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Sharp 1990 F150 Xlt on 2040-cars
Hillsboro, Texas, United States
Very Sharp 1990 F-150 XLT Short bed 5.0 litre V8 Mechanically Sound 80.000 Original miles Automatic New Paint Maroon over Gray New Tires New Interior.For more Info.
Call Darrelle (903)340-0444 Will not Ship To buy it now you must put $ 500.00 in my PAYPAL ACCOUNT Then Pay the rest when you pick it up CASH ONLY
Ford F-150 for Sale
Auto Services in Texas
Auto Repair & Service, Automobile Parts & Supplies, Auto Engine Rebuilding
Address: 3601 W Parmer Ln, Cedar-Park
Phone: (512) 873-9354
Used Car Dealers
Address: 2640 Northaven Rd, Richardson
Phone: (972) 243-3100
Auto Repair & Service, Automobile Body Repairing & Painting
Address: 13807 Candleshade Ln, Pearland
Phone: (866) 595-6470
Automobile Body Repairing & Painting
Address: 4201 Center St, Deer-Park
Phone: (281) 479-3030
Auto Repair & Service, Automobile Diagnostic Service, Automotive Roadside Service
Phone: (832) 738-3228
Auto Repair & Service, Auto Oil & Lube, Brake Repair
Address: 4401 W Walnut St, Murphy
Phone: (972) 272-5522
Thu, 29 May 2014 15:58:00 EST
Ford is taking a bit of the spotlight away from General Motors, announcing a major group of recall campaigns, covering a total of 1.4 million vehicles built between 2006 and 2013.
Fri, 22 Feb 2013 18:32:00 EST
Let's start with the big one, which covers the Ford Escape, Mercury Mariner and, according to The Detroit News, Ford-built Mazda Tribute CUVs. 915,216 vehicles are covered, all of which were built in model years 2008 to 2011. 736,000 vehicles are in the US, while Canada then Mexico make up the vast majority of the remainder. The problem is due to an issue with the torque sensor in the steering column, which could lead to sudden power steering failure. Manual steering would still be available, though.
"Dealers will perform one of three service fixes, depending upon what diagnostic codes are shown when the vehicle is taken to the dealer," Ford spokeswoman Kelli Felker wrote to Autoblog in an email. "They will either update software for the power steering control module and the instrument cluster module; replace the torque sensor; or replace the steering column, which includes upgraded power steering control module software."
Joe Hinrichs, Ford's President of The Americas (pictured above), announced today that in late 2014, the automaker will be building the 2.0-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder at its Cleveland Engine Plant, a move requiring a $200-million investment and the hiring of 450 new employees. European-built Ford products will continue to source this engine from the Valencia, Spain plant where all of these EcoBoost four-cylinder engines are currently built, and the new Cleveland engines will be used for all North American-made models.
Thu, 22 Aug 2013 16:40:00 EST
Ford is planning to build its popular EcoBoost engines regionally to maximize production capacity and meet customer demand. Last year, Ford sold 334,364 vehicles with EcoBoost engines in the US alone, and that number is expected to swell to more than 500,000 by the end of this year, with global sales expected to total 1.6 million. By 2015, Ford says that 95 percent of its nameplates will offer an EcoBoost engine.
One such vehicle that could be adding an EcoBoost engine, according to Automotive News, is none other than the 2015 Ford Mustang. The report says that Ford could use either the 2.0-liter EcoBoost or an upcoming 2.3-liter EcoBoost in the sixth-generation pony car.
Ford and Daimler have scored a major victory in a long-running lawsuit filed in US federal court by unnamed South African nationals. The suit alleges that both manufacturers and their subsidiaries sold their vehicles to the South African military, despite knowing that they'd be involved in violently putting down anti-apartheid protesters.
According to Reuters, South African plaintiffs filed the case under the 223-year-old Alien Torts Statute, a law which allows foreign nationals to file charges in US courts for perceived breaches of what was originally international law, but now more closely relates to violations of human rights.
And while the case - which also involves computer manufacturer IBM - has been tied up in federal courts for years, a recent case from the Supreme Court struck down a similar suit against Royal Dutch Petroleum (Shell), arguing that the ATS doesn't apply to corporations or to conduct if it occurred outside the US. In short, the law applies to individuals, but not corporations like Ford or Daimler. A US appeals court ruled that the conditions apply in this case, potentially drawing this long-running saga to a close, as the defendants will now be allowed to request that the case be dismissed in district court.


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As Rockstar's contract with Take-Two approaches its expiration, Janco Partners analyst Mike Hickey explains why he finds it "unlikely that the Houser brothers would leave" -- and suggests that recent Dan Houser comments regarding the DS indicate that a
As Rockstar's contract with Take-Two approaches its early 2009 expiration, Janco Partners analyst Mike Hickey is weighing in on what the next step might be for the Houser brothers and their well-reputed team.
Dan Houser recently told Nintendo Power
magazine that Grand Theft Auto
on the Wii "didn't feel natural to us" and that he favored the "interesting challenges" and the "chance to use mini-games" offered by the Nintendo DS with Chinatown Wars
, Hickey predicts that a GTA
game for the iPhone could be next.
"We expect GTA
will likely be ported to Apple’s iPhone platform, leveraging the device’s touch screen technology and accelerometer," says Hickey. "Apple’s determination to layer gaming applications into the device’s consumer value proposition and growing installed base is likely sufficient motivation for a deal."
Of course, much of Rockstar's future moves depend on where the studio ends up. At its analyst day, Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick said his company's "definitely become the destination location for independently minded entrepreneurial talent," leading investors to speculate, according to Hickey, that Activision might bid for Rockstar when it becomes available.
Not so fast, the analyst says: "We find it unlikely that the Houser brothers would leave Take-Two Interactive for a competitor, as loyalty, compensation, culture and compelling IP should be sufficient in aggregate to leave employment alternatives unappealing."

domain: news


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Apple is the king of consumer laptop tech support, and the company added to its repertoire in the past year. In addition to answering questions via social media, live online chats, its support app and phone calls, the company began posting tutorials to a YouTube channel in November 2017. These options flank the company's existing Genius Bar, which still stands out as one of the few ways users can get in-person support directly from a laptop-maker.
For an MacBook Air under Apple’s One-Year Limited Warranty, Apple warrants against defects that arise from service performed for 90 days from the date of service or for the remaining period of the warranty, whichever provides longer coverage for you. For an MacBook Air not under Apple’s warranty, Apple warrants against defects that arise from service performed for 90 days from the date of service.
Before rolling out the paid chat support, Apple had to develop a new web payment system that would allow it to accept payments through chat and keep user info secure when transferred between support agents, according to our sources. Using the new web payment system, we’re told Apple plans to offer the ability to set up hardware repairs and replacements that require a hold on a credit card or pay per incident fee via chat support. Rather than having to call in, users will be sent a link that’s live for 24 hours in order to complete the payment.


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Everyday news breaks left right and center in the world of technology. It is pretty much impossible to capture all these stories and bring a detailed report. And not bring this news to our readers feels unfair.
Just as a disclaimer, we would not be divulging into details of the story and just give a brief outline of what the story was all about. So without any further adieu lets begin on what caught our attention on what has been a rather slow day in terms of news pouring in of February 20th, 2014.
Facebook Buys Whatsapp for $19 Billion
The biggest news of the day obviously was Facebook outrightly buying Whatapp for $19 Billion. This definitely is a huge step in the right direction for Mark Zuckerberg as he aims to own the communication space, at least virtually in the world. The acquisition will see Whatsapp operate as a separate entity, and there are no plans to merge Facebook Messenger with Whatsapp. The deal may well be overpriced, but in a way facebook has killed competition and brought on board with it a sure winner. There had been speculations earlier that Google wanted to buy Whatsapp but that deal did not go through.
Samsung starts to roll out Android 4.4 update to Samsung Galaxy S IV
A week almost after HTC started rolling out the KitKat update for HTC One, Samsung has followed the footsteps as the update begins rolling out for Galaxy S IV in Russia. The Exynos version has got the update while the LTE version with Snapdragon is still waiting for the chance. The update sees new status bar icons as well as support for emojis all across. For those, who like numbers and build numbers, the build number of the update is I9500XXUFNB3 and the firmware build is dated Thu, 13 Feb 2014 11:33:19. the update is expected to reach India soon.
LG Announces LG G2 Mini
LG has announced the LG G2 Mini and is expected to reveal the device at MWC 2014. The phone sees the exact same shape and design as that seen on the LG G2, but with specs that are totally cut down. The device has a Snapdragon 400 SoC with 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB ROM. There is 2440 mAh battery on board while the display is a miserly 4.7 inch one with qHD res. The device is expected in Asia and South America in April.
Google I/O to be held from June 24th to 26th
Sundar Pichai of Google took to his G+ profile to announce that Google I/O 2014 will be held from June 24th to 26th. He also revealed that registrations this year will be picked as a lottery after all those who are interested in attending the event fill up a web form to avoid the ruckus like last year. Pichai also remarked that there are plans in place to stream the event more extensively this year than ever before.
Sony reveals the Z1 Compact for India: Will retail for Rs. 36,990 from February 24th
The Sony Xperia Z1 Compact brings the goodness of the Sony Xperia Z1 in a compact chassis. The device was released at CES 2014 and won several accolades for being the best device at the event. The device will be available in four colors, black, white, yellow and pink. Only difference between the Xperia Z1 and the Z1 Compact is that the Compact has a 4.3 inch display which is 720P res. Everything apart from that remains the same, including the waterproof and dustproof nature, as the Xperia Z1 practically in a much cuter and handy form factor.


