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Brinc today is pleased to announce a partnership with NEOM to accelerate investment in AgriTech and FoodTech ventures under the auspices of the Food Sector. NEOM is a region in northwest Saudi Arabia on the Red Sea that is a new model for ways to adapt to the challenges facing humanity in the future as it deals with the impact of climate change, urban sprawl, and sustainability. Innovation in food technology is necessary for a more sustainable future in the agrifood industry, one of the industries that has the most impact on the environment. Brinc believes that fostering this innovation will help transform the food industry and, by addressing food sustainability, security, safety, and waste reduction, we can create a secure food system for the future. Changing consumer attitudes towards sustainability and an increased focus on nutrition and healthy eating brings added impetus for innovation.
The NEOM partnership strengthens Brinc’s commitment to invest in over 1000 climate-conscious startups over the next five years. NEOM will be powered by 100% renewable energy and driven by advanced technology across all its 14 sectors. This ambitious project is a major attraction to many industries that look to technology to disrupt existing approaches.
Food-focused firms that want to use technology to innovate and bridge the gap between consumers and producers will find NEOM a welcoming home. By applying data and digital technology, NEOM is able to provide actionable insights that power innovation, shaping a food future that brings people closer to the food they eat.
Brinc’s investment mandate in AgriTech and FoodTech aligns with the interests of NEOM and Saudi Food corporates in developing sustainable food systems. Through this partnership, NEOM and Saudi corporates will connect with teams within our portfolio network in the space to further promote sustainable agriculture. Brinc will also be holding private virtual pitch days for relevant startups to pitch to NEOM and Saudi Food corporate leaders, to promote cross-pollination, support expansion into Saudi, and other collaborative opportunities.
NEOM uses traceability and advanced analytics to secure food supply resilience and sustainability. The vision of the NEOM Food Sector, headed by Dr. Juan Carlos Motamayor, is to create healthy and sustainable food systems in NEOM that nourish families and nurture the environment. The strategy is built around four particular areas of growth — climate-proof agriculture, biotechnology-enabled aquaculture, personalized nutrition, and alternative meats, proteins, and dairy. NEOM wants to play a significant role in the food revolution.
“NEOM aims to build a global community where food is at the heart of nourishing both people and the planet,” said Dr. Andrew Yip, Senior Manager for Digital Technologies at Food. “Startup engagement and knowledge sharing is a key component to building an agri-food innovation ecosystem that ensures food security and sustainability for the region and beyond.”
Brinc is one of the earliest venture accelerators globally to invest in FoodTech. Over 50 startups are featured in its AgriFood portfolio, including notable portfolio companies such as Avant Meats, Orbillion Bio, Phuture Foods and GROUNDED. Brinc runs multiple mature programs in this sector, demonstrating the alignment between Brinc’s ESG-focus with NEOM’s sustainability ethos. One of the seven locations where Brinc has a presence includes Manama, Bahrain. The NEOM partnership further opens doors in the Middle East. With a framework that focuses on supporting sustainably focused entrepreneurs and startups, Brinc’s collaboration with NEOM will make an impact on one of the biggest industries, and one that is ripe for disruption: the food industry.
“This past year has highlighted the fragility and interconnectedness of our global systems. However, it has also demonstrated how rapidly we can develop truly transformational solutions if we work together.” said Natalie Lung, Food Tech Program Manager at Brinc. “Our partnership with NEOM is rooted in our belief that we must take a collaborative approach to fix our broken food system. By supporting entrepreneurs and investing in groundbreaking technologies, we hope to rethink a food system that is currently fragmented, unsustainable, and cannot be scaled to meet the growing demands of an ever-increasing global population.”
Together, Brinc and NEOM hold the ability to create a new model for living that embraces sustainable food production, deliver fresh thinking and new solutions are key to change and through these NEOM hopes will become the cornerstone of environmental responsibility and urban sustainability.
