band.
But Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is just getting started.
Here's what we expect to see next year.
The key things:
Here are the key things to look out for in 2016. - HoloLens. - The Surface Phone and new Lumia handsets. - More strategic partnerships and an expansion in Europe. - The Surface Pro 5. - Updates to Windows 10 and the Office suite. - A focus on philanthropy. - More Apple-like retail stores. - Xbox.
HoloLens This is it. After a year of buildup, Microsoft promises that the first development kits for its HoloLens holographic computer glasses will show up in the first quarter of 2016. It'll still be a while before you can go to your local Best Buy and grab a pair. But it's a huge step closing to making these funky holograms a reality.
The Surface Phone
Rumours of a Surface Phone have been bubbling up for a while, and we may finally get to see the device in 2016. The hardware will likely echo the Surface tablets with a metallic, no-nonsense look. The screen will be big, in keeping with other smartphones and Microsoft's Lumia devices. Reports have suggested that it may be aimed at business users who want the power of Windows 10 on a mobile device. It's unclear when we will see the device within 2016.
Microsoft is looking to expand further into Europe, adding employees to its offices in Ireland and building data centres in the U.K. and Germany. The company is currently locked into a conflict with Amazon over the $11 billion (£7.4 billion) online storage and services market in Europe. Europe will be a key market for Microsoft's smartphones, too. The continent is one of the only places where sales are rising.
A new version of Windows 10
Windows 10 is less than five months old and Microsoft is already thinking about the next major update. Codenamed "Redstone," a reference to Microsoft's hit game "Minecraft," the new Windows 10 update is slated to hit next summer. Updates will generally expand on the things that have come before in Windows 10, namely Continuum, which makes your phone into a PC. Apple has a similar feature for iOS and OS X, called Continuity, and it will likely move closer to that. You will, with the update, be able to take calls on your PC, for example.
Under CEO Satya Nadella, Microsoft has been much more open to partnerships with other companies and, most importantly, its (old) rivals. Microsoft has struck deals with Apple, Salesforce, Box, Cyanogen, Samsung, and more. Sayta Nadella has said Microsoft's new mission is to "empower every person and every organisation" which means the company will continue to partner.
Updates to Microsoft's enterprise software
Microsoft is currently locked into a war with Amazon, IBM, and others over the highly lucrative software services and online services market. Microsoft currently has, according to Ben Thompson, an industry analyst who runs the Stratechery blog, the best relationships with clients while Amazon has a faster team of software and hardware engineers. 2016 will see the continuation of the "Cloud Wars" and Microsoft does not want to miss out.
Retail stores throughout the world
Microsoft's first retail stores — located in New York City and Sydney, Australia — are just the start of things to come. As Microsoft launches more hardware products, such as the Surface Book, the need to let users get hands-on time increases. The company is rumoured to be looking into a store in London among other locations.
Microsoft made a large number of acquisitions in 2015. The company bought Sunrise, a popular calendar app for iOS, Wunderlist, a to-do app, Double Labs, a lockscreen app, and N-Trig, a stylus maker, among others. The company bought many of these companies to enter new markets, including iOS and Android. Satya Nadella's goal is to empower every person, meaning that Microsoft's services need to be on every platform.
The Microsoft Surface is long overdue for a refresh. While the Surface Pro made it to version 4 this year, the original Surface is still languishing as version 3. The Surface 3 has many of the same benefits as its pricier brother, including a full version of Windows 10, but it's cheaper and less powerful. Microsoft would be crazy not to release an upgraded Surface 4 in 2015.


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Recent news regarding TikTok has been shrouded in uncertainty as the world’s largest app for short-form mobile video has been threatened with a ban in the United States over concerns about privacy and national security. Now, the situation has taken a new turn, with reports suggesting that ABD (the US federal government) is threatening to ban the app if its Chinese owners do not sell their shares to a US company. This move has sent shockwaves across the technology industry, with many wondering what the impetus behind such a move could be.
The crux of the issue here is that TikTok is owned by Bytedance, a Chinese company that also owns Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok. Since its launch in 2016, TikTok has become incredibly popular, with over 800 million active users worldwide, making it one of the most used mobile apps in the world. However, with its phenomenal success has come scrutiny from many governments, including the US government, which is worried about Chinese ownership of an app that has access to vast amounts of data from US users.
This unease escalated further a few months ago when India, one of the app’s biggest markets, banned TikTok and several other Chinese-owned apps over concerns about data privacy and national security. The Indian government cited issues like the app’s access to user data and how this information could be accessed by Chinese authorities as one of the primary reasons for the ban.
Now, the US government has followed suit and has threatened to ban TikTok if Bytedance does not sell its shares to a US company. The latest move seems to be the result of concerns that the Chinese government could use TikTok to spy on US citizens, alleging that the app collects data on its users and stores it in China. This, according to the US government, could pose a significant threat to national security.
US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, has stated that the Trump administration is “looking at” banning TikTok and other Chinese-owned apps over security concerns. Pompeo told Fox News that “With respect to Chinese apps on people’s cell phones, I can assure you the United States will get this one right too”. This statement came after Indian authorities banned a total of 59 apps in June, including TikTok, citing national security concerns.
TikTok has denied allegations that it poses a threat to national security and has insisted that it stores its data outside of China. The company has also reiterated that it would never provide any user information to China’s government. TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer, in a blog post last week, stated that the company is committed to transparency and that over the coming weeks, they would be rolling out a plan to give users more control over their data on the app.
Experts have warned that a ban on TikTok would not be easy to implement, as the app is so popular worldwide. It would also have significant implications for the technology industry, as a whole, as it would set a dangerous precedent for governments to start banning other social media apps over national security concerns.
There are reports that Microsoft has expressed interest in buying TikTok, and negotiations are already underway, although it remains to be seen if this would satisfy the US government’s demands. Another possibility is that Bytedance could spin off TikTok into a separate company, something that would give the app more autonomy and distance it from its Chinese ownership.
However, there are also concerns that the move by the US government is politically motivated, given the recent tensions between the US and China. It’s not clear whether national security or political motivations are driving the threat to ban TikTok, and experts argue that banning the app could be counterproductive, as it would likely lead to retaliatory measures by China, who could decide to ban leading US technology companies like Facebook.
In conclusion, the threat by the US government to ban TikTok if its Chinese owners do not sell their shares to a US company, has created significant discussion around the future of social media apps and the wider tech industry. While concerns over data privacy and national security are valid, it is essential to ensure that any decision taken takes into account the wider implications for internet freedom, the free exchange of ideas, and international relations between countries. The outcome of this will be a landmark decision regarding internet freedom, data privacy, and security in the technology industry for years to come.


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Presidential candidates make last frenzied tours
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- Staff Kansas City Business Journal
The two presidential candidates and their running mates will visit eight states during the last day of campaigning, The Washington Post reports.
The last-minute flurry by Mitt Romney and President Obama are targeting a few key states that probably will decide the race. While Ohio has gotten most of the attention in recent days, Romney also has slated visits to Pennsylvania, a state that had been in the Obama column.
Even the campaign stops have been close. On Sunday, the plane carrying Vice President Joe Biden passed by Romney’s plane on the runway in Cleveland, The Post reports.
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POLL: Table service at McDonald's in Milton Keynes, but are you lovin' it?
McDonald's has officially rolled out table service in Milton Keynes following a successful trial.
In a radical shake-up of the brand, McDonald’s has been testing a new concept whereby customers place their order via our new digital kiosks and then have their food brought to them.
It follows the fast food chain’s struggle to increase profits.
A spokesman for McDonald’s UK said at the start of the trial of 14 restaurants: “To meet customers’ evolving expectations we are investing in our restaurants to create an exciting new environment and improve the customer experience.”
The idea has been successfully launched in other McDonald’s markets including France, Germany and Australia.
The fast food giant has been suitably impressed with the reception at its Brickhill restaurant in MK that it made it official last week.
But how do you feel about it? Have your say in our poll or comment below.


