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By Bob Audette, Vermont Country Magazine.
Whatever treat your Valentine might have a sweet tooth for — cookies, cake, pastries or chocolate — Southern Vermont has what Cupid ordered.
Vermont Country Deli
“Chocolate-covered strawberries are always a big hit,” said Christine Meyer, store manager at Vermont Country Deli on Western Avenue in Brattleboro. “We like to do them with a little white and black tuxedo.”
Along with the regular items the store offers, like carrot cake, cannolis, cookies, tarts and maple candy, Vermont Country Deli’s bakers are serving up Valentine’s Day specials with marzipan or fondant flowers, and chocolate heart flourishes, said Meyer.
“We get a lot of people looking for our Chocolate Mousse Bombes,” said Abigail Haskell, pastry chef. “They are a gluten-free chocolate mousse dome covered in chocolate ganache. Very decadent, and perfect for Valentines Day.”
Haskell said for Valentine’s Day treats she also likes to make the Deli’s Genoise Heart Cakes.
“They are a very simple vanilla cake layered with fresh raspberries and Grand Marnier whipped cream and finished with a dusting of powdered sugar,” she said. “I make them oversized, so it’s just enough to share with a loved one.”
Vermont Country Deli has expanded its sweet offerings through a partnership with Britni Christiansen, a gourmet cupcake maker who opened Top Tier Baking Company in Guilford in 2014.
“She’s working with Abigail but also focusing on cake production,” said Meyer. “She does specialty wedding cakes, custom cakes, cupcake orders, and she is also offering cupcakes next door at the Vermont Country Deli Market.”
Meyer said because everything at the deli is made from scratch, folks hoping to serve a special sweet treat to their loved one should order two to three days in advance by stopping in, calling 802-257-9254, or emailing firstname.lastname@example.org.
Vermont Moonlight Cookies
In Shaftsbury, Barbara Bacchi has been making cookies at Vermont Moonlight Cookies for 20 years, though she started out on her sweet path with a Miro cookie press in 1960, when when she was just 12 years old.
She came to Vermont in the 1970s and was laid off from her publishing job in 2003, and over the years, she made holiday cookies for friends and family.
“So, here I was and I had no job and I watched a little too much Food network and saw all these little companies and I said I can do that,” said Bacchi.
She began hand-cutting cookies with Vermont themes, using quality local ingredients with whimsical names and shapes that pay homage to the Green Mountain State.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Bacchi had a storefront and a bakeshop and was selling her cookies to farmers markets and co-ops around the region. She now bakes out of her home.
“For Valentine’s Day, I do brownies, raspberry shortbread with Callebaut chocolate, almond linzers with raspberry jam from Sidehill Farm in Westminster and vanilla and chocolate cut-out hearts filled with fudge,” said Bacchi. “I use caramel a lot.”
To get on a mailing list and learn what she is baking at any given time or to place an order, visit vermontmoonlightcookies.com/collections/cookies.
Mother Myrick’s Confectionary
At Mother Myrick’s Confectionary in Manchester, they’re making their famous buttercrunch and extra batches of their raspberry almond heart shortbread cookies for Valentine’s Day.
“My husband, Ron (Mancini), started the business in 1977 as a little fudge pop-up shop in the summer,” said Jacki Baker. “It never ended. It just kept on going.”
Ron, who is also known locally as “the fudge man,” is 81 and Jacki is 75. When asked what keeps them going in the business, Jacki had a one-word answer.
“Chocolate,” she said. “But, really, we’re retail animals. Even though we have mail order, having a shop gives us the ability to stay in touch with our customers. Ron has been on a first-name basis with many of them for years.”
Also popular, and not just on Valentine’s Day, is Mother Myrick’s signature Lemon LuLu cake, their gingersnap cookies, a box of chocolates, and, of course, fudge.
“We can make special order heart-shaped cakes of several varieties,” said Jacki.
To see what Mother Myrick’s has to offer or to place an order, visit mothermyricks-store.com.
Bob Audette a cranky old white guy, is experiencing the world anew under the tutelage of an 11-year-old forest sprite. He’s been writing for the Brattleboro Reformer for nearly two decades.


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This article is part of our Confessions series, in which we trade anonymity for candor to get an unvarnished look at the people, processes and problems inside the industry. More from the series →
There was plenty to confess about in 2018. This year in Digiday’s Confessions series, in which we trade anonymity for complete candor, professionals in media and marketing spoke openly about relying too heavily on platforms like Facebook, the truths behind influencer fraud and the tensions around bringing media and marketing in-house. We’ve compiled the best of this year’s Confessions below.
Facebook will ‘completely deprioritize publishers’: Confessions of a publisher audience development lead
Exactly a week before Facebook announced it would change its News Feed algorithm to favor user content and de-prioritize the content of publishers,’ Digiday spoke with an audience development head at a midsize digital publisher who said the platform had disclosed its plan to him and warned him against depending on Facebook too much: “They very candidly said to me, ‘If I were you, I would probably not rely on Facebook as much as you are.’ So a big strategy for publishers needs to be diversification. The people at Facebook I’ve spoken to have confirmed this. Their efforts are going to be elsewhere.”
Confessions of a data scientist: ‘Marketers don’t know what they’re asking for’
Like with artificial intelligence or blockchain, data science is an area that marketers feel that they are in the dark. Digiday spoke with a data scientist who explained that many marketers are wasting their money just to be part of the trend: “It’s the Wild West, especially if a company has never dealt with data. Companies that aren’t ready for a data scientist, hire one and end up wasting $100,000 a year. Most small businesses don’t need a data scientist; they need someone to handle a spreadsheet or a data analyst.”
Confessions of a TV ad buyer: ‘Sometimes a client’s media plan makes no sense’
In 2018, digital ad spending toppled TV ad spend for the first time. In a Confessions with Digiday, a TV ad buyer discussed how TV ad buyers are feeling the pressure from clients’ persistence that they still see the same impact for less money: “Because of all the digital options available to them today, clients are spending less on TV, but they still want it to make just as much of an impact. They don’t want to let go of any of the channels they are on, and TV is still an important channel to them. Clients just aren’t willing to shell out the appropriate amount of money.”
‘Active participation in fraud’: Confessions of a former influencer
In June, marketers – including Unilever’s Keith Weed — brought the conversation around fraud in influencer marketing back in the limelight at Cannes. In the week following, a former influencer spoke with Digiday about how PR agencies are to blame as well: “PR agencies are encouraging this. Wait, more than that. It’s not encouragement — it’s active participation in fraud. The PR agencies are playing both ends. In order to sign with an agency, you need so many followers. So the agency buys the followers for influencers, and gets some money from the influencers in exchange for helping them land clients.”
Confessions of a marketer: Agencies forced brands to in-house more marketing
As the in-house movement speeds along, Digiday spoke with a senior marketer at a global advertiser who said it has become necessary to take more control from agencies: “The agencies have caused marketers like myself and others to bring more knowledge in-house. Yes, in-housing that expertise is beneficial for us because we control and track the data, and so can have a more transparent supply chain with internal media specialists, who will also care about and understand the brand better.”
‘It’s a hard industry’: Confessions of a young ad creative
Life at ad agencies haven’t gotten any easier. In a Confessions, a young agency staffer confided that there is still a lot of co-opting of ideas: “When you’re at an agency that is not producing a lot of work, people freak out a little bit. When it’s time to find a new job, they desperately take advantage of work they haven’t done and believe they can add it to their portfolios. Others are just greedy.”
More in Marketing
Google’s Search Partner network comes under fire in research underlining brand safety vulnerabilities
“Major brands’ search ads can appear on piracy, pornographic and sanctioned websites,” research claims.
As more influencers look to get into food content creation, brand opportunities are following.
As major marketers like Maybelline experiment with faux OOH, more marketers are open to the idea.

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Despite the ensuing slowdown due to the pandemic, Samsung managed to keep its smartphone shipments at respectable levels, according to new data obtained by market research firm IDC. It is even more impressive, given that Q4, 2021 witnessed a decline in the overall number of smartphones sold, likely due to a paucity of major launches.
Samsung has held on to its position as the market leader
Samsung managed to ship a total of 272 million smartphones in all of 2021, representing a rise of 6.0% over last year’s figure. It is a tad lower than the 300 million estimates from earlier, but it is quite common for different studies to reach different conclusions. Apple came in a close second at 235 million shipments.
Arch-rival Xiaomi fell surprisingly short with only 191 million units, followed by Oppo and Vivo at 133.5 million and 12.3 million units shipped, respectively. We have to bear in mind that the numbers for Chinese OEMs could be a lot higher if we take into account domestic sales in their home market of China, the data for which is likely not accounted for properly.
Zeroing on numbers from Q4, 2021, we get a slightly different picture. Apple led the pack with 84.9 million smartphones sold. Samsung, on the other hand, sold only 68.9 million units, followed by Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo at 45, 30.1 and 28.3 million units, respectively. Apple managed to maintain its market share hegemony despite shipping fewer smartphones compared to 2020. Ryan Reith, group vice president of IDC had the following to say:
As we mentioned last quarter, the supply chain and component shortages started to have a meaningful impact on the smartphone market as we entered the second half of the year, and this continues to be the case as we’ve now entered 2022. We expect to see supply and logistical challenges continue through the first half of this year, but we currently believe we’ll return to growth in the second quarter and second half of 2022. There is no question that demand is still strong in many markets, and to some extent, we are seeing increasing consumer interest in 5G and new form factors like foldables
Despite the general optimism around foldable sales, it could take several years before they’re little more than rounding errors in the overall numbers. However, more OEMs are hopping on the foldable hype train, and Samsung has a three-year headstart over most of them.
Join SamMobile’s Telegram group and subscribe to our YouTube channel to get instant news updates and in-depth reviews of Samsung devices. You can also subscribe to get updates from us on Google News and follow us on Twitter.


