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No one knows. Not conclusively, at any rate. Satoshi Nakamoto is the name associated with the person or group of people who released the original Bitcoin white paper in 2008 and worked on the original Bitcoin software that was released in 2009. The Bitcoin protocol requires users to enter a birthday upon signup, and we know that an individual named Satoshi Nakamoto registered and put down April 5 as a birth date. And that's about it.
“These companies are using extraordinary amounts of electricity – typically thousands of times more electricity than an average residential customer would use,” a spokesperson for the New York State Department of Public Service told Wired. “The sheer amount of electricity being used is leading to higher costs for customers in small communities because of a limited supply of low-cost hydropower.”
In January 2009, the bitcoin network was created when Nakamoto mined the first block of the chain, known as the genesis block. Embedded in the coinbase of this block was the following text: "The Times 03/Jan/2009 Chancellor on brink of second bailout for banks." This note has been interpreted as both a timestamp and a comment on the instability caused by fractional-reserve banking.:18
Bitcoin's origin story sounds like something out of science fiction: It was launched in 2008 on the heels of a white paper published by the mysterious Satoshi Nakamoto, whose real identity – and country of origin – are unknown. Nakamoto conceived of Bitcoin as a currency that was 1) encrypted; 2) decentralized, i.e. it was ungoverned and did not belong to any nation; and 3) a digital "distributed ledger," such that everyone can verify online the legitimacy of transactions.
“So if you look at a $100 billion market cap today, now last week it might have been more like 200, so it’s actually a buying opportunity, we think that there’s a potential appreciation of 30 to 40 times because you look at the gold market today, it’s a $7 trillion market. And so a lot of people are starting to se that, they recognize the store of value properties.”
To heighten financial privacy, a new bitcoin address can be generated for each transaction. For example, hierarchical deterministic wallets generate pseudorandom "rolling addresses" for every transaction from a single seed, while only requiring a single passphrase to be remembered to recover all corresponding private keys. Researchers at Stanford and Concordia universities have also shown that bitcoin exchanges and other entities can prove assets, liabilities, and solvency without revealing their addresses using zero-knowledge proofs. "Bulletproofs," a version of Confidential Transactions proposed by Greg Maxwell, have been tested by Professor Dan Boneh of Stanford. Other solutions such Merkelized Abstract Syntax Trees (MAST), pay-to-script-hash (P2SH) with MERKLE-BRANCH-VERIFY, and "Tail Call Execution Semantics", have also been proposed to support private smart contracts.
On 18 March 2013, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (or FinCEN), a bureau of the United States Department of the Treasury, issued a report regarding centralized and decentralized "virtual currencies" and their legal status within "money services business" (MSB) and Bank Secrecy Act regulations. It classified digital currencies and other digital payment systems such as bitcoin as "virtual currencies" because they are not legal tender under any sovereign jurisdiction. FinCEN cleared American users of bitcoin of legal obligations by saying, "A user of virtual currency is not an MSB under FinCEN's regulations and therefore is not subject to MSB registration, reporting, and recordkeeping regulations." However, it held that American entities who generate "virtual currency" such as bitcoins are money transmitters or MSBs if they sell their generated currency for national currency: "...a person that creates units of convertible virtual currency and sells those units to another person for real currency or its equivalent is engaged in transmission to another location and is a money transmitter." This specifically extends to "miners" of the bitcoin currency who may have to register as MSBs and abide by the legal requirements of being a money transmitter if they sell their generated bitcoins for national currency and are within the United States. Since FinCEN issued this guidance, dozens of virtual currency exchangers and administrators have registered with FinCEN, and FinCEN is receiving an increasing number of suspicious activity reports (SARs) from these entities.
According to The New York Times, libertarians and anarchists were attracted to the idea. Early bitcoin supporter Roger Ver said: "At first, almost everyone who got involved did so for philosophical reasons. We saw bitcoin as a great idea, as a way to separate money from the state." The Economist describes bitcoin as "a techno-anarchist project to create an online version of cash, a way for people to transact without the possibility of interference from malicious governments or banks".
The concept of a virtual currency is still novel and, compared to traditional investments, Bitcoin doesn't have much of a longterm track record or history of credibility to back it. With their increasing use, bitcoins are becoming less experimental every day, of course; still, after eight years, they (like all digital currencies) remain in a development phase, still evolving. "It is pretty much the highest-risk, highest-return investment that you can possibly make,” says Barry Silbert, CEO of Digital Currency Group, which builds and invests in Bitcoin and blockchain companies.
The domain name "bitcoin.org" was registered on 18 August 2008. In November 2008, a link to a paper authored by Satoshi Nakamoto titled Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System was posted to a cryptography mailing list. Nakamoto implemented the bitcoin software as open source code and released it in January 2009. Nakamoto's identity remains unknown.


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RLH Corporation continues its commitment to an asset-light business model while it invests in new franchise agreements. This strategy underpinned the company’s strong Q3, which also saw RLH turn its attention to growing in the midscale and upscale arenas while approaching acquisitions through an opportunistic lens.
“We're really seeing a good, solid increase in our midscale and upscale brands as we move forward. And we're also seeing as we execute the new agreements for assets that have ended their term or are in the process of being sold… from one-year to three- to five-year agreements,” Greg Mount, president and CEO of RLH Corporation, said during the company’s Q3 earnings call. “So for us, growing that midscale and upscale businesses is key, and it's a distant focus for us.”
So far in 2018, RLH Corporation executed 132 franchise agreements, nearing its target of 150 to 200 signed agreements for the year. This was in addition to the company’s $27 million acquisition of Knights Inn in May, which added roughly 350 existing hotels and 45 properties in development to RLH's portfolio.
Overall, franchise revenue is up 19.1 percent year over year, reaching $15.1 million, while division profit from its franchise segment increased 55 percent to $5.9 million from $3.8 million in Q3 2017.
The company also has sold nine hotels in 2018 as of Sept. 30, generating gross proceeds in excess of $116 million. Two standout transactions this past quarter included the Red Lion Hotel in Port Angeles and Hotel RL Spokane, both in Washington, with their combined sales totaling $54.5 million. The company also is shopping around hotels for future sales in Salt Lake City; Kalispell, Mont.; and Anaheim, Calif.
Related story: RLH Corporation sells Spokane Hotel RL for $35 million
RLH Corporation did break slightly with its asset-light strategy with the purchase of full ownership of the Hotel RL Baltimore Inner Harbor for $300,000 this past quarter. Alex Fuhrman, senior research analyst at investment banking firm Craig-Hallum Capital Group, questioned this decision, and Mount clarified that the purchase was made in reaction to the ailing Baltimore hotel market. HEI Hotels & Resorts has been tapped to manage the asset so that RLHC can focus on the franchising end of its business, Mount said.
“Baltimore is a market that's just been dreadful and continued to not see the recovery… I think everyone in Baltimore hoped that it would,” Mount said. “We felt that this asset for us is very strategic. It continues to be, for us, a proving ground and a science lab as we test our new technology and work on kind of the brand standards for that asset. We felt that moving forward and taking on our partners and paying off the current debt is the right move strategically for us and for our shareholders. At the same time, we're going to be coming back and look to place new debt on that asset. I think this will be one that will definitely hang around a bit longer.”
Also during Q3, RLHC relaunched its website, redlion.com, centered around a design decision allowing guests to book a hotel reservation in three clicks, interact directly with the hotel and make last-minute changes to bookings. The company also reworked its Hello Rewards loyalty program currency, simplifying its return rate so that one Hello Buck is equal to one Canadian or U.S. dollar.
Eric Wold, senior analyst at investment bank B. Riley FBR, asked if RLH Corporation was looking for future acquisition opportunities and, if so, in which segments. The acquisition of Knights Inn earlier this year was celebrated as a win for both RLH Corporation and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, and Mount said his company will be looking for similar opportunities to grow its midscale presence.
“I won't say that we will never look at economy but we feel that we've got a really good handle on the economy [segment] and we need to really grow our midscale and upscale platforms,” Mount said. “Those are going to be our primary focus and we haven't changed from that direction at this point.”

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Then they boldly strike out on entrepreneurial ventures and learn the first incontrovertible truth about working for yourself: it’s hard.
The endless hours, the costs, the regulations, the challenge of finding the right staff and the risks are just a few of the reasons most people steer clear of the entrepreneurial path.
As the founder of a business, you will find that anything and everything is your responsibility. You will oversee production, distribution, marketing, sales and turning a profit. You’ll have to manage employees and vendors and pesky details like accounting, taxes and insurance.
But if running a small business in most places requires nerves of steel, doing so in a vast, remote and sparsely populated area must require nerves of something much harder.
Nunavut entrepreneurs have to contend with a whole slew of unique challenges. There’s the incredible cost of doing business up here, the spotty internet, the fact that most of your customers don’t have money to burn and the logistical challenges of operating in a place with few roads.
Maybe that’s why relatively few Nunavummiut take that leap. According to a Statistics Canada report, there were about 32 businesses for every thousand people in the country in 2015 but in Nunavut, there were only about 13 businesses per thousand.
But for the hardy entrepreneur with a spirit of adventure and a taste for exploring wildly different opportunities, the rewards of making a go of it here can far outweigh any sacrifice of personal comfort.
And there’s plenty of help.
There’s the Department of Economic Development and Transportation’s Small Business Support Program, which provides funding to help small and medium-sized businesses securing everything from marketing to training.
There’s the Nunavut Business Credit Corporation, which offers up to $1,000,000 in debt financing to small and medium-sized businesses.
There are business development centres in communities across the territory, staffed by people eager to turn your idea into a reality.
Then there’s the Atuqtuarvik Corporation, which provides venture debt financing to small and medium-sized Inuit-owned businesses.
There are also good times on the horizon. The latest report from the Conference Board of Canada forecasts that Nunavut’s economy will continue to grow at an average rate of 9.2 per cent over the next five years thanks to a growing mining sector, a budding commercial fishing industry and tourism.
These growing industries are sure to need many small businesses to keep them healthy. So take heart entrepreneurial Nunavummiut, good times are coming.