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The day is rapidly approaching where you will be able to give voice commands to everything your house, and that includes your Roku devices.
Ahead of CES 2018, Roku has announced that it is launching a new voice assistant program with the first devices expected to launch in the fall. The Roku Entertainment Assistant will be optimized for home entertainment and will allow you to issue commands such as “Hey Roku, play jazz in the living room” which will then feed the music to a soundbar with Roku Connect technology embedded.
“We’ve always focused on making it incredibly simple for consumers to find and enjoy streaming entertainment on their TVs, and with an expanded Roku ecosystem, consumers will be able to add great sound to their TVs and audio around the whole home in a modern way,” said Roku CEO Anthony Wood. “Consumers will love the benefits of a home entertainment network, such as having more affordable options, adding one device at a time, using their voice, having a simplified set up and Wi-Fi connectivity, and holding just one remote control. And, of course, OEM brands benefit by offering their products in a more appealing way to our already large and engaged audience of millions of active accounts.”
The Roku voice assistant will be offered to manufacturing partners free of charge for inclusion in soundbars, smart speakers and televisions. It is due to roll out in the fall, but the first device to include Roku Connect will be a soundbar from TCL that will debut at CES in Las Vegas next week.
What isn’t known yet about Roku’s voice assistant is if it will follow in the footsteps of Amazon’s Alexa and Google’s Home and integrate with third-party smarthome devices or be able to give you information such as weather and answer questions. That remains to be seen.


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As the country begins to come out of lockdown, the next crucial step is to get the economy moving. With this in mind, the Chancellor announced the Eat Out to Help Out Scheme.
Its aim is to help the ailing hospitality sector, which has been one of worst affected by the pandemic, and coincides with a 6-month VAT cut from 20% to 5% on food and accommodation.
The voucher scheme entitles diners to 50% off food or non-alcoholic drinks at UK restaurants on Monday – Wednesday throughout the month of August. There is a value of up to £10 per person and the Government will subsidise the discount.
Which establishments can register for the scheme:
Those who cannot register:
Registration will close on 31 August.
For further details on the application process and to register, click here.
If you require any further information on the support available or would like to arrange a call, please get in touch with your usual Wilkins Kennedy contact.
Please also refer to our insights page for further COVID-19 related information, which is regularly updated with the latest news, insight and details of the economic support and measures as they are announced by our Government.
The information in this update should not be regarded as financial advice. This is based on our understanding on 13 July 2020. Laws and tax rules may change in the future.
As announced by the Chancellor on 29 May, the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme (SEISS) would be extended with a second tranche of money available from August for those businesses who have been ‘adversely affected’ by the COVID-19 pandemic on or after 14 July 2020.
Many business owners who were considering an exit may have been reviewing their plans after the Chancellor's changes to the Entrepreneur’s Relief in March, even before COVID-19 provided a further complication. The current situation tells us there is no certainty for businesses and business owners should consider their personal and professional positions, together with their aspirations, and review all options when considering their exit and succession planning.
As the country is easing out of social and economic lockdown measures, and more businesses are opening back up, businesses in certain sectors have been asked to collect data from their customers to support the Test and Trace programme. This can be seen as a daunting prospect for small organisations who are not familiar with the data protection laws. In this insight, we provide practical information for those business wanting to support the newly introduced Test and Trace programme.
HMRC have this week released initial guidance on eligibility for the UK Government’s new “Job Retention Bonus” and the process to claim. The scheme provides employers with payment of £1,000 for each furloughed employee who is retained following the cessation of the Government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (“CJRS”) on 31st October 2020. Further detailed guidance is expected to be released by the end of September 2020.
Many businesses are now planning for a return to work as the UK Government further lifts restrictions on the movement of people and the re-opening of businesses, with a phased return to “normality”. What will the new normal look like, especially for those involved in providing Professional Services?


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SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (WXYZ) - As the gun debate rages on in Washington, supporters held National Gun Appreciation Day. But one local store owner says that's not what's bringing business into his shop.
Since the Newtown tragedy, William Kucyk, owner of Action Impact in Southfield, has seen gun sales triple. Many of his customers are new faces; people who now feel the need to carry a weapon for protection.
"They usually know very little," said Kucyk. "And I'm skeptical about what they've already learned."
Kucyk, a former SWAT commander, says the emphasis must be on training and education with new gun owners.
"I received a lot of training, and I recognize the importance of it. I want to put it into the civilian field," he told 7 Action News.
That theory is part of the store's policy. Unlike many gun shops, it allows for outside instructors to teach students at the store and range.
Kucyk says he doesn't worry about filling seats in his store's gun classes so long as people get the training they need. He also refuses to sell to new buyers without adequate training, even if that means losing a sale.
"If it happens, then it happens," said Kucyk. "But I sleep very well at night because my conscience is very clear."


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Russia has expanded the ban for EU food products by also including slaughter waste, animal meal, fats and other products derived from beef, pigs and poultry, the country’s veterinary watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor reports.
Up until now these products had not been included in the black list that Russia introduced as a reaction to EU sanctions over the Ukrainian border conflict. Spokesman Aleksej Aleksejenko said the decision was made in the interest of 'safety procedures'.
Flemish Information Centre for Agri & Horticulture (VILT) quotes a representative of the Belgian slaughter industry, saying that the European meat industry is gradually finding other channels to still sell the pork products not sold to Russia, Southern America and Asia to name some.
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Amsterdam payment fintech unicorn Mollie enters UK
Mollie, Amsterdam-based payment service unicorn, has announced its expansion into the UK market to help merchants with European growth post-Brexit.
As a result, the Dutch fintech company has enhanced its service available to UK companies who can incorporate a variety of EU payment methods into their e-commerce websites.
Appointed Josh Guthrie as Head of the UK
Mollie’s UK operations will be overseen by newly appointed Josh Guthrie, the company’s Head of the UK. Josh will take care of the company’s local office and lead the company’s effort to help SME businesses navigate international expansion post-Brexit.
Talking about the UK expansion in an exclusive interview with UKTN, Josh Guthrie, says, “Expansion to the UK is an exciting opportunity for Mollie: it is Europe’s largest e-commerce market, one of the most innovative, and while it hasn’t been a focus we’ve already organically acquired a base of brilliant UK customers – including Gymshark, Facetheory, Joseph Joseph and Baker Ross.”
To read more, please click on the link below…


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VIDEO: Star Wars release Abu Dhabi clip
Star Wars fans have been treated to a teaser of the upcoming film, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, with a video clip in the desert.
The 360 experience is exclusive to Facebook, and allows you to speed through the Jakku dessert, navigating the camera as you go. The video has already been shared 178,000 times, with fans clearly delighted to get a teaser of the film.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens Immersive 360 Experience
Speed across the Jakku desert from Star Wars: The Force Awakens with this immersive 360 experience created exclusively for Facebook.Posted by Star Wars on Wednesday, 23 September 2015
Abu Dhabi was used as a filming location, and this clip appears to show Abu Dhabi’s Empty Quarter after a battle scene. Those of you who don't have Facebook (if there are any of you left in the world), can watch the video via YouTube below - unfortunately you won't get the 360 experience.
Hard-core Star Wars fans in the UAE will also be excited by news that the new film may be released in the UAE before anywhere else.
Earlier we wrote…
The countdown is on, and it’s less than 100 days until screens across the world show Star Wars: The Force Awakens… But will UAE residents get the first look before anyone else?
After initial reports that the film would launch on December 17 in the UAE, Imdb have caused a super-fan meltdown by listing the UAE release date as December 15 – that’s earlier than anywhere else in the world.
Part of the movie was filmed in Abu Dhabi, and according to The National “big things are planned in the capital for the movie’s release date.”


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What does Apple’s deal with IBM mean for the enterprise? Can Android for Work make a splash? We take a look at the battle for business affections driven by the BYOD trend and size up Android’s prospects of victory.
We finally have software companies making software for cars instead of car manufacturers. Just by ceding control of car entertainment software to the engineers at Google, Android Auto could have a major positive impact on the car industry. Read on!
HTC may be making a big comeback into the tablet market, if @evleaks’ latest report is to be believed. Here’s why we think it makes a lot of sense for HTC to launch its own-brand tablets this year.
There’s a long list of gadgets and technologies that you simply no longer need if you have an Android smartphone. We take a look at ten that have already been rendered obsolete and discuss what’s next.
Could the upcoming arrival of Android L signal a new era of lightweight, near-stock OEM skins? While we don’t know for sure, there seems to be at least some early evidence suggesting this is possible.
Some say that knowing the cause of a problem is half of the battle. Looking at its letter to investors, it’s hard not to think that the tech giant has missed a major cause of its troubles.
The latest version of Google+ recently introduced a new feature that gives you a look at the live view of your camera each and every time you go to make a post. Could this potentially be an invasion of privacy?
It’s still the early days for smartwatches. With the first few Android Wear devices on the market and a 3rd one on the horizon we have a pretty good glimpse of what wearables might be like.... Android Wear is exciting and feels generations ahead of what came before it. But like any burgeoning technology, the hardware and software are going to grow exponentially with each generation.
As market saturation bites hard and the smartphone ASP falls ever lower, how are the big Android OEMs going to cope? Declining profits and a push for a more uniform experience from Google could present a real problem.
Is there enough of an incentive for developers to start implementing Google’s Material Design guidelines in their apps? Can OEMs be persuaded to drop custom overlays? Could Material Design be the long awaited answer to Android fragmentation?