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Amazon counteracts Astro’s lack of computation capabilities with algorithms and software designed to allow the robot to move more gracefully.
Pudu Robotics brings in over $15M in C3 round
Pudu Robotics plans to use the latest round of funding to build a new production base expanding the company’s production capacity.
Watch a Badger Technologies robot wander out of a grocery store
Marty, an indoor autonomous mobile robot made by Badger Technologies, was spotted wandering a GIANT Food Stores parking lot.
Editor’s Picks: best robots of CES 2023
Robots were everywhere at CES 2023. Mike Oitzman highlights some of his favorite robots he saw in Las Vegas.
Ocado Group signs deal with Lotte Shopping to expand into Korea
The deal will enable Lotte to deploy Ocado automated storage and retrieval solution in Korea, to help automate fulfillment workflows for the company.
iRobot, SharkNinja patent dispute receives initial determination
Administrative Law Judge Maryann McNamara issues an initial determination in iRobot’s patent infringement lawsuit against SharkNinja.
Walmart to acquire ASRS maker Alert Innovation
Walmart began working with Alert Innovation in 2016 to build custom technology for its micro-fulfillment centers.
Delivery robot maker Starship Technologies cuts 11% of workforce
Starship is also closing a number of locations that “do not have the right mix of merchants and customer base to meet our near-term profitability goals.”
ABB robot 3D prints houseware in London storefront
For the month of April, an ABB robot will be 3D printing designer furniture, houseware and other objects in a window at Selfridges in London.
Celestica to manufacture Urbx Logistics’ ASRS
Urbx leverages Celestica’s experience to meet rising demand among retailers for faster, more efficient, cost-effective order fulfillment and delivery systems
Bossa Nova de-emphasizes robots in ‘retail AI’ rebrand
Bossa Nova said the pace of robotics adoption by retailers is too slow for robotics to be the only focus.
Simbe receives patent for tracking fruit & vegetable freshness
The patent clearly outlines the new functionality helps Simbe on its path to commercializing fresh food tracking and management.
PackExpo 2021 Recap
PackExpo 2021 was an opportunity to check out the latest in packaging automation. Check out this recap of the latest innovations that were presented at the show.
Hy-Vee deploys Tally robots to count in-store inventory
Hy-Vee is deploying Tally inventory scanning robots in stores in the mid-west.
GroceryShop 2021 Recap
GroceryShop is a great event if you want to reach buyers from national and regional grocers.
AMR provider Zippedi closes $6.9M seed series funding round
Investment will enable Zippedi to expand its market into the U.S. to meet the market demand in both the Home Improvement and grocery sectors.
ASRS wars: Attabotics sues Urbx for patent infringement
Both companies develop automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS) and are pursuing the lucrative grocery automation market.
Bossa Nova shuts down European robotics division
Bossa Nova Robotics, the Mountain View, Calif.-based developer of inventory control robots for retailers, recently shut down its European business unit. Headquartered in Sheffield, U.K., Bossa Nova Robotics Europe had its funding cut off from the parent company. Bossa Nova Robotics Europe is in the Administration phase, the U.K.’s equivalent to Chapter 11. In November…
Dexai designs Alfred 2.0 for safe food service to help restaurants during pandemic
Dexai Robotics has designed its Alfred 2.0 to offer a space-saving, sanitary alternative for dishing out meals.
Sex, Race, and Robots author Ayanna Howard discusses how to identify, fight bias
Ayanna Howard, the first female dean of Ohio State University’s College of Engineering, discusses her new book on Sex, Race, and Robotics.
STCR works with Badger Technologies to help independent grocers adopt robots
Badger Technologies’ in-store, multipurpose robots will complement the retail systems of STCR, which hopes to help independent grocers adopt automation.
Bobacino launches crowdfunding campaign for automated bubble tea machine
As robotics and automation expand to new markets, startup Bobacino brings a customizable and futuristic splash to a time-honored tradition of bubble tea.


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Every winter, the people at Wenonah Canoe build a forest of canoes in their warehouses. The company sells 12,000 canoes and kayaks every year to people around the world. About 40 years ago, founder Mike Cichanowski started with just one boat.
"We started small. This thing was started in my backyard. My father's garage is where this thing started," Cichanowski said.
Wenonah now employs about 90 people at two facilities in Winona. It's grown steadily every year. Last year was the only year in recent history that Cichanowski didn't add staff.
"Our trademark is making high performance, lightweight boats. And we probably produce two-thirds of the Kevlar canoes sold in the world."
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A two-person Kevlar canoe can weigh as little as 40 pounds. The company builds 66 types of canoes and kayaks.
Cichanowski leads me into a warehouse, where workers begin the process of building Kevlar canoes. Here the Kevlar fabric is layered by hand inside of a red mold.
"Molding is like making a giant cake. Think of the cake pan as your mold, so we're working inside this mold. And once it's hardened it comes out as a finished boat," Cichanowski said.
Wenonah Canoe is known for innovative design and building techniques. But Cichanowski says his company is reviving what people in the 18th and 19th centuries knew about canoe-building.
In the next room, there's a three-seater 20-foot long canoe. It's the kind of boat you might see on a big lake in the Boundary Waters.
"The boat is so long that we have to really stiffen it up. So we're going to install this structural foam. This is a foam that is used in an airplane wing for an aircraft. It's a very expensive, but very hard, very durable material," said Adam Grable, who is fitting the yellow material into the sides of the boat.
"Right now, I'm just going to put in a couple of the ribs for support in the boat. We fit them to size, we heat them, bend them in and cut them," Grable said.
Grable and the rest of the staff at Wenonah work four, 10-hour days every week. They started that schedule last year to save workers gas money. The plant saves on energy costs, too.
Wenonah makes other, less labor-intensive boats. But a boat like this one costs around $2,000. Last year sales at Wenonah were flat, according to Cichanowski.
"This recession is different than some. There is so much going right now. The problem is nobody knows what is going to happen. Uncertainty is out there. We might be just fine, and we just don't know," he said.
Canoe and kayak sales were down industry-wide from 2007 to 2008, according to Leisure Trends Group, which does outdoor industry research.
"So we're looking at units sold, kayaks are down 10 percent and canoes are down 15 percent," said Julie Day, the company's marketing and sales director.
Those are new boats, Day says. Sales of older inventory was up 105 percent, so overall sales were down just slightly last year. In January of 2009, she says sales were up a tiny bit as customers started thinking about their recreation plans.
"It's January, and I am thinking about what I'm going to do this spring or this summer, and I just can't resist this great price that I've gotten," Day said.
An early indicator of the season for this industry is March canoe shows. Attendance at the recent show in Madison was strong, Cichanowski says, but his sales figures aren't in yet.
Cichanowski hasn't laid anyone off yet, but he might need to if sales slip this year. But he predicts his company will endure.
"I enjoy building things. I'll be here for a long time," said Cichanowski. He says in business, you have to be, or you'll kill yourself with worry.


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Excited by the recent reveal of Subnautica heading to Nintendo Switch? Well, it looks like there may be an extra treat for physical collectors too!
A picture of a Nintendo Switch physical release for the title has appeared on the official Nintendo of America website. In particular, the image pops up when searching for the game (see below):
Presently, the game’s developer Unknown Worlds Entertainment has not actually said anything about a physical release on Switch. However, such box art appearing on Nintendo’s website has usually been a strong indicator that a physical release is indeed in the works – as was the case with games like Megadimension Neptunia VII.
We’ll report back as we hear more in the near future. Stay tuned!


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Phoebe Philo Page 1
We’ve heard of high-low dressing, this really takes it to the next level! Phoebe Philo showed her fall 2013 collection for Céline, continuing her streak as every editor’s Fashion Week favorite with a covetable offering of luxe knits, minimalist outerwear, and chic trumpet shapes. Only a few plaid pieces broke up the lineup of solids, and these XL prints reminded us of something very close to home indeed: those ubiquitous woven shopping bags that you can buy in bulk in Chinatown for a few measly dollars.
A couple of weeks ago, a Brazilian website by the name of Glamurama reported that Marc Jacobs was in talks to take over John Galliano‘s empty seat at Dior. The fact that the story was unsourced (and the fact that the website features a mouse trail of rainbow pixels) gave us pause, but that didn’t prevent it from getting picked up. Today, Women’s Wear Daily weighs in with a much more thoroughly reported take on the story — and all of a sudden a Jacobs-helmed house of Dior is looking a lot more likely.
In the wake of that mess with John Galliano at Dior, what could be more refreshing than a designer who doesn’t draw any attention to herself, doesn’t seek the spotlight, and doesn’t design clothes to be editorialized and then forgotten? Nothing, that’s what. Which is probably why this extremely rare interview with Celine designer Phoebe Philo (who fits the anti-Galliano bill to a T) was arranged.
Today is the day our favorite dapper rapper, Kanye West, turns 34. Happy Birthday, Yeezy!
Kanye sure likes wearing lady runway looks! Not only is he rumored to be doing the Balmain thing for his upcoming tour, he wore a women’s Celine blouse on the Coachella stage this weekend. And he looked awesome.
The nominees for the Council of Fashion Designers of America‘s 2011 awards ceremony are set, and the list is more or less a roster of the coolest kids working in the industry. And when we say kids, we mean kids. Because for the most part, this year’s nominees are pretty young. Also: Lady Gaga was nominated!
Britain may take flak for its climate and cuisine, but its clothing is no laughing matter — and the talented designers, models and megabrands that took home trophies from the British Fashion Awards yesterday are proof positive that our cousins across the pond take fashion very seriously. Above, Alexa Chung won the award for British Style.
Despite having a reputation for being buttoned-up, old-school, and relatively clean-cut, England has been voted the worst dressed nation in Europe.