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About GNL Systems
We aim to deliver unmatched business value to clients through a combination of process excellence, quality frameworks and service delivery innovation.
- Apple testing new external display with A13 chip and neural engine, report says - CNET July 23, 2021 Dale Smith
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- Sequoia’s Mike Vernal outlines how to design feedback loops in the search for product-market fit July 23, 2021 Jordan Crook
- Hear Startup Alley companies pitch expert VC judges on the next episode of Extra Crunch Live July 23, 2021 Jordan Crook


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Ever since Bithumb reopened for trading back in September 2018, it has been pushing harder and harder to become the world’s top crypto exchange. As soon as it opened following a devastating hack, South Korean crypto trade volumes went through the roof – highlighting just how important Bithumb is to the crypto trading world. On the back of this warm welcome, Bithumb dropped several new products that piqued the interest of the crypto world. As we head into 2019, Bithumb has yet another new product for us – an over the counter (OTC) trading desk specifically for traders looking to buy vast quantities of crypto.
Meet Ortus the OTC Desk
Bithumb has named its new OTC desk Ortus. It will primarily serve institutional traders looking to make huge buy and sell orders. While the demand from South Korean institutional investors is yet to be seen, Bithumb is plowing ahead with the desk anyway. OTC desks are designed so that large orders can be placed behind the scenes, so that they don’t impact or influence the current market price. In stock trading, it’s a vital trading desk that allows billion-dollar funds to buy into firms without pumping or dumping the price of the stock. Now that whales from South Korea finally have a place to make their huge orders, we could see a more relative level of volatility enter the markets.
Birthday Airdrops Galore
Bithumb celebrated its fifth birthday in style and gave away more than 15 BTC worth of cryptos in random airdrops to its loyal customers. This act of appreciation towards its loyal traders has certainly won the crypto exchange a lot of new fans. Following an attack that left Bithumb with more than $30 million in various cryptos missing, it certainly needed some good publicity to get traders back on its side.
The Publicly Traded Crypto Exchange
Just as Ortus goes live, Bithumb fans are still partying from the news that Bithumb is now a publicly traded firm in the United States. After merging with publicly traded Blockchain Industries, Bithumb was able to skirt around the lengthy listing process. For now, the exchange is only trading on a pink sheet penny stock exchange, but if it fulfills a set of requirements it can move up to the big leagues and trade amongst America’s top companies.
The good news keeps rolling in for Bithumb and 2019 looks set to be the exchange’s biggest year to date. It has already rocketed up the 24-hour trade volume rankings from non-existent back in August 2018 to jostling for a top three place. Ortus will only boost the fortunes for Bithumb as the year progresses, of that we’re sure.


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Meta's new VR headset, the Meta Quest Pro, is getting a more affordable sibling in 2023 to vie for the title of best VR headset. While Meta hasn't confirmed that the device will be called the Meta Quest 3, it has confirmed that the headset exists and is coming next year.
The confirmation came from Meta's finance boss Dave Whener during the company's latest earnings call, with him stating that "the next generation of the consumer Quest headset" would launch in 2023.
Whener has spoken about the device before, telling Stratechery's Ben Thompson (opens in new tab) that "there will be a Quest 3 and that’s in the price range of $300, $400, or $500, that zone." But the confirmation during the call must have cheered up Meta investors, for whom the rest of the call was about as welcome as a late-night phone call about an ageing relative. Meta's VR adventures are losing an absolute fortune.
Virtual reality is costing Meta real money
Meta has revealed that Reality Labs, its VR division, isn't so much losing money as throwing it in a skip and setting it on fire. It lost a whopping $3.7 billion in the third quarter of 2022, up from $2.8 billion in the previous quarter and contributing to a total 2022 loss so far of over 9 billion dollars. Whener says next year will be even worse.
Facebook's parent is hardly bankrupt; it logged revenues of $28 billion. But with Mark Zuckerberg effectively betting the farm on the metaverse and committing to ever-increasing losses for the foreseeable future, that's going to put pressure on the rest of the company to boost revenues – and I think that's likely to mean even more aggressive pushing of content you didn't ask for on platforms such as Facebook and Instagram.
Meta's investors aren't entirely happy about things either. One open letter from a key investor says "Meta needs to get its mojo back" and demands spending on VR be capped at $5 billion a year; Meta's "estimated $100B+ investment in an unknown future is super-sized and terrifying, even by Silicon Valley standards." Mark Zuckerberg may be committed to Meta's VR adventures. but it seems that others' patience may be wearing thin.


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Pound may get little relief from slight inflation uptick
THE pound looks unlikely to get much of a boost this week even as traders get the chance to turn their attention away from the vote on Britain's European Union membership and back towards the economy.
Economists expect data on April 12 to show inflation quickened to 0.4 per
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A suspect was on Monday evening arrested following a raid on counterfeited alcoholic drinks in Ruai area.
Teresia Nyokabi Ngatia was arrested following a raid conducted by DCI detectives on a residential property in Ruai and was taken to Kamulu Police Station.
The raid saw the detectives recover over 200 cartons of counterfeited drinks with fake KRA stamps believed to be unsafe to consumers.
“A consignment of counterfeit alcoholic drinks affixed with fake KRA stamps was impounded yesterday evening at a residential property in Ruai, by detectives acting on intelligence leads,” said the DCI in a statement.
“Over 200 cartons containing thousands of bottles of counterfeited spirits destined for the local market were recovered following the ongoing operation on high level tax evasion schemes by traders dealing in alcoholic products,” said the DCI in a statement.
The counterfeited drinks include popular alcoholic brands consumed by Kenyans.
The suspect is set to be arraigned in court.


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Sprint-Nextel sued for NY taxes
New York's attorney general is suing wireless carrier Sprint for allegedly failing to pay sales taxes for the past seven years. Hudson Valley Bureau Chief Dave Lucas reports.
Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is suing Sprint-Nextel Corp., claiming it under-collected and underpaid $100 million in sales taxes to keep prices down.
The tax suit, the first filed under the state's False Claims Act, could require the company to pay triple the amount it is accused of underpaying, or $300 million. Schneiderman says Sprint was informed and has not changed its practice, while competitors Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and MetroPCS pay the tax.
Since 2002, New York tax law has required mobile phone companies to collect and pay sales taxes on the full amount of their monthly access fees for calling plans. Schneiderman says Sprint since 2005 underpaid the tax and submitted false records.
The AG's office furnished some numbers: rough estimates of what some counties could have been entitled to, had taxes been properly collected.
Schoharie County: $59,000
Albany County: $535,000
Westchester County: $1,300,000
New York City: $28,613,000
In a response to the Associated Press,Sprint says the AG's complaint is "without merit" and it paid all taxes it believes its customers owe. The company then issued a statement, denying any wrongdoing alleged in the attorney general's lawsuit.


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The USDA has raised its forecast for U.S. pork production in 2015, the agency revealed in its World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report, released on May 12
The federal agency’s May forecast calls for 24.4 billion pounds of pork to be produced during 2015, up from the April forecast that called for 24.24 billion pounds of pork.
Both estimates topped the U.S. pork production totals for 2014, which reached 22.84 billion pounds.
“Pork production is forecast higher as the pace of slaughter in the second quarter remains heavy and supplies of slaughter hogs in the second part of the year are expected to remain ample,” USDA stated in the WASDE report.
Pork production in 2016
USDA offered a look into pork production in 2016, calling for even more pounds of pork to be produced. In its May WASDE report, the agency projected that U.S. pork production would reach 24.7 billion pounds. No estimates for 2016 pork production were offered in the April WASDE report.
“Pork production is expected to increase as pig crops expand, reflecting moderate increases in farrowings during late 2015 and early 2016 and a continued recovery in growth in pigs per litter,” the agency stated.


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ANGRY former workers of the axed Kwik Save store in Ellesmere Port held a protest about the company's failure to pay them their due redundancy money.
Ex-staff at the Station Road branch demonstrated outside the Little Sutton store between 10am and 3.30pm on Monday to inform shoppers of their plight.
Last week we exclusively revealed how the troubled retail chain had failed to pay up as it sought to secure a rescue package, leaving its former workers struggling to pay bills.
Kwik Save also failed to pay the wages of staff at the Little Sutton store, the future of which remains uncertain.
On Friday the High Court in Manchester gave the company until Thursday to secure its future after some of the staff agreed to work for another week without pay to stave off administration.
Mandy Higgins, who had worked at the Ellesmere Port store for more than 10 years, said: 'People were very supportive and shocked to hear what Kwik Save had done.
'I received a pay slip from the company saying they had paid me the redundancy money but there was no cheque inside or cash in my account.
'I just don't know how they expect us to live. We have got families and need the money for things like school.'
Frances Wright, who had worked at the store for seven years, said: 'It's like banging your head against the wall, trying to get money from them. We are not getting anything.'
Retail union Usdaw met Kwik Save bosses yesterday (Tuesday) and urged them to make the payment of their staff first priority if the court gives the go-ahead for a rescue package.
Borough MP Andrew Miller had been scheduled to meet redundant staff on July 13 but is now keen to bring that meeting forward.
He said it was a disgrace the company had not set money aside to make sure staff were paid and described their treatment as 'shabby'.