Brinc looks forward to a fruitful partnership with NEOM that will continue to inspire and drive startup founders and entrepreneurs to go beyond current norms and challenge what is possible.
Brinc is a different breed of venture capital and accelerator platform. Core to their business is the belief that some of the world’s biggest challenges can be solved by entrepreneurs, who they like to call GAME CHANGERS. Brinc believes that deep technology-focused startups can fundamentally change how we move, what we eat, how we feel and where we live for the better if they are given the right backing. That’s what Brinc believes they are here for. To support and mentor founders and their teams from across the world and provide investment to help them grow. Brinc currently operates twelve multi-disciplinary accelerator programs across six countries and has made 150+ investments. Learn more at www.Brinc.io
NEOM is an accelerator of human progress and a vision of what a New Future might look like. It is a region in northwest Saudi Arabia on the Red Sea being built from the ground up as a living laboratory — a place where entrepreneurship will chart the course for this New Future. It will be a destination and a home for people who dream big and want to be part of building a new model for exceptional livability, creating thriving businesses, and reinventing environmental conservation.
NEOM will be the home and workplace to more than a million residents from around the world. It will include towns and cities, ports and enterprise zones, research centers, sports and entertainment venues, and tourist destinations.
As a hub for innovation, entrepreneurs, business leaders, and companies will come to research, incubate and commercialize new technologies and enterprises in groundbreaking ways. Residents of NEOM will embody an international ethos and embrace a culture of exploration, risk-taking, and diversity — all supported by a progressive law compatible with international norms and conducive to economic growth. Learn more at www.neom.com


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While startups like Uber, Lyft, Hailo and Sidecar are upending traditional taxi markets across North America and Europe, Helsinki’s Cabforce is aiming to change corporate bookings for taxis across the European continent and soon the U.S.
The twelve-person company has built an API and hub that lets third-party corporate booking services pull in flat rates for between 10,000 and 20,000 taxis in cities across Europe.
Their product isn’t for on-demand taxi requests in an app like with Uber. It is for bookings that people might make a couple days in advance before they make a business trip to a different city.
So they’ve partnered with travel companies like Finnair, Carlson Wagonlit Travel and a U.K. train company called FGW to offer cab booking services to their clients.
The company, which is back by an undisclosed amount of funding from angels like Tripit’s Gregg Brockway, is planning to expand to the U.S. soon by opening in Chicago and Miami. They say they’re growing at a 30 percent clip month-over-month since launching last year and should reach eight-digit revenue rate within a year.
“We’re aggregating the really fragmented European taxi market while creating new revenue streams for travel industry partners,” he said.
He said there are two ways to approach the market: one are the on-demand services like Uber and the other involves corporate booking tools that can help clients get from meeting to meeting on a flat-rate basis.
They calculate the fares in advance based on things like distance, time of day and traffic. Those rates, which the company says are 13 percent cheaper than the average, include parking fees and tips. The average ride in Cabforce’s home territory of Europe runs at about 52 euros. Their top destinations are Moscow and St. Petersburg, followed by Helsinki, then Brussels, Paris, London and Barcelona.

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Square Enix experienced significant losses during this fiscal quarter, blaming the "increasingly competitive and oligopolistic" console market throughout North America and Europe as a primary reason behind its multi-million yen dive.
Today the publisher released its financial results for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2013, confirming a net loss of 13,714 million yen. Square Enix acknowledged its restructuring efforts — which recently resulted in large-scale layoffs and the departure of CEO Yoichi Wada — had a hand in these recent losses.
"In response to the latest environmental changes in the game industry, the Group has implemented various strategic initiatives such as a change in its development policy, organizational reforms and redesign of some business models. . As a result of such initiatives, the Group posts the extraordinary losses...," reads a statement from its latest financial results.