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New York City-based Higgins Industries Inc. has developed a UV sun-protective clothing process
called BFX. Fabric treated with the BFX protection has been tested by the International UV Testing
Laboratories at Auburn University, Auburn, Ala., and awarded a 50+ UPF rating, the highest
international rating level available.BFX-treated textiles block 98 to 99 percent of the suns
harmful UVA and UVB rays. Tom Higgins, Higgins Industries, expressed concern about the depletion of
the ozone layer, saying, If you consider that 80 percent of the harmful exposure occurs during our
childhood, it is really important we get an educational message out to our youth of the importance
of protecting themselves with sunscreens and the correct clothing.


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‘Infinitely recyclable’ plastics created using engineered microbes
An “infinitely recyclable” plastic has been developed using a chemical created by specially-engineered microbes.
Unlike glass and aluminium, every time plastic is recycled, the polymer chain grows shorter which decreases its quality. The same piece of plastic can only be recycled about 2-3 times before it can no longer be used to make new products.
But a team of researchers at three facilities at the US Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have developed an infinitely recyclable plastic known as poly(diketoenamine), or PDK.
“This is the first time that bioproducts have been integrated to make a PDK that is predominantly bio-based,” said Brett Helms, staff scientist at the Molecular Foundry who led the project. “And it’s the first time that you see a bio-advantage over using petrochemicals, both with respect to the material’s properties and the cost of producing it at scale.”
Unlike traditional plastics, PDK can be repeatedly deconstructed into pristine building blocks and formed into new products with no loss in quality. They are typically created from building blocks derived from petrochemicals, but those ingredients can be redesigned and produced with microbes instead.
Following a four-year study, the team has successfully manipulated E. coli to turn sugars from plants into some of the starting materials and produced a PDK with roughly 80 per cent bio-content.
“We’ve demonstrated that the pathway to 100 per cent bio-content in recyclable plastics is feasible,” said project scientist Jeremy Demarteau. “You’ll see that from us in the future.”
PDKs can be used for a variety of products, including adhesives, flexible items like computer cables or watch bands, building materials, and “tough thermosets,” rigid plastics made through a curing process.
The E. coli starter also had beneficial effects and allowed the material to expand its working temperature range by up to 60°C compared to the petrochemical version. This could allow it to be used in a broader array of applications such as sports gear and automotive parts including bumpers or dashboards.
The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) estimates that we globally produce about 400 million tons of plastic waste every year, and that number is predicted to climb to more than 1 billion tons by 2050. Of the 7 billion tons of plastic waste already created, only about 10 per cent has been recycled, while most is discarded into landfills or burned.
UNEP recently said that plastic pollution could be reduced by 80 per cent by 2040 if countries and companies make policy and market shifts using existing technologies.
“We can’t keep using our dwindling supply of fossil fuels to feed this insatiable desire for plastics,” said Jay Keasling, a professor at UC Berkeley. “We want to help solve the plastic waste problem by creating materials that are both biorenewable and circular – and providing an incentive for companies to use them. Then people could have the products they need for the time they need them, before those items are transformed into something new.”
The researchers believe that even “modest” improvements to the production process could allow bio-based PDK plastics to be made that are both cheaper and emit less CO2 than those made with fossil fuels.
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Motorola India has pretty much confirmed the launch of the Moto M smartphone in India. The smartphone was launched earlier this month in China and went on sale for 1999 Chinese Yuan ( Approx Rs. 20,000). The company’s twitter handle teased the Moto M with the #comingsoon hashtag. The second tweet from the company confirms that the M series is indeed coming to India.
The Moto M is the first device in the series and sports a full metal unibody design. The phone sports a 5.5 inch AMOLED display with full-HD resolution with a pixel density of 401PPI. The 2.5D glass has no mention of any protection on top. The phone is powered by a MediaTek Helio P15 Octa-Core processor clocked at 2.2GHz and has 4GB of RAM. There is 32GB of internal storage on the phone and is expandable via a MicroSD card slot up to 128GB. The Moto M is a dual SIM phone and has a Hybrid SIM slot so you’ll have to choose between a MicroSD card and a Micro SIM in the second slot.
— Moto India (@Moto_IND) November 28, 2016
The Moto M has a 16-megapixel PDAF camera at the back along with a dual LED flash. On the front, there is an 8-megapixel selfie camera. It runs on Android 6.0 Marshmallow and may be updated to Android Nougat after launch. It sports the fingerprint sensor on the back as opposed to the front placement on other Motorola phones. The phone has a USB Type-C port and packs in a non-removable 3050mAh battery and may come with a fast charger in the box.
— Moto India (@Moto_IND) November 29, 2016
While there is no news of a launch date we are expecting it to arrive in the next few weeks. As for the pricing, we are expecting a price of Rs. 19,999 for this device.


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Elana Drell-Szyfer is headed back to beauty.
“I’ve been in beauty for 21 years,” said Drell-Szyfer, “and when it’s in your blood, you can’t get it out.”
The former executive vice president of global brand strategy at Kenneth Cole has been tapped as chief executive officer of Laura Geller Beauty. In addition, she will also become an operating adviser to Tengram Capital Partners for the beauty industry.
At Laura Geller, which she joined on June 30, Drell-Szyfer is continuing to expand the brand’s presence in retail domestically and internationally. She will also continue the re-branding initiative that the Laura Geller team has been working on for the last 18 months.
At Tengram Capital Partners LLC, whose beauty portfolio includes Laura Geller Beauty, Nest Fragrances and Devacurl, Drell-Szyfer is on a mission to help grow the beauty business by recruiting executive talent and fine-tuning strategy. Richard Gersten, partner at Tengram, said the company hopes to tap into Drell-Szyfer’s expertise “to think through and enhance our presence in an industry that’s very important to us.”
Drell-Szyfer is already putting her knowledge to work. In October the company will begin to roll out packaging with a new logo and visuals.
“The story will stay the same and the core will stay the same,” said Drell-Szyfer. “But the way we reach out and open our arms to the consumer from a story-telling point of view needs to be updated and evolved.”
In terms of the logo, the text will be more open, while the signature red lip is now plumper in a hot pink shade called Happiful, a color that will be added to various products in current and upcoming collections. Also, categories on packaging like Spackle and Baked will be called out in a larger font.
For the launch, Laura Geller Beauty will introduce its look with social media, extensive education for in-store employees, merchandising and carton visuals.
To that end, Laura Geller launched at 55 retail locations of Beauty Brands in February and is in all 700 Ulta doors where the brand’s counter space has been expanded from three to six feet. Drell-Szyfer would not discuss sales projections, but industry sources estimate Laura Geller Beauty’s re-branded line of 400 stockkeeping units will generate $80 million to $100 million in first-year retail sales globally.


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PlayStation 4 leads jump in US console sales
SAN FRANCISCO—Sony’s PlayStation 4 led a surge in console sales that lifted the US video game market in April, said figures released Thursday by market research firm NPD Group.
Sales of video game hardware, mostly consoles, jumped 76 percent to $192.8 million during the month compared to a year ago, more than offsetting a 10-percent drop in sales of game software to $227.9 million, NPD reported.
Overall video game sales rose 17 percent to $580.3 million from the same month last year, according to NPD.
PS4 was the top-selling console for the fourth consecutive month, followed by Microsoft’s Xbox One.
“Titanfall” was the top-selling game, followed by “Call of Duty: Ghosts.”
NPD estimated that the total spent in the US on video games topped a billion dollars during the month after adding in rentals, mobile apps, social network play, subscriptions, digital downloads, and other non-traditional revenue channels.
Microsoft said Tuesday it would sell a reduced-price version of its Xbox One console without the Kinect motion detection system.
The move comes with Microsoft locked in a tough battle with Sony, which has been leading the game console market with its next-generation PlayStation 4.


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By: Mike Montgomery
When the U.S. Court of Appeals backed the Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC) so-called netneutrality rules this week, PC World nailed the problem with its headline: “The decision will be challenged, and the case could drag on for years.”
Regardless of how the court ruled, net neutrality was destined to play out in courtrooms for the next decade as policymakers, technologists and consumers grapple with how to ensure open access to the internet while not crushing innovation and discouraging investment that created the Web in the first place.
Today the battle is largely between ISPs and edge providers. But as we’ve seen with buyers’ remorse statements from companies such as Netflix and Cloudflare, as well as EFF’s John Perry Barlow, in the future these legal battles may become more muddled as tech titans realize that they could be captured by the rules designed to keep the internet accessible to all.
These battles would test the patience of Bill Murray’s character in “Groundhog Day,” which is why there is only one entity that can settle the issue once and for all: Congress. Critics of the FCC contend the agency overstepped its bounds and applied 20th Century rules to innovative and rapidly changing technologies. At the same time, everyone wants to ensure that the internet continues to remain open and that we don’t create fast lanes, ban blocking and enhance transparency.
Only Congress can solve this problem by rewriting the laws that the FCC uses to base its rules. However well meaning the FCC was with its approach, two obvious negatives exist. The first is that the uncertainty over a decade-long legal fight leads tech companies – both those that supply the pipes and those who rely upon them – to play wait and see on new investments or innovations. That’s bad news for consumers and really bad news for an economy that needs a tech jolt.
The second is that we risk accepting that the Web deserves to be treated no differently than our water or electrical utilities – plodding and innovation-free, devoid of competition. That harms consumers and innovators alike due to a lack competition, choice and investment.