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The launch date for the Ford Bronco is fast approaching, with a launch date expected to occur tomorrow, but which was later extended to July 13. the last is a confirmation of a report that was released as early as April.
According to an interview with Ford Icon Global Director Dave Pericak, Yahoo finance, which was posted on Twitter and picked up by our colleagues from Muscle Cars & Trucks, the incoming Ford Bronco will have a GOAT mode.
This confirmation supports the filing of an earlier trademark by the brand that we have previously reported. As a reminder, the first generation of Ford Bronco bore the nickname of G.O.A.T. or Go on any ground in the 1960s. And no, that doesn’t mean The best of all time but it can be if you’re a fan of the nameplate – kind of like an MJ vs. LeBron debate, but I’m getting lost.
Coming back, no details are mentioned on the GOAT mode of the Bronco, but Pericak said the Bronco would be better than the Jeep Wrangler in terms of smart features and technology. this confirms the statement of Ford’s chief operating officer Jim Farley about the Bronco, which is “a far superior product” to the Jeep off-roader.
Pericak also added that the Bronco Sport derived from the Escape will be a capable off-roader, despite its monocoque construction. He didn’t mention if he would also get GOAT mode, but it’s not really planned at this point.
We will know more about the Bronco range soon. As we mentioned, the latest generation of the Ford Bronco will make its world debut on July 13, 2020, which you can watch via a live stream.


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Americans are drinking less beer, and this month people worldwide will be participating in ‘Dry January.’ But beer companies are trying to work around those obstacles and keep customers.
Beer makers Heineken and Molson Coors are using the month-long sobriety challenge as a marketing tactic. Both companies are debuting non-alcoholic beers to entice customers who are shying away from the beverage due to health concerns or a shift toward trendier drinks like hard seltzers.
Dry January started in the U.K. in 2013 but has quickly spread worldwide, including in the U.S., where one in five people surveyed is participating in the event.
In the U.S., alcohol consumption has continued to fall in recent years, with some consumers being called “sober-curious” and trying to go sober for other months of the year.
The change has been impacting beer companies. In 2018, beer consumption in the U.S. had dropped 1.6 percent, according to data from IWSR, with cider and hard seltzers taking some customers away from beer and younger customers drinking less overall.
But beer companies are adapting, with the help of nonalcoholic beers. Nonalcoholic/low-alcohol beer is the fifth fastest growing beer type in the country, and data shows that the most frequent consumers tend to be men between the ages of 21 and 44 years old.
In response to that, Heinken and Coors debuted their own takes on the style.
Heinken’s beer is Heinken 0.0, which launched in January 2019. This year, the company is giving away cans of that beer in its 31-can January Dry Pack, which customers can claim at januarydrypack.com.
Coors’ beer is a low-alcohol style called Miller64. The company is promoting it through an ad featuring actor Nicholas Braun of “Succession” asking customers to participate in Dry January. The beer is low on calories and is aimed at health-conscious consumers.
That branding comes as Coors is changing its brand, including changing the name from Molson Coors Brewing Co. to Molson Coors Beverage Co. It is also undergoing a restructuring effort that will result in the elimination of around 400 to 500 jobs.
Anheuser-Busch InBev, meanwhile, is testing out its Budweiser 0.0 beer, having sampled it a few times in the U.S. in 2019 and debuted it in India, but otherwise it hasn’t revealed any plans to release it in the U.S. yet.


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December 23, 2011- Some customers of Best Buy have received bad news just days before Christmas. Best Buy has had to cancel some online orders only days prior to the big holiday. The largest retailer in the U.S. for specialty electronics said on Wednesday it had been overwhelmed with purchases of certain products on its website. This has caused the retailer to cancel some of those orders.
The electronics retailer based in Minneapolis would not say the number of orders that had been cancelled nor what products were no longer in stock. The shortages have created a negative image for the company, which has recently increased its campaign for shopping online. They did so to try to fight off competition from other retailers. The holiday season can represent 40% of the year’s sales in just 30 to 45 days.
Glitches usually happen and should not be too unexpected because of the huge surge on shopping online this holiday season. Nevertheless, there is a risk of customer backlash. The orders being cancelled will probably not have much effect on holiday sales this season but could cause some customers to look elsewhere the next time they shop for electronics.
Total sales are only up 2.5% overall but online sales have increased by over 15% to top the $32 billion mark for the holiday season. With that increase in sales, many retailers are finding it hard to stay up with the demand.


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Vehicle customization is nothing new, but it’s exploded in popularity over the past few years as automakers have begun offering a dizzying array of options.
The New York Times recently explored this trend in an interesting article which showcases how crazy things have gotten. As they point out, the industry has changed significantly from the time when Henry Ford reportedly said customers can have the Model T in any color they want as long as that color is black.
Rolls-Royce is one of the prime examples of customization and the company bragged earlier this year that every single Cullinan has been personalized to some degree. These aren’t just simple or cheap customizations either as owners have ordered everything from cigar humidors to a gold-plated Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament.
Porsche is also synonymous with customization and a quick visit to the Cayenne Turbo configurator reveals customers can choose six different seat belt colors and four types of wood trim. The company also offers everything from a carbon fiber SportDesign package to stainless steel skid plates.
These are just some common examples of customization and the paper notes a more extreme case of an apparent Colorado State University super fan. A dealership employee recalled a customer brought in a gold football helmet from the university and wanted a car in that color. The dealership sent the helmet to Germany and Audi painted a vehicle in that same exact shade. The employee said everyone at the dealership was “nauseous” when the car arrived, but the customer absolutely loved it.
Even on the lower end customization has exploded in popularity. In particular, the publication talked to Mini’s Ishaan Khatri who revealed 14,000 of the more than 16,000 Mini two- and four-door hardtops sold in 2017 were customized.
The future for customization also looks bright as a study from SEMA revealed nearly a third of 16-24 year olds who own a vehicle accessorize them in some fashion. The same study also found these owners spent $7.2 (£5.4 / €6.3) billion on aftermarket upgrades and accessories last year alone.


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Honda Cars Philippines Inc urges affected customers to immediately have their airbag inflators replaced
Nearly 1.8 million Honda vehicles affected by the latest recall involving several issues
Over 3.3 million vehicles in the U.S. alone are part of Toyota's global recall
Own a Mazda made from 2017 to 2019? Your vehicle might be part of a recall
There might be another global recall as Takata supposedly made sub-standard seat belts
Toyota Motor Philippines launches new online Service Campaign Checker on website
Don't ever ignore a recall. It could be the difference between life and death.
Toyota Motor Philippines issues recall for six models regarding faulty fuel pump which will be replaced for free
Honda Philippines calls on their vehicles' owners to have their cars checked for faulty fuel pumps
Have Harbor Freight jack stands? Better check if they’re part of the recall
Hyundai Philippines wants to know if you want them to launch the Santa Cruz pick-up here
The Kia Forte isn't exactly flying off dealerships, but a new look might change all that
With the northbound Skyway Extension now open, the steel ramp near SLEX-Alabang will be closed to northbound vehicles
Hyundai reveals 2021 Santa Cruz, a compact pick-up with design cues inspired by the Tucson
Audi wants to make EVs more popular by making the Q4 e-Tron "affordable".
This is how a rush hour helicopter ride gave birth to the Pasig River Expressway
Some will be disappointed at the official speed limit of Skyway Stage 3, but Ramon Ang has a good reason for that.
Ramon Ang challenges street speeders to a track race, and we love him more for that
We can't wait for Ford to peel the covers off the next-gen Ford Ranger
Who wouldn't want a subcompact seven-seater with diesel power? That's what the Hyundai Alcazar has to offer


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If 2012 was the year of the dragon in China, perhaps the US can claim 2014. After showing the Jeep Wrangler Dragon Design Concept at the 2012 Beijing Motor Show, and apparently receiving "tremendously positive feedback" from Jeep enthusiasts across the globe, the automaker has decided to introduce a production version that will hit US showrooms this fall with a price of $36,095.
- Volvo shoots for self-drivers by 2021
- Jeep spends $1 billion on factories
- Find Parts & Accessories for your vehicle!
- Obama rolls out new EV plan
- Infiniti dealers ranked best, Tesla worst
- Compare Volvo XC90 and Lincoln MKX


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Resistance Retribution Demo Next Week on Japan PS Store [Update]
It’s been revealed that the Japan PS Store will have a demo for the new PSP title Resistance Retribution. The demo should hit the store on the 19th of this month.
Update: PlayFrance is reporting a Euro release of the demo for tomorrow’s PS Store update. So it seems those across the pond are getting it a bit sooner!


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62% of smartphones in use in the US are either Android (Google) or iOS (Apple). The sum a year ago was 37%. There are about 20 million iPhone users and 27 million Android users in the US today. A year ago there were 12 and 6 million respectively. RIM’s (BlackBerry) US user base peaked at 22 million in Sept 2010. It is now 19 million and dropping.
During April 475,000 people abandoned their Blackberries.
Android and iOS gained 3 million users in April. One million switched from other smartphones and 2 million switched from non-smartphones. http://www.asymco.com/2011/06/06/peak-rim/