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LOS ANGELES - Toyota never set out to wear the black hat in NASCAR, but things have sure worked out that way.
NASCAR's good ol' boys are up in arms about the juggernaut from Japan. One of them - Jack Roush, who heads Ford-powered Rosh Racing - says he is ready to "go to war" with Toyota.
"I'm definitely preparing myself for siege," says Roush. "Toyota will not find that the established teams and manufacturers will wither in their path."
To raise a war chest, Roush plans to sell as much as 50 percent of his operation to Fenway Sports Group, a sports marketing company.
Toyota will find out what it means to be the villain this Sunday, when it enters the Daytona 500 for the first time. Although Toyota has raced in NASCAR's Craftsman Truck Series for three years, this is its first season trading paint with the big boys in the Nextel Cup.
From a PR standpoint, going into NASCAR while the Detroit 3 gush red ink is unfortunate timing. Roush and some other team owners allege Toyota is trying to buy the NASCAR title George Steinbrenner-style, with Yankee-earned dollars.
Toyota has already lured veterans Dale Jarrett and Michael Waltrip, among others, to race the NASCAR Camry. Then again, spending more than other automakers has yet to earn Toyota a checkered flag in several years of Formula One racing.
Dave Illingworth, a senior vice president of Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc., calls Roush's allegations "unfounded."
'Enormous sum of money'
Says Illingworth: "There is a lot of concern over the amount of money we are spending. But we are in line with what everyone else is doing."
Not all race team owners agree with Roush. The more the merrier, some say, because it helps maintain the health of the racing series. But even NASCAR's official Web site uses the phrase "keep up with Toyota" in discussing how incumbent teams will compete financially this year.
One Toyota insider, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, admits the automaker is spending "an enormous sum of money."
But bad guy or not, Toyota has lots of reasons for going into NASCAR. Over the past decade, Toyota sales have soared in the coastal regions and Sun Belt. But Toyota still lags in heartland America. That is where the affiliation with NASCAR comes in.
Toyota executives complain about misconceptions that many Americans still have about their company. Many internet firebrands rave that NASCAR is a pure American sport.
But the Camry is built in Kentucky, while the Chevrolet Monte Carlo is assembled in Canada and the Ford Fusion comes from Mexico. And isn't DaimlerChrysler owned by a German company?
And if Americans don't mind watching the races on Sony or Samsung TVs, why should they care if someone is racing a Camry?


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via kei_shimadaon iPhone 3G/3GS most popular smartphones in Japan An August 2009 survey conducted by Kakaku.com shows that Softbank has a winner on their hands in the form of Apple’s iPhone. 21.5% of survey respondents own smartphones. Not too surprising was that 73.6% of smartphone owners browse more. Most interesting perhaps was the most popular smartphone … [...]
Tag Archive 'iPhone Japan'
Japan’s 3rd largest carrier, Softbank Corp, signed up 115,100 new subscribers in August leapfrogging the island nation’s largest carrier NTT DoCoMo Inc. with 112,900 new subs, and KDDI, the second largest carrier, with 77,800 new customers. Softbank is currently Japan’s sole iPhone provider and it’s a safe bet that Apple’s popular smartphones (3G and 3GS) helped [...]
iPhone is doing better in Japan than Wired.com expected … much better! Nikkei.net has posted a report on Japanese tech market research company’s (BCN’s) survey of Japanese handset sales. This was not just a tiny sampling. 2,300 stores that sell mobile phones participated in the BCN survey. The results? In the smartphone category, the iPhone 3G [...]
iPhonAsia stumbled upon a new blog focusing on iPhone in Japan. This blog has no contact info or authorship attribution and only one post. But we liked what we read and you might also. Excerpt: With all the talk that the Japanese cellphone market will never go for Apple’s iPhone, take note of data from Yano Economic [...]
macnn/electronista KDDI hit by iPhone 3G’s Japan launch EXCERPT: Japanese wireless carrier KDDI has seen its growth stifled in July primarily by the iPhone 3G launch the same month, according to a report from the company itself. The company’s subscriber growth was near flat at just 17,000 new users for the month and saw the first month KDDI has known where [...]


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The second-generation Peugeot 2008 has been launched in Malaysia, with official distributor Bermaz Auto Alliance (BAASB) offering the B-segment SUV in a sole Allure variant. The 2008 is the third SUV to be introduced by the company following the launch of the facelifted 3008 and 5008 last November.
In terms of pricing, the 2008 in Allure guise retails at RM126,753 on-the-road without insurance, which includes a five-year, 100,000-km manufacturer warranty as well as a three-year, 60,000-km free service maintenance package. Four colours are offered: Amazonite Grey, Pearl White, Nera Black and Orange Fusion.
As the SUV is locally assembled (CKD) at the Stellantis manufacturing plant in Gurun, Kedah, it benefits from full sales tax exemption – this is set to end come June 30, 2022. BAASB also points out that the 2008 has successfully endured 200,000 km of testing in Malaysia, which is likely why there have been various camouflaged examples on our roads in the past few months.
For the asking price, you’ll get a PureTech 1.2 litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine that develops 130 hp and 230 Nm of torque. The figures are 20 hp and 25 Nm more than the previous 2008, which also had the three-potter engine, but was a lower-tuned version making 110 hp and 205 Nm.
What’s unchanged is the transmission, which is a six-speed automatic sourced from Aisin that drives the front wheels. This setup can run on RON 95 or higher and allows for a top speed of 199 km/h, while the rated fuel consumption is 4.5 l/100 km following the NEDC standard.
Standard kit on the 2008 Allure includes 17-inch “Salamanca” alloy wheels, 215/60 profile tyres, automatic LED headlamps with matching DRLs, LED taillights, bulb-type rear fog lamps, rain-sensing wipers, roof rails, 12 parking sensors (split equally front and rear), chrome and black door handles, piano black pillar garnish and a chrome radiator grille.
Other features are keyless entry and engine start, an electronic parking, passive cruise control, three drive modes (Normal, Eco and Sport), single-zone climate control, mood lighting, manually-adjustable front seats, black leatherette upholstery, a reverse camera, a tyre pressure monitoring system and walk away lock.
The well-known Peugeot i-Cockpit is also present in 2008’s cabin and consists of a small-diameter, two-spoke steering wheel, a 10-inch digital instrument cluster with 3D-effect graphics as well as a seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system. The last item supports both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay and is hooked up to six speakers.
On the safety front, the 2008 comes with six airbags as standard, along with Dynamic Stability Control, Anti-Skid Regulation (traction control), ABS, EBD, brake assist, hill start assist, a seatbelt reminder system for all seats and Isofix child seat anchors.
There are also a few active safety and driver assist systems packaged into the 2008, including high beam assist, a blind spot monitor, active lane keeping assist, driver attention warning and camera-based autonomous emergency braking (branded as Active Safety Brake). It should be noted that some of these features, such as AEB, aren’t even fitted to the 2008’s larger siblings.
The 2008 enters a competitive space and will take on other B-segment SUVs like the Honda HR-V, Mazda CX-3, Hyundai Kona and Proton X50. Given the price tag and its specifications, would you be interested in the French model?
The post 2022 Peugeot 2008 launched in Malaysia – CKD; 1.2L turbo with 130 hp and 230 Nm; AEB; from RM127k appeared first on Paul Tan’s Automotive News.


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Black Friday Campaign Creates Strong Customer Engagement on Jumia Egypt Platform (PYMNTS)
November 30, 2021Company News
Africa-focused online marketplace Jumia started introducing the Black Friday sales concept to several of its African markets nine years ago.
Since then, the firm and its seasonal promotions have experienced record-breaking success as consumer appetite for the event grows each year.
In Egypt, the company’s second largest market by volume of orders, this year’s weeks-long campaign has been no different, according to Hesham Safwat, CEO of Jumia Egypt. “It’s an edge that we have [over competitors] or the traditional offline markets, for example, that celebrate the event only [one day] on Black Friday,” Safwat told PYMNTS in an interview.
He further said that Jumia’s ability to sustain the campaign with fresh deals over a three-plus week period — Nov. 5-30 this year — is one of the company’s biggest strengths and creates strong customer engagement on the Jumia Egypt platform.
Today, the nationwide campaign, which Sefwat said has grown in popularity since it was launched in Egypt back in 2014, has expanded from the eCommerce sector to include offline retailers as well as non-merchandise-related partners like consumer financing companies and digital services firms offering discounts on their products and services.
He said some consumers and deal seekers wait all year around until the month of November to shop for items because they have grown to “trust the campaign” and are confident retailers will have the best deals on the market.
Easing Financial Burdens With BNPL
For this year’s event, the North African subsidiary, one of the leading eCommerce platforms in Egypt, partnered with National Bank of Egypt and other banking institutions to offer a buy now, pay later (BNPL) service to consumers at zero interest.
Through the deal, consumers using the JumiaPay App, the FinTech’s electronic payments platform, were able to spread payments over 24 months using credit cards from institutions including Banque Misr and Alexandria Bank. Jumia also offered a 10% discount on both Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB) and Banque Misr ATM cards.
Given the rising inflation in Egypt and the pressure it has put on consumer finances, Safwat said the product has caught on with shoppers, easing a financial burden that is likely to extend well beyond Black Friday.
It’s the reason why Jumia, JumiaPay and valU, a leading BNPL platform in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, recently signed an agreement to enable valU to become a payment solution via Jumia and JumiaPay. The deal will link valU and JumiaPay for electronic payment services, offering clients nine months of interest-free installments when shopping on the Jumia platform.
The Great Shift to Essentials
Last month, Jumia published its first Africa eCommerce Index 2021 report, which showed a “great shift” in shopping habits across Jumia’s markets in 2020, from phones and electronics to groceries and “everyday essentials” — a trend that was expected to reflect in this year’s Black Friday sales.
That change, directly linked to pandemic-related lockdowns and stay-at-home restrictions, led to a jump in Jumia’s total sales value of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), fashion and beauty products, from 44% to 57% between 2019 and 2020.
Safwat said the firm observed the trend both in last year’s and this year’s Black Friday sales, adding that Jumia data shows that it will likely be a longer term shift in shopping behavior well beyond the pandemic.
Shopping for groceries online has also boosted the adoption of JumiaPay, with transactions on JumiaPay increasing by 34% to hit 3 million in the third quarter of 2021, driven primarily by accelerating volume growth in the food delivery category.
“Our top priority is to digitize payments and the JumiaPay platform is a key leverage that we have in the market to support the growth of our business,” he noted.
Another factor helping to drive this growth is the fact that Jumia Egypt operates in a country where the government has a keen interest in digital evolution and whose views are aligned with that of the online marketplace.
And because consumers listen to the government, their constant messaging on the country’s 2030 digitization plan helps Jumia’s in the area of consumer education, Sefwat said.
“When you have your government speaking the same language, it helps [to accelerate] consumer education and awareness in the market.”
Read the original article on PYMNTS
Jumia is a leading e-commerce platform in Africa. Our marketplace is supported by our proprietary logistics business, Jumia Logistics, and our digital payment and fintech platform, JumiaPay. Jumia Logistics enables the seamless delivery of millions of packages while JumiaPay facilitates online payments and the distribution of a broad range of digital and financial services.
For more information about Jumia:


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NEW YORK (
) -- Lawyers for
a patent dispute deal that would allow Samsung to launch the Galaxy Tab 10.1 device in Australia, according to a report.
If the agreement is accepted by Apple, the tablet could launch next week, a Samsung attorney told
Dow Jones Newswires
after a hearing in Federal Court in Sydney..
The details of the agreement weren't clear. But Apple attorney Stephen Burley said there was some potential benefit from an agreement.
"(Samsung's) inconvenience would be diminished and we would be comforted" by such a deal, he told
David Catterns, the Samsung attorney, said the deal would allow the company to sell its new tablet computer ahead of the Christmas sales period.
In Australia, Apple is seeking a temporary sales injunction against Samsung's Galaxy Tablet. Apple has
, claiming Samsung's smartphones and tablets copy Apple's iPhone and iPad.
-- Written by Joseph Woelfel
>To contact the writer of this article, click here:
>To submit a news tip, send an email to:


text: Business IoT to unlock revenues worth $11.1 billion by 2022: Study Updated : December 25, 2018 11:16 PM IST Connectivity will move beyond people to connect billions of devices, vehicles, household appliances and machines, a study said. In a hyper-connected India, IoT has the potential to reach 2 billion connections, and unlock revenues of $11.1 billion by 2022. Subscribe to Moneycontrol PRO at just Rs.33/- per month for the first year. Use code SUPERPRO. Limited period offer. Available on Web and Android.


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Most workers believe that performance reviews are a waste of time, a new study has found.
Take a look around your office. If a new study is to be believed, 35 per cent of your colleagues have taken a nap on the job and got away with it. And only 12 per cent say they have had been disciplined by their boss for sleeping at work.
The average mum will fall ill 324 times over their youngster’s childhood with colds and bugs passed on to them by their offspring, a study has found.
The NHS dominated headlines this week after the Red Cross declared it a “humanitarian crisis” but latest research from YouGov suggests the public are willing to pay a little extra to support the struggling health service.
If you’re wondering what’s going to go wrong next in your household - it might be the freestanding cooker you bought ten years ago.
Parents across the UK are damaging their children’s sleep patterns by relying on technology to get them off to sleep, a new report has found.
Hopefully all animal owners know by now the dangers of feeding ’human’ chocolate to their pets.
Lost clothes and glasses mingle with more unusual items in the lost property boxes at the UK’s airports.
Over 86 per cent of UK motorists think distraction caused by mobile phones has become worse in the last three years, according to a study commissioned by road safety charity IAM RoadSmart.
Almost four in 10 incoming phone calls in the UK are nuisance calls, according to new research.
The personal details of hundreds of millions of users of adult meet-up websites have been exposed following the hacking of AdultFriendFinder and related sites.
The road system in the UK could be as safe to use as rail and air travel “within a generation”.
Three-quarters of Brits are what is described as ‘micro-criminals’ - committing tiny crimes in shops and online to get a better deal.
British businesses and members of the public lost a combined £10.9 billion pounds to fraud last year, according to new figures from anti-fraud groups.
Road safety and health experts along with the emergency services have called on the Government to lower the drink-drive limit in England and Wales.
Workplace stress has reached record levels, according to a TUC report for World Mental Health Day.
Building bricks, dolls and mobile phones are among the items that Britain’s kids regularly drop in the loo, according to a new report.
Using mobile phones while driving rates as the worst habit among fellow motorists, according to a new report.
Until very recently, using a phone at the dinner table was frowned upon.
The average cost of moving home in the UK has risen by £870 during the past year, up to £10,996.


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A rising number of Binance customers are expressing frustration with unsuccessful efforts to withdraw their money from the controversial cryptocurrency exchange, increasing the likelihood of regulatory blowback for the company’s key executives.
Binance has of late found itself being called to task by financial regulators in a growing number of jurisdictions, prompting a number of financial institutions to block payments to the site. On Monday, U.K. payment processor Clear Junction announced it “will no longer be facilitating payments related to Binance” in keeping with the U.K. financial regulator’s late-June warning that the exchange was operating without local approval.
Clear Junction – which had been one of #Binance's key payments partners in Europe – says it has "decided to suspend both pound and euro payments and will no longer be facilitating deposits or withdrawals in favour of or on behalf of the crypto trading platform." pic.twitter.com/mGQqZWIbhU
— Adam Samson (@adamsamson) July 12, 2021
Australia may soon add its name to Binance’s ever widening list of regulatory hot spots. The Daily Telegraph recently reported on a number of angry Binance customers left high and dry by frequent service disruptions that tend to occur as digital currency prices plunge.
Binance has a habit of scheduling ‘unscheduled maintenance’ during periods in which ‘sell’ orders vastly outnumber buyers. By the time customers’ access to their accounts is restored, they often find their positions liquidated and the site unwilling to offer compensation that exceeds pennies on the dollar.
Numerous online commenters have noted that Binance’s technology appears to have no such problems during periods in which buyers dramatically exceed sellers. Yet when withdrawal requests dramatically outpace deposits, the Binance platform suddenly becomes as wobbly as a newborn calf.
Your call is important to us, we guess
Similar consumer complaints are being made in the U.S., as Gizmodo recently published a list of complaints that Binance customers filed with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over the past 12 months. Studying 200 of the 760 complaints confirmed by the FTC, Gizmodo identified ‘illuminating patterns’ of procedural roadblocks the exchange reportedly erects when customers request withdrawals of the funds in their accounts.
Most of the complaints refer to Binance.US, the offshoot established in 2019 after the parent company claimed to have blocked U.S. customers to avoid further scrutiny by U.S. financial authorities. However, the ‘Tai Chi’ document that was leaked to Forbes magazine in 2020 revealed that Binance.US was intended as a smokescreen to offer the illusion of regulatory compliance while Binance.com continued to illegally accept U.S. customers through the use of virtual private networks (VPN).
The complaints cited by Gizmodo also exposed the utter futility of dealing with Binance customer support. The company, which famously boasts of having no corporate HQ, appears to have no human support staff, relying instead on an AI chat-bot to offer generic solutions to customer problems.
Binance’s social media feeds are quick to respond to customers’ public complaints with assurances of their concerns being ‘escalated’ somewhere up the support food chain, but these comments are usually met with customers’ retorts that previous assurances of this type proved to be not worth the non-paper on which they’re printed.
Who’s the (soon to be jailed) boss?
The consumer complaints add to Binance’s U.S. woes, as the site is already being probed for alleged money laundering and tax avoidance by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Department of Justice (DoJ), while the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is investigating whether Binance served New York citizens without local permission.
Earlier this month, Binance.US CEO Brian Brooks attempted to distance his company from the intensifying regulatory spotlight on the Binance mothership, telling Bloomberg TV that Binance.US was “essentially a Binance-branded exchange” that merely licensed a name and technology from Binance.com. Brooks claimed that the only common thread linking Binance.com and Binance.US was they were both founded by Changpeng ‘CZ’ Zhao.
Crypto Exchange https://t.co/uUscAoCFWQ has hired ex-California regulator Manuel Alvarez as its chief administrative officer.
— Bloomberg TV (@BloombergTV) July 6, 2021
Unfortunately, Brooks’ comments appear to confirm the strategy laid out in Binance’s ‘Tai Chi’ document, which called for the establishment of a superficially arms-length entity that could “insulate Binance from U.S. enforcement” by limiting formal ties between the two sites to a purely contractual relationship.
This apparent admission by Brooks—a former acting head of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) during the twilight of the Trump administration—that the company he leads is the Tai Chi decoy for U.S. regulatory scrutiny could leave him open to federal charges if Binance opts for a rug pull when its liquidity crisis grows too severe to mask.
Who else in the crosshairs?
Before Brooks was named CEO of Binance.US this April, the company was led by Catherine Coley, whom Fortune reported had been ‘chose[n]’ to lead the U.S. company by none other than Binance founder CZ. That pokes yet another hole in the notion that the U.S. offshoot is as independent as Brooks and CZ would have us believe.
As of April 25, Coley’s name was still on the list of directors of BAM Trading Services Inc., the San Francisco-based firm that partnered with Binance on the launch of Binance.US in 2019. However, when Brooks was announced as Coley’s replacement on April 20, he stated that she was no longer on the BAM board.
According to BAM’s most recent annual report, the company had two other directors: CZ and Wei Zhou, Binance’s former CFO, who abruptly left the company in June, an exit the company claimed was made “for personal reasons.” The only other individual listed on the BAM report is CFO Joshua Sroge, who began his Binance.US adventure in January 2020.
Coley’s exit from the Binance fold was as abrupt as Wei’s, yet her departure didn’t even warrant the lame ‘personal reasons’ excuse. Since Brooks assumed the reins, Coley’s social media sites have gone dormant (she last tweeted the day before Brooks’ appointment was announced and her LinkedIn hasn’t been updated to reflect her Binance departure). As corporate escapes go, this one was pure Houdini.
The disappearing act may not be enough to diminish the interest of U.S. authorities, who won’t hesitate to go after everyone it believes may have played a role in perpetrating a fraud on US soil. Having been asleep at the wheel for any number of high-profile scams (Enron, Madoff, subprime mortgages, etc.), U.S. authorities badly need a win to restore the belief that someone—anyone—is keeping the financial players honest. The dishonest brokers at Binance may well fit that bill.
Follow CoinGeek’s Crypto Crime Cartel series, which delves into the stream of groups—from BitMEX to Binance, Bitcoin.com, Blockstream, ShapeShift, Coinbase, Ripple and
Ethereum—who have co-opted the digital asset revolution and turned the industry into a minefield for naïve (and even experienced) players in the market.
New to blockchain? Check out CoinGeek’s Blockchain for Beginners section, the ultimate resource guide to learn more about blockchain technology.