The publisher previously stated a number of its recent releases greatly underperformed, affecting the outcome of this quarter's financial results. Sleeping Dogs managed sales of 1.75 million worldwide, Tomb Raider sold 3.4 million copies, and Hitman: Absolution sold 3.6 million units.
Comparatively, the publisher's smartphone and browser titles met with success among Japanese and Korean gamers. Casual and social games such as Sengoku Ixa, Kaku-San Sei Million Arthur and Final Fantasy Brigade contributed profits. Its MMO Dragons Quest 10 also saw "steady performance," this quarter, said the publisher.
However, the company's Digital Entertainment arm, an area that covers all games, saw a 99.7 percent decrease in operating income to 44 million yen. In comparison, during the same quarter last year, Square Enix saw operating income of 89 million yen.


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Second biggest penalty
Marriott Hotels fined £18.4m for breach of privacy rules
Trump Turnberry signed a deal with Starwood
Hotel group Marriott International has been fined £18.4 million for breaches to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) that affected millions of customers around the world.
A cyber attack, from an unknown source, affected the systems of the Starwood hotels group in 2014 but was not detected until 2018, two years after Starwood was acquired by Marriott.
The Trump Organisation signed a deal that year to manage Turnberry in Ayrshire as part of a franchise agreement with Starwood Hotels and Resorts.
The data breach is estimated to have affected around 339 million customers.
The penalty, imposed by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), has been reduced from the £99m initially announced in July last year owing to the economic impact of Covid-19 and steps taken by the firm to mitigate the effects of the incident.
Marriott said it does not intend to appeal over the decision, but makes “no admission of liability in relation to the decision or the underlying allegations”.
The latest penalty follows the £20m fine issued to British Airways – both significant fines for the travel and leisure sector, and the largest fines issued by the ICO to date
In a statement Marriott said it “deeply regrets the incident” and that it “remains committed to the privacy and security of its guests’ information”.
It added: “Marriott wants to reassure guests that the incident and the ICO’s decision involved only Starwood’s separate network, which is no longer in use.”


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This luxury B2B ride-sharing company, has raised $100 million to provide private cars on demand. The London and Israel-based company, purports it is all primary equity capital, and it plans to use it to continue investing in its B2B business, which has been growing not shrinking or staying flat in the midst of the global health pandemic.
“The way people move around in cities is changing dramatically as a result of COVID-19 and businesses are seeking to optimise costs and to put in place efficient and safe ground travel solutions for their employees,” said Waiser, in a statement. “Our mobility software is helping businesses thrive by empowering people to be their best on the go. Being fully funded and reaching a key milestone in our profitability journey is an important step for the Company. The proceeds will help us grow our unique corporate SaaS platform internationally, while we consider an IPO in the future, to further accelerate our expansion.”
The company turned operationally profitable in December 2019 and had said it planned to go public in 2020, but it sounds like that timeline, if it happens, has now been pushed back to 2021.
Gett says it has met its “original financial targets that were set pre-COVID-19.” It also reached profitability in each of its core markets in June, and is on target now to be cashflow positive in 2021, ahead of a “potential” IPO.
With the full glare of highly competitive rides such as uber, lyft , Gett establishes the business market has had seen a turn to ensuring that the travel that its users are taking is well-controlled specifically to meet specific safety standards.
Waiser said the reason for that is that the round is still open and oversubscribed, so it plans to announce a list of investors after it closes.
Gett has now raised $750 million with investors including VW, Access and its founder Len Blavatnik, Kreos, MCI and more, and its last valuation was $1.5 billion, pegged to a $200 million fundraise in May 2019.
“The completion of the fundraising during the pandemic is a clear expression of confidence by our shareholders and new investors in Gett’s vision to focus on the corporate market and its plan to expand globally, as well as in the Company’s strong operational and financial performance,” said Amos Genish, Gett chairman, in a statement.


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At the very end of samsung Unpacked today, probably just after you turned off from the excessively long event, we got a teaser of a new product on the way. The new device is called the Galaxy Ring and it is a health and wellness device that looks a lot like the Oura ring, only made by Samsung.