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Next week Euromold takes place in Frankfurt, Germany. In what promises to be a fun filled, exciting exhibition, packed full of some of the largest, as well as some smaller companies within the 3D Printing space, a slew of new products and services are being unveiled.
For EnvisionTEC, a company with dual headquarters in Gladbeck, Germany and Dearborn, Michigan, it will certainly be a big week. The company, which has made a name for themselves within the market for professional grade digital light processing 3D printers, will be unveiling several key new products. Today we got a sneak peek at some of them.
First off will be the company’s latest hardware addition, the Xtreme 3SP printer. With a build envelope of 254 x 381 x 330 mm, and a maximum XY resolution of around 100 microns, this new printer is perfect for manufacturers looking to create molds, prototypes, and even end-use products, fast and efficiently. Like EnvisionTEC’s other 3D printers, the Xtreme 3SP will provide that smooth, high quality surface finish that the company has become known for. Also like many of EnvisionTEC’s other machines, the Xtreme 3SP will feature its own stand-alone PC to easily operate the system all within a confined area.
In addition to this new 3D printer, the company will also be unveiling and demonstrating their latest software, Perfactory® 3.0. The latest version of their Perfactory software features several major updates, including its automatic support generating feature, as well as new memory saving capabilities. According to EnvisionTEC, these latest updates will make the current interface easier to use, while providing additional features which will make any EnvisionTEC printer a bit more robust.
Finally, a whole slew of new materials will be unveiled at their exhibition booth next week. These materials include Superflex, ABS Flex, and ABS Tough. Targeted to the industrial and design markets, all three of these materials are great for prototyping as well as end-use parts. Additionally, the company will be unveiling a couple of new materials for their Perfactory line of machines. These include RC70 and RC90. While both materials are exceptional choices for silicone molding because of their high detail capabilities, RC70 is better suited for toys, precise housings and ornamental jewelry, while R90 is great for jewelry in general. Finally, the company will be unveiling their Ortho Tough 3SP material, which is compatible with their ULTRA 3SP Ortho 3D Printer, and is great for the fabrication of orthodontic models.
“We are pleased to bring our newest solutions to share at EuroMold,” stated Al Siblani, CEO of EnvisionTEC. “EnvisionTEC has been working hard to provide substantial additions to our lineup that will greatly improve our customers’ 3D printing capabilities and follow through with our value proposition of functionality and high surface quality without sacrificing speed.”
If you will be attending EuroMold next week, be sure to check out EnvisionTEC’s booth in Hall 11.0, at Stand C140. Let us know what you think about these new announcements in the EnvisionTEC forum thread on 3DPB.com.
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Volkswagen's new SUV, the Tiguan, is expected to launch this April in India and the company's plant in Aurangabad, Maharashtra has commenced production. The car also marks Volkswagen's re-entry into the SUV market.
The car is based on the VW Group’s MQB platform, which also underpins the Passat and the Octavia. It comes equipped with a 2.0-litre diesel making 177hp and 350Nm of torque, paired with a seven-speed DSG gearbox and an all-wheel-drive system.
The car is lighter than its previous-gen Tiguan, 50kg lighter in fact. The new Tiguan is estimated to be priced in the region of around Rs 30-35 lakh


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Chuck E. Cheese recalls rings and toy eyeglasses
WASHINGTON The Consumer Product Safety Commission said the plastic on the toys can break, possibly exposing the button-type batteries inside. Ingestion could lead to stomach, intestine or esophagus problems or other damage. The commission did not link the toys to any reported injuries. But it said two children were able to remove the battery from the light-up rings. One child swallowed it; the other child put the battery up his nose. There were no reported incidents with the toy eyeglasses. The 1.1 million light-up rings were part of a promotional offering between April 2009 and June of this year or were offered during parent-teacher association conventions. They came in blue, green, purple, yellow and pink. The 120,000 toy glasses, shaped like stars, were part of birthday packages. All were made in China and imported by Texas-based CEC Entertainment Inc., operator of Chuck E. Cheese theme restaurants. Chuck E. Cheese has been involved in three previous recalls of children's toys since 2001. The commission says consumers should take the toys from children and return them for a refund of cash or prizes. The recall was part of a joint announcement with the CPSC and Health Canada, the country's federal department for health.
More TOP STORIES News


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Stock trading came to a halt on Monday after the Dow Jones dropped more than 2,000 points. Everywhere, people seem worried.
Detroit Landlord’s Small-Business Survival Plan: Free Rent Until July – We don’t want to fall back,” says Matt Cullen, CEO of development company Bedrock. “The irony is that it’s long been said if.
The BBC’s weekly The Boss series profiles different business leaders from around the world. This week we speak to Katrina.
Coronavirus store closures, changes: See which retailers are closed or changing hours – Retailers are cutting store hours or closing all stores in response to COVID-19, or coronavirus. Target, JCPenney and Kohl’s.
JetBlue Airways Corporation (NASDAQ:JBLU) J.P. Morgan 2020 Industrials Conference Transcript March 10.
First of all, let me start out with a huge thank you to our amazing crew members out there in.
After a 1-0 win against New York City FC — who played with 10 men for the majority of the game following a third-minute red card.
MR: For Crew fans who don’t pay as much attention.
Maggie Sottero Dress Prices 80 Long Sleeve Wedding Dresses for Every Bridal Style – If you’re for a clean and classic look like The Duchess of Sussex’s custom Givenchy gown designed by Clare Waight Keller, a minimalist design is right for you whether you’re hoping for a. Seneca South: How brides-to-be will benefit Schuyler County pets Racks holding more
The association called for a massive federal bailout package, including a $145 billion “recovery fund” to help cover.
That same purchase on the Best Buy Citibank credit card — which has a 27 percent interest rate and requires a monthly minimum payment of $.
Target, J. Crew, H&M and others are partnering.


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2020 Ford Mustang Images - Ford readies north america’ freshest lineup 2020 , Ford is revamping its lineup, building on truck, suv and commercial strengths, investing in new propulsion and delivering standard connectivity on new vehicles, paving the way for over-the-air updates and the transportation mobility cloud, an open platform that will empower tomorrow’s mobility systems.. Ford mustang price (gst rates), images, mileage, colours, Ford mustang price (gst rates) in india starts at ₹ 74.61 lakhs. check out ford mustang colours, review, images and mustang variants on road price at carwale.com.. 1969 ford mustang accessories & parts carid., Want to make your 1969 ford mustang one of a kind, keep it running at its peak, or turn it into a high-powered beast? our vast selection of premium accessories and parts ticks all the boxes. quality is at the heart of everything we do at carid, so whatever your project, our brand name products and. Ford bronco 2020 | bronco confirmed - release date, Ford plans to bring four or even five new utilities in the next few years, and 2020 ford bronco is a part of this plan. the thing that will especially delight the fans of the company and this model is the fact that the new suv will be produced in wayne assembly plant in michigan.. 2015+ mustang forum news blog (s550 gt, gt350, gt500, i4, World champion drifter vaughn gittin jr. and his rtr vehicles team are working with ford performance to provide a definitive collaboration of style, performance and fun with the new series 1 mustang rtr powered by ford performance – the latest addition to the mustang family.. Used 2004 ford mustang sale - cargurus, Save $10,322 on a 2004 ford mustang. search over 40,600 listings to find the best local deals. cargurus analyzes over 6 million cars daily.. Chevy blazer ford bronco 2020 - hot rod network, The ford bronco and the chevy blazer are coming back in 2020, but they aren’t what they used to be.. Ford released 2019 mustang california special, The first ford mustang california special was released 50 years ago. since then, there has been a total of five california special models produced since ’68.. Darth vader inspired 2018 mustang, ford designer , Ford's design manager reveals that one of the design inspirations for the 2018 ford mustang was darth vader's helmet..
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The Indian textile and apparel market was valued at $172.3 billion in 2022 and is expected to reach $387.3 billion by 2028 with a CAGR of 14.59%. The industry creates approximately 7800 kilotons of textile waste annually out of which 42% is accumulated from post-consumer waste such as factory waste and offcuts.
Apart from the exorbitant amounts of waste piled up by the industry, it also fails to cater to the plus size consumers without having to pay fat tax. Most of the designs made by major fashion companies fail to fit the Indian body.
Duo Dr. Drishti Anand and Aditya Balani setup LetsDressUp in 2019 aiming to find a solution to both these prevent issues. LDU is a fashion-tech company offering over 1000 clothing products. The company came up with its own size chart derived from the data collected after measuring over 3000 Indian women. The size chart has a number of sizes ranging from XS to 8XL.
Offering mainly ethnic clothing pieces like kaftans, palazzos and kurtis. LDU has in-house designers who curate the pieces, and the products are manufactured in factories in India from small and medium scale manufacturers.
A majority of the fashion waste is created due to mass production but failure of the product to run that course. To avoid these large amounts of fashion waste, the company manufactures clothes in small batches. Another step taken by the platform is curation of pieces that are highly searched on the internet; this avoids putting in designs that are not liked by the customers.
Co-founder Balani told Entrackr, “I think building a model which is strongly pivoted around listening to users is something that we’re trying to build rather than enforcing something that the designers feels that the world should be wearing.”
In an effort to ensure that the users have various dressing options, LDU recently started ‘Blockbuster Friday’. New fashion products are launched every Friday opposing the seasonal clothing lines that most brands release every year.
The Gurugram based company raised its seed round collecting a total of Rs 2 crore from Titan Capital, and marquee angels such as Sweta Rao, and senior partners from McKinsey India, and Kearney.
The platform sees around 8000 orders on a month basis with approximately a 25% retention rate. It also claims to have a 50% month on month growth rate.
The company currently has a revenue of Rs 10 crore and aims on reaching the Rs 100 crore mark by the next 12-15 months. This growth comes with a gross profit margin of around 75% and looks at being EBITDA positive in the coming months.
Currently available only pan India, 90% of the sales come from the company website. The remaining is seen from online marketplaces, like Amazon. The company is soon to be live on online fashion platforms like Ajio and Myntra.