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Van de Velde H1 turnover up 0.9 percent
Van de Velde brand, Marie Jo / Photo: Marie Jo
The maker of brands such as PrimaDonna and Marie Jo said wholesale turnover fell by 3 percent and its U.S. unit Intimacy recorded a sales decline of 10 percent in local currency.
Due to the strong result in its European retail activities, overall turnover still inceased 0.9 percent to 98.7 million euros ($122.20 million) from 97.8 million in the same period last year.
The group said it would give more detailed outlook for the rest of 2012 in August.
© Thomson Reuters 2018 All rights reserved.


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View photosMoreVisitors look at Panasonic Corp's luxury brand home appliances called J concept at CEATEC Combined Exhibition of Advanced Technologies JAPAN 2015 in Makuhari, Japan, October 6, 2015.
REUTERS/Yuya Shino/File Photo
TOKYO Reuters - Panasonic Corp is prepared to move up its investment plans for Tesla Motors Inc's battery plant if needed to meet strong demand for the electric car maker's upcoming Model 3 sedan, an executive at the Japanese electronics group said.
Supplier executives and industry consultants have told Reuters that the acceleration in the plans to move up the launch of high-volume production of the Model 3 to 2018 would be difficult to achieve and potentially costly.
Asked about risks of being heavily involved in Tesla's aggressive production plans, Ito said Panasonic "hopes to play a balancing act" of ensuring investment returns and filling responsibilities as a supplier.
Panasonic's partnership with Tesla is part of the Japanese company's effort to withdraw from low-margin consumer electronics products like smartphones to focus more on automotive components and other businesses targeting corporate clients.
$1 110.2200 yen
Reporting by Makiko Yamazaki; Editing by Chang-Ran Kim and Christopher Cushing


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Cooplands has revealed when its brand new Lincoln store will open.
The doors for the High Street shop will open to the public for the first time tomorrow, Wednesday, November 27.
Anyone looking to pay it a visit can expect an early start as the store, which specialises in sandwiches and baked goods, will begin trading at 7.30am.
The shop, Cooplands' 160th in total, will create 14 jobs for people in the area.
Opening hours will be Monday to Saturday, 7.30am to 5.45pm.
Cooplands has a host of other stores in the city – and many are hiring.
For more details about the vacancies, click here.
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For the news that's local to you - we've got facebook groups for Lincoln, Boston, Skegness and the coast, Sleaford, Louth and the Wolds, Gainsborough and Spalding why not join them and join in the conversation?


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Dickinson Cameron hits Hawaii in 2013 by storm. While in the final stages of the 30,000 square foot Bed Bath and Beyond at Ward Center DCC gets right into the new MAC store and Louis Vuitton corridor relocation at Ala Moana Center. DCC is also slated to go into construction the middle of April for the stand alone 3,500 square foot Louis Vuitton at Hilton Hawaiian Village. With a lot more to come the Hawaiians meet with the Californian supers and Mike finds time to go fishing.
(Click image to view more images)Read More DCC News


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Facebook to open pop-up café in Edinburgh to tackle privacy concerns
Social media giant Facebook will open a café in the Capital next month.
The pop-up shop - inside Union Brew Lab Coffee Bar on College Street - will run on Monday, September 2 and Tuesday, September 3.
It is one of five cafés to launch across the UK designed to encourage Facebook users to run a privacy check-up.
Research by Facebook suggests 48 per cent of Scots worry about their social media privacy.
A quarter say they worry about a stranger seeing their posts on social media, which is the same as those who say they worry about someone they do not know overhearing their private conversations in real life (27 per cent).
Steve Hatch, VP Facebook Northern Europe, said: “It’s normal to worry about who can see the things you share on social media, but not everyone knows what they can do about it. That’s why we have made customising your privacy settings on Facebook quick and easy.
“At our pop-up cafés you can get help and advice on how to change your privacy settings – and all in the time it takes to make a cup of coffee.”
The privacy checkup allows people to tailor their Facebook settings, personalising how much information is seen by who, as well as seeing which apps and websites they have got connected to Facebook.
A menu of drinks - which will be on the house from Facebook -include cappuccino, americano and mint tea.
Further pop-up events will take place in London, Brighton, Manchester and Cardiff.


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New Delhi:- At the beginning of 2023, no one would believe that 'Oppenheimer' and 'Barbie' would be two of India's most anticipated movies. But among Indian audiences, both have great excitement for 'Barbenheimer', which hits theaters on 21 July.
Even the first-day ticket sales at the nation's top three movie theaters exceeded all expectations. About 3 million tickets have been sold for both films, according to Pink Villa.
According to the newspaper, Oppenheimer managed to sell more than 200,000 tickets on its opening day, while Barbie was a close second, selling more than 80,000 tickets across the top three national chains. Those numbers suggest a total net box office of $15 billion to $200 billion, driven largely by metropolitan audiences, Pinkvilla added.
Renowned screenwriter Paul Schrader earlier expressed his admiration for Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer, likening it to his own iconic works such as "Taxi Driver" and "Raging Bull." Calling it the "most important film of this century," Schrader encouraged viewers to experience Oppenheimer's brilliance on the big screen.
Across the Pacific, Greta Gerwig's Barbie is projected to surpass Oppenheimer in the US box office race, boasting a star-studded cast featuring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling. The film is expected to make a dazzling $110 million debut, with industry analysts even predicting it could reach as high as $140 million. Warner Bros, the distributor of "Barbie," remains more cautious, anticipating a $75 million opening in the US market.
Interestingly, while Barbie is dominating the US box office, Oppenheimer's appeal in India is soaring, probably due to Christopher Nolan's esteemed reputation as one of the finest filmmakers of his generation. At the same time, many Oppenheimers call it the best Nolan film to date.
Barbie, on the other hand, comes from a director who made such great films as Lady Bird and Little Women. Within her childish shell of expression, she expresses something more adult than her looks.
Barbie and Oppenheimer to release on 21 July in India totally went crazy before release as they have huge crowd and also were worth. The two movies are the best and the hottest movies went towards sky in India.


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The Better Business Bureaus Serving Western Ontario released a report Dec. 1 warning people in the municipality to be on the lookout for scams during the winter holidays. Because many people are already spending money and donating to charities it can be difficult to avoid scams.
“Probably one of the most common one [over Christmas] … is the social media gift exchange,” said Ashley Casselman, communication manager with the Council of Better Business Bureaus. “That’s where you send one gift to a stranger and get 36 in return. Obviously you’re not going to get 36 gifts.”
There are general rules to keep in mind according to the BBB. For instance when buying gifts or cards, try to stick with stores and methods of payment that are familiar.
Shopping websites are fast and efficient ways to take care of Christmas shopping, but make sure you can spot red flags. Try to stick to well-known websites like Amazon.ca, and look for a lock symbol beside the website location when in doubt.
The same holds true for non-profits and charities. The more well-known an organization is, the safer it is to donate to them over the holiday season. Groups like United Way are established in Southwestern Ontario and require transparency to operate in the province. Make sure you research before donating.
“During Christmas there’s always an opportunity for scams,” said Shirley de Silva, president and CEO of the Sarnia-Lambton Chamber of Commerce. “But there [are] some preventative ways people can protect themselves.”
According to de Silva, a good rule of thumb is to seek out charities and organizations rather than the other way around. When in doubt, she says, Revenue Canada has an easily accessible list of all registered charities in Ontario.
Judy Smith, with the Chatham-Kent Municipality, says people in Chatham-Kent should ask for muncipally distributed cards from door-to-door salespeople.
“They would have to produce a municipal license,” she said. “We give them a document or a card … and there's usually a date on it. If people don't produce that, the homeowner could call police. They're [also] welcome to call in to the municipality … we can check that for them.”
The BBB also encourages people, especially seniors, to keep their credit card information private unless trusting the website or person asking for it. The most common scams involve credit cards getting into the wrong hands, but can be avoided with moderate caution.
Especially avoid large transactions with door-to-door solicitors. Be suspicious of people from companies you do not recognize and anyone asking for confidential information.
“Seniors sometimes feel vulnerable or can feel intimidated by people pressuring them to give,” de Silva said. “What seniors should do is not succumb to pressure … take the time to check it out, and to call someone. And make that decision later on.”
The other scam people are falling for is one involving grandparents. It's where they receive messages from their grandchildren asking for money to help them out of a troubling situation.
To check, said Casselman, try to contact the grandchild some other way.
“I would advise [seniors] to look out for the grandparent scam,” Casselman said. “It’s not really your grandson or your granddaughter … that one has definitely gained a lot of traction.”
The BBB offers a “scam tracker” at bbb.org/scamtracker/canada. That is where residents in Southwestern Ontario can report scams and see what to avoid in the area. As of Dec. 1 six scams had been identified in Chatham, two scams had been identified in Wallaceburg, and 11 scams had been reported in Sarnia.
The most common in Sarnia-Lambton and Chatham-Kent are Advance Fee Loan scams, which can cost victims up to $700 or $800 in losses. Three such scams have been reported in the area this year, most recently Nov. 2 according to the BBB’s tracker.
“Usually if it sounds too good to be true, that’s because it is,” Casselman said.
For more on this and all things Chatham follow us on Twitter @ctw_news.