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Internet group Yandex has invested in MultiShip, a logistics services provider for online stores, in a move to reinforce its e-commerce platform.
Russia's biggest search engine, Yandex generates the bulk of its revenues from text-based advertising but also develops other services such as its price comparison service, Yandex.Market.
In a statement on Wednesday, Yandex said it would pay $1 million for a software platform that makes it easier for online retailers to deliver goods to customers in Russia's regions by connecting them with logistics providers.
Yandex will also invest several million dollars into new services and the expansion of MultiShip's client base. It added that MultiShip's software developers would join Yandex's team.
The move comes on the heels of an agreement between the Federal Customs Service and express shipping companies on Tuesday that could allow for deliveries from abroad of parcels to individuals. Several shipping companies said last week they were terminating the service, which was frequently used for delivering packages purchased from online suppliers abroad, in light of increased duties and paperwork requirements from the customs authority.
On Wednesday express shipping company DHL said it was working on implementing the agreement with the goal of reinstating package delivery services for individuals.
Yandex said that with the acquisition of Multiship the users of Yandex.Market will be able to choose goods from online stores in other regions based on cost and time of delivery.
MultiShip works with more than 300 internet stores, helping to arrange delivery to more than 40,000 cities and towns. Yandex.Market features more than 14,000 online stores and has an estimated monthly audience of 18 million shoppers.
Material from The Moscow Times was used in this report.


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(First published in the February 27, 2020 issue of City Pages)
Rib Mountain Drive will be the ninth Wisconsin location for Glass Nickel Pizza Co.
Dawn and Don Calhoun, owners of the Glass Nickel Pizza Co. franchise in Rib Mountain, plan to open the restaurant in early March.
Don Calhoun dropped out of college, in his final months at UW-Oshkosh, to open his own Glass Nickel Pizza restaurant. He was working at the Glass Nickel in that city, starting out as a delivery driver and making his way up to driver manager. “I really enjoyed the job,” says Calhoun. “I enjoyed it more than my classes and my boss told me if I didn’t open up my own Glass Nickel he was going to fire me.”
Calhoun and a business partner opened their first restaurant in Green Bay in 2007. “I was 25 at the time and full of crazy confidence.”
He’s now about to open his next one, on Rib Mountain Drive, in the former Michael’s Supper Club location.
He and his wife Dawn Calhoun moved to Wausau eight years ago—they’re both originally from Tomahawk— and Don has been commuting to his Green Bay restaurant ever since. Don and Dawn are raising three girls and with the Wausau location opening soon, they’re looking forward to having their family closer together.
Glass Nickel originated in Madison in 1997 and Wausau will be its ninth location for the Wisconsin based-company. Founder Tim Nicholson was the one to propose a location in Wausau.
With the opening slated for early March at 227255 Rib Mountain Dr. (the former Michael’s Supper Club), the Calhouns are looking forward to engaging more with the central Wisconsin community. And they’re excited to bring their pizza to the area. The base is an East Coast style hand-tossed crust; the dough is made every morning by the Calhouns. “We can make it thick and we also offer a cracker thin crust,” says Don. There’s a 10-inch gluten free crust on the menu and they are working on adding a cauliflower crust option soon. “We make our own sauce and we process our own veggies. Nothing comes pre-processed,” says Dawn. “So even though it’s a franchise it’s still very homemade.”
The Calhouns have found the Deluxe a popular order, but historically the Fetalicious is the number one seller throughout the franchise — so much so that the name was trademarked, Dawn says. The Fetalicious includes a chunky marinara sauce, spinach, house blend cheese, mushrooms, tomatoes, red onions, feta cheese and oregano.
Another popular pizza is the Cardiac Arrest, which says Dawn, is basically a meat lover’s variety.
The restaurant will also offer hot and cold subs, salads, calzones and pastas. They’ll serve craft beer and Pepsi products, with a seasonal cocktail list and a small wine list on the way. Half of the restaurant will be for dine-in, the other section for parties and events. They will also offer delivery.
Glass Nickel Pizza Co. will be open daily at 10:30 am, closing at 11 pm Sun.- Thurs., and at 1 am Fri.-Sat. Located at 227255 Rib Mountain Dr. 715-203-4550.


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A fellow known as DotComGuy has been living by Internet alone for half a year now. The U.S. government has validated e-signatures as legitimate in contract transactions. The number of adults using computers has passed the halfway mark.
Dramatically, surely and not so slowly anymore, use of home computers is changing the way we live. DotComGuy — that's his legal name, believe it or not — symbolizes what already has become possible, an Associated Press account shows.
For six months, the story notes, he has stayed put at a Dallas townhouse, taking care of all his consumer needs via the Internet. It's possible, of course, that before his planned year of cyber-existence is done, DotComGuy will decide he has to have something else in his life — DotComGal, maybe? But he has demonstrated that e-commerce is well enough developed in a large urban setting to make it possible to shop online for basic material wants and for all kinds of entertainment extras, as well.
Now comes the next step — carrying out deals online that once were restricted to signing your name on paper.
The federal government has joined 46 states in giving legal status to electronic signatures that may take the form of holding an individualized, signed card to your computer and entering a code name. As President Clinton was quoted as saying at a bill-signing ceremony, consumers can finalize mortgages this way, they can sign insurance contracts and they can open brokerage accounts.
None of this would matter quite so much if there were just a handful of DotComFolks, but a Harris poll early this year reportedly showed that more than 50 percent of American adults now use home computers, and a Scarborough report in June disclosed there are now six cities in which at least 69 percent of households boast one or more computers.
People in no other land are doing this quite as enthusiastically and as expertly as we are, and that's something we should be proud of. Laws of the e-signature variety are good; they facilitate. The occasional governmental urge to strictly control should be resisted. E-living will not necessarily be quality living for all, but computers are proving a capacity to enlarge and enrich us.


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Monday 13-06-2016 15:56
Microsoft Buys LinkedIn for $26.2bn
(L-R) Jeff Weiner, CEO of LinkedIn, Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, and Reid Hoffman, chairman of the board at LinkedIn
Microsoft has surprised the tech industry by acquiring work-based social network LinkedIn for $26.2bn (£18.3bn), in a deal expected to complete by the close of the year.
The purchase was announced in a statement from Microsoft that emphasised that current CEO, Jeff Weiner, will remain in place, and that both he and Reid Hoffman, co-founder and chairman of the board, support the deal.
"The LinkedIn team has grown a fantastic business centred on connecting the world's professionals," said Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft. "Together we can accelerate the growth of LinkedIn, as well as Microsoft Office 365 and Dynamics as we seek to empower every person and organisation on the planet."
LinkedIn currently boasts 433m members, and 105m monthly active users, having seen membership grow by 19 per cent year-on-year and mobile usage rise to 60 per cent, up 49 per cent on the previous year. The service has faced criticisms for its mobile version and unfriendly user interface, but has worked to address these with a new mobile app and improved newsfeed launched in the past 12 months.
LinkedIn also recently acquired online learning platform Lynda.com and rolled out a new version of its Recruiter platform to enterprise customers. The platform has 7m active job listings, up 101 per cent year-on-year.
"Just as we have changed the way the world connects to opportunity, this relationship with Microsoft, and the combination of their cloud and LinkedIn's network, now gives us a chance to also change the way the world works," said Weiner. "For the last 13 yers, we've been uniquely positioned to connect professionals to make them more productive and successful, and I'm looking forward to leading our team through the next chapter of our story."
Don’t forget to enter the Effective Mobile Marketing Awards. Early Bird deadline: 22 July. More details here.