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The Taste of Science
We are how we eat
Locally sourced organic food is so passe. Meet “the world’s first entirely synthetic gourmet dish.” The future of haute cuisine, according to one Michelin chef, will be formed from tartaric acid, 4-O-a-glucopyranosyl-D-sorbitol, and triacylglycerol. After all, he says, sugar is just as artificial as anything else.
Also in today’s links: the taste of evolution, the taste of the Milky Way, and more.
- Astronomers are suggesting that, due to the presence of a substance called ethyl formate, the Milky Way might taste like raspberries. It also sounds like birds chirping and feels like a puppy’s belly.
- Perhaps it’s important that we explore new culinary frontiers, if we want to evolve. One scientist argues that cooking was one of the main factors in the evolution from ape to human.
- Schizophrenics may want to beware of eating bread and pasta. Researchers have found a link between the illness and gluten, which seems able to prompt symptoms, or trigger schizophrenia in people who have a genetic predisposition.
- And as if pregnant women don’t have enough to worry about what they eat, Canadian researchers are examining whether folic acid — which women are urged to take to avoid spina bifida in their child — is linked to a higher risk of cancer in offspring later in life.


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It seems that AR ads are growing in popularity.
Last week, Instagram announced that it is testing a new type of AR ads that will allow users to virtually try advertised products. This week, YouTube announced that it will be expanding access to its Beauty Try-On ads and giving them additional placement options.
Beauty Try-On ads will be accessible via Masthead, ‘Up Next’ section, and search results. The new format will include two split screens: one showing the video ad, and the other being the user’s phone camera allowing to virtually try the advertised product.
This is not the first time that YouTube is heavily focusing on expanding beauty and fashion-related offers. Last month, the video platform introduced a new Fashion vertical given the popularity of this pillar worldwide.
Read more here.


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Lenovo posts record-high earnings
Updated: 2014-05-21 16:08
By Gao Yuan (chinadaily.com.cn)
A pedestrian walks past a Lenovo store in Shanghai China, February 21 2013. [Phote/IC]
Lenovo Group Ltd posted record-high full-year earnings on Wednesday helped by strong upswing in European personal computer business and smartphone sales in China.
The world's largest PC maker said it has shipped 55 million personal computers, 50 million smartphones and 9.2 million tablets during the fiscal year ended on March 31. The company's annual earnings hit $817 million, a jump of nearly 30 percent year-on-year, according to Lenovo's financial report.
The company described the past fiscal year as "truly outstanding" while the Beijing-based company consolidates its leading position in global hardware manufacturing industry.
"The record sales and profits that we delivered last year prove that Lenovo can grow and deliver its commitments, no matter the market conditions," said Yang Yuanqing, chairman and CEO of Lenovo.
The company's PC shipments in Europe, Middle East and Africa grew by 33.3 percent during the fourth fiscal quarter which started in January, it said, adding that its market share in the region is about 16 percent.
Read the full coverage of Lenovo's new strategies tomorrow on China Daily newspaper and website.


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The Morning Report
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August resale inventory was actually down almost 4 percent from a year prior as some potential homesellers apparently gave up on the prospect of finding a buyer. The decline in inventory certainly wasn’t a result of more homes being purchased — sales volume was down 20 percent from August 2006.
Month of inventory, an indicator which is pictured in the accompanying graph and measures the amount of time it would take to buy up all of a given month’s inventory at that month’s pace of sales, rose to 8.4 months. This represents a 20 percent increase over last August’s 7.0 months of inventory.
— RICH TOSCANO


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The Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) should crack down on manufacturers quietly downsizing their packages and product sizes without lowering prices.
The practice called shrinkflation has become common as businesses struggle to keep up with rising costs for ingredients, packaging, labour, and transportation while keeping prices unchanged in an inflationary period.
In recent weeks, smaller-sized products have been spotted in local stores and shops, with the cost of ingredients and production rising.
The practice thrives in markets where consumers are not weight conscious, allowing manufacturers to shrink the sizes of products.
The standards body says it is on high alert to catch manufacturers who have shrunk their products without approvals from Kebs. These include steel products that are non-compliant with dimensions, for instance, the mass per meter.
Kebs should now follow up with stern action against rogue manufacturers found exploiting the consumers, including surcharging them.
Consumer lobbies should also be vigilant against shrinkflation cases to help curb the practice.


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TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) -- The Taiwanese employer of a young Chinese man who killed himself after being interrogated over a missing iPhone prototype has agreed to pay compensation to his family, a company official said Tuesday.
Sun Danyong, 25, jumped from his high-rise apartment in southern China last week after officials of Foxconn Technology Group questioned him about the whereabouts of the iPhone model that was in his possession.
Sun was responsible for sending the device to U.S.-based Apple Inc., which contracts with Foxconn, the world's biggest contract manufacturer of electronics.
Sun alleged he was beaten and abused by Foxconn security personnel, who denied it.
Sun's suicide cast unwelcome attention on Apple's notorious culture of secrecy, which tries to create a big pre-launch buzz about the company's products and upgrades. Apple is also a constant target of prying journalists, rabidly faithful customers and competitors who want an early peek at its latest gadgets.
A Foxconn official in Taipei said Tuesday the company would pay Sun's parents a lump sum of 360,000 yuan ($52,600), plus 30,000 yuan ($4,385) every year as long as either of them remains alive.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to deal with the press.
Earlier, Foxconn apologized for the incident and suspended the local security chief who headed up the Sun investigation.
Gu Qinming, the suspended security chief, admitted he grabbed Sun once by the shoulder but denied beating him.


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All eyes are on the spreading coronvirus, COVID-19. Here you can follow the development and the impact of the coronavirus on the Hospitality Industry. Visit the WHO | World Health Organization for more information about the virus.
To say that 2020 was a rough year for hospitality businesses is a massive understatement. It was a time of incredible upheaval, and it didn’t end when 2021 was ushered in. The lingering effects of th.
The hospitality industry has adapted at record speed during the COVID-19 crisis, adopting new cleaning protocols and processes as part of its response. Now as restrictions change and travel resumes i.
Pebblebrook Hotel Trust (NYSE: PEB) (the “Company”) today announced that it acquired the AAA Four Diamond 210-room Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa (“Estancia”) in La Jolla, California for $108 million.
Hotel brands and companies with a global growth strategy have been compelled during the COVID-19 pa.
U.S. Travel Association Executive Vice President of Public Affairs and Policy Tori Emerson Barnes issued the following statement on the Biden administration’s announcement that it would tighten the pre-departure testing window for entry to the U.S.
Following comprehensive analysis and research, the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has launch.
Thanksgiving week for the U.S. hotel industry was record-breaking by all measures. Weekly occupancy topped 53%, which was 2.3 percentage points higher than the holiday week in 2019 and nearly a point higher than the previous record achieved in 2018.
The days and weeks leading up to an event can sometimes be a little stressful. Even though everything has been planned down to the last detail, you always have to be prepared for the unexpected. Last-minute hiccups are almost inevitable.
As COVID-19 restrictions have eased and vaccination rates have increased, so too, has interest in traveling abroad. As we highlight in our latest Travel Recovery Trend Report, bookings for many cities surged during the third quarter of the year, both globally and regionally.


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The availability of TV programming online has gone from being a nice-to-have to an expect-to-see option in the minds of most Americans, raising major implications for networks and potential new opportunities for advertisers, according to the most recent installment of an ongoing tracking study of the Internet’s effect on TV viewing. The study, Knowledge Networks’ annual “TV Web Connections” report, will be released today and shows that in the four years since their online TV viewing attitudes and behaviors have been tracked, Americans have shifted from thinking of it as a novelty to an expectation.
“I think it’s similar to what we went through with print newspapers putting stuff online,” says David Tice, director of the Home Technology Monitor at KN, and author of the new report. Tice says the dilemma for TV networks appears to be similar to the one confronting newspaper publishers whose initial freely available online content publishing models trained consumers to expect total access to their content and to get it for free. While newspaper publishers have been trying to shift their online publishing models by establishing so-called “pay walls,” Tice says the jury is still out on the success of those efforts, and that TV programmers need to pay careful attention, because the consumer backlash could be significant.
“It’s a big question for television networks,” he says, adding: “How do they monetize the digital side without cannibalizing the mother ship?”
The good news is that TV programmers seem to have strong demand from advertisers for their digital ad inventory -- and so far, reasonable acceptance from users to view it -- but the amount of ad inventory online is still a fraction of what they get with conventional television.
Tice says that in the short term, television programmers can look at online access as an opportunity to expose viewers to shows they might not have otherwise seen, so there is a promotional value. He noted that data from KN and other sources such as Nielsen show that the growth in online viewing of TV programs has not hurt conventional TV viewing levels -- and said it’s possible the online access has been a factor in that, although he said KN’s data does not explicitly show that. Nielsen, meanwhile, has begun to integrate online viewing of TV shows into its core TV ratings services, and expects the behavior to become an increasingly important factor in total TV viewing levels.
One thing that does not yet appear to be occurring due to the availability of online access to TV shows is so-called “cord-cutting,” or people cutting their conventional TV subscription services, because they can access some or all of the same content online. Tice says KN’s data indicates that there is no difference among people who watch TV online and the total population in terms of cord-cutting behavior.
Tice says online viewing tends to be a bigger factor with young adults.
He also says that mobile devices -– both smartphones and tablet computers -- increasingly are becoming a factor for viewing TV programs online, but the No. 1 source still is an Internet-connected personal computer.
The biggest developing factor, he says, is the shifts in consumer expectations surrounding social sharing. Tice says apps that enable consumers to share TV shows they are watching with friends have become a significant factor -- and that consumers increasingly expect those features too.
“That turned out to be a relatively highly used feature,” Tice says, noting: “Over half the people used it, and said it increased their involvement with the program.”
Of the features that consumers use most when watching a TV show on a network’s site, Tice says “schedule information” is still No. 1, followed by watching full episodes and watching preview clips. After that, he says, social sharing has become the biggest factor.
“The more people watch TV online, the more they want to share those programs with other people,” he says.