The tease came at the end of the Samsung Health portion of the event, basically as a “One more thing!” moment. Samsung introduced the Galaxy Ring by suggesting they are taking the “possibilities of Samsung Health to the next level by bringing Samsung Health's cutting edge innovations to a brand new form factor.” The ring was then shown in a quick animation that told us little.
In the images here and on video (3:31 mark), we can see a 4-dot metallic arrangement that are likely some sort of sensor (I'm guessing for temperature readings), as well as 3 bumps on the bottom inside that will monitor things like heart rate, blood oxygen, respiratory rate, and heart rate variability. We know those bumps do that because other smart rings have those same bumps.
It really does look like all of the other smart rings, but with Samsung behind it and connecting it to Samsung Health, it could take a step above competitors. Samsung Health is a pretty robust health platform at this point.
As far as the full feature set, timing of release or availability, and price of the Galaxy Ring, we know nothing. Samsung didn't put out a press release for the Galaxy Ring or provide any other details outside of the end-of-show teaser.
The only other thing they said was that Galaxy Ring will be a “powerful and accessible health and wellness device” that is “here to change the shape of future health like only Samsung can.”
You want one?


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Stay up to date on legal developments and trends by reading our practice-focused blogs by Davis LLP legal experts. We provide facts from the latest research, law news updates and, in some cases, our comments or forecasts on current legal issues and outcomes.
We're also on Twitter! Follow us @DavisLLP
- The Impact of Trade Agreements on Public Sector Procurement in Canada - International Trade AgreementsContinuing with our review of trade agreements, this blog looks at Canada’s existing international trade agreements. Canada has entered into a range of free trade agreements with variousREAD MOREMany businesses are taking steps to comply with Canada’s new anti-spam legislation (“CASL”), which is coming into force on July 1, 2014. However, CASL compliance should not be theREAD MOREOn March 21, 2014, the Supreme Court of Canada released its decision on the eligibility of Justice Marc Nadon, a supernumary justice of the Federal Court of Appeal and a former Advocate of 10 yearsREAD MORELast February, the issue of Freemen-on-the-Land / Sovereign Citizens in Alberta courts was reignited by the case of Fearn v Canada Customs, 2014 ABQB 114, in which Glenn Winningham Fearn, an AmericanREAD MOREMedia ContactElizabeth ReymundoMarketing ManagerPhone: 604.643.6494Fax: 604.605.4878Email: firstname.lastname@example.org


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SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — These are the stocks making notable moves in the stock market on Monday:
: The discount retailer made a $8.95 billion bid for Family Dollar Stores Inc.
Dollar General’s all-cash offer amounts to $78.50 a share, more than a rival bid for Family Dollar by Dollar Tree Inc.
for $74.50 ashare. Dollar General and Family Dollar both gained, while Dollar Tree slipped.
Lannett Co. Inc.
: The general drug company indicated it would report better-than-expected fourth-quarter results when it releases earnings later this month.
: The Chinese mobile application platform reported earnings of 4 cents a share on revenue of $27.4 million, beating its earlier outlook.
Ivanhoe Energy Inc.
: The oil company said it would do a 7:1 share consolidation to stay in compliance with the listing requirements for the Nasdaq.
Monster Beverage Corp.
: Monster Beverage shares retreated after gaining 31% on Friday in wake of a $2.15 billion investment from Coca-Cola Co.
Applied Materials Inc.
: AMAT shares turned south after a three-day rally. The stock had gotten a strong lift after the company reported better-than-expected earnings last week.
Tickers to Watch
Tesla Motors Inc.
: Tesla snapped its five-day winning streak to close lower. The stock had finished at a record close for five sessions in a row last week.
Urban Outfitters Inc.
: The clothing retailer reported second-quarter profit of 49 cents a share, a penny ahead of consensus, on revenue of $811 million, above consensus of $805 million.