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Apple Designing Chips For An iPhone With No Home Button
New rumours point to the possibility that Apple could eliminate the home button altogether.
Apple has been known to bring about radical changes in the tech sector since it’s inception, way back in 1976.
The ideology of doing things differently has gone a long way for the Cupertino-based tech giant. Currently,
Now, rumour has it that in it’s interminable quest to build lithe, powerful, yet eminently usable devices, Apple is working on designing touchscreen chips with no home button. Conjectured to be used on their marquee smartphones, this will surely make for an ultra-thin iPhone!
The device isn’t expected to be announced by Apple anytime soon, but a design like this is really something to look forward to in times to come!
Reports suggest that these touchscreen chips will allow fingerprint sensors to be integrated to the main display itself, instead of residing within a physical home button.
The elimination of a physical home button in favour of a virtual one would allow Apple to increase the size of the display on it’s devices without having to increase the physical size of the iPhone.
The fact that Apple are trying to manufacture these touch screen chips, suggests that Apple is bringing more of its chip design in-house to maintain their level of control and secrecy intact.
With Avago’s acquisition of Broadcom — a major Apple supplier, things might have gotten a little tricky for Apple if they hadn’t done their course correction on time and recruited some of the best people in the business.
What remains unknown is how Apple might address the absence of the home button, which is crucial for a number of functions — returning to the home screen, waking the display and accessing iOS’s quick app switcher.
The issue of Touch ID of course, will be tackled by incorporating touch screen chips beneath the device’s display, which will allow multi-touch for a more secure environment. Waking the display without a dedicated home button shouldn’t be much of a problem either. The tap-to-wake feature on the Apple watch is a proof of that.
Although removing the home button from the iPhone has a lot of plus points for Apple, however they have to be careful. The “ease of use” of an iPhone is an most important and appealing component of any user’s experience, with the home button gone, people might find the device a little too hard/complicated to use.
Apple have modified customer behaviour before, removing the USB drives on their laptops, removing the CD drive altogether now along with influencing users to sync via iTunes to name a few.
Let’s wait (albeit impatiently) to gauge the truth in the rumors.
Originally published at Chip-Monks.


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Le Méridien to spend $300 million on new and renovated properties
Le Méridien Hotels and Resorts, part of Starwood Hotels and Resorts, announced on Monday that it will spend $300 million to expand its portfolio of hotels worldwide.
The lifestyle brand, which just surpassed its 10th year with Starwood, has already increased its footprint in North America and Asia Pacific by about 25% in the last three years. It has also renovated more than 50% of its European and Middle Eastern hotels.
The company plans to open more than 30 hotels in the next four years. Right now, Le Meridien has more than 100 hotels and resorts in 37 countries.
“We really feel we’ve reached a milestone at this juncture,” Brian Povinelli, global brand leader of Le Méridien, told USA TODAY. “It’s really about starting to lay the groundwork for the next decade and fueling the momentum in this brand.”
Le Méridien was started by Air France in 1972 with Le Méridien Etoile in Paris.
In September, Le Méridien Etoile will unveil a multi-million dollar renovation with updated guestrooms and suites. The renovation will also include a revamp of the hotel’s jazz club and all public spaces including Le Méridien Hub.
“That specific property is going through really a top-to-bottom renovation,” Povinelli says. “For the flagship of the brand to go through this renovation, and by the end of the year, will reflect the re-positioning of what we’ve done for the last 10 years.”
Povinelli says he is not concerned about Le Meridien’s future now that Marriott International is in the midst of acquiring Starwood. The merged company would have 31 brands, making it the largest hotel chain in the world. Marriott CEO Arne Sorenson, who would run the combined company, has said that he does not intend to get rid of any brands.
“The perspective I have is that this combination of these two brands, it’s not creating more brands,” Povinelli says. “All the brands that will exist after the close already exist today. Le Méridien already has its place.”
The flagship Paris property is not the only one that will see a makeover.
Guestrooms and public spaces have been refurbished at such properties as Le Méridien Beach Plaza Monte Carlo, Le Méridien Dubai Hotel and Conference Centre and Le Royal Méridien Abu Dhabi.
Last year, Le Méridien Ra Beach Hotel and Spa in El Vendrell, Spain opened the brand’s flagship Le Méridien Family Kids Club.
This year, the lobbies of Le Méridien Vienna, Le Méridien Hamburg and Le Méridien Frankfurt will be transformed into signature Le Méridien Hubs, which are multi-functional public spaces that feel more like living rooms.
Povinelli says the brand is trying to transform its public spaces into places where both guests and local residents would want to hang out. The hub feels like a coffee house by day and a lounge at night. The design is more modern.
Major hotel brands are increasingly trying to make their properties feel more residential to compete with the growing popularity of Airbnb and other apartment rental websites.
“What Airbnb is trying to sell is the local experience and staying at someone’s house,” Povinelli says. “There are pros and cons that come with that. What we’re doing is ensuring when our guests are in a hotel that they are getting the local experience. They have a brand that has the feel and the service levels that make people comfortable.“
By the end of this year, Le Méridien will re-enter Italy with the debut of the 240-room Le Méridien Visconti Rome after a $20 million conversion and renovation of the Visconti Palace Hotel. A rooftop terrace will have sweeping views of the city as well as the Villa Borghese art gallery.
Other new properties will include the Le Méridien Riyadh in Saudi Arabia in 2017 and Le Méridien Batumi, Georgia in 2018.
Stateside, Le Meridien is moving into secondary markets such as Columbus and Charlotte.
In the last 18 months, it has also opened hotels in Indianapolis and Tampa.
The company plans to continue its expansion in North America. Renovations are underway at properties in Montreal, Philadelphia and Dallas.
“On average two years post-conversion, Le Méridien hotels in North America have increased market share by more than 10%,” Povinelli says.
Another promising area for the brand is Asia. Last year, Le Méridien opened seven hotels in the region, including its first hotels in Bangladesh and Vietnam.
The brand’s pipeline in Asia Pacific includes four hotels in Taiwan, four in India, and one in Malaysia. In China, the brand will open two properties in Shanghai and 10 other hotels in secondary and tertiary markets.


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Social media giant Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has announced this week that it will impose changes in the users’ news feed. The move is part of the changes that Facebook wants to improve amid the growing controversy over the role it played to the people.
With this Facebook users will seeing more status updates coming from their friends and their family. Obviously, the social media giant wants to see a meaningful social experience rather than passively scrolling updates on your timeline or perhaps watching videos.
Facebook shifts from toxic content to meaningful social interactions
In a public post on Thursday, Facebook founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg wrote that brands and media are crowding its social media platform.
“Recently we’ve gotten feedback from our community that public content – posts from businesses, brands and media – is crowding out the personal moments that lead us to connect more with each other,” Zuckerberg said.
The Facebook CEO said he wants more relevant content to have more meaningful interactions.
“I’m changing the goal I give our product teams from focusing on helping you find relevant content to helping you have more meaningful social interactions,” Zuckerberg added.
Also, he further anticipates that more than 2 billion Facebook users would eventually spend less time watching videos online.
“The research shows that when we use social media to connect with people, we care about, it can be good for our well-being,” Zuckerberg wrote.
“We can feel more connected and less lonely, and that correlates with long-term measures of happiness and health. On the other hand, passively reading articles or watching videos – even if they’re entertaining or informative – may not be as good,” he said.
In the past, Zuckerberg’s company was dragged in several controversies for allowing fake contents flowing through Facebook.


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Two people with extensive records were nabbed for retail thefts at the Macy's store at Mayfair Mall on Saturday afternoon.
According to Wauwatosa police:
The first incident occurred at 12:44 p.m., when a 57-year-old Milwaukee woman stuffed eight shirts into a shopping bag and tried to leave the store.
She made it sound like it was her first such arrest and said she took the goods because she lost her manufacturing job in March. She said she needed nice clothing for job interviews.
But a quick background check showed she had 13 prior retail thefts in Wisconsin, 25 in Florida and three in North Carolina.
She also told officers she could not afford to pay for the clothing, but she had cash and a debit card available to pay bail.
Later that afternoon, at 4:55 p.m., a 61-year-old Milwaukee man took shopping bags from his pockets and filled them with $294 in merchandise, then walked out of the store.
He was arrested for retail theft and bail-jumping, because he was supposed to appear in Milwaukee County Circuit Court Wednesday on his last arrest. His record showed 29 prior retail theft arrests.
The man said he couldn't find a job, so he planned to sell the stolen merchandise on the street. He is sitting in Milwaukee County Jail.
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- Wauwatosa Senior Meals: May 2
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- Pathways High alternative school pushes ahead despite adverse response from Wauwatosa schools
- Wauwatosa Police Report: April 17-23


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Tunie’s 16th Annual Health and Wellness Seminar
Tunie’s Natural Grocery & Vitamin Markets’ mission is to make healthy living more affordable and provide free wellness education to South Florida consumers. Tunie’s continues this tradition with their 16th Annual Health & Wellness Seminar, January 19, at the Coral Springs Center for the Arts.
The free event features an incredible line-up of nationally renowned presenters speaking on the most relevant topics in nutrition, natural products, supplements and alternative remedies for optimum health.
Dr. Joseph Mercola, osteopathic physician since 1985, is the author of three New York Times bestsellers. He has been featured on the Today Show, CNN, ABC World News Tonight, CBS, NBC and ABC local news. Mercola.com is the world’s #1 natural health website.
Jordan Rubin, one of America’s most recognized and respected natural health experts, is a New York Times bestselling author, and his weekly TV show, Living Beyond Organic, reaches over 30 million households worldwide.
Terry Lemerond, founder and president of EuroPharma, Inc., has developed over 400 nutritional and botanical formulations that are top-selling products in the market today.
Doors open 6:30pm; presentations begin 7pm. Following the event, Tunie’s will host a sampling party featuring over 50 companies distributing top natural brands. For more information, visit Tunies.com.