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Just exactly when Microsoft will formally introduce the new smartphones running on its new Windows Phone 7 operating system has been a bit of a mystery. And Microsoft has been paying it close to the vest. But that hasn’t stopped members of the tech press from making it one of the great guessing games of the year.
A new report from the Wall Street Journal has lent credence to the long standing rumor that Microsoft will launch Windows Phone 7 on Oct. 11 at an event in New York. Code Guru examines the evidence.
As the launch date for Windows Phone 7 approaches, the tech media have been working overtime, trying to pin down the date for the launch gala and also the date that phones built on the operating system will hit store shelves.
Now, a report in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) says its sources have given it the real dates. Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), the WSJ said Thursday, plans to launch the phones on Oct. 11, as the predominant rumors had been predicting for weeks.


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Mobile users have been generating the majority share of the traffic on digital news websites since the start of 2015, according to the latest analysis of comScore data by the Pew Research Center.
In the center's 12th annual State of the News Media report, 39 of the top 50 digital news websites recorded more traffic to their sites from mobile devices than desktop computers. The figures also factored in access to the websites' associated applications.
Websites featured in the ranking include news sites that originated online, such as the Huffington Post, BuzzFeed, Mashable, Gawker, Slate, Vox, Vice, and Bleacher Report.
While more people visit these websites through mobile devices, the report also stated that visitors from desktop computers spend more time every visit compared to mobile users.
Half of the top 50 websites in the ranking have recorded longer visits from desktop users, while 10 websites had longer access through mobile. Around 15 of the websites had visitors spending an equal amount of time through mobile and desktop access.
This increase in the number of mobile users corresponds to the rise of the social web, where users receive news mostly through social media outlets, such as Facebook and Twitter. This platform is primarily driven by influence from algorithms and friends of the users.
Pew's ranking of the "Top Digital-Native News Entities" is measured using comScore's count of unique visitors for January 2015. This method does not include legacy-related platforms, such as the Yahoo-ABC combined site and the CNN Network.
The State of the News Media was arranged in baker's dozen "fact sheets" with limited conclusions about industry trends.
Amy Mitchell, director of journalism research for the Pew Research Center, explained that the goal for the new format is "to make key data around the industry" available in manageable groups. The center's larger projects on topics, such as news consumer preferences or evolving local news ecosystems, are now available as they are completed during the year.
Mitchell added that this method was developed to avoid creating confusion similar to what the organization experienced when it prepared one massive document, and the research felt like it was "trying to cram stuff in."
The Pew Research Center's report also pointed out some disappointments, citing that legacy news outlets find it difficult to generate significant digital revenues. Some changes on the digital side were noted with Gigaom, a blog-related media company focusing on technological news, going out of business and the closure of The Racket by Pierre Omidyar's First Look Media even before the site could publish their first story.
Advancements in the field of digital news include the growth of several websites such as Politico, Vox.com, Vice News, and Atlantic Media's Quartz.


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An LG OLED TV recall is in full swing in South Korea, with 60,000 OLED televisions released between February 2016 and September 2019 affected due to potential issues with overheating power boards, including many of its most popular models.
LG has confirmed to T3 that 18 different models are affected, with the first report from Yonhap News (via TechRadar) suggesting that these range from the B7 and C7 models that really took the technology mainstream in 2017, up to the LG C9 and LG B9 released last year (which are still still just about available now here and there, and remain excellent TV buys even with this in mind).
LG is offering free repairs to replace the affected boards, and has already fixed 22,000 of the likely 60,000 affected TVs, according to the company. "The overheating issue occurred only in very few models out of the total that used the component, but we will provide free component swaps for all of them for customer safety," LG told ZDNet.
There's no mention of LG's new 2020 models, including the CX and GX, being affected by the issue at all. LG is also reported to be doubling its production of OLED displays from now, so clearly it's not expecting any other major issues – and hopefully that will help keep OLED TVs to keep coming down in price. The CX is already notably cheaper than previous models were just after launch.
- Sony A9 48-inch OLED TV on sale and ready for you NOW
- PS5 pre-orders: You can reserve a PlayStation 5 at THESE retailers
Should I worry about my LG OLED TV?
Unless you live in South Korea, not officially. T3 has been contacted by some readers in other countries, including the USA and UAE, who believe they've had overheating issues with some of the same TV models as the Korea recall. We asked LG about these potential other cases, and LG gave us the following statement:
"The problem has been assessed to be generated by a defective TV component utilised in the 18 TV models sold in Korea, which makes Korea the only country identified to implement this replacement programme. We are thoroughly investigating the situation in all overseas markets and will update you when this investigation is finalised."
So while it's possible that we'll discover the problem has been more widespread, there's no reason to assume that's the case currently – issues that seem similar can have totally different causes that aren't large-scale across the models. If you are experiencing problems, contact LG in your region.
So for now, there's no need to worry about picking up the LG CX, which features prominently on our list of the best OLED TVs, and the best TVs overall – it's not part of the recall. The CX is even our pick of the best gaming TVs, which is no small thing in the year of PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.


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WARC announced the jury panel of the Effective Channel Integration category for its Media Awards 2017. The awards is an international competition that rewards pioneering communications planning which has made a positive impact on business results for brands around the world.
The jury consists of marketers as well as senior executives from several agencies. The jury would be headed by Charlie Chappell, Senior Director, Global Integrated Media of The Hershey Company. From the region, Krinio Christaras – Head of Media MENAP, Mondelez International is one of the jurors.
The others include Andy Bolden – European Media Director, GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare; David Brennan – Founder, Media Native; Sue Elms – Consultant, Skin The Cat; Norm Johnston – Global Chief Strategy & Digital Officer, Mindshare; Colleen Leddy – Head of Communications Strategy, Droga5; Dino Myers-Lamptey – UK Managing Director, MullenLowe Mediahub; Clare Peters – Executive Director & Head of Planning, MG OMD; Gwen Raillard – Chief Marketing Officer, Dentsu Aegis; Dominique Touchaud – Global Brand Strategist & Associate Brand Director, Procter & Gamble and Daniel Wong-Chi-Man – International Research Director, The New York Times.
“The hallmark of a good integrated campaign is when there is a simple, key idea that resonates with the consumer. The content and communication that comes out of that is then matched seamlessly with the media choices – making the whole process look almost effortless,” said Mr Chappell.


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|FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 11, 2009
Release # 09-147
|Firm's Recall Hotline: (866) 244-5687
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. It is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product.
Name of product: Style Elements Hair Dryers
Units: About 31,000
Importer: Big Lots Stores, Inc., of Columbus, Ohio
Hazard: The hair dryers are not equipped with an immersion protection device to prevent electrocution if the hair dryer falls into water. Electric shock protection devices are required by industry standards for all electric hand-held hair dryers.
Incidents/Injuries: None reported.
Description: This recall involves Style Elements Cool Shot Turbo hair dryers. The hand-held dryers have a silver body and black handle. Model number 3615T is printed on a label near the on/off switch.
Sold exclusively at: Big Lots' stores nationwide from July 2008 through December 2009 for about $12.
Manufactured in: China
Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the hair dryers and return them to any Big Lots store for a full refund.
Contact: For additional information, contact Big Lots toll-free at (866) 244-5687 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit the firm's Web site at www.biglots.com
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of injury or death associated with the use of thousands of types of consumer products under the agency’s jurisdiction. Deaths, injuries, and property damage from consumer product incidents cost the nation more than $1 trillion annually. CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical or mechanical hazard. CPSC's work to help ensure the safety of consumer products - such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters and household chemicals -– contributed to a decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 40 years.
Federal law bars any person from selling products subject to a publicly-announced voluntary recall by a manufacturer or a mandatory recall ordered by the Commission.
To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury go online to www.SaferProducts.gov or call CPSC's Hotline at 800-638-2772 or teletypewriter at 301-595-7054 for the hearing impaired. Consumers can obtain news release and recall information at www.cpsc.gov, on Twitter @USCPSC or by subscribing to CPSC's free e-mail newsletters.
Please use the below phone number for all media requests.
Phone: (301) 504-7908
Spanish: (301) 504-7800