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GW Plastics Inc. is adding 3,000 square feet of clean room space to its GW Silicones affiliate to house new equipment for its growing health care business.
Bethel, Vt. — GW Plastics
MarketQuest.biz released a report on Global Screw-type Compressor Market from 2022 to 2028 that covers thorough analysis of the past, current, and future market scenario. Market essentials and d
A recent study report by MarketandResearch.biz examines the overall market growth rate of Global Ball Screws Market from 2022 to 2028. The research analyses growth patterns from the previous yea
[Daniel Roibert] found a way to add cheap strain relief to JST-XH connectors, better known to hobby aircraft folks as the charging and balance connectors on lithium-polymer battery packs. His so
Scrap recycler based in El Paso, Texas, acquires nearby company.
El Paso, Texas-based W Silver Recycling has completed its purchase of El Paso Iron & Metal, according to an online news rep
Naples, Fla. — The top 22 plastics companies have been named for 2022, and Plastic Components Inc. and Conventus Polymers have taken the top spots in the processors and suppliers categorie
The fastest and most secure way to protect the watches you love.
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In a world that’s literally awash in plastic waste, it seems a pity to have to buy fresh rolls of plastic filament to feed our 3D-printers, only to have them generate yet more plastic wast


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There isn’t much that is certain about the next-generation, but it looks like Sony is completely content with allowing Microsoft to be the first to market with the Xbox 720.
This is according to a recent interview with Sony CEO Kaz Hirai. “Why go first, when your competitors can look at your specifications and come up with something better, ” the CEO asked a reporter from The TImes.
This could signal an understated 2013 for Sony, as they attempt to wait patiently for Microsoft to reveal their new wares.
Rumors have been running wild concerning the Xbox 720 and PlayStation 4. Those following along closely will likely have already heard that both companies are expected to reveal new consoles by E3 2012, with many believing that the reveals may be mere weeks away at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco.
Other rumors have already begun pinning system specs to the unannounced machines, as well as mock controller designs and system architecture ideas. While it could be that some or none of that information is true, it’s apparent from these new statements from Hirai, that Sony will not be outdone by Microsoft due to a mistimed announcement or firm committment to system specifications.
- This article was updated on:March 7th, 2018


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Publicly-traded firm suspends new business with company planning to clear peatlands in Sarawak
Palm oil growers who plan to convert peatlands and rainforests for new plantations have been warned: one of the world’s largest agribusiness companies is not interested in your palm oil.
On Tuesday, food giant Bunge formally responded to a report that BLD Plantation Bhd, a Malaysian palm oil company, intends to clear some 14,000 hectares of peatlands in Sarawak, potentially triggering the release of 37 million tons of carbon dioxide and violating Bunge’s sustainability policy.
“In light of the recently reported plans of BLD, Bunge has suspended indefinitely any new commercial activity with Kirana and its affiliates,” Bunge told Mongabay via email. “This decision is effective immediately.”
Forest cleared for an oil palm plantation on mineral soils in Sarawak.
The statement came just days after the Forest Heroes campaign lodged a complaint with Bunge over BLD’s planned activity. Forest Heroes noted that Bunge’s deforestation-free sourcing policy barred palm oil produced via conversion of peatlands and rainforests.


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A sign advertising retail space available for lease is shown in Seattle. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and other Democratic governors have announced new business closures and restrictions, as well as new aid to keep businesses afloat as the pandemic drags on. Ted S. Warren/The Associated Press
In the past six weeks governors of both parties have approved hundreds of millions of dollars in aid for small businesses, nonprofits and renters struggling through the coronavirus pandemic and recession.
The recent announcements are partly due to a looming deadline: If states don’t allocate federal aid they received in March by the end of the year, they have to return unspent funds to the U.S. Treasury. Most of the spending that governors have announced is federal dollars.
But the surge in COVID-19 cases also is a cause for the new spending. Several Democratic governors have announced aid alongside public health orders that will limit business activity, drawing criticism from some GOP lawmakers and business officials.
The governors are hoping to keep the economy afloat while also slowing the alarming uptick in infections.
After ordering non-essential businesses to stop providing in-person services, New Mexico Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham convened the legislature this week to discuss spending some $300 million in federal aid on unemployment benefits, housing assistance and grants to small businesses.
She said during a news conference that she doesn’t want to make a false choice between protecting the economy and saving lives. “I’m trying to get us back to a place where we choose both,” she said.
The Democratic governors of Minnesota, Oregon and Washington also freed up millions of dollars in federal aid in recent weeks to help businesses and workers, including those who may lose money under new public health restrictions.
And Colorado Democratic Gov. Jared Polis last week announced new restrictions as well as a plan to convene the Democratic-led legislature to discuss spending around $200 million of excess tax revenue on assistance for small businesses and renters, and funding for broadband expansion.
Republican governors also have begun to issue new public health orders, such as mask-wearing requirements, as COVID-19 cases skyrocket and hospitals fill with patients. But they’re less inclined than Democratic governors to pair business aid with business restrictions.
Republican lawmakers, business groups and libertarian economists say that by shutting down parts of the economy and then using aid to fill the gap, governors are trying to solve a problem of their own creation.
“They’re both causing the shock, and they’re intending to mitigate the effect,” said Peter Earle, an economist and writer at the American Institute for Economic Research, a Massachusetts-based free-market think tank that opposes restricting business activity.
Critics also say states—which, unlike the federal government, must balance their budgets—are unlikely to scrape together enough money from federal and state sources to sustain businesses while they can’t operate normally.
“Yes, having more funding will certainly help, but that funding is only for a couple of months,” said Loren Furman, senior vice president of state and federal relations for the Colorado Chamber of Commerce, of the aid Colorado lawmakers are planning.
House Speaker KC Becker, a Democrat, said in a phone interview that lawmakers expect Coloradans to need help in the coming weeks and months regardless of whether the state orders businesses to close.
“Coronavirus is on the rise, and that’s going to prevent people from working—from businesses getting as much business,” she said. “It’s just going to put a strain, in various ways, on people’s lives across the state.”
But Colorado Senate Minority Whip Paul Lundeen, a Republican, said the state’s economic problems are “inextricably linked” to restrictive public health orders. “Public policy is causing other challenges that require more support from the state,” he said.
During the upcoming special session, Lundeen plans to propose a bill that would encourage opening schools and providing more aid to parents. He said GOP lawmakers also are drafting a bill that would help small businesses compete with big-box stores, including assurance that small businesses don’t face tougher COVID-19 rules.
The U.S. slipped into a recession in February, and economic output plummeted after governors imposed stay-at-home orders in March and April. But as those restrictions began to lift, business activity began to recover.
It helped that in March Congress boosted worker income and business cash reserves with trillions of dollars in emergency aid, including $659 billion in small-business loans. The Federal Reserve stabilized financial markets by slashing interest rates, among other actions to prevent the economy from going into a free fall.
Congress also gave states, counties and cities $150 billion to spend on coronavirus relief, money they’ve so far spent on everything from helping schools expand remote learning to holding down business taxes.
But the recovery is fragile, and potentially threatened by rising COVID-19 cases. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, who has long called for additional federal aid, told an association of economists last month that it would be better for Congress to do too much to support the economy than too little.
“There is a risk that the rapid initial gains from reopening may transition to a longer than expected slog back to full recovery,” Powell said, “as some segments struggle with the pandemic’s continued fallout.”
Governors from both parties say more must be done to help businesses, particularly small businesses such as mom-and-pop shops, that have been hit hard by the pandemic. They’re frustrated that Congress hasn’t stepped in with more assistance.
“The failure of Washington to provide additional stimulus relief for our small businesses, struggling families, and to the states for economic recovery is having a devastating impact,” Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, said during a news conference in late October.
States still have federal aid dollars left to spend, although it’s unclear exactly how much, said Emily Maher, a policy associate for the National Conference of State Legislatures, a Denver-based group that advises state lawmakers.
Governors and legislatures in many states decided to parcel out the money in stages, to respond to evolving needs on the ground, she said. There also were delays throughout the year as states waited for the U.S. Treasury to clarify how the money can be spent.
Hogan and several other Republican governors announced new economic relief packages last month, paid for with a mix of state and federal dollars, without imposing new restrictions on business activity.
Hogan said he was pulling $250 million from Maryland’s rainy day fund to help businesses, workers and arts organizations. Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker announced $774 million in aid for businesses and renters, although some of the money must be approved by the legislature. And Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced plans to spend some $420 million on small business grants, housing assistance and aid for certain hospitals and colleges.
The Ohio package will be funded with federal aid dollars and was announced with an eye on the looming deadline for spending that money, Daniel Tierney, DeWine’s press secretary, said in an email to Stateline.
Democratic governors who have paired business restrictions and new aid have faced pushback from Republican lawmakers and business groups.
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, for instance, said last week she would restrict restaurants to take-out orders, set limits on social gatherings and close businesses such as gyms, pools and museums. She also announced plans to spend $55 million in federal relief dollars on aid for businesses, including those hurt by the latest restrictions.
The new aid didn’t mollify the Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association, a business group that immediately sued to block Brown’s public health order.
Brown’s office “generally doesn’t comment on active litigation,” said Liz Merah, Brown’s press secretary, in an email. She pointed Stateline to the $55 million aid announcement.
In both Oregon and Colorado, business groups say restrictions on restaurant, bar and store operations are unfair, as many people are catching COVID-19 from friends and family at home.
“They want to be able to stay open,” Furman of the Colorado Chamber of Commerce said of business owners. “And I think they’re very frustrated because they’re getting targeted for these kinds of restrictions.”
Left-leaning economists say that surging COVID-19 cases will hurt the economy no matter what, as many people will limit their activities and spending to avoid getting sick even without government mandates. From that point of view, there’s less of a conflict between controlling the spread of the virus and protecting the economy.
“That’s not the trade-off we should be worried about,” said Heather Boushey, president and CEO of the Washington Center for Equitable Growth, a left-leaning think tank in Washington, D.C. She said policymakers should treat the pandemic like a natural disaster and pair measures that will save lives with aid to help businesses and families.
Many governors who ordered residents to stay at home in the spring, including Polis and DeWine, have said they’re not going to do it again because they don’t want to bring economic activity to a halt.
But a new federal relief package could change those calculations. Polis and other Colorado lawmakers have said it would be easier for them to announce public health restrictions if Congress were to approve new aid.
“It’s unfair to ask people not to be able to pay rent and put food on the table,” Polis told the Denver Post. “That’s not a reasonable ask of Coloradans.”
Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our web site. Please see our republishing guidelines for use of photos and graphics.