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To the horror of Adidas, its wares go on sale at 200 Tesco stores nationwide. Some items are reduced by pounds 20 and Tesco predicts the pounds 2m worth of bargain goods will be snapped up within two weeks.
The whole range of Adidas footwear and clothing will be available. The deals include a pair of SL96 Plus Lea running shoes, which usually cost pounds 49.99 but for which Tesco is charging pounds 25, and a hooded top - normal price pounds 37.99 - which is going for pounds 28.
Earlier this year, it sold 30,000 pairs of Levi's jeans at 40 per cent discount. Like Levi Strauss, Adidas spends millions advertising its products and is refusing to co-operate with the supermarket chain. It is advising customers to boycott the bargains.
Anne Tyrer, spokeswomen for Adidas, said: "Adidas make high-performance, technology-based products and staff in the authentic sports retail channels can give expert advice and support, for example about stability and cushioning, at the point of purchase.
"People can be assured that it's authentic stock and the latest range. Tesco staff do not have that specialist knowledge and customers may walk away with ill-fitting clothes."
But Tesco says this is an excuse to keep the prices high and has branded the sportswear company a "bad sport".
John Gildersleeve, commercial director at Tesco, said: "We are offering our customers big brands at unbeatable prices. For too long the brand manufacturers have argued against supplying Tesco because we don't fit certain image requirements.
"Therefore brands preserve high profit margins resulting in consumers paying more than their American counterparts - Adidas are bad sports and we want to get our shoppers running at a price they can afford."
Tesco has been backed by Nigel Griffiths, consumer affairs minister, who is examining the 1984 Trade Marks Act which is being used to prevent British companies selling imported branded goods at low prices.
Mr Griffiths said: "I want to cut artificially high prices for the British customer. Selective distribution hits the pockets of the poorest most hard. What Tesco is doing is good news for shoppers - that is my priority."
Adidas's refusal to supply Tesco has forced the supermarket to go direct to a supplier in North America. In anticipation of the high demand, Tesco is considering limiting customers' purchases. "It would be much easier to work directly with the company to ensure a constant supply. With the Levi's jeans, some stores limited customers to one per pair."
This is the latest in a series of assaults by supermarkets on goods they deem to be over-priced. Books, medicines, skin care products and compact discs are other areas targeted.Reuse content


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Bolt Technology launches longer-range kickscooter Bolt 5
Bolt Technology has taken the veil off its latest e-scooter, Bolt 5. Plans will see the Estonian company roll out 20,000 new scooters in European cities in the coming months. The Bolt 5 features a wider footboard and replaceable battery said to provide up to 55 km of range. There’s also news on sustainability.
The Bolt 5 is made of 100 per cent recyclable aluminium and has a lifespan of up to five years. Recently, Swedish e-trotter rental company Voi had also introduced its new Voiager 5 with a view to increasing durability. Superpedestrian has made similar moves for its Link model, and so did Tier. The latter wants to integrate exchangeable batteries into the Spin fleet it took over from Ford in March.
The pull for longer life cycles and repairability is part of strengthening ties between micro-mobility companies and cities. Licensing has become increasingly competitive and is often coupled with safety and other requirements.
Dmitri Pivovarov, VP of Rentals at Bolt, said: “Bolt and cities are partners. We have the same goals – we’re looking to provide vehicles and solutions that can be used together with public transport infrastructure.”
For the Bolt 5, the company says it designed the scooter with “safety as a top priority”. Features include slightly curved handlebars and said wider floorboard for better grip and easy manoeuvring.
A bigger, 12″ front wheel and hydraulic suspension provide more comfort and safety when riding at high speeds on pavements or over curbs.
To stop in a controlled manner, Bolt added a front electromagnetic brake and a rear drum brake to the Bolt 5.
That is all hardware. However, Bolt had already announced a range of software safety features last December. These include a system that can detect more than one person riding a scooter, a cognitive reaction test to ensure riders stay as safe as possible, and a skid prevention system.
In the Bolt 5, the company added more features linked to the vehicle’s IoT. The system can issue alerts if the scooter is moved illegally, knocked down, or if the battery is running low. Future IoT features can be introduced to adapt the Bolt 5 to other city or user-related requirements, so Bolt.
Since launching eight years ago, Estonia’s answer to Uber has progressed from ride-hailing services into car-sharing through Bolt Drive, Bolt Food and most recently Bolt Market to deliver groceries, and claims its app has 100 million users in 45 countries and 400 cities in Africa and Europe. Note that Bolt is not active in the United States, and the company considers its European roots among its USPs.
In today’s communication, Bolt did not disclose which cities will be first to see the new Bolt 5 scooters rolling out.
- ADVERTISEMENT -


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Truecaller moves into mobile payment
The Communication app company, Truecaller, is set to explore the mobile payment space in Sub-Sahara Africa with the acquisition of India’s first multi-bank payments app, Chillr.
Tuecaller’s Co-founder & Chief Strategy Officer, Nami Zarringhalam, who disclosed this, said the company has seen a lot of synergies and growth patterns in the region and decided to participate in digital payment environment.
According to him, that with the launch of Truecaller Pay 2.0, the company has brought Banking & Payments features to the forefront of its app, and in the coming months would rolling out Credit & other financial services to the masses in a mobile-first way in India, while devising ways to enter the payment space in Sub-Sahara Africa.
Earlier this year, the company opened up its first office in Nairobi to expand in Sub-Sahara Africa and recruited Zakaria Hersi as Director of Partnerships for Africa. In his position, Zakaria has been spearheading Truecaller’s expansion in the region and forging partnerships with various eco-system players.
Truecaller started as a caller ID and spam blocking app for smartphones, but over the years the app has transformed to a full fledge communication app and has become one of the fastest growing consumer apps in Africa and has consistently been topping the App Store Charts across the continent.
The Tuecaller app helps mobile users to know who is getting in touch, filter out unwanted calls and Short Messaging System (SMS) and focus on what really matters.
Zarringhalam said that the company provides a suite of unique services such as a dialer that offers caller ID, spam detection, messaging and more, adding that the company’s mission is to build trust everywhere by making communication safe and efficient.


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July 18, 2012
Hertz Sponsors Porsche GT3 Cup Championship
Hertz, the first American rental company to feature Porsche products for its customers, will be a major sponsor of the IMSA Porsche GT3 Challenge by Yokohama race series. The deal will be announced tomorrow and all Porsche GT3 race cars in the series will be featuring new Hertz stickers at this week end's race in Mosport Canada.
This is fantastic news for the IMSA series and we look forward to the new Hertz stickers on the Axis GT3!
Now how about some black and gold GT3 available at the rental counter?


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Finch has launched the world’s first “mixed reality” line of clothing, allowing wearers to upgrade their outfit with augmented reality (AR) digital overlays.
The Ukrainian fashion brand has teamed up with tech company FFFACE.ME to launch the innovative collection, which will be unveiled on catwalks at the Dubai Expo 2020 in October, Reuters reported.
Each item in the half-physical, half-digital collection will come complete with a QR code which when scanned will activate a unique filter which overlays the clothes to give them an ‘upgraded’ appearance.
The collection, which ranges between $70 and $178 per piece, will offer numerous virtual 3D animations for each garment, which creators say will promote sustainability.
“By using augmented reality a designer can create items beyond physical characteristics of fabrics or elements of clothing which do not exist in the real world, but can be seen as dynamic 3D objects in virtual reality,” Finch co-founder Kateryna Biakova told Reuters.
Iterable’s director of marketing Elle Nadal added: “This innovative collection from Finch is indicative of the changing face of physical retail, and the blurring of the lines between in-person and digital.
“With ecommerce continuing its upwards trend, many brands are rethinking how they create meaningful in-person experiences. Next-gen technology like AR offers a potent way to go beyond the traditional and create an experience that wows consumers.
“The key is connecting this in-store experience with future online engagement. Finch’s inherent compatibility with Instagram is a perfect example of this, creating a memorable in-person experience that seamlessly connects to future customer engagements online.
“Brands that are able to embrace the best of both of these worlds will be able to wow customers in the moment whilst simultaneously nurturing long-term relationships for the future.”