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Here are the top media industry stories we’re following this week
Oriana Schwindt is a TV reporter for International Business Times and we chatted with her about her pitching preferences, pet peeves and what makes her open your email.
Managing editor Scott Billings has stepped down from his post at TheStreet, a role he held since September 2014.
If you are growing tired of the years-old gadgets and find yourself in the need of new tech in your life, there is no shortage of online publications offering the latest news and reviews. Digital Trends will celebrate 10 years of offering news and reviews on some of the most cutting-edge and creative tech out there.
In PR, there’s no telling what trends will last and what won’t, which means PR pros always need to be on their toes. Kathy Jeavons, senior vice president of public affairs at Story Partners, a Washington, D.C. strategic public affairs firm, is no stranger to the constant change in PR. In this interview, she reveals […]
If campaigns are using social monitoring properly, a hashtag calls out a potential donor, supporter or volunteer. Brands should be doing the same, translating commenters into leads, advocates or consumers. Over the last seven days #FeelTheBern has been used more than 525,000 times. That’s 75,000 times a day, or 3,125 an hour. Why hashtags matter When […]


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The St Andrews Brewing Company bar on South Street has been shortlisted for an award celebrating the best post-walk pint in Britain.
Mountain Warehouse has announced the list of 12 regional finalists battling for its annual ‘Britain’s Best Post-Walk Pint’ accolade last week.
Every year the outdoor retailer embarks on a quest to find the nation’s favourite pub to rest weary legs after a ramble nearby.
This year, Mountain Warehouse asked its stores dotted across the UK to nominate their favourite local walk and pub.
The St Andrews bar is the nominated bar from Scotland. To vote for the bar, visit www.mountainwarehouse.com/competitions/pub-awards.


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Samsung Galaxy Grand 2 is out in Gold
Being, one of their best selling mobile devices this year, Samsung has decided to give the Galaxy Grand 2 a gold treatment.
Color does not affect price, neither does it affect specs. So the gold Samsung Galaxy Grand 2 gives you everything on the white and blue models. The Galaxy Grand 2 smartphone costs about $300 in India, so this gold model is expected to stay afloat at similar price.
The device has 5.25 inches of display with 720 x 1280 pixels of resolution. The camera is an 8MP snapper with LED flash and a 1.9MP selfie unit at the front.
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The next Samsung Galaxy S10 could be designed exactly like this
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Panic at Apple after iPhone Xs didn’t sell quite as much as manufacturer wanted – Source


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Celebrating the game's 30th anniversary, the classic NES game Spelunker returns to challenge and confound Wii U and 3DS gamers.
Rad! Definite download.
N4G is a community of gamers posting and discussing the latest game news. It’s part of NewsBoiler, a network of social news sites covering today’s pop culture.


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Coach Inc. on Wednesday acquired the Coach retail businesses in Hong Kong, Macau and Mainland China from its distributor, the ImagineX Group, which has owned the operations since 2003.
The move gives Coach control of its distribution in the region, which includes 24 retail locations among the three areas. The agreements provide for a phased buyout over the next year.
The acquisition comes during a pivotal time for the brand, as it opens its Hong Kong global flagship on Queen's Road Central this week. Over the next five years, Coach expects to open more than 50 units in the region and see sales of more than $250 million.
Thibault Villet, Coach's president of Greater China, will lead the operations.
"Over the past several years, we have enjoyed an excellent partnership with the ImagineX Group," said Lew Frankfort, chairman and chief executive officer of Coach. "They have been instrumental in the initial development of the Coach brand in this region, including the opening of several important locations in key retail venues in Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai."
Frankfort added that, under Villet's leadership, "we're now building an on-the-ground team and deepening our insights into the Chinese consumer."
Coach will acquire the assets, including fixtures and inventory, of its current stores, while ImagineX will continue to provide support services in areas such as distribution, logistics, human resources, accounting and payroll following the transition.
“I was touched by the fact that she lost her father, really before his time, and it was a real shock. She had two young children, she was married and she was expecting that she would have her own life for a good 25 years,” said Claire Foy about playing a young Queen Elizabeth in Netflix’s The Crown. Styled by @mayteallende 📸@jgreenery #emmys2017 #wwdeyeu
“Truth and lies have become a real interesting theme, more than ever, lately,” Emmy nominee Laura Dern told WWD. "It’s a very interesting time to use our voice." Styled by @cristinaehrlich, 📸 @shayanhathaway #wwdeye #emmys2017
“It transcends the genre that is you think of a sci-fi show — you don’t expect it to be so profound or emotionally riveting,” Evan Rachel Wood told WWD of her Emmy nominated role in Westworld. styled by @samanthamcmillen_stylist 📸 @emmanmontalvan #emmys2017 #wwdeye


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- Dove Channel, a Christian-based subscription streaming video service run by content provider Cinedigm, saw a 78% increase in in-app customer satisfaction surveys after collaborating with customer engagement platform Swrve, according to an announcement shared with Mobile Marketer.
- The channel also saw a 56% completion rate among iOS users and a 90% completion rate among Android users for app store review requests, which boosted Cinedigm's Google Play rating from 2.5 to 4.1 stars. Dove Channel recorded a 65% open and click rate among active users for weekly push alerts when paired with in-app messaging, per the announcement.
- Dove Channel saw an additional average of 3.6 app sessions by users who consumed more content after their first engagement with the in-app messaging campaign.
Dove Channel's results demonstrate the importance of refining customer engagement and satisfaction efforts for subscription mobile apps, especially as the market grows increasingly crowded. The number of subscription apps and the money being generated by them continues to grow, with the top 10 subscription video apps generating 62% more in revenue in 2018 than 2017.
As more subscription apps become available, targeted and relevant content isn't enough to keep customers coming back, Tom Aitchison, CEO of Swrve, said in the company's announcement. Brands need to anticipate and provide relevance in real time to connect, engage and retain customers, including via push alerts and in-app messaging to connect with on-the-go audiences through mobile.
Cinedigm last month expanded distribution of its streaming channels on Comcast's Xfinity X1, five months after Dove Channel was added to the platform. Cinedigm's CONtv charges $4.99 a month for a selection of classic cult films and series, while its Docurama service costs $2.99 a month for a library of documentaries, Variety reported. Cinedigm in March announced plans to buy video-platform company Future Today for $60 million. Future Today operates more than 700 ad-supported video-on-demand (OTT) channels such as HappyKids.tv and Fawesome.tv.


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Google expected to launch Spotify-like streaming service this week
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- Lisa Ward
- Web contributor- Silicon Valley Business Journal
Google Inc. is expected to launch a paid music streaming service as soon as this week, possibly at its Google I/O conference that starts Wednesday.
The report says the cost of the service and whether or not there would be ads was unknown.
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This year may not be the best year for Tesco after the supermarket chain lost 50% of its market value. Earlier this year, Tesco announced that it has misstated its profits by around £263 million. The announcement resulted in a 16% decrease in shares though it has recovered slightly after.
The company’s chief executive, Dave Lewis, said that the changes in the dealing with the suppliers and the 6,000 newly hired staff were the source of the company’s shortfall in the profit computation. He also hinted that they chose to improve the relations between customers and suppliers rather than taking measures that would have given the company profits but only for a short-term. After admitting that Tesco’s relationship with its suppliers is not very smooth, they decided to retrain all their employees who are dealing with the suppliers in all levels. While these measures are costing them, these are important for maintaining the business in a healthy level. Some analysts voiced out that these measures could take years to fulfil.
According to BBC, Tesco has released that its group trading profit for the whole year will not exceed the £1.4 billion which does not quite meet the market’s expected range of £1.8 billion to £2.2 billion.
One of the reasons for Tesco’s decline is that customers are not that eager to shop there because it has lost its core – a store with best prices and great quality – leaving the customers with no choice but to patronize the competitors.
Currently, the Serious Fraud Office is carrying out a criminal investigation regarding the irregularities in Tesco’s accounting. Tesco is suspected of booking profits earlier from deals with suppliers while the costs related to the deal was delayed.
The incident was revealed last September and immediately caused a decline in Tesco’s shares. Billions was wiped off the value of the company which is considered to be Britain’s largest supermarket chain.
While the investigation into the accounting irregularities is ongoing, eight (8) executives of Tesco are under suspension but four (4) of the said executives chose to leave the company.
One important question is whether there are other cases of major accounting problems before this one. The real challenge is, how is Telco going to lure its customers back in?