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Fgfactory at GCAP 2023 – Insights from the Epicenter of Game Development
As the heart of Australian game development, Melbourne became the HQ of innovation and creativity during the Games Connect Asia Pacific 2023 (GCAP) event hosted by Interactive Games & Entertainment Association (IGEA).
Our Fgfactory team was thrilled to be in the midst of this vibrant gathering, where we had the opportunity to immerse ourselves in the world of game development, connect with industry leaders, and gain invaluable insights.
Conversations That Inspire
From Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth to attendees from overseas, the GCAP crowd represented a diverse and passionate gaming community.
We took this excellent opportunity to network with other game developers, publishers, and enthusiasts across Australia and beyond. We chatted extensively about the gaming industry’s future, technologies, development directions, and new trends. Connecting with industry experts and peers provided invaluable insight into their vision, current projects, and technology preferences.
Such discussions help to find opinions on essential issues of other market participants and share experiences, plans, and visions for the development of the industry.
At GCAP, we have been fortunate to meet and interact with big names in the Australian game development industry, including PlaySide Studios, Immutable, Mod.io, PikPok, SMG, Massive Monster, Blowfish Studios, Samurai Punk, and DEPT, as well as with global companies representatives from EA, Riot Games, Epic Games, Unity, Animoca Brands, Xsolla, Supercell, and others.
These industry luminaries shared their latest achievements, technological developments, and plans to change the gaming landscape. These talks served as a source of inspiration for our team and all other event participants.
Spotlight on Indie Developers
GCAP also offered a stage for indie developers and small studios to shine. With various impressive titles on display – some already released and others in production – these emerging talents demonstrated an unwavering passion for their craft.
We were happy to chat with fantastic indie teams like Soda Savy, Cranky Watermelon, Fourfox Interactive, AJ Studios, Pedal Rebel VR, and many others.
Their products and plans are inspiring and show the rapid development of young studios, thanks to the impressive support of government initiatives and programs, such as those provided by Screen Australia, VicScreen, and others.
Game Development Market Overview
This deep dive into the Australian game development industry at the event provided a wealth of insights into the current landscape.
The Australian game development scene is thriving, with over 400 companies actively contributing to this vibrant sector. These companies vary in size, with 350+ studios falling into the small or micro-team category.
A geographical overview gives an idea of the distribution of the industry across the country.
• Victoria has confirmed its status as a national gaming hub and boasts the highest concentration of game development studios of any state.
• New South Wales and Queensland share the second-largest chunk, followed by West Australia and South Australia.
• The game development presence is comparatively more minor in the Northern Territories and Tasmania.
When it comes to platforms,
• PC and Mac gaming dominates the field, with 62% of developers creating games for this platform.
• Mobile gaming follows closely behind at 46%.
• Console gaming claims a 35% share.
• While virtual reality makes up 17%.
• Web-based games, augmented reality, and other platforms comprise the remainder, each contributing 7%, 5%, and 1%, respectively.
These statistics highlight the vibrancy and diversity of the Australian game development market. On the other hand, the distribution of the gaming market in Australia is significantly different from global trends.
While the Australian market predominantly favors games created for PC/Mac, the mobile segment dominates all others globally, holding a larger market share than all other platforms combined.
These comparisons provide valuable insight into future Australian game development industry trends, suggesting a potential shift towards global trends and an increased focus on the mobile segment.
A Thriving Future Ahead
As the curtain fell on GCAP 2023, a clear message echoed through the halls: the gaming market is thriving and growing at an unprecedented pace. Every day new creative minds, advanced technologies, and innovative ideas are changing the industry. The future promises many great game studios and impressive games.
The coming 2024 promises many new names in the Australian game development market, new announcements, and fabulous products. The development of the industry reaches more and more people across the country, creates new jobs, trains existing specialists, and makes the industry more and more diverse.
Looking Forward to What’s Next
With the knowledge gained and connections formed at GCAP, we look forward to future collaborations and ventures in the dynamic world of game development.
As we say goodbye to this year’s event, we do so with excitement, knowing that we will reunite with familiar faces and forge new partnerships at the next event. Until then, we’ll keep the creative fire burning, ready to share new stories and successes in the ever-evolving world of game development. See you next year!


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Late these days, Zou Ying, chairman of Yiwu Best Packaging Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Best”), has been receiving phone calls. The company is about to go to Shanghai to participate in the 2020 National Tour Exhibition of Yiwu Fair and the Special exhibition of the Department Store Gifts Exhibition in Shanghai (hereinafter referred to as the “Shanghai Gift Exhibition“). She needs to quickly determine the style and quantity of gift bags and gift boxes to be brought to the exhibition.
Affected by the overseas epidemic, from March to May this year, the business of “Best”, which has been mainly export-oriented, was blocked and the order volume dropped sharply. Suppliers of gift packaging industry suffer from the same pressure as well. This made Zou Ying and his colleagues begin to find ways to transform from foreign trade to domestic sales, and the same time run on both tracks. “Going out and participating in the exhibition is the most effective way to expand domestic trade.” Zou Ying said.
From July 23 to 25, Shanghai Gift Exhibition will be held at the Shanghai New International Expo Center. The exhibition will set up a special gift zone for operators from Yiwu Small Commodity City. More than 90 enterprises from District 1 to District 4 of Yiwu International Trade City will participate in the exhibition, with 304 booths reserved. Most of participating enterprises from Yiwu are mainly export-oriented and are committed to exploring the domestic market. There are 7 special zones set up in the exhibition area, including Yiwu Brand Goods Zone, Yiwu Good Goods Zone, Chinagoods Zone, Gift Packaging Zone, Stationary Supply Zone, Gift and Households Zone, and Hat Zone.
Faced with the new changes, new features, and new requirements of the exhibition, exhibitors, with the support and assistance of Mall Group and Yiwu China Commodity City Exhibition Co., Ltd., actively carry out new samples, design exhibition booths, and make full preparations in advance, hoping to exploit the domestic market and get more orders.
Chen Haifeng, chairman of Zhejiang Bangdao Brand Management Co., Ltd., is busy selecting the right anchorperson for product promotion. As a platform that integrates the supply chain and provides good goods for the live webcast, Bangdao has participated in five Shanghai Gift Exhibitions and harvested new achievements every year. Not long ago, on hearing that Mall Group is going to organize market merchants to participate in this exhibition in Shanghai, Chen Haifeng immediately signed up and got the “ticket” for the exhibition.
To present their best in the exhibition, “Bangdao” has prepared for two months in advance, and has reserved 24 booths, which will collectively display 1000 “Yiwu Good Goods”. Chen Haifeng said that the current situation of foreign trade is still not good, like insufficient new orders and other dilemmas. He said that participating in major domestic exhibitions is a new attempt for Yiwu merchants. The products brought out by “Bangdao” represent the high quality of “Made in Yiwu” in terms of design, appearance, and quality, to show to buyers that with more than 30 years of development, Yiwu small commodities have developed from the original high quality and low price to today’s high-end products with extreme price, excellent quality, and leading fashion.
Affected by the epidemic this year, Yiwu launched “the first batch of 20 actions to promote market prosperity” and “six opinions on supporting market development” to promote the prosperity and resumption of the Yiwu market. In April this year, Yiwu China Commodity City Exhibition Co., Ltd., and Reed Exhibitions (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. signed a strategic cooperation agreement, and the two sides have fully launched strategic cooperation in the aspects of brand exhibition introduction and project cooperation. The Shanghai Gift Exhibition held in July is the first cooperation project between the two parties, which will drive more business operators and more products to “go out”.
As one of the activities of the “2020 National Tour Exhibition of Yiwu Fair”, participating in the Shanghai Gift Exhibition will help market operators expand the domestic market and boost the confidence of enterprises. The relevant person in charge of the mall exhibition said that since this year, the company has been deeply engaged in the “three services” in the market, actively implementing the “10,000 miles” work deployment of market operators, and actively organizing high-quality operators in the market to “go out” based on “inviting in” purchasers. Through a series of exhibition activities, we will build a platform for opening up, attracting investment and industrial docking, and make a louder voice of Yiwu.


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Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple Computer, has agreed to judge the Hackanode 2014 Mobile App Global Challenge on behalf of Chattanooga-based Variable Inc., creator of the Node+ modular wireless sensor.
The Node+ sensor plugs into mobile devices like iPads and Android phones, and can do everything from capturing color information of any surface to measuring barometric pressure.
Variable is offering $16,500 in prize money split across 12 categories, which will include some winners who are determined by a popular vote, and others who will be crowned by Wozniak.
"He has a track record of supporting early hardware development," said Jonathan Bragdon, chief business officer at Variable, Inc. "This isn't unusual for him."
The awards, which can be accessed on ChallengePost.com, include categories for integrating Node+ with smart glasses, barcode scanners, supply chain management and color referencing.
"We're especially trying to attract companies and industries who are looking to innovate, and have the ability to connect sensors that typically aren't connected," Bragdon said. "The Node is a device that needs an interface on the smartphone, it needs an app to turn data into usable information. The more apps there are, the bigger that ecosystem is, the more valuable the actual hardware is."