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Inside This Issue - News
The Federal Trade Commission has cleared the way for Express Scripts Inc.’s controversial acquisition of pharmacy benefits manager (PBM) Medco Health Solutions Inc. for about $29 billion.
The National Association of Chain Drug Stores and the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) have filed a lawsuit to block the merger of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) Express Scripts Inc. and Medco Health Solutions Inc.
Hundreds of chain drug executives, pharmacists and pharmacy students from across the country converged on Capitol Hill last month to lobby lawmakers about the vital role community pharmacy plays in the nation’s health care system.
CVS Caremark Corp. has announced succession plans for the leadership of its pharmacy benefit management (PBM) business.
Pointed questions from Supreme Court justices raised doubts last month about the viability of the health care reform law’s individual mandate.
CVS Caremark Corp. plans to shutter its Beauty 360 outlets in order to focus on its core beauty business.
Navarro Discount Pharmacy has opened its 31st store.
Rite Aid Corp. has launched its own mobile application, offering iPhone and Android smartphone users a menu of pharmacy and shopper tools.
The Food Marketing Institute (FMI) and Global Market Development Center (GMDC) have agreed to team up to offer a conference on health, beauty and wellness next year.
A federal appeals court here has denied attempts by California’s Department of Health Care Services to suspend a lower court’s earlier decision to block cuts in Medi-Cal, the state’s Medicaid program.
Walgreen Co. has launched the Walgreens Way to Well Health Tour with the National Urban League (NUL) as a charitable component of the drug chain’s Way to Well Commitment, a four-year, $100 million effort aimed at improving the everyday health of Americans.
Congressional approval of President Obama’s budget proposals to increase Tricare beneficiary out-of-pocket expenses would force patients away from community pharmacies and into mail-order programs, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores says.
Walgreen Co. and Sharecare, an online health care question-and-answer service, have teamed up to provide what they say is the largest searchable drug, supplements and wellness database on Facebook.


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Sales of the new Nottingham Forest 2015-16 home shirt have broken club records.
Supporters have been snapping up the 150th anniversary home kit from the refurbished City Ground megastore and the club recorded the highest opening week of shirt sales in its 150 year history.
The City Ground megastore which has re-opened back under the ownership of the club, currently has the European Cup on display for a limited time only and in the coming weeks other trophies and memorabilia from The Reds’ illustrious history will be displayed.
Megastore opening hours are:
Monday - Thursday: 9am - 5pm
Friday in-season: 9am - 6pm
Friday close-season: 9am - 5pm
Saturday: 9am - 5pm
The website will remain closed until further notice.


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Isabelle fans will soon get another shot at owning an adorable figurine of the hardworking secretary.
The Good Smile Company will be re-releasing Nendoroid No. 327 Animal Crossing New Leaf: Isabelle in April 2019. She will come with a variety of accessories – such as floating music notes. She even comes with a real bell in her hair!
Check out some preview shots below, courtesy of PlayAsia.
From the popular 3DS game ‘Animal Crossing: New Leaf’ comes a re-release of the village major’s personal secretary – Nendoroid Shizue (Isabelle)! Her trademark hair accessory even includes a real bell, allowing fans to enjoy the iconic sound from the game even from the Nendoroid!
She also comes with optional parts such as musical notes to recreate popular scenes from the game, as well as a clipboard and pen to display her in the lovely pose from the official Twitter account! A question mark part is also included allowing you to pose her in the cute “Do you need something?” pose from the game! It’s time to take up some village building with Nendoroid Shizue!
Originally released in October 2013 with a re-release in April 2016 and April 2019.


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Volkswagen has announced the unveiling of four new models from the Scirocco, Beetle, Polo and CC ranges.
The Autobytel and AutoPacific award is given by consumers and media who vote for their favorite vehicles in an annual survey. Several Volkswagen vehicles took awards in various categories.
Ford alone sold 127,883 EcoBoost powered vehicles in 2011 including the top-selling F-150 pickup.
From the Volkswagen Auto Group's Latin American headquarters in Miami, the German auto giant is planning the conquest of the lower latitudes south of the U.S.
The International CLIO Awards are the world's largest advertising prizes given to companies, agencies, and artists for their work in marketing and advertising.
The People's Car Project was launched last year in China as a way to engage Chinese designers in the future of VW in their country.
Ferrari, BMW, VW, Daimler, BYD, GM, Chery, and many more and leading by example in China that electric cars, EV are the way to go forward.
Just ahead of the Beijing Auto Show, Volkswagen has released the first images and details of new E-Bugster that will make its Asian debut.
As the cost of gasoline goes up, Americans are seeking more fuel efficient cars, and the sales of clean diesel cars is reflecting a change in perception here in the U.S.
Volkswagen has announced the recall of certain 2012 Volkswagen Routan minivans and Passat vehicles for wheel assembly and fuel system issues respectively.
Everyone in the automotive world was expecting Volkswagen to unveil a new 2014 Beetle convertible at the New York International Auto Show this week, but as reported by Car and Driver, the German au
The Volkswagen Up! was declared the 2012 World Car of the Year today at the New York International Auto Show. The award marks the third time Volkswagen has won the World Car of the Year award.


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Harry Potter fans to watch 'Today' show for clues
Careful watchers of news about the expansion of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando Resort take note: NBC’s Today show, which is also owned by Universal and is frequently the place for big theme park announcements, has announced a contest for next week to win a trip to see the new Diagon Alley opening soon at the Orlando theme park. There will be a mysterious “Harry Potter Clue” featured of the show each day Tuesday through Friday.
A spokeswoman for the theme park would offer no official confirmation from Universal that this will lead to an announcement any day now of when the expansion will officially open.
The CEO of parent company Comcast said last month that he expected revenues to jump in June when the park opens, but we don’t yet know when in June that will be.
Muggles have been eager to see what the park has done with Diagon Alley, estimated by industry analysts at $400 million. It will link London and its wizarding shopping district of Diagon Alley with Harry’s school town of Hogsmeade. The park is also adding a new thrill ride, called Escape from Gringotts, and lots of Potter-themed shopping and dining experiences, all straight out of the J.K. Rowling’s books.


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Video game developer and marketing company Nightlife Interactive has filed for U.S. patent protection for its brand of game advertising, known as the Seamless Ad. Created in conjunction with online marketing firm In Touch Media Group, the Seamless Ad allows players to click on advertisements without interrupting the game. Instead, an e-mail from the advertiser is sent to the player's in-box.
Nightlife Interactive is currently developing "Nightscape," a role-playing game that incorporates Seamless Ads intoof urban bars and clubs. Nightlife Interactive CEO Bob Cefail described the game, which is scheduled for a summer 2007 release, as "a cross between MySpace, Second Life and Match.com." Video game advertising has recently been recognized as a potentially lucrative market, and big technology companies have begun to take note--including Microsoft, which bought in May.


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Panasonic India on Wednesday has made an addition to its Eluga series of smartphones in India, with the Eluga A. Launched at Rs. 9,490, the smartphone will be available to consumers starting Friday, August 15.
The Panasonic Eluga A runs Android 4.3 Jelly Bean out-of-the-box, and offers dual-SIM support. It features a 5-inch FWVGA (480x854 pixels) IPS display, and is powered by a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 processor (unspecified clock-speed) coupled with 1GB of RAM.
The smartphone comes with an 8-megapixel autofocus rear camera with LED flash. While Panasonic hasn't specified the resolution of the front camera, the smartphone is already listed by an online seller at a price of Rs. 9,920, and with a 1.3-megapixel front facing camera specified. The online retail listing also specifies a clock-speed of 1.2GHz for the Snapdragon 200 SoC.
The Eluga A is listed with 4GB of built-in storage that's expandable via microSD card (up to 32GB). The handset measures in 143.8x72x9.2mm and packs a 2000mAh Li-ion battery. Connectivity options on the Panasonic Eluga A include 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0, and GPS.
"Through ELUGA, Panasonic will bring advanced technological innovations to the Indian smartphone users and with ELUGA A, we have successfully integrated into the premium gadget, advanced technology for audio enhancements, voice clarity, faster charging, longer battery life and local language features, in tune with the needs of the Indian consumer," said Manish Sharma, Managing Director, Panasonic India.
Panasonic recently revived its Eluga smartphones series with flagship device Eluga U in July, after it discontinued it in 2012.
The dual-SIM Panasonic Eluga U
runs Android 4.4.2 KitKat out-of-the-box, and features a 5-inch (720x1280 pixels) IPS OGS display. It is powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor coupled with 2GB of RAM. It boasts of a 13-megapixel autofocus rear camera with LED flash, and a 2-megapixel resolution front-facing camera. The smartphone features 16GB of built-in storage that's expandable via microSD card (up to 32GB).