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Josh Ong is the US Editor at The Next Web. He previously worked as TNW's China Editor and LA Reporter. Follow him on Twitter or email him a Josh Ong is the US Editor at The Next Web. He previously worked as TNW's China Editor and LA Reporter. Follow him on Twitter or email him at [email protected].
On the heels of the unveiling of Google’s new Chromecast TV dongle, The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the company is developing a more feature-rich set-top box that would include a video camera for Hangouts and a motion sensor.
According to the newspaper’s sources, a prototype of the device was showed off behind closed doors at CES earlier this year.
It was clear from Google’s event this week that Chromecast is just one piece in the puzzle to occupy the living room. The company confirmed that the Google TV platform will get support for the Chromecast streaming technology.
Google SVP for Android, Chrome and Apps Sundar Pichai told AllThingsD on Wednesday that Google TV is soon to be a “full-fledged Android for television”. He also teased that more partners would be announced at next year’s CES.
The Journal went on to note that it was unsure whether Google has continued work on the set-top box prototype, which was said to have access to Android games and the Google Play Store. At the least, the overwhelming customer response to the Chromecast, which originally came with a generous Netflix promotion that quickly sold out, should help validate the Chrome and Google TV teams’ efforts to augment the TV.
With Microsoft billing its next-generation console as an “all-in-one entertainment system” and Apple tinkering with its Apple TV hobby, Google will find itself up against serious competition next year as it moves forward with Google TV. Still, it’s a trillion-dollar market, so it’s not likely to get too crowded soon.
Headline image credit: iStockphoto
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Ahmedabad:Furniture maker HOF Furniture System Pvt Ltd has roped in an Italian design studio lo introduce sofas designed in Italy and made in India.
“Italy has long been synonymous with high quality design especially in furniture and home decor. Unfortunately, Italian designs are conceptualised wrongly in India as many furniture importers from SE Asian countries and China falsely tags their imported products as Italian,” HOF chairman Pravin Patel said.
Italian designer Miki Astori will lead the team that will create HOF’s new range of sofas, he said. “These sofas will be customized according to Indian taste,” Patel said.
"In this context, we reiterate that not only Amazon, its joint ventures in India too are hand in glove and knowingly helping it desecrating our country's rule of law. It is also deeply worrying that some banks are colluding with Amazon by helping it keep prices lower than the market through exclusive policies giving cashback," CAIT said.


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Microsoft has announced that the Xbox One will go on sale in China this September, becoming the first gaming console to enter the Chinese market. The release comes after China lifted its 14-year ban on gaming consoles back in January.
To bring the console to the Communist nation, Microsoft has partnered with Shanghai-based company BesTV.
“Launching Xbox One in China is a significant milestone for us and for the industry, and it’s a step forward in our vision to deliver the best games and entertainment experiences to more fans around the world,” Xbox Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer Yusef Mehdi said.
Though China, according to Microsoft, generated more than $13 billion in gaming revenue in 2013, most users have played on PCs and mobile phones. The success of a gaming console, specifically Xbox One, will go a long way towards seeing other consoles, like the PlayStation 4, in the most populous nation in the world in the new, and distant, future.
Want to get the latest news wherever you may be? Download the official Fansided App on the AppStore or Google Play Market today to stay up-to-date on the latest news, rumors and analysis from Fansided without even being at a computer. You can also sign up for our newsletter below to get daily updates send straight to your e-mail. And make sure you follow @FanSidedTech on Twitter for the latest tech & gaming news, rumors, and analysis!


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A new strategy for social media that’s been embraced by many brands is getting your content onto the internet.
Read More: Here’s a look at the pros and cons of how to get it there.
What’s it all about?
The strategy is not new, of course, and it’s not limited to brands.
Here’s what you need to know about social media marketing to make it work for you.1.
What is Social Media Marketing?
Social media is a platform where content is shared, shared frequently and shared in ways that are optimized for the audience.
It can be a great way to reach people online and make them more engaged with your brand.
But in the past, it’s also been a place where companies have tried to hide the fact that they’re selling products online.
“We wanted to avoid that,” said Steve McLean, managing director of content marketing at WPP.
“We also wanted to make sure our brands were showing their face, that they were showing off the products, that we were promoting our brands,” he said.
Social media has also been known for giving brands the opportunity to reach their target audience through multiple channels, including through social media and other online platforms.
The new strategy aims to keep your brand visible online, even if you’re not selling anything.
But social media marketers are finding that they need to make the process of getting your brand out there a little easier to navigate.
For example, you’ll have to do a bit more research than before, McLean said.
“You’ll have more information that’s on the social, you’re going to have more social posts, you have to make those social posts.”2.
How to set up a social media account?
To get started, you need a social network.
You’ll need to register with a social account, which is usually done through your website.
You can also create an account on Twitter or LinkedIn.
Once you’re logged into your social media, you can add any of the three social media accounts you want, including your own.
If you don’t have a social profile, you won’t be able to make your posts, Mclean said.3.
How do you set up your social account?
You’ll also need to use an account to promote your products on social networks, McGlone said.
Some social media platforms will require you to create a profile on your website or a social sharing app, and you’ll then be able add your products to your profile.
McGlone says it’s important to have your brand on every social media platform.
“Your brand is more important than your brand is.”
“There’s more value for your brand if it’s on every platform, every time,” he added.4.
What does it take to get a social influencer on your brand?
There are many ways to get an influencer.
The best way is to create an online campaign.
You’ll want to start by asking for people to sign up for your newsletter.
“A lot of brands want to be on social to get people to subscribe,” McGlon said.
“I can tell you, we get 1,000 sign ups on our newsletter every week, but they’re not necessarily people who have any connection to the brand.”5.
How much do social media influencers make?
McGlon estimates that an influential can earn around $100,000 a year from social media.6.
How long does it typically take to attract an influence?
Social influencers can work in groups of 10 or more, depending on how much time they spend on the platform.
You might think they’ll be in groups for a couple of months, but the reality is that it can take months or years for them to come on board, Mcglon said, and that they may never sign up.7.
How will an influent work with brands?
The most important thing to remember is that social media is not a way to get into the limelight.
“They don’t want to show up and do a show,” Mcglone said, “and that’s the problem.”
You’ll want a lot of effort put into your campaign.
McGlones said that the best way to create something is to make a lot.
“You can make a million or a billion tweets,” he explained.
“The goal is to get as many people talking about your brand as possible.”8.
How does an influenced influencer make money?
In some cases, an influented influencer can make money from sponsored posts, said McGloner.
“If they’re doing the show and they’re getting a lot from the show, that’s great.
It’s a way for them [to earn money].”9.
How many posts are enough to get the influencer’s attention?
To gain the attention of an influencers, Mc Glones said you’ll need at least 30 posts a day.
“It’s going to take you about 20


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Devex have recently published an opinion piece by Concept Foundation’s CEO, Dr. Hans Vemer, entitled 7 Lessons on Access to Markets. This is part of an online conversation on Making Markets Work, exploring the issues surrounding making global health care markets accessible to everyone.
This particular piece draws on Dr. Vemer’s and Concept Foundation’s experiences with access barriers to quality reproductive health medicines. It first provides an overview of the challenges facing access to quality oxytocin products in lower and middle income countries; examples of these include cold storage and supply chain issues, or differing priorities among government levels. Dr. Vemer then puts forward seven practical steps that can be taken in order to address these challenges, such as focusing procurement practices on quality and harmonizing government procedures. The article finishes with an emphasis on the need to mobilize end-users and citizens on these important issues.


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Jul 21, 2010
Cavalli Fragrances' new license with Coty Inc.
Jul 21, 2010
Roberto Cavalli Group, one of the most prestigious Italian fashion brands, and Coty Inc., a leading global beauty company, have announced that they have signed a license agreement for the creation, development, and distribution of "Roberto Cavalli" and "Just Cavalli" fragrances. This takes place when current ICR-ITF licence term ends.
Just Cavalli Fragrance currently licensed to ICR-ITF
The new agreement with Coty will start in July 2011, when the existing fragrance license agreement for "Roberto Cavalli" and "Just Cavalli" expires.
The new license agreement with Coty, who will manage the license out of its Coty Prestige division, has the objective to further develop the presence of "Roberto Cavalli" and "Just Cavalli" fragrances internationally, which will be in full selective distribution starting from Spring 2012.
Roberto Cavalli, President of Roberto Cavalli Group declared – "together, we will be able to create some new and fantastic fragrances inspired by the world and lifestyle of Cavalli."
"With his colorful and elite sense of style, Roberto Cavalli brings an undeniably unique signature to fashion." – said Bernd Beetz, CEO, Coty Inc.
Coty, created in Paris in 1904, now has annual net sales of nearly $4 billion and Coty Prestige boasts a brand portfolio including Calvin Klein, Chloe, Davidoff, Jil Sander, Karl Lagerfeld, Marc Jacobs, Vera Wang, and Vivienne Westwood.
Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
By Rosie Hart
Copyright © 2023 FashionNetwork.com All rights reserved.


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Reliance Jio is gearing up for its full commercial launch of its services across the country and is all set to rattle India’s data market by offering 4G data at lowest rates in the world. “Mission of Reliance Jio is to take India from data shortage to data abundance. Jio makes India the highest quality, lowest…
Analysys Mason predicts the technology, media and telecoms trends that will be making an impact over the next 12 months.
1. Monetizing network investments in broadband infrastructure will be a top priority in 2015
- Operators will reap the benefits of growing data consumption in 2015 as many markets return to growth. LTE provides the ability to create larger data allotments compared with 3G (at higher prices) supported by ever more capable devices. 4K video will start to appear, driven by smartphone uploads, which will help to drive data consumption.
- Momentum will build around voice over Wi-Fi, and VoLTE will join later as an integrated proposition (and using the same IMS components). Launches will be driven by the need to address indoor coverage issues, but will also stimulate operators into evolving the ‘communications app’ both as a native device capability and an over-the-top (OTT) service extension.
- Fixed–mobile service bundles will become mass-market propositions beyond early successes in markets such as France, Portugal and Spain. The pace of transformative market consolidation will accelerate.
- Many more operator LTE networks will implement policy and prioritization features to support voice and video as well as differentiated services. The focus on end-to-end service management will be a worldwide phenomenon, but North America will lead the way in 2015. Original post at Telecom Asia


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Simon Williams, Patrick Heaps, Chris Mulcock, Jemima Unterhalter and Rosemary Baker all join this month with further growth planned.
Simon Williams is appointed head of retail investment and was previously head of retail investment at DJD. Simon has worked with BNPPRE CEO John Slade previously, including purchasing together substantial assets for clients in Germany. He has advised over £6bn of capital market transactions in the last 10 years.
Patrick joins as head of retail, reporting to Ian Parish, head of BNPPRE’s lettings and sales business. Patrick was previously head of retail agency at DJD where he was also responsible for client development. Prior to DJD, Patrick, in common with all the team, worked for DTZ / Donaldsons.
Chris Mulcock joins as senior retail investment director, having previously been investment director at DJD, and prior to that, Gerald Eve. Jemima Unterhalter joins as associate director in retail investment. The team’s administrator Rosemary Baker also joins.
Ian Parish, head of lettings and sales at BNPPRE, comments: “This is a major team acquisition and is very much in line with our UK development plan. I am delighted that Simon, Patrick and the team are joining us. This gives us tremendous potential in serving further our existing clients but also in offering a top class retail service to new clients.”
These appointments follow BNPPRE’s recent recruitment of Andrew Shepherd as senior director and Simon Hill as associate director of retail agency from Capital Retail, Richard Garside as senior director of city investment and his team from GVA, Hugh White as senior investment director from LSH, James Keys as senior investment director from Capita Symonds, Nick Rock as head of West End office agency from Brewster Leech and several other senior directors.