JinkoSolar Holding Co.
: The solar power company reported adjusted profit of 80 cents a share, beating the consensus analyst estimate of 74 cents a share, according to FactSet.


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Ibukun is a crypto/finance writer interested in passing relevant information, using non-complex words to reach all kinds of audience. Apart from writing, she likes to see movies, cook, and explore restaurants in the city of Lagos, where she resides.
Dunamu plans to open offices across major cities, including Busan, Gwangju, Daegu, and Daejeon. These offices will be accessible for local customers to consult on their crypto investments.
Despite the bear market, South Korean fintech giant Dunamu is going big into the Web3 space with plans to create over 10,000 jobs in the ecosystem. The fintech firm, which operates crypto exchange Upbit, is planning to invest 500 billion won ($380 million) in its Web3 ambition as it aims to become a leader in the industry. Specifically, the company is looking to invest in 500 startups and inject funds into blockchain and Web3 projects over five years, providing thousands of jobs.
According to a local report, the startups will focus on key software solutions to encourage more firms to join in the race. Dunamu CEO Lee Sirgoo spoke on the company’s investment in Web3 to create jobs. The CEO said the initiative is to strengthen South Korea’s position in the rapidly growing ecosystem. He added that the initiative aims to offer employment in the metaverse, blockchain, and non-fungible tokens (NFTs).
“We plan to strengthen the competitiveness of domestic industry through an active investment and creation of jobs of the newly growing future industries, like blockchain, non fungible token (NFT) and the metaverse.”
Dunamu Plans to Generate Web3 Jobs as Major Crypto Companies Reduce Headcounts
Dunamu plans to open offices across major cities, including Busan, Gwangju, Daegu, and Daejeon. These offices will be accessible for local customers to consult on their crypto investments. The company will prioritize hiring graduates from local universities, and they will be trained in IT. Dunamu has invested more than 88 billion won in fintech startups and blockchain since 2018. The CEO added that Dunamu “continuously tried to generate jobs for the youth.”
Dunamu is creating 10,000 new Web3 jobs when many crypto firms are cutting off staff due to the market condition. Major crypto firms like Bitso, Coinbase, Gemini, Vauld, and many others have cut jobs over the past months. Crypto companies downsized as the entire crypto market plunged from its ATH of about $3 trillion to around $1.2 trillion. The global market suffered and is suffering from the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and increasing inflation. While Gemini forcefully cut 10% of its entire employees, Coinbase reduced full-time employees. BlockFi also let go of 20% of employees.
Meanwhile, Binance embarked on a hiring spree, and the company said it was confident in its decision. According to CEO Changpeng Zhao, the crypto exchange has enough resources to expand its workforce. At the time, co-founder Yi He said Binance had more than 2,000 open positions for business developers, product managers, and engineers. Binance website currency shows 923 job openings for business developers, front-end developers, and more.


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Fashion Industry Testifies in Favor of Design Copyright Protections Again
NEW YORK, NY JUNE 06: Jack McCollough (L) and Lazaro Hernandez (R) pose backstage at the 2011 CFDA Fashion Awards at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center on June 6, 2011 in fake designer bags New York City. (Photo by Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images) (Andrew H. Unlike Louis Vuitton or Michael Kors, which display their trademarked interlocking initials across handbags (effectively protecting them from counterfeiting), Proenza Schouler’s fashions are identified by design, a creative endeavor that carries no legal protections.
The members of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual replica louis vuitton bags Property, Competition and the Internet have heard similar testimony before. Young designers like Jason Wu, Prabal Gurung and Narciso Rodriguez have been in the same room at the Rayburn Building previously, testifying in hearings on the Innovative Design Protection and Piracy Prevention Act (IDPPPA).