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Cash Generator has rolled out ITS new look store fronts, created by BJL, the Manchester-based marketing, advertising and communications agency.
The nationwide roll-out has been supported by a 30 second TV ad, two 10 second edits and a national newspaper press campaign, which will run across TV, print and stores in order to raise brand awareness.
Cash Generator appointed BJL to develop a new brand platform and strategy, in order to help the business move to the next phase of growth, which includes increased brand awareness and new target audiences.
Initially tested in six trial stores including Manchester, Edinburgh and Gloucester, the new brand identity will now begin rolling out across the rest of the UK to include shop windows, shop labels and extensive point of sale.
The same brand look and feel also features in a TV ad campaign across Channel 4, ITV, Channel 5 and Sky TV and a national press campaign featuring ads in The Sun, The Daily Mirror and The Daily Star.
Nicky Unsworth, chief executive at BJL, said: “With considerable time and energy currently being applied across the agency to understanding post-recession consumer behaviour, our focus on delivering creative campaigns with real commercial impact is something we were keen to place at the heart of our work with Cash Generator.
"Cash Generator already has a strong presence and loyal customer base across the length and breadth of the country, a fact which played an important part in our strategy to ensure the brand remained front of mind against the backdrop of a rapidly changing sector.”


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[Photo: Molly DeCoudreaux]
This Saturday Kevin Cline and Josey White are opening Rock Bar (80 29th St.), down the street from their neighborhood Southern food restaurant Front Porch. Named for its notably rock-ridden exterior, the bar is their revamped version of the former International Club. The address has housed a bar for about 100 years, and Cline has had fun learning about its former guises as the Hunter's Lodge, Tiffany's and Esperanzas.
To create Rock Bar, his team brought the space back to its bones, then buffed it up. Making it way more than your average neighborhood hole-in-the-wall, are inherited bits of inventory like a rare bottle of Elvis wine, currently on display. There's also a vintage cash register from a Mission jewelry store, and you can order anything from Front Porch's menu to-go and eat it here.
Starting at 5 p.m. on Saturday, bar manager and artist Brion Nuda Rosch will start pouring all six beers on tap to the public. Now do take a look at the cocktail list below, snapped as it currently sits in the menu box, which happens to be a gilded phone booth sitting outside Rock Bar's door.
· All Front Porch Coverage [~ ESF ~]


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While the NSA certainly has the technical chops to eavesdrop, monitor, and intercept all types of electronic communications, they’re also not afraid to employ more straightforward and simpler spycraft methods when it comes to keeping an eye on enemies of the state.
Time Warner Cable earlier this year said that it just doesn’t see why it should create a high-speed fiber network on par with Google Fiber since most of its customers just don’t “need” that kind of speed. However, a new study from Cisco shows that even if we don’t “need” to have super-fast networks right this instant, we definitely will in the near future as more and more people watch their video online instead of through cable boxes or over the air. More →
The “Internet of Things” was a major focus at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, with virtually every company introducing more connected devices. This is for good reason, as a report from last December said the Internet of Things industry would be worth $309 billion by 2020. That’s just the tip of the iceberg, though, according to Cisco CEO John Chambers. More →
Networking company Cisco estimates that Internet traffic will grow three-fold between 2012 and 2017 to reach an annual run rate of 1.4 zettabytes, more than a trillion gigabytes per year. The firm expects traffic to reach nearly 121 exabytes per month by 2017 — equal to 30 billion DVDs, 28 trillion MP3’s or 750 quadrillion text messages — and an increase from 44 exabytes per month in 2012. Roughly 3.6 billion people worldwide are expected to access the Internet by 2017, or around 48% of the world’s projected population. In 2012, 2.3 billion people worldwide used the Internet, accounting for nearly 32% of the world’s 7.2 billion people. Cisco also estimates that the average fixed broadband speed will more than double from 11.3Mbps in 2012 to 39Mbps in 2017. Unsurprisingly, non-PC Internet traffic is expected to reach 49% in 2017, up from 26% in 2012.
It’s not often that we hear speculation about wireless carriers actually charging customers less for wireless data services, but Cisco CEO John Chambers seems to think that it’s really going to happen in the near future. AllThingsD reports that Chambers told the D: All Things Digital conference on Wednesday that new developments in wireless transport will let carriers aggressively lower their prices as expansions in Wi-Fi capabilities will help absorb increased traffic from wireless devices over the next several years. More →
It seems that Cisco’s (CSCO) efforts to hit back at patent trolls have hit a potentially fatal roadblock. Although the networking equipment vendor last year decided to go on offense against firms that buy patents in bulk and sue other companies for infringement despite not making any products of their own, the Wall Street Journal reports that a federal court has shot down one of Cisco’s first major attempts to go after an alleged patent troll. According to the Journal, U.S. District Judge James F. Holderman this week “that the aggressive licensing strategy used by [patent holding firm] Innovatio IP Ventures LLC against Cisco customers is protected by the U.S. Constitution.” More →
Cisco (CSCO) recently released its new 2012-2017 mobile data growth projections and the numbers seem strong. The company is calling for 66% compound average growth between 2012 and 2017, leading to 7.4 exabytes per month in 2016 and 11.2 exabytes per month in 2017. These are impressive numbers, but they are far below what Cisco projected last year. In its 2011-2016 projection, Cisco was calling for 78% annual growth leading to 10.8 exabyte per month mobile data volume in 2016. More →
Cisco (CSCO) is finished messing around with pointless patent litigation. The Wall Street Journal reports that Cisco has decided to go on offense against firms that purchase patents in bulk and sue other companies for infringement despite not making any products of their own by flat-out accusing them of breaking the law. According to the Journal, “the networking-equipment maker has captured the attention of patent experts and lawyers across the country by filing strongly worded legal claims against two companies that buy up patents and seek to make money from them through licensing and litigation.” More →
It didn’t take tech companies long to realize that nobody really wants an enterprise-centric tablet since tablets are just too gosh-darned fun to be larded up with all kinds of performance-degrading enterprise bloatware. While RIM’s BlackBerry PlayBook has traditionally been the poster boy for the perils of making an enterprise-centric tablet, Cisco also foolishly tried its hand at this endeavor when it announced the Cisco Cius back in 2010. Cisco wisely decided to kill of the Cius two weeks ago and now Network World reports that Cisco chief John Chambers admits the company should have cut its losses with the tablet at least nine months earlier. “Once you realize you’re not going to reach the volumes you need, you should just stop,” Chambers said. “We should have made our decision to exit the Cius market nine months ago.” More →
Although the average web user won’t notice a difference, Wednesday marks a major milestone in the history of the Internet. Several major ISPs and tech companies have officially enabled IPv6 addresses for their products and services, including AT&T, Google, Facebook, Cisco, Comcast and Yahoo. For the uninitiated, IPv6 is a next-generation Internet layer protocol that was designed by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) to create a virtually limitless number of new IP addresses once the world had run out of addresses on the most widely-used Internet layer protocol, IPv4. While IPv4 has a fixed limit of around 4 billion IP addresses, IPv6 has exponentially more, on the magnitude of around 340 billion billion billion billion (3.4×1038). At any rate, the Internet Society is hosting a virtual IPv6 launch party on Wednesday, complete with video tributes to the new protocol from tech bigwigs such as Cisco CEO John Chambers. More →
Global mobile data traffic is expected to increase 18-fold over the next five years to 10.8 exabytes per month according to Cisco’s Visual Networking Index Forecast (VNI). Cloud traffic is expected to account for 71%, or 7.6 exabytes per month, of total mobile data traffic by 2016. In 2011, cloud traffic accounted for only 45% of mobile data traffic, or 269 petabytes per month. It is projected that there will be more than 10 billion mobile Internet-connected devices in 2016, exceeding the world’s projected population of 7.3 billion individuals. The surge in smartphone adoption — which is expected to hit 8 billion in 2016 — is the core driver behing the massive mobile data growth expected in the coming years. From 2011 to 2016, Cisco estimates that global mobile data traffic will outgrow global fixed data traffic by three times. Read on for Cisco’s press release. More →
Apple has edged out IBM to become the top brand of 2011, according to an annual list from marketing strategy firm Davis Brand Capital. The Cupertino-based company ousted IBM, which topped the list in 2009 and 2010. Apple was previously ranked No.12 in 2009 and No.7 in 2010. Davis evaluates the top 25 brands annually using five categories that go beyond traditional marketing functions. “The annual 2011 Davis Brand Capital 25 ranking evaluates companies’ abilities to manage and balance the five key intangible categories that comprise brand capital: brand value; competitive performance; innovation strength; company culture; and social impact,” the company said in a press release. “The ranking does not aim to place a financial value on the brand capital of the companies. Rather, the list reveals the comparative strength and breadth of the companies’ brand capital.” As in previous years, the rankings were dominated by technology companies such as Google, Microsoft, HP, Cisco, Intel and Samsung. Read on for the complete list of Davis Brand Capital top 25. More →
Cisco announced on Tuesday that it will layoff 9% of its workforce, or 6,500 jobs, in an effort to boost profits. That figure is lower than original speculation that the company would cut 10,000 employees. Cisco made the move as part of an effort to cut $1 billion in annual costs while spurring profit growth, Bloomberg reported. 2,100 of the 6,500 employees have agreed to an early-retirement program. Additionally, Cisco plans to sell a Juarez, Mexico-based manufacturing facility to Foxconn. The move will transfer 5,000 workers elsewhere but will not result in job cuts. Earlier this year, the company laid-off 550 additional employees when it announced that it was killing off its Flip camera arm in an effort to restructure its consumer business. More →