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Stream and access media files on the big screen with the definitive WD TV Live
Despite being relatively late to bat in the media streamer/jukebox market, Western Digital came up with a gem of a product last year with the WD TV, which featured in our recent take on Media Streamers. This slimline, stylish device was designed to attach to a TV and play back music, photo and video files from connected storage, but lacked the streaming capabilities and HD support of more versatile (and expensive) rivals. Buoyed by the success of the WD TV, Western Digital is back with the WD TV Live, which addresses the above issues by offering full-HD, 1080p playback via an HDMI 1.3 port, and the ability to stream files across a wired or wireless network.
It can also stream media directly from popular online sources such as YouTube, Flickr, Pandora and Live365, and can, of course, handle content attached directly via external storage.
The interface has been given a refresh to make it more responsive when browsing large collections of files, an excellent range of file support for modern formats and codecs is retained, and the diminutive design makes it one of the smallest devices on the market to offer this range of functionality.
The importance of the development of devices like the WD TV Live is highlighted by research from Parks Associates, indicating that the average consumer currently has over 120GB of video, music or photos on their hard drive. This is set to rise to a staggering 1.3TB by 2013. In addition, sales of connected TVs and set-top boxes will more than double, from 57 million to 115 million units, by 2013.
Dale Pistilli, vice president of marketing for WD's branded products group agrees, stating, "The media enthusiast community has embraced the first WD TV HD media player and given us tremendous feedback. With the new WD TV Live media player we're giving them what they asked for - network connectivity and Internet-content streaming capabilities - and offering them a simple way to enjoy all of their digital media and enjoy it on their HD TVs."
If all of these benefits sound impressive, they pale in comparison to the list price. The WD TV Live is available now for a bargain US$149.99, which is around the third of the cost of high-end devices that offer similar support, such as the Netgear Digital Entertainer Elite.


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Liberty Global-backed Belgian cable operator Telenet has joined forces with DPG Media, the owner of commercial broadcaster VTM, to build a new streaming service with local and international content.
Telenet said that the pair want to respond as effectively as possible to changing viewing habits and to offer a local alternative to international streaming giants. The new company that will run the streaming service is expected to be operational in the autumn.
The new service will be offered in the Flemish part of Belgium where Telenet is based.
Telenet and DPG Media – which was formerly know as Medialaan-De Persgroep Publishing – together have an existing portfolio of television channels that are popular in Flanders, offering primarily homegrown programmes. The pair said that by combining DPG Media’s Flemish drama programmes with Telenet’s local and international content from broadcaster SBS and production outfit Woestijnvis from its De Vijver Media acquisition, and Telenet’s Play offering, will create an attractive offering for Flemish viewers.
Telenet currently serves more than 400,000 customers with its Play and Play More, offerings, which are currently only available to Telenet customers.
DPG Media, following the launch of the free platform VTM GO, has developed an up-to-date technology platform for its own paid streaming service. VTM GO’s content line-up includes international drama-focused SVOD service Walter Presents, which launched on it last April.
DPG Media and Telenet say they are willing to collaborate with other Flemish content partners, such as VRT, to expand the new streamer’s content line-up.
The new company will be a distinct legal entity with DPG Media and Telenet as its 50:50 shareholders.
The brand of the new service, along with the launch date and pricing, will be unveiled at a later date.
The partnership plan will now be submitted to the approval of the local competition watchdog.
Kris Vervaet, CEO DPG Media Belgium said: “We have long been advocating a solid Flemish streaming service. We have always hoped to do this with local partners, as this opens up far more opportunities to successfully challenge the international players. We are very pleased to be able to join forces with Telenet. We both firmly believe that we can develop a highly attractive offering that will make the difference with homegrown content. This is simply good news for the consumer and for the media landscape as a whole.”
John Porter, CEO of Telenet said: “Telenet has always believed in the power of collaboration within the local media ecosystem to face the pressure on the Flemish market from international TV players. Telenet has taken the first important steps in that respect with the acquisition of De Vijver Media – Woestijnvis, Channels VIER, VIJF and ZES. Today, Telenet and DPG Media join forces to take the next step. The joint venture does not need to start from an entirely new business model, but from an existing solid customer base of more than 400,000 subscribers. That should constitute sufficient guarantee to successfully write a new chapter in Flemish media history.”
DTVE: the week in view – Should streamers help to fund Europe’s network expansion? digitaltveurope.com/comment/should… https://t.co/x6aSHT8EvH
05 December 2021 @ 19:34:00 UTC
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By Ben Challis
The 1709 Blog
Copyright reform is perhaps surprisingly high on the political agenda. But why shouldn’t it be? Most of us love books and magazines, films and plays, music, television and games. But we have shifted away from a world where distribution had a cost, and copies had a cost – at least in terms of time and effort to produce and and/or a monetary cost. We all know the Internet changed that. We now have a brave new world where multiple copies can be made with little effort and often no cost beyond a file upload – and we have pitted the giants of the content industries – film and television companies, newspaper and book publishers, photo agencies, games and software producers, record labels and music publishers, against the technology companies – internet service providers, search engines, content aggregators, website hosts and technology companies – new, disruptive technologies – with some, like Sony, Apple and even now Google, with a foot in both camps.
During her testimony to the House Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet Committee on the Judiciary, Maria A. Pallante, the US Register of Copyrights at the United States Copyright Office, explained “The law is showing the strain of its age and requires your attention. As many have noted, authors do not have effective protections, good faith businesses do not have clear roadmaps, courts do not have sufficient direction, and consumers and other private citizens are increasingly frustrated” and that the US needed “the next great copyright act” which Pallante said is needed as consumers are increasingly “accessing content on mobile devices and fewer and fewer of them will need or desire the physical copies that were so central to the 19th and 20th century copyright laws.”
It’s not just one issue – digitization is the main driver, but there are other reforms that have been suggested: clarifying the scope of exclusive rights; revising exceptions and limitations for libraries and archives; addressing orphan works; accommodating people who have disabilities when they access content; providing guidance to educational institutions; exempting incidental copies in appropriate instances; updating enforcement provisions; providing guidance on statutory damages; reviewing the DMCA; assisting with small copyright claims; reforming the music marketplace; updating the framework for cable and satellite transmissions; encouraging new licensing regimes; and improving the systems of copyright registration in the USA. The Hargreaves review of copyright in the UK provided a similar if not identical list of issues that needed to be addressed – and progress has already been made on the creation of a “copyright hub” and a Digital Copyright Exchange to promote digital licensing. The UK Government has said that it will support the reform of IP laws ,and highlighted the need to progress this, saying in particular that: copyright exceptions covering limited private copying should be introduced to realise growth opportunities; The introduction of an exception to copyright for search and analysis techniques known as ‘text and data mining’ needs to be introduced; Copyright exceptions to allow parody should also be introduced; the Government would support introduction of an exception to copyright for search and analysis techniques known as ‘text and data mining’ and would support establishing licensing and clearance procedures for orphan works.
Elsewhere in Europe, Spain is working on a new anti-piracy law which will be robust enough to keep the country off a U.S. watch list of copyright violating countries. The Copyright lobby group the International Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA) has recommended the United States Trade Representative put the country back on a so-called “watch list” after removing it last year. Countries on this list can face trade sanctions from the United States if they do not crack down on piracy.. Spain had already passed their anti-piracy law – the so called ‘Law Sinde’ which was designed to crack down on websites popular with Spaniards for illegally downloading free movies, music and video games. But under the law, the burden is on copyright holders to lodge complaints with the government, which is slow to act against websites allegedly violating copyright. The new draft bill takes on board recommendations from the IIPA and others to speed up the process of going after the problem websites. The draft law clarifies that Spain will go after “linking sites” that direct people to content on other services and establishes fines for companies that advertise on piracy websites. It also includes measures to block piracy sites from using payment services such as credit cards The bill, currently receiving public feedback, will be redrafted to go to parliament for debate. The minister said he expected it to be adopted by the end of the year.
The Spanish copyright lobby wants the bill to give the government power to shut down sites quickly where illegal activity is detected. “We want legal protection comparable to any other property right,” Carlota Navarrete, director of the Coalition of Content Creators and Industries, said.
Not surprisingly, in the USA the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) is already lobbying. According to the MPAA, its member companies “welcome a continuation of the ongoing discussion of the importance of copyright” : a memo circulated by the MPAA “unapologetically” stated that any debate should easily conclude that copyright law ”encourages and rewards creativity and breakthrough innovation”. But is it fit for purpose? Are laws passed by sovereign states even relevant in a market increasingly dominated by a world wide web which knows no boundaries or territorial exclusions? Some have even said that ‘copyright wars are damaging the health of the internet’.
And the lobbying isn’t just from the ‘pro’ copyright camp. In the USA Mark Zuckerberg and other technology leaders, including LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman, Dropbox chief Drew Houston, Reed Hastings, CEO of Netflix, Microsoft boss Bill Gates and Eric Schmidt, chair of Google, have set up a new high-profile advocacy organisation. The group, called FWD.us has enlisted the help of Washington DC-based lobbyists and communications people on both sides of the political divide – although initial reports were not about copyright – they were about immigration and education; “To lead the world in this new economy, we need the most talented and hardest-working people. We need to train and attract the best. We need those middle-school students to be tomorrow’s leaders” Zuckerberg said in an opinion piece published in the Washington Post. But watch this space …….
In Europe the technology companies have had a mixed bag of results in the courts. In the UK, Mr Justice Arnold was issued blocking orders ordering ISP BT to remove access to the infringing Newzbin sites in Newzbin 2 (Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp & Ors v British Telecommunications Plc  EWHC 1981 (Ch)). The European Court of Justice took a different approach in 2011 in Scarlet v Sabam where it ruled against the proposed widespread and indiscriminate filtering system which would require constant monitoring at the expense of the ISPs under Article 15 of the Electronic Commerce Directive 2000/31 and Article 3 of the Enforcement of IP Directive 2004/48 which provides that “IP remedies “shall be fair and equitable and shall not be unnecessarily complicated or costly, or entail unreasonable time-limits or unwarranted delays”. Bearing in mind possible human rights issues, and citing the Promusicae case, the court commented that the protection of IP rights “must be balanced against the protection of other fundamental rights”. One comment at the time was that the Court’s decision was “hugely important for the openness of the Internet, and therefore for the fundamental rights value and the economic value of the Internet.”
Indeed the UK’s Supreme Court have just echoed these thoughts in NLA v Meltwater saying the question being whether the copies made on users’ computer screens and hard drives when they access and read content online are temporary for the purposes of Article 5.1 of the InfoSoc Directive meant that “the issue has a transnational dimension and that the application of copyright law to internet use has important implications for many millions of people across the EU making use of what has become a basic technical facility. These considerations make it desirable that any decision on the point should be referred to the Court of Justice for a preliminary ruling, so that the critical point may be resolved in a manner which will apply uniformly across the European Union“.
And that’s where we still are: Its balancing rights – the rights of content owners to protect their rights and their business models – the rights of artists, musicians, dramatists, writers to be paid – the rights of technology companies to promote new businesses and not to be unfairly fettered – the rights to a freedom of expression – and the rights of consumers and individuals to protect their personal data and their freedom to receive or impart information in a free, open and neutral internet.
Most recently organisations representing Europe’s communications industry have urged the European Commission not to change the 2004 directive on the civil enforcement of intellectual property rights (IPRED). The Commission have recently closed a public consultation on proposed changes. The group, which is made up of Cable Europe, ECTA, ETNO and EuroISPA, represent the telecommunication and mobile telecoms operators, Internet Service Providers and cable companies in Europe and the group warned that “introducing stricter enforcement through increasingly restrictive technical measures” would have “a chilling effect” on innovation, consumers’ confidence in digital products, freedom of communications and Internet openness.
The group is particularly worried that under a revision of the IPRED directive, ISPs “may be ordered to implement unspecified, disproportionate and possibly repressive technical measures in a blanket fashion against their customers.”
The consultation on IPRED, which closed March 30, has proved controversial. Many civil liberties activists believe the questions were biased in favour of copyright holders. Blogger Glyn Moody wrote “This is the worst such consultation I have ever seen. The questions are badly worded and it’s only too easy to tick a box that causes you to miss dozens of important questions. This flows from the totally biased way the consultation has been framed: it’s clearly aimed at holders of intellectual monopolies who want to enforce them more strongly,”
Monica Horten, a visiting fellow at the London School of Economics, agreed saying “All of the questions are addressed to rights-holders and ask only for their viewpoint. There is no place for non-rights-holders, who could be ISPs, to write a response” in an online opinion piece.
This may well be the reason the electronic-communications industry group decided to write its own appeal to the Commission. In it, the group warned that filtering copyrighted material may be “incompatible with fundamental laws of privacy around data protection.”
The industry group also referred back to the ECJ’s decision in Scarlet v Sabam and questioned whether such filtering methods are even effective, given that such measures can be quickly and easily circumvented. Instead, the Commission should urge copyright owners to develop new business models that “embrace the Internet revolution,” the group said.
Disruptive technologies always promote change and usually throw a spanner into the workings of traditional business models: Think of digital cameras and their effect on market leader Kodak’s business. Catastrophic. Think of encyclopaedias and Wikipedia. Think of telephones replacing telegraphy. And once the new technology is in place, as one of our comments noted recently, it’s almost impossible to get back to the ‘good old days’. Adapt or die. But never has change been driven so quickly – and nor have the technology innovators grown so quickly: the behemoths of Google, Amazon, Apple and Facebook now financially dwarf traditional business models such as the recorded music business and music publishing – and have ever increasing clout. And whichever side of the divide you sit on, one thing is clear – copyright law, whilst not broken in my own opinion, is clearly struggling.
Recent spats such as the Google Book Search litigation, the recently reported action by collection society Access Copyright in Canada against York University, the criminal and civil actions against platforms such as The Pirate Bay, the high profile prosecutions of file swappers such as Joel Tenenbaum and Jammie Rasset Thomas, The Viacom v YouTube and GEMA v Youtube cases, The ReDigi and Usedsoft cases, Meltwater (both in the UK and now the USA) and other aggregator vs content owner disputes and the MegaUpload case are just some of the many many examples of the courts being asked to adapt the law to meet innovative – but disruptive – uses of new technology. And the backlash is that consumers are often legitimately confused – asking questions like “why cant I format shift?” and “why don’t I own the music downloads I paid for?”. Legislation crawls along behind: in the UK content owners remain critical of the Government as key parts of the Digital Economy Act remain unimplemented, but are France and New Zealand’s ‘Three strikes’ laws really appropriate in the digital age? The DCMA seems to have rapidly outdated after it’s short history – is ‘safe harbour’ in 2013 really a suitable doctrine fit for use in 2013 – surely business models are very different to when the doctrine was was envisaged in the late 90s? Was ACTA really that bad? Is term extension something that makes any sense now? Does the Pirate Party have a valid role in politics?
Questions, questions, questions – but beneath it all are some fundamental principles and some fundamental freedoms which apply to digital natives and digital immigrants alike – and to those on both sides of the divide.