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After three successful years in Barcelona, this year the annual World Retail Congress (WRC) will take place in Berlin, Germany with full aim to drive growth in the global retail economy, promote the benefits of global retail excellence and gain sustainable, competitive edge in domestic and international markets. The global retail veterans will congregate in the city from 21-23 April, 2010, to debate on ‘What the future holds for retail’.
Over 100 leading retail leaders will speak at the Congress this year, drawn from a diverse range of industry sectors and international markets. Attendees are set to hear from such luminaries as Dr Eckhard Cordes, chairman and CEO, Metro Group; Angela Ahrendts, CEO of Burberry; Hans Schmitt, senior vice president, Hugo Boss; Philipp Schindler, vice president, Google; Sarita Nayyar, head of Consumer Industries, World Economic Forum USA; Mindy Grossman, CEO, HSN Inc and Laura Wade-Grey, CEO, Tesco.com.
The speakers from India includes William Bissell, MD, Fabindia; Gunender Kapur, president of Reliance Retail (food); Bijou Kurlen, president, Reliance Lifestyle; Arvind Singhal, chairman, Technopak and J Suresh, CEO of Arvind Brands.
Patience Wheatcroft, editor-in-chief, Wall Street Journal, Europe, will host a debate session on ‘Building a ‘new retailing’ in a world of change – facing up to the new reality’.
With three weeks to go, the Congress has witnessed a substantial increase in the number of confirmed attendees as comapred to the same stage last year. The retailers seem to have realised that they can no longer think or operate in isolation and will congregate in Berlin to collectively debate the strategies that will see them through the continued consumer spending famine and position their business for long term stability and growth.
— IndiaRetailing Bureau


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Marvel Entertainment has launched the first wave of licensed merchandise for the new series “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” which debuted on ABC in the U.S. Tuesday.
Marvel has unveiled a range of S.H.I.E.L.D. products including t-shirts, accessories, and posters that are available now at ABC.com, Marvel.com, Hot Topic and other specialty retailers.
“The breakout success of our new primetime ABC series further underscores the unmatched affinity that fans have for the Marvel brand,” says Paul Gitter, senior vice president, licensing, Marvel, Disney Consumer Products. “This new consumer products line will give fans a great jumping off point to enjoy the new series and to extend their passion for Agent Coulson and the S.H.I.E.L.D. organization.”
Co-created by Marvel’s The Avengers director Joss Whedon and produced by ABC Studios and Marvel Television, “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” is Marvel Television’s first live-action production.
The one-hour drama features Agent Phil Coulson as he leads a team of agents with one mission: to investigate the new, the strange and the unknown around the globe, protecting the ordinary from the extraordinary.


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BAILEYS’ STATUS as the world’s most popular Irish cream liqueur was cemented earlier this month after the company confirmed production of its two billionth bottle.
Originally launched in Ireland way back in 1974, it wasn’t long before Baileys was making waves across the world with its distinctive velvety taste.
The fact is was an Irish creation only added to the appeal for some.
Today it is available in some 160 countries across the planet.
Best enjoyed on a cold night in front of a roaring fire, an astonishing 2,400 glasses of Baileys Original Irish Cream are consumed every minute of every day and to this day
It’s stayed true to its roots too with every single bottle made back home in Ireland with Irish ingredients.
An estimated 220m litres of fresh Irish milk go into the making of Baileys each and every year.
A popular fixture over the Christmas period, Diageo was once again toasting the success of the Irish favourite this past December.
Late into the final month of 2019, the cream liqueur giant confirmed the extraordinary.
Speaking in the wake of the news, Jennifer English, Global Brand Director, Baileys at Diageo, said:
“Today at Baileys HQ, extra sprinkles are flowing and sparklers sparkling as we celebrate our two billionth bottle of Baileys Original Irish Cream!”
English continued: “Every single drop of milk in Baileys Original Irish Cream is supplied from small, local, Irish family farms and crafted from the highest quality ingredients.”


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Since the late 1990s, the Korean Wave, or “Hallyu”, has been gaining momentum. The country has enjoyed phenomenal success in exporting its popular culture around the world, benefitting from growth in the internet, smartphones, and online video streaming along the way. Many will be familiar with K-pop and K-dramas, in particular last year’s Netflix hit, Squid Game.
Of course, Korea’s export success is not limited to the cultural sphere. Broad export revenues have surged in the past 20 years, having begun to pick up in the 1980s as export-oriented policies paid off.
Though the idea of emerging market (EM) convergence is much debated, South Korea is an economy which has exhibited a strong convergence trend. This has been underpinned by investment in physical and human capital. GDP per capita relative to the US was just 3% in the early 1960s. It climbed to over 40% in 1996 and is around 50% today.
South Korea is now the tenth largest economy in the world, and is increasingly significant in a wider emerging Asia context. China is its largest trading partner, followed by the US, but other regional markets such as Vietnam are growing in importance. Ties with India and other Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have also been prioritised.
From an investment perspective, the equity market encompasses a range of sectors and is home to various long-term thematic growth opportunities. Some of these rank not only among the best in EM, but also globally. In the near term, uncertainty has increased as slower global growth weighs on the outlook for exporters, and as geopolitical risks remain. But we think there is good reason to look through the oscillations in the global economic cycle.
Why GDP growth has been slowing
Economic growth was stronger than expected at 2.9% year-on-year (y/y) in Q2, ahead of expectations and only marginally lower than the 3.0% recorded in Q1. After peaking at 6% in the Covid recovery in Q2 of 2021, growth has normalised, and there are downside risks in the outlook.
Exports as a percentage of GDP have fallen to around 37% in recent years, from a peak of almost 55% in 2012, but remain significant. Close to a third of exports are electronics, which have been hit by a post-Covid re-orientation in global demand from manufactured goods to services. Slower growth in the US and China, South Korea’s largest exports markets, is also likely to pressure demand.
This impact is already evident in high frequency data, with manufacturing PMI trending down. In July it moved slightly below 50, the threshold of contraction/expansion, for the first time since 2020. We expect further deceleration in the coming months. Meanwhile, business and in particular, consumer confidence, have been falling.
Inflation is accelerating
Headline inflation has accelerated in recent months, as the impact of higher food and energy prices, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, feeds through. The consumer price index was up 6.3% y/y in July, its fastest rate since November 1998.
This is well ahead of the central bank’s 2% target rate, and it began lifting the policy rate from its Covid low of 0.5% in August of last year. After increasing the pace of tightening to 50bps in July, the largest since the bank adopted interest rates as its primary policy tool in 1999, the main interest rate now sits at 2.25%. Further rate rises are expected in the coming months, but concerns about high household debt levels may temper the pace of policy tightening somewhat.
Trade data has turned
The trade account has moved into deficit in recent months as imports exceed exports, largely due to commodity price rises. Exports have been relatively resilient so far, but there is downside risk should major global economies move into recession. The current account remains in surplus at $5.6 billion but has been coming down, which has not helped the currency in the face of a strong US dollar. As at the 15 August the won is down just shy of -9% year-to-date.
The won now screens as cheap on both a five-year and longer-term basis, as shown below.
What are the long term growth opportunities?
South Korea’s largest export is integrated circuits, also referred to as semiconductors or microchips, and it is the third largest exporter globally. Microchips are primarily used in electronic devices such as computer processors and are largely analogue or digital. The latter divide into two categories, 1) Memory, used for storing data, and 2) Logic, used for processing data.
The industry has historically been prone to boom-and-bust cycles, owing to its reliance on consumer demand for electronics. Semiconductor cycles are now being compressed, as broader demand sources create a strong secular growth trend for the industry. Semiconductor sales as a share of GDP are rising and may climb above historical levels.
Smartphone growth has slowed, but the roll-out of the fifth generation, or 5G, wireless standard, which will offer higher data speeds, reliability and capacity, is supportive in the near term. PC demand has also been revitalised to some extent through the pandemic. Other demand sources come from the growth of data centres and digital service offerings, the so-called internet of things (IoT), and the auto industry. Semiconductor content in cars generally, in particular electric vehicles (EVs), continues to rise. And as EV battery packs increase in size, more complicated semiconductors will be needed.
Electric vehicles and battery cells
South Korea’s second largest export is cars, and it is the fourth largest exporter globally. The autos sector is highly cyclical, but the country is also a major exporter of electric cars, which is another long-term growth area.
The largest car manufacturers have seen sales of EVs soar in recent years and EV penetration still has a long way to run. Traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) powered car sales will fall as EVs rise. This is challenging the status quo in auto market leadership and there is an opportunity for South Korean players to take market share. However, competition is a risk and one can argue that the opportunity for product differentiation in EVs is more limited than in ICE powered cars.
Another element of the EV trend is battery cell technology. Rising EV penetration represents a major growth opportunity for battery makers; research from McKinsey points to annual growth of over 20% until 2030. However, the battery industry is much more concentrated than the auto industry and carries higher barriers to entry which should lead to better returns through time. South Korean battery companies are among the global industry leaders in technology and scale. The strong growth outlook will require significant investment in future capacity and the growth of battery ecosystems has potential for positive spillovers in terms of supply chains This includes investment in infrastructure clusters and associated plant and machinery, job creation and upskilling of labour, all of which have potential to increase barriers to entry.
South Korea is exposed to geopolitical risks
The conflict with North Korea, which began in 1945, is technically ongoing. Despite some improvement in relations in 2018, which culminated in the Panmunjon Declaration, relations remain strained. Together with its military alliance with the US, which played an important role in the modern state’s founding, this has previously contributed to tensions with China.
Perhaps more importantly, South Korea is also a long-term strategic competitor to China in a number of industries, including technology. The trend to diversify supply chains to reduce reliance on China may dilute this risk to some extent, but Chinese companies are expected to continue to invest to move up the value chain, bringing greater competitive intensity.
In domestic politics, President Yoon was elected in March this year. The conservative leader is proposing more market-friendly measures, but has seen his popularity fall and congress remains controlled by the opposition. Historically, conservative presidents have taken a slightly firmer approach in relations with China, though his initial focus has been on improving relations with Japan.
The MSCI Korea Index has been increasingly dominated by the IT sector over the past 15 years; IT has an index weight of 45%. Semiconductor industry growth is a big part of this.
IT, together with other cyclical sectors (financials, industrials, materials, communications services and energy) have an index weight of around 90%. This makes the MSCI South Korea one of the most cyclical markets in the MSCI Emerging Markets Index.
Given higher fluctuation and less predictability over earnings, investors typically value cyclical stocks lower. One consequence of this is that the South Korean market tends to appear relatively cheap when compared with other EM, as the chart below illustrates. As at 16 August, the MSCI Emerging Markets is only slightly below the median forward price-earnings ratio since 2000. South Korea on the other hand is cheaper relative to its historic median.
Another perspective is to look at valuations of the South Korean market relative to its own history. Along with many other EM, Korean stocks are currently cheaply valued compared with historical experience.
A final point to note is the sharp rise in retail investor participation over the past few years. Koreans have in recent decades favoured investing in non-financial assets, primarily real estate. A combination of high property prices, interesting stock market opportunities, and more focus time through the pandemic, has led the number of stock accounts to almost double since 2019. Rising interest rates are now dampening retail investor demand, but it remains a trend to monitor.
There is much to like in South Korean equity market
Global markets have enjoyed something of a bounce through the Northern hemisphere summer, as markets weigh up the outlook for Fed policy. South Korea has participated in the rally, outperforming the MSCI Emerging Markets Index, for which China has been a drag.
Despite recent market performance, uncertainty remains elevated and the risks to global growth and trade continue to permeate. In this context, downside risk for earnings remains, which would have implications for Korean markets. On the other hand, valuations for the market as a whole are now much more interesting.
Looking beyond these near term clouds and uncertainties, there are a number of long term growth themes in South Korea. Semiconductors and batteries in particular stand out, and South Korea is home to top five global players in both industries. While the market may yet be buffeted by crosswinds from the global economic cycle, we think these businesses are well-set for the longer term, and market weakness may provide long-term opportunities.
In summary, we may see near-term volatility and headwinds, but the market offers structural and cyclical opportunities at attractive valuations. And the Korean market will at some point will begin to anticipate the end of the downcycle, and move accordingly.
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The views and opinions contained herein are those of Schroders’ investment teams and/or Economics Group, and do not necessarily represent Schroder Investment Management North America Inc.’s house views. These views are subject to change. This information is intended to be for information purposes only and it is not intended as promotional material in any respect.