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CHINA: Heinz to build Sanshui baby food facility
Heinz's project is scheduled to begin before the end of the year
Heinz has signed an investment agreement with the government of the Sanshui district in the Chinese city of Foshan for the construction of a baby food manufacturing base.
Construction of the project is scheduled to begin before the end of the year, a spokesperson told just-food today (25 April).
"The new 80,000 square metre facility will expand Heinz's fast-growing infant nutrition business in China, a key emerging market for the company," the spokesperson said. "Heinz is taking this step to optimise our dynamic growth in China, a market with accelerating demand for high-quality infant nutrition products."
The factory is expected to commence production in 2014.
In 2010, the company invested US$165m in the acquisition of Guangzhou-headquartered Foodstar (China) Investments Co, boosting its presence in the Chinese-style condiment market.
Last week, Nestle agreed a deal to acquire the infant nutrition business of US pharmaceuticals group Pfizer for US$11.85bn, a deal that could bolster Nestle's presence in China.
More to follow.......
Swiss food giant has revealed that it plans to double the number of research and development facilities it operates in China from two to four next year. ...
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Flowtech Fluidpower Plc (LON:FLO), the specialist technical fluid power products supplier, announced today that, further to the announcement made on 9 March 2017 entitled “Proposed Accelerated Bookbuild to raise up to £10 million”, the accelerated bookbuild process has now closed. The accelerated bookbuild was successful and the Company has conditionally raised a total of £10 million, subject to inter alia the passing of certain resolutions by shareholders at the General Meeting. The Company will shortly announce the full details of the proposed Placing and post a circular to Shareholders containing these details and convening the General Meeting.
Unless otherwise defined, all capitalised terms in this announcement are defined at the end of the announcement made on 9 March 2017 entitled “Proposed Accelerated Bookbuild to raise up to £10 million”.
Flowtech Fluidpower plc, founded as Flowtech in 1983, is the UK’s leading specialist supplier of technical fluid power products. The Group has three divisions: Flowtechnology, Power Motion Control and Process. All three of the Group’s divisions have overlapping product sets, allowing procurement synergies to be maximised.


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Back at Google I/O 2016, the internet behemoth announced its entry into the smart home ecosystem with Google Home. Essentially, it is a wireless speaker souped up with Google Assistant, a virtual private assistant that’s a culmination of all of Google’s past know-how of search, machine learning, and artificial intelligence.
What Google Home allows you to do is to have the power of Google anywhere in your home. Say the familiar “OK Google” wake phrase, and Home starts listening to your queries. It’s a move designed to empower consumers the same way Google Now did when it was first released – but not everyone is enthusiastic about it.
When Google finally announced the pricing and availability of what’s likely to be the cog of Google’s smart home initiative earlier this morning, it again brought about a debate between myself and everyone in the team who stayed up to cover the event. It is one that will likely you would have with your friends: is having an always-listening device that beams queries to the cloud for the sake of convenience…an intrusion of privacy and personal space that is unacceptable?
My colleague, Farhan and I seem to be at opposite ends on this. While I’m all in with Google’s vision of the future, Farhan has equally realistic concerns of how such a device could be used against us.
The smart home concept has been one that has fascinated me both personally and professionally. My first encounter with a “smart” home appliance was a WiFi-enabled air conditioner from Samsung (which, sadly, was priced out of reach for many of us here in Malaysia), and one of my fondest recollections from IFA 2014 was a demo from LG, showing off how you can literally chat with your home appliances on the popular chat app, Line.
Things only kept getting more connected from that point. Apps like IFTTT allowed for an even more connected home with complex combinations that you can set up. I saw a future where my connected car can ping my connected home when I’m 10 minutes away to turn on the lights and air conditioning so that by the time I arrive home, everything’s set perfectly.
That’s years away, but the conveniences of having smart home appliances has real-world benefits today. Smart TVs connect wirelessly to your smartphone, playing YouTube videos or your Spotify playlist with a few simple taps. Robot vacuum cleaners intelligently clean your home while you’re away. Smart refrigerators scan the contents inside it and updates your shopping list. It is pure convenience at your fingertips.
Now imagine being able to do all those things and more with something like Google Home. Being able to bring up step-by-step cooking recipes while you are cooking, simply using your voice. Controlling your Smart TV, compatible speakers, or even lightbulbs – again, just with a conversation with a nondescript speaker. This is what technology is supposed to do: helping us do more, with less.
But if the thought of having your most intimate of conversations at home being secretly recorded and sent to some underground bunker where some top secret surveillance team is monitoring your every move, here’s a shocker for you:
We’ve been here before.
This isn’t the first time a Google product has made people shift uncomfortably in their shoes. When Google Now was introduced in Android back in mid-2012, some consumers immediately called out privacy intrusion concerns. Upon being granted access to your Gmail inbox, Google Calendar, and your browsing history on Chrome, Google Now provides “cards” that appear proactively, like giving you your flight details, calendar appointments, and yes, suggestions based on your search history.
It was the first time a digital assistant appeared to be more powerful than what people expected it to be, and for lack of a better phrase, this creeped a lot of people out. Suddenly there was this being overlooking everything you do, and suddenly your digital life didn’t feel all that secure.
Except nothing much really changed, because people eventually began to rely on Google Now cards for the convenience it provides. Four years on, Google Now lives as a permanent home screen on stock Android devices – that’s how important it has become.
We’ve been here before.
Maybe it’s just a Google thing. After all, it uses the information we provide from its services to sell targeted ads and make eye-watering amounts of money out of them. Isn’t that another intrusion of our digital privacy? Let’s take a look at another service that does the exact same thing: Facebook.
With over 1.7 billion active users, Facebook is easily the largest social network in the world. And yet, it’s free. It makes money the same way Google (mainly) does, and that’s via targeted ads. And how does Facebook know what we like?
We gave it to them.
Look at your About page on Facebook. Most of us list down (at the very least) these things: your name (duh), current city, work information, birthday (age is but a number!), and – crucially – your interests. Favourite movies, books, sports teams, brands, games, and so much more. It’s a treasure trove of data that – upon agreeing to its Terms of Service – us users give consent for Facebook to use for targeted advertising purposes.
In addition, the Facebook mobile app is another little-known but often-used privacy intruder. It requests for the user’s current location (which we willingly provide), and within the app, Facebook can measure so many things: what posts you’ve liked or shared, which friends you interact with most often, and even how long you spend looking at a particular post or video on your news feed without interacting with it. Using these data, Facebook can build (and probably has built) a knowledge graph that can pretty much reveal a lot about who you are.
And yet, we don’t mind, because of the convenience Facebook provides in connecting us with others.
We’ve been here before.
It’s not like Google is the first to create a physical digital assistant for the home, either. The Amazon Echo is basically the same thing: a wireless speaker with a digital assistant built in named Alexa – that’s also the “wake phrase” for the Echo. It works very similarly to Google Home: you can command connected devices with your voice, plug into third-party services like Spotify and various streaming services, and ask it random questions and get immediate answers.
And because it’s an Amazon product, the Echo also allows you to buy stuff on Amazon using just your voice.
Various privacy-related queries were presented to Amazon, especially when it was revealed that the Echo starts recording a query “a few seconds” before the wake phrase is said. And even then, the furore eventually died down. The Echo isn’t lighting up the world in sales numbers, but it was popular enough for Google to create its own version, which very likely will prove to be superior due to Google’s colossal knowledge graph: it holds about 70 billion facts to date, and counting.
Services like Google, Amazon, and Facebook have for long been storing bits of information about us whenever we use their services. And in this day and age, you cannot simply escape using at least one of these services. Combined, the collective information these giants have about each of us may be more than what some of our closest friends may know about us.
We’ve been here before.
Android and iOS devices are now both set to always be listening for the wake phrase anyway – “OK Google” and “Hey Siri”. So why is there a huge concern over Google Home? The main difference here lies in the medium with which Home operates: at home, your home. And yet, we all choose to ignore the fact that we sleep next to our smartphones – the always listening device virtually all of us own.
We’d be hypocrites for crying privacy invasion about an always-on device in your home listening all the time, when we very willingly reveal our relationship status, jobs, and virtually our entire social life on Facebook, and having a huge chunk of our digital life managed by Google services.
Perhaps I have a very Utopian vision of the future. Perhaps I’m just blissfully ignorant of the dark side of the God of Convenience to not see the risks and dangers of having such a potentially intrusive device planted within the sanctuary I call my home.
But as our lives become more and more digitally entrenched, devices like Google Home will be commonplace. The smartphone market has saturated, and companies are increasingly looking at the Internet of Things and smart connected devices as the next frontier (or business opportunity) of technology. We’ve seen Google’s entry, and it won’t be long till we see Apple’s Siri and Microsoft’s Cortana entering the fray.
(written by Farhan)
Google Home represents the pinnacle of the Internet-of- Things. A connected network powered by an AI assistant listening to everything being said around it. From a privacy perspective, this is a terrifying prospect. Despite this, Google is not the problem in this scenario – everyone else is.
IoT is rapidly becoming a massive headache for security experts. Not only because it is expanding so rapidly, but also because these devices are a nightmare to secure. Securing things like internet enabled security cameras is the last thing on anyone’s mind. After all, the camera is supposed to be the security device.
Insecam is a website that seeks to highlight dangers of using an unsecured IP camera and demonstrate just what can go wrong. It does this by simply streaming video from every camera it can find on the internet. Sure, the people running the site filter anything that may invade a person’s privacy, but the message is very clear. You are not as safe as you think you are.
3 things about this photo of Zuck:
Camera covered with tape
Mic jack covered with tape
Email client is Thunderbird pic.twitter.com/vdQlF7RjQt
— Chris Olson (@topherolson) June 21, 2016
It sounds like something a paranoid conspiracy theorist would say; but Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was pictured with this laptop webcam and microphone taped up. This is a person who collects user data for a living. Think very carefully about the message that this is sending.
Knowing all this, Google is asking people to bring an always on microphone into their homes. The very same people who are likely to lapse in their personal security practices.
This threat is not only confined to criminal hackers, but also extends to governments. Edward Snowden’s revelation of the Five Eyes spying network was only the tip of the iceberg. In May 2016, British Home Secretary Theresa May introduced a Private Members’ Bill that would increase the cybersurveillance capabilities of the GCHQ; all under the guise of fighting terrorism. She is now the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
Make no mistake, law enforcement agencies know that Google is a goldmine for user information. Google’s transparency report makes it very clear that more and more governments are looking to what the company knows about people. In all fairness, Google carefully considers each request and only cooperates when there is a good reason to. However, Snowden’s leaks paint a picture of intelligence gathering agencies that aren’t always interested in proper procedure or due process; or privacy for that matter. And that’s from the perspective of the supposedly “free” western countries. Agents from countries like Russia and China are even less likely to exercise restraint.
For those that forgot, it was the US and UK (and their allies) who ran the PRISM programme to steal data from the servers of large internet companies. This includes Google, who had no idea that there were spies snooping around its user records. The only reason we know about it was due to the Snowden leaks. Without them, there is no telling how long the spies would have managed to snooping around without being discovered.
The problem there is not that the intelligence agencies were secretly collecting information; after all, that is why they exist. Instead, the issue is that this was done without a warrant. In other words, it was illegal. Currently, politicians like Theresa May are looking to alter the law to make this perfectly alright from a judicial perspective.
It should really be noted that the problems are largely about the US and UK spying on their own citizens; foreigners do not get the same legal protection – especially if their countries have not ratified the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Meaning that the NSA and GCHQ are allowed to hack and hijack as many foreign microphones and webcams as they want.
It’s not really that hard. They have proven that they are capable of doing it with the highly sophisticated Stuxnet and Flame malware campaigns. If a government can do it, so can anyone with enough time to burn.
My esteemed editor believes that my problem with Google Home lies with surrendering more information to Google. To be honest, that is the least of our problems. Google, and to a lesser extent Facebook and Twitter, doesn’t actually need Google Home to collect user data to be sold to advertisers. People have made their peace with the idea of giving up a little privacy for the sake of convenience.
In fact, the amount of information collected by these companies isn’t really private. Names, phone numbers, dates of birth, and the like are generally open to the public. Few remember that we used to publish giant tomes that contained the home phone numbers of individuals.
Google Home is an unnecessary privacy risk. We are already exposed enough through our home computers and smartphones. George Orwell’s 1984 imagined a world where an oppressive dictatorship installed cameras and microphones in homes. With Google Home, governments of the world wouldn’t have to do anything but wait for people to willingly jump on the trend of giving up privacy and security for the sake of convenience.
This is not about Google. This is about the people who will abuse Google’s good intentions.
The issue of privacy will likely stick to anything that’s connected to the internet today. There is always the risk of the information that’s being relayed being tapped by a third party, and as Farhan already mentions, it isn’t as uncommon as we think.
In an age when you can get arrested for things we post on social media, the repercussions of having a microphone voluntarily planted in your home listening to everything you say is shuddering to even think about.
On the other hand, more and more companies are becoming aware of the risks associated with snooping of the data they store. Companies like Telegram and Facebook-owned WhatsApp have willfully integrated end-to-end encryption in their products, so that even they cannot access the information being relayed, let alone any third-party agencies.
For the idealist in all of us, having a virtual private assistant on demand is what the future is all about. Who hasn’t read or watch Iron Man and wanted a Jarvis for themselves? Google did not spell it out, but its Google Assistant is fast becoming a real-life Jarvis for each and every one of us. Google Assistant will work wonders living in our smartphones, but when in a hub like Google Home, that’s where Google Assistant can truly come to life (figuratively).
What do you think? Are devices like Google Home too big a risk to take home? Or is the convenience of having a virtual personal assistant simply too good to refuse? Let us know in the comments section below.