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Sony Xperia Z2 headed to Verizon Wireless in the U.S.
The Sony Xperia Z2 flagship smartphone will reportedly land on Verizon's network soon, according to a leaked promotional material with Big Red's branding on it.
Sony unveiled its latest Xperia Z2 a while back, and the handset is packed with impressive specs and features all around. It boasts top-of-the-line specifications and a high IP58 rating, which makes it both dust- and water-resistant for extra durability.
The Xperia Z2, however, has had a pretty rocky launch. It went on pre-order in Europe, then disappeared, then went back on pre-order, faced some supply shortages, and never made it to the U.S. so far. Earlier rumors indicated that Verizon will be offering the smartphone, but subsequent news revealed that the Xperia Z2 would only be available through the Sony online store in the U.S.
The rumor mill nonetheless kept churning regarding the device's launch on Verizon's network, with lots of teasers and leaks claiming that it would hit Big Red's network soon. Fast forward to present date, and the folks over at PhoneArena managed to obtain a leaked employee training manual screenshot. The material in question shows a Verizon-bound Sony Xperia Z2 en route.
More specifically, the document shows that Verizon is training its employees on the Xperia Z2, which means that it shouldn't be long before the smartphone powerhouse joins the carrier's lineup. Sony's flagship smartphones have so far been available on T-Mobile, which offered both the Xperia Z and the Xperia Z2, but it looks like things may change with the Xperia Z2.
As a reminder, the Sony Xperia Z2 sports a 5.2-inch Full HD display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor clocked at 2.3GHz, a hefty 3GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage capacity, and microSD card support for additional memory of up to 128GB. Other specs include a high-end 20.7-megapixel rear camera with 4K video recording capabilities, a 2-megapixel front shooter, and a 3,200 mAh battery. On the software side, Android 4.4.2 KitKat runs the show.
Verizon has yet to offer any official information regarding plans to launch the Sony Xperia Z2 for now, but if this leak is accurate the carrier should make an announcement soon enough. Be sure to check back for more details as soon as they become available.