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Moore believes UC Davis could be the first institution in the country to have an approved clinical trial using banked stem cells in a young, athletic population.
Is 14 too young to get into coffee? It wasn’t for Randall Echevarria. He grew up in Crescent City on the California/Oregon border, and the small town’s first coffee shop gave him his very first job. He started as a barista and moved up in the ranks over four years, his favorite part being the beverage development. Turns out, this high school gig was just warm-up.
Imagine a piece of technology the size of an aspirin. It can go anywhere, be embedded in anything and keep track of any action, movement or sound — imparting huge amounts of data, like tiny puzzle pieces that can be correctly fitted to form the picture of your life. It sounds Orwellian, the ability to monitor your habits at all times.
The best economic news in Sacramento lately is that jobs are back. A recent survey by the state’s Employment Development Department shows that the six-county Sacramento metro region has rebounded, gaining back jobs it lost during the recession — 25,000 in just the last year. But, while this is fantastic news, it’s not enough.
Effective leaders don’t come from one mold. The women featured below have excelled in nontraditional industries due to their talent, vision, perseverance and the (sometimes unlikely) mentors who guided their trajectory. They shared their stories with us — where they started, their rise to leadership and their thoughts on mentoring the next generation of powerful women.
California has reached a deal to raise its statewide minimum wage to $15 an hour. This would certainly be a breathtakingly broad political experiment. The question is whether it will turn into a breathtaking disaster.
During his final State of the Address, held Jan. 28 at the Crest Theatre, Mayor Kevin Johnson announced that Anpac Bio-Medical Science Company has selected Sacramento as the location for their U.S. headquarters. The cancer screening and treatment company is regarded for their breakthrough early cancer screening, detection and diagnostic technology.
Douglas Stricker of Folsom, 58, knows all about the need for skilled laborers. In 1992, he launched Golden Development, a company that built storage tanks and other structures for refineries and chemical companies. He had a crew of between 20 and 40 workers but never could find enough reliable welders — even in jobs that paid up to $30 an hour.
Sometimes, a real no-brainer, problem-solver of a product can crash and burn spectacularly upon entering the market. This isn’t limited to the Pepsi Clears of the world, where sheer ridiculousness doomed the idea from the start: According to Nielsen data, 85 percent of new consumer packaged goods will fail within two years. Marketing snafus, bad luck and timing aside, pitfalls in the process of product design are often to blame. Catching oneself before blundering into them takes a conscious effort, as several local designers and makers illustrate.
In the coming months, Chris Johnson will ask a lot of his employees, whose average age is just 24 years old. He expects to do $30 million in retail sales this third year of manufacturing, recently signed a powerful licensing deal with Disney’s Marvel, and plans to expand from the four products currently on shelves to more than 100 next year. But Johnson’s hiring strategy emphasizes passion over experience, something he says his team has in spades.


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A Tampa-based online education solutions company is shifting its COO and CEO as it enters into 2020.
Vector Solutions announced Tuesday it will be promoting COO Mark Scheipe to its CEO spot. Scheipe will be replacing CEO Jeff Gordon, who was in the position for four years. Gordon will become the chairman of the board.
This story was also covered by St. Pete Catalyst.


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iLOQ’s commitment to sustainability is demonstrated at the World Economic Forum
Leading digital access management company, iLOQ, is participating in important panel discussions in connection with the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting currently taking place in Davos, Switzerland.
The WEF’s mission is to bring together the most significant leaders from all sectors of global society to identify the best ways of addressing the world’s most pressing challenges. An important topic at this year’s event is setting the agenda for shaping a more sustainable future.
Finnish Flow is an active international business community that is developing and coordinating the Finnish business community’s participation in the WEF’s side events. Chief Marketing Officer, Joni Lampinen, and Chief Financial Officer, Timo Pirskanen, are proud to be representing iLOQ at the global event.
Panel discussions are focusing on the broader debate on sustainable strategies and the future of technology in smart cities.
“For almost two decades, iLOQ has been leading the way in the access management industry by innovating technological and resource-efficient solutions. Our advanced digital services and software solutions fulfill society’s requirements for secure, sustainable and smart living. Entirely battery free, among other benefits, they are currently saving 50,000 kg of battery waste every year. We are looking forward to productive discussions at the forum and being a major contributor to solving global problems sustainably,” states Joni Lampinen, Chief Marketing Officer, iLOQ.
iLOQ in brief
iLOQ is a rapidly growing Finnish company that is leading the technological revolution in the digital locking industry. iLOQ transforms mechanical locks into digital and mobile access management. iLOQ solutions are based on technologies developed and patented by the company, enabling electronic and mobile locking without batteries or cables. iLOQ replaces mechanical and electromechanical locking systems with environmentally friendly solutions that solve the problems of lost or copied keys, reduce lock maintenance and minimize lifecycle costs. www.iloq.com


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Senator Al Franken wants some answers about Carrier IQ. The Minnesota Democrat is giving several wireless carriers and phone manufacturers until next Wednesday to answer questions about exactly how they're using software from Carrier IQ and what they're doing with the information it collects.
We talked about this last week in the wake of charges that this app logs keystrokes, spying on everything you do on the phone. Since then, there have been numerous lawsuits and tough words from politicians.
We called up Chris Soghoian, a privacy researcher who's been following the case closely. He says some things are clearer, others. aren't. "What we know now is that the company's software," says Soghoian, "which is pre-installed onto more than 150 million cell phones in the United States, is capable of capturing a large amount of information, but not as much information as people thought before."
So it's not spying? "It doesn't seem like Carrier IQ's software is doing that," he says. "And in fact, Carrier IQ is largely pointing the finger at the mobile phone companies, the Sprints and AT&Ts of the world, and saying we just make the software. Ultimately it's up to the carrier to decide how it's going to be used. What the company has acknowledged is that they are capturing the website addresses of every page that you view via your phone. Now, they're careful to distinguish between the address of the page and the content of the page, but for many sensitive things such as search engine queries or information about medical symptoms that you look up online, just the information about which page you're going to is very sensitive by itself."
Is this information being associated with your name? And how exactly is it being mined? That's what Franken wants to know. I'd like to know that too. The carriers say they need the information so networks will work better.
"Carriers certainly benefit by having diagnostic information, so if you have a dropped call, it's helpful to know how often that's occurred or where you were when the call was dropped, but that's information they can obtain from their own end. Their own equipment knows the call is terminated. Their own equipment knows when you have one bar versus five bars," says Soghoian.
So your carrier isn't reading your text messages. But if your phone has Carrier IQ, it can get other valuable information: your favorite apps, your favorite websites, all that customer data that is worth so much for companies trying to compete.
"The carriers don't want to be providers of raw data," Soghoian says. "They don't want to be dumb pipes, they want to extract as much value out of the phone ecosystem as possible and for that to happen, they need to know what you're doing."
Also in today's program, documents have been made public from Apple's suit against Samsung. Apple says Samsung is free to make whatever tablet it wants to as long as it's not rectangular or has rounded corners or is easy to use or has a smooth screen or resembles an iPad in any way, shape, or form.