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London-based paperboard and packaging maker DS Smith plc has reported double-digit increases in operating profits and earnings per share in its fiscal year ending April 30, 2022.
The company says its 2021/2022 results show “continuing momentum” in the form of a 64 percent boost in profits before tax; 27 percent growth in adjusted earnings per share; and a 21 percent increase in revenue compared with the prior fiscal year.
“It has been another year of volatile trading conditions where we have worked through the
Tail end of the pandemic and, more recently, the tragic events of the Russian invasion of Ukraine,” comments Miles Roberts, the company’s group chief executive.
Continues Roberts, “We have delivered strong operational, environmental and financial results. The actions we have taken, driven by our strategic focus on our customers and their changing needs, including an ever-increasing focus on sustainability, have resulted in record volume growth. This, together with price increases which have offset significant cost inflation, has driven a strong improvement in profitability and high cash generation.”
The company says it continues to invest in the paperboard section, with the recently completed fiscal year including an investment in a new greenfield site in Italy that is now operational and one in Poland “currently being commissioned.”
In its new fiscal year that started this May 1, DS Smith points to capital expenditures it says will increase to approximately $615 million “to invest in customer-led growth opportunities, including sustainability, at attractive financial returns.”
Looking ahead to future results, DS Smith states, “Despite a more challenging backdrop, the structural growth drivers together with a resilient fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) customer base and our compelling offering underpin our confidence for fiscal year 2022/2023.”
The company is forecasting corrugated box volume growth of 2 to 4 percent for the current fiscal year, which would be lower than the 5.4 percent growth rate achieved in the completed 2021/2022 fiscal year.
In the recently completed fiscal year, DS Smith says it experienced 10 percent revenue growth in its North American operations. “Packaging volumes in the region have continued to see the strongest increases within the group, reflecting continued excellent customer traction with growth across a number of packaging sites and the increasing utilization of the box plant in Indiana,” states the company.


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Sydney Sweeney is one of Hollywood's latest it-girls thanks to her breakout performances on Euphoria season 2 and The White Lotus, so it surprised fans when she said that she can't afford to take a break from acting in a July 2022 interview with The Hollywood Reporter. Sydney revealed that actors no longer get paid "like they used to." "The established stars still get paid, but I have to give 5 percent to my lawyer, 10 percent to my agents, 3 percent or something like that to my business manager. I have to pay my publicist every month, and that's more than my mortgage," she explained.
Since the interview dropped, fans have been curious about how the star makes her income and how much she's worth. Aside from acting, Sydney runs her own production company and has partnerships with notable fashion and beauty brands. For all the details, check out the breakdown of Sydney Sweeney's net worth below.
Before becoming a Gen Z pop culture icon, the 24-year-old star had humble beginnings in Washington state. You probably didn't know that she conducted a business plan to convince her parents to let her professionally pursue her passion for performing. Since 2005, she's taken on small roles in shows like Criminal Minds (2005), Grey's Anatomy (2005), Heroes (2006), Pretty Little Liars (2010), and 90210 (2008). In 2018, she starred in Netflix's YA series Everything Sucks! before it got canceled and even had a role in Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale. The following year, she landed a role in Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood and was in Halsey's music video for their song, "Graveyard" before starring in Machine Gun Kelly's musical film, Downfalls High.
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In 2019, Sydney's career pretty much changed forever when she starred as scene-stealer Cassie Howard in HBO's teen drama Euphoria. According to a report by Life & Style, she earned $350,000 across 13 episodes (she's appeared in 16 total, per IMDb). If the math is mathing, that means Sydney took home an estimated $27,000 per episode.
She also went on to join the all-star cast of HBO's The White Lotus as angsty teen Olivia. Sydney earned prestigious Emmy nominations for both performances, and with awards come credibility and notoriety. That means Sydney could potentially make more money on acting projects in the future. She's already set to star alongside Dakota Johnson in Marvel's Madame Web and a new movie about a US government whistleblower, Reality Winner.
Thanks to her success on screen, Sydney has been able to become a homeowner — according to a January 2022 report by Dirt, the actress purchased a $3 million home in Westwood, California.
Sydney told The Hollywood Reporter that brand partnerships are another source of income that helps her stay afloat. "I take deals because I have to," Sydney told the outlet. She's partnered with fashion and beauty brands like eBay, Laniege, Miu Miu, and Tory Burch — the latter of which invited her to the 2022 Met Gala.
The exact amount she makes from each brand has not been disclosed, but according to Hopper HQ's Instagram Rich List, some stars have earned between $70,000 and $2 million (!!!) per sponsored post.
Sydney's income, however, has also taken a hit thanks to a lawsuit from swimwear brand, LA Collective. According to a report by TMZ, she is being sued by the brand for $3 million after allegedly backing out of a contract. The brand claims that Sydney was very involved in the design process and was supposed to model and be the face of a new swimwear line, Somewhere Swimwear. Page Six obtained legal docs that claim Sydney "appropriated the designs […] for her own use" and that she wore the designs "on at least five episodes" of Euphoria, despite her decision to allegedly back out of the contract.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Sydney has become a millionaire with a total net worth of $5 million in 2022. Still, Sydney's earning potential is on the rise, and she stands to make more as her career continues to grow.
Sam is an assistant editor at Seventeen, covering pop culture, celebrity news, health, and beauty. When she isn't draping her cheeks in blush, you can probably find her live-tweeting awards shows or making SwiftToks.