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President Alexander Lukashenko said that nothing threatens the transit of Chinese goods through Belarus.
Over the past years, Belarus has managed to turn into an essential link in the transit chain of China leading to Western Europe. But recently Minsk has faced increasing sanctions pressure from the EU a new, fifth in a row, a package of sanctions is already being prepared.
In these conditions, Lukashenka considered it necessary to reassure his Asian ally: Belarus will continue to fulfil the transit agreements in any case. Details in the material “Izvestia”.
In 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping decided to revive the ancient trade route of the Great Silk Road. For this, the concept of “One Belt One Road” was proposed, consisting of two directions: overland the “Economic Belt of the Silk Road” and water “Maritime Silk Road of the XXI century.” To implement the plan, it was necessary to develop and build hundreds of infrastructure facilities in different countries: railways, highways, power plants and industrial parks.
At the same time, the Chinese Leader named Belarus as an important junction platform of the Silk Road. As part of this path, the two states planned about 90 joint investment projects.
In 2014, the Ministry of Economy of Belarus signed with the Ministry of Commerce of the PRC a protocol of cooperation. From this time on, Belarus can be considered a full-fledged participant in the “Silk Road”.
In the first half of January 2019, at the Paris conference of the International Union of Railways and the Association of Freight Forwarders (FERRMED) was signed a memorandum on the development of Eurasian logistics for the transport of goods between China and the countries of the European Union.
The document was accompanied by a route map, according to which the main flow of goods goes through Belarus. By the way, this was a big disappointment for Ukraine, which at one time intended to take a pretty bite off the Chinese transit pie. Indeed, in 2013 it was said that the Chinese side is ready to invest huge funds in the transport infrastructure of Ukraine.
However, after the overthrow of President Viktor Yanukovych, who was actively developing relations with China, most of the previous plans for cooperation were not implemented. The focus of attention of China shifted to Belarus, and Ukraine was left with only a spare railway branch – the southern branch of the main route (Moscow Kiev Budapest).
As part of the integration into the New Silk Road, Belarus has acquired a large number of infrastructure facilities. Among them, we can mention the multimodal assembly ground and the logistics centre for the distribution of goods in the FEZ Grodnoinvest, intended to become a global hub on the way of movement of goods from Central and Southeast Asia to the EU market and the Chinese-Belarusian industrial park Great Stone (in 25 km from Minsk), which is an industrial landfill for the placement of high-tech industries with an export purpose (mainly to the EU markets).
An impressive inspection and inspection complex of the Brest customs was also built – including a scanning tunnel, which is equipped with the technology of fast control and high-speed self-adaptation. He can “see through” cargo in motion, without stopping freight trains and identifying, for example, blocks of contraband cigarettes in lumber. The Chinese side invested $ 5.5 million in the launch of this complex.
China’s Interests will Not be Affected
All these investments paid off. Even in the crisis 2020, the Belarusian railways were transported more than 550 thousand TEU containers (twenty-foot equivalent) within the China-Europe-China route. Moreover, the volume of container traffic was 1.6 times higher than the level of 2019.
“Our transport infrastructure is in active demand as a reliable transit corridor,” said Alexander Lukashenko during his video message addressed to the participants of the Global Summit for Trade in Services held in Beijing with the participation of Xi Jinping.
According to Lukashenko, from 2014 to 2020, railway container traffic on the China-Europe-China line through Belarus increased 14 times. At the same time, the President stressed that Minsk will continue to take all necessary measures to ensure the uninterrupted movement of these trains.
In addition, Lukashenko directly called China a key partner of Belarus and unequivocally noted the great prospects that he sees in the possibility of accessing Chinese online trading resources.
These words are not accidental: the Belarusian leader needed to smooth out the effect of his own statement made a few months earlier. In May of this year, talking about the EU sanctions imposed on Belarus, Lukashenka emotionally said: “We do not want any economic war.
All of them, Europeans: sanctions, sanctions, we will impose sanctions! Well, we will answer. How long can you walk with your head bowed? They want to transport goods through the Mediterranean Sea there, to the east to Russia, China let them carry them. ” Moreover, on July 6 Lukashenka instructed the government to study the possibility of banning the transit of German goods to Russia and China through the territory of Belarus.
Soon Chinese Ambassador to Moscow Zhang Hanhui made it clearthat the Chinese side drew attention both to the words of Alexander Lukashenko about the possibility of restricting the transit of goods through the territory of Belarus, and to the new unilateral expansion of EU restrictions against the republic.
“China has consistently opposed the unjustified use of unilateral sanctions in international relations, as well as against the use of sanctions for mutual threats. China opposes the interference of foreign forces in the internal policy of Belarus, ”the Ambassador emphasised.
According to Zhang Hanhui, Beijing hopes that the parties will not undermine stability in the region. It is clear that Lukashenka is trying to assure China, which Minsk considers one of its main geopolitical “friends”, that Belarus is a stable and reliable partner. In addition, this state expects to further expand its participation in the “New Silk Road”.
So, on July 14, at the container port of Jade-Weser in Wilhelmshaven (Germany) for the first time arrived direct freight train from China. The train, which left the province of Anhui on June 25, stayed on the road for 18 days (half the time it would take for the ship) and brought home appliances and textiles. During this time, he covered a distance of 10 thousand km, passing through Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus and Poland.
Belarus Cannot be Excluded from the Equation
At the same time, the European Union continues to impose sanctions against Minsk. The other day it became known the content of their next package is already the fifth in a row.
Despite the fears, there were no measures against the Belarusian transit complex the sanctions will again affect individuals, Belavia airlines, as well as a number of Belarusian travel companies, which, according to the EU, “contribute to the development of the migration crisis in Europe”.
In other words, the European Union is well aware of its own dependence on Belarus in the field of Chinese transit.
The expectations of the EU states that China will diversify transport flows in order to avoid being overly tied to Russia and Belarus are purely speculative. For the time being, such hopes were especially strongly cherished by the Baltic countries, who hoped that China would decide to use their ports.
However, these hopes were dashed by geopolitics. If before the beginning of 2019 the Balts expressed their desire to cooperate with China, then accusations against Beijing spilled out as if from a cornucopia – the Asian power was accused of “subversive activities”, espionage and all sorts of insidious designs. This, of course, is not accidental and coincided with the intensification of the confrontation between the United States and China.
Small countries could not go against the policy of their overseas patron. Lithuania was especially zealous, trying to offend and insult Beijing as much as possible. In August, patience ran out there and China not only recalled the Ambassador from Lithuania, but also suspended its railway transit through its territory.
Nevertheless, neither China nor the EU can yet refuse the services of Belarus. And Belarus itself, as follows from the statements of Lukashenka, is not going to put obstacles to China all the more.


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LIDKÖPING, Sweden , Sept. 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Handheld Group, a leading manufacturer of rugged mobile computers, today launched a new version of the popular NAUTIZ X6 ultra-rugged phablet, a handheld computer that combines the big-screen functionality of a tablet with the go-anywhere performance of a rugged phone. Barcode Handheld Scanner
To view the Multimedia News Release, please click: https://www.multivu.com/players/uk/8947251-handheld-announces-new-version-of-the-nautiz-x6/.
With this platform upgrade, the new version of the Nautiz X6 ultra-rugged phablet runs Android 11 and is Android Enterprise Recommended (AER). One of Handheld's most successful products since its launch in 2019, the Nautiz X6 is ideal for industrial and field applications with the reliability to perform most challenging outdoor and industrial environments.
The Nautiz X6 rugged phablet offers:
"Since its introduction, the Nautiz X6 has been one of our fastest-selling devices. With its combination of military-level ruggedness, slim design, and reliable performance, the Nautiz X6 has been exactly the rugged handheld our customers needed," says Johan Hed , Handheld Group director of product management. "The platform upgrade and Android 11 plus the quality assurance that the Enterprise Recommended certification brings is likely to add to the product's success."
The new version of the Nautiz X6 can be ordered now with shipments expected to start in mid-September.
NAUTIZ X6 product specifications Press images Customer success stories What is rugged?
Handheld Group is a manufacturer and global supplier of rugged mobile computers, handhelds and tablets. Handheld and partners worldwide deliver mobility solutions to businesses within geomatics, logistics, forestry, public transportation, utilities, construction, maintenance, mining, military and security. Handheld Group, headquartered in Sweden , has subsidiaries in Finland , the U.K., the Netherlands , Italy , Germany , Switzerland , Australia and the USA . Learn more at www.handheldgroup.com.
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Apple’s mixed-reality headset has new momentum for a Spring 2023 announcement. The name will be called Apple Reality Pro. If that happens, it’s likely that the Apple headset will be released later this year, potentially around its annual Fall release of new Apple products.
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that software and hardware issues had forced Apple to delay shipment of the product to the second half of the year.
This leaves the Apple announcement open for either the spring or at Apple’s developer event (WWDC), which is usually in June.
The Apple headset is rumored to include mixed, virtual and augmented reality capabilities. It will run on a new operating system called xrOS, and Apple has given a group of software developers access to the platform to start creating applications.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman said “With the current plan, Apple could introduce the device to consumers — likely under the name Reality Pro — and then get developers up to speed on its software features in June. On this timeline, the company would then ship the product later in the fall of 2023.”


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SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Retailers sold more than $11 million of marijuana during Oregon’s first week of legal recreational sales, outpacing the early business done in other states that have legalized pot, according to the Oregon Retailers of Cannabis Association.
Oregon retailers had sales of $3.5 million by the end of opening day, Casey Houlihan, executive director of the association, told the Statesman Journal. By contrast, Colorado’s first week of sales reached $5 million. In Washington, sales during the first month hit $2 million.
Under the state law approved by Oregon voters last year, possession of marijuana in limited quantities has been permitted since July 1.
But there was no legal way to buy it until Oct. 1. Pot shops that already sell medical marijuana made big plans for the historic day, with some opening just after midnight.
One reason Oregon posted stronger early sales was the existing medical marijuana infrastructure. More than 250 medical marijuana dispensaries in Oregon have told the state they will sell to recreational customers. By contrast, Colorado had 24 stores on Day 1. Washington had just four, and a year later, still has fewer than Oregon.
Oregon also has a robust supply of marijuana that’s grown to support medical marijuana users and the black market. Companies have invested in massive warehouses in Portland to grow the drug indoors, and southern Oregon has some of the nation’s best conditions for outdoor cultivation of marijuana.
Growers don’t face strict regulations yet, so the supply can more easily flow into retail stores than it did in Washington and Colorado.
Houlihan says shops are seeing customers coming back to pot after years of not smoking it.
“They’re telling me that customers lining up are in many cases 50 to 65 and haven’t purchased marijuana in decades, but they’re just happy to have the opportunity to do so,” he said.
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FIA Block VW From Competing In WRC With A 2017 Polo
The World Rally Championship’s governing body the FIA have blocked Volkswagen’s attempt to compete in the series in 2017 with a brand new Polo.
Volkswagen motorsport had hoped to lease cars out to privateer teams for the 2017 season however the FIA have rejected the bid. The German manufacturer confirmed that they accepted the decision from the FIA and will continue with their plans to run 2016 customers in the WRC.
The Hanover company pulled out of the World Rally Championship as a manufacturer at the end of last season following four years of dominating the sport.