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Samsung’s 5.5-inch Galaxy Note 2 smartphone arrives on the Sprint network Oct. 25 for $299 with contract. The phone supports unlimited data on Sprint’s LTE network and will ship with Android 4.1.1 plus Samsung’s own software that takes advantage of the included digital S-Pen.
Sprint’s strategy to curb subscriber losses by converting Nextel customers is working but what will help the operator’s cause more is the addition of hot smartphones. With the Photon Q 4G LTE, Sprint is gambling that people still want physical keyboards on their handset.
The number of new LTE devices is up 76 percent in the past three months but tablets, not smartphones, are driving more of this growth. Carriers are mistakenly feeling the strong need to fight back against lower-priced, no contract Wi-Fi slates as tablet sales rise.
Sprint’s EVO 3D built by HTC arrives in stores next week, but we have an early look at that Android 2.3.3 smartphone. While it’s similar to the Sensation 4G, a few features standout: glasses-free 3-D video and still images and support for Sprint’s WiMAX network.
Between the four major U.S. cellular carriers and Clearwire, mobile broadband in this country is undergoing a fundamental transition to faster networks. But who’s doing what and when with their offerings? Here’s a summary of next-generation plans from the major U.S. carriers and Clearwire through 2013.
China Telecom is going forward with a plan to upgrade its existing mobile network to EVDO Rev. B. With 56 million subscribers on the China Telecom network, Qualcomm’s 3G royalty stream will keep earning checks for now, just as the COO had hoped last year.
Yesterday, I looked at QuickBooks 2009 for Mac and while the new version is an improvement in many areas, it does not replace the Windows version in all situations. In fact, there are a number of good reasons to continue to use the Windows version of QuickBooks despite your desire to switch completely over to the Mac. Here are the major reasons to stick with QuickBooks for Windows.
If you have multiple people in your company that need access to QuickBooks (maybe AR, AP, controller, CFO or CEO) then you have to use the Windows version. The Mac version simply does not support multiple users. Period. You could also consider using the online version of QuickBooks, as long as you can live with the limited feature set.
QuickBooks Premier is really five industry-specific flavors of QuickBooks: Contractor, Manufacturing & Wholesale, Nonprofit, Professional Services, and Retail. If you need the extra features to support these industries, then you will only find them on Windows. Some of the features are pretty compelling, so I would recommend you take a hard, long look at the product description before you pass on Premier.
In anticipation of the growing footprint of its WiMAX (4G) service, the beleaguered mobile operator Sprint (s S) launched a 3G/4G dual-mode device, likely to go on sale on Dec. 21. The Sprint 3G/4G USB Modem U300, made by Franklin Wireless will cost $150 and will work with Sprint’s EVDO network and on Sprint’s Baltimore WiMAX network. The service will launch in Portland very soon. Other cities are likely to follow next year as Clearwire (the combo company that includes Clearwire (s CLWR) & Sprint’s 4G efforts and has liberal funding from others) will roll out its Clear service next year. Sprint claims that folks can get average downlink speeds of 2-4 Mbps within Baltimore 4G service areas and 600 Kbps – 1.4 Mbps on their EVDO network.
Bottomline: Just because the device is available doesn’t mean you need to buy it. As Stacey pointed out earlier that the credit crunch can slow down the Clear rollout and the device well might not be useful in many places. You are better off going for a cheaper 3G-only card for now.
OK, that is a bit over the top! Nielsen Mobile came out with a report that points out that there were 13 million mobile data cards in the U.S. at the end of June 2008. Not a big surprise, since wireless carriers in the U.S. are having a blockbuster year as far as mobile Internet revenues are concerned. The GigaOM Team has about seven of them and uses them for business and filing stuff when on the road. Apparently, so do a lot of people. However, Nielsen points out that there is a change in the making.
….Nielsen’s research reveals that the cards are beginning to play an important role in home and personal Internet access, as well. In fact, 43 percent of mobile data card users report they most often use their data card at home, while 15 percent say they typically use the card at work. Additionally, one in five (21 percent) data card subscribers take advantage of ubiquitous access by heading outdoors and 9 percent use their card while commuting.
An easy explanation would be better price packages and higher speed tiers, thanks to newer 3G technologies. Of the nearly 1,300 mobile data card users Nielsen surveyed, more than 99 percent still kept their wired broadband service: 40 percent of card users also have cable broadband and 34 percent also have DSL in their home. That number can jump to 59 percent, giving wired carriers something to think about.
Maybe the wireless guys need to rethink their wireless broadband plans and bring them forward. For phone companies the prospect of being cannibalized by wireless data connections must be scarier than losing them to voice connections. No wonder they started to limit bandwidth transfers on their connections. (Photo courtesy: Novatel Wireless.)
The introduction of the new iPhone 3G is going to jump start the 3G wireless broadband and is going to spawn a new ecosystem, much like how rise of wired broadband gave us Napster, Skype & YouTube. From that perspective, July 11 will go down as a red letter day for 3G wireless. Continue Reading the story.


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AUSTIN, TX - March 9, 2017 - South by Southwest® (SXSW®) and mobile event technology leader Eventbase have created “Abby” a purpose-built automated bot that will answer attendee questions with personalized recommendations and a little attitude.
Embedded within the official 2017 SXSW Go mobile app, the bot is designed to act as a personalized concierge to help attendees quickly find meaningful content at the massive conference and festivals taking place in Austin from March 10 to 19, 2017.
Abby can have conversations with human users via text and voice command. Abby replicates a concierge style experience through automated messages. Powered by AI, Abby can understand user preferences and context to better provide content, recommendations and information users seek.
Abby can answer a range of questions about any of the 6,000+ sessions taking place across 600+ venues, such as “When is Adam Grant speaking?” or “Where is Spoon playing?”
The SXSW team has also equipped Abby with answers to other common questions, like “Where can I find a taco?” Sending the taco emoji to the bot will also get a response.
“Using a bot is a completely new way to interface with the SXSW Go app,” said Scott Wilcox, Chief Innovation Officer. “Importantly, Abby will learn over time and we can refine its responses to better meet the needs of our community. We’re looking forward to seeing how our attendees interact with it and how Abby will evolve.”
Powered by Eventbase, the conversational interface of the bot was engineered to integrate seamlessly into its Enterprise Event App Platform and scale to serve the world’s most demanding events and brands.
Extending SXSW Recommends
Working with Eventbase, SXSW has also added an additional layer of intelligence to the app this year, extending its popular SXSW Recommends platform beyond sessions to include attendee networking recommendations. A sophisticated matching algorithm will help attendees find people they may want to meet based on a range of factors including their people in common, tags in common, events in common and more.
Eventbase CEO Jeff Sinclair says SXSW is always keen to showcase innovations that push the boundaries of what an event app can do.
“The mobile experience at SXSW offers a layer of intelligence never before seen at a large event,” Sinclair said. “This moves the event app far beyond being an interactive replacement for the printed guide, it is now an indispensable and intelligent personal concierge that elevates the attendee experience.”
SXSW dedicates itself to helping creative people achieve their goals. Founded in 1987 in Austin, Texas, SXSW is best known for its conference and festivals that celebrate the convergence of the interactive, film, and music industries. The event, an essential destination for global professionals, features sessions, showcases, screenings, exhibitions, and a variety of networking opportunities. SXSW proves that the most unexpected discoveries happen when diverse topics and people come together. SXSW 2017 will take place March 10-19, 2017.
SXSW 2017 is sponsored by Esurance, Mazda, Monster Energy, Bud Light, Capital One, McDonald’s, The Austin Chronicle, Sonicbids and Pandora.
Eventbase is the leading mobile technology platform for premium events. Trusted by global brands for their Tier 1 conferences, customers include IBM, Cisco, Microsoft, SAP, CES and SXSW. Eventbase also delivers apps for massive consumer events including three Olympic Games, Comic-Con International and Sundance Film Festival. Our platform propels events into the mobile age, personalizing the experience through apps that incorporate sophisticated design, industry-leading scalability, and ground-breaking innovations. Three time winner for "Best Event App" at the Event Technology Awards, Eventbase is based in Vancouver, Canada and has an office in London, UK. For more information, visit www.eventbase.com and follow @EventbaseTech.