The bill is a top priority for Perfect Quality Louis Vuitton Replica many designers, and the Council of Fashion cheap louis vuitton bags from china uk Designers of America (CFDA), the fashion industry’s main trade association, touts it as a bill that will help the little guy, the young designer who’s just high quality designer replica handbags out of Parsons and can’t compete if Forever 21 copies his or her designs.
On Friday high quality replica handbags china , nine members of Congress sat stone fake louis bag faced as they listened to testimonies. Hernandez spoke of costs his team produces four collections a year that cost $3.8 million to make and of an internet age that transports images of his designs on the catwalk to “copyists in China,” that replicate his designs before critics at fashion weeks can review them.
Jeannie Suk 1:1 replica handbags , a professor at Harvard Law School, testified in favor the bill, as well, distinguishing between inspired works and exact copies. She thinks the bill replica louis vuitton bags from china will benefit the industry and consumers by forcing fast fashion chains to vary their designs and “innovate rather than simply replicate” high end designers.
Most notably, Kurt Courtney of the American Apparel and replica louis vuitton Footwear Association testified in favor of the bill, reversing their initial opposition to the bill since Congress revised the original “broad definitions” to fix what Courtney called “a narrow cheap replica handbags problem.”
Christopher Sprigman, a professor at the University of Virginia School of Law, testified in high quality replica handbags china opposition to the bill, arguing that it’s unnecessary and could cause needless litigation. To prove his point, he showed a slide that pictured Proenza Schouler’s PS1 leather satchel alongside Mulberry’s Alexa bag, arguing that Mulberry could file suit against Proenza Schouler under the proposed legislation.
The fashion crowd seemed outraged by the comparison, with reactions that echoed Justice Potter Stewart’s famed classification of obscenity: “I know copying when I see it and this case is not that.”
Suk gave her take on cheap louis vuitton bags from china the slide, retorting with, “To those who don’t know classical music, Bach doesn’t sound different than other Baroque composers.”
But the committee seemed mixed, with ranking committee member Rep. John Conyers (D MI) going so far as to say to congratulate Hernandez for his passion, and then conclude with: “I don’t agree with you.”
Ben Quayle (R AZ) asked Sprigman about changing technology and whether it is now necessary to protect designs because of the internet. Sprigman argued that the fax machine could have had a similar effect on copying. Hernandez later retorted that 360 degree shots of apparel make copying and pattern making much simpler.
After the hearing, Hernandez corrected Sprigman, saying that his label designed the PS1 Satchel before Mulberry released the Alexa bag.
Would he want to sue Mulberry for copying?
“Probably not,” said Hernandez, while CFDA executive director Steven Kolb noted that the bags, “are similar, but not identical.”
Those outside the legal and fashion industries might find the legislation tedious, but the implications of the bill, which go beyond the “job creation” or “needless litigation” catch phrases of the hearing, could change the landscape of the fashion industry for designers and consumers. After a year of heated negotiations, it appears most designers and manufacturers are in agreement.
“The CFA isn’t on board,” said Sprigman after the hearing, who later said the California Fashion Association, which represents mass market retailers like Forever 21 and international trade offices in Hong Kong and Brazil, supplied him with the controversial slide that pictured the Mulberry and Proenza Schouler bags alongside each other.
In addition to fast fashion chains, free culture enthusiasts in the legal community, many of whom oppose intellectual property rights on philosophical grounds, also find fault with the legislation.
But witnesses on both sides refrained from lofty arguments. Instead 1:1 replica handbags , they focused on “saving jobs” or “preventing needless litigation,” concrete effects that committee members can turn into talking points without bringing the tricky language (and phonetics) of fashion back to their districts.


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The premiums, available at about 7,400 U.S. BK locations through Oct. 31, are toys based on the virtual paper doll activities popular among girls. The Stardoll virtual world/game site has nearly 80 million registered users worldwide, according to the company.
The toys allow girls to mix and match different fabrics to create different looks for six models, who are depicted in scenarios such as a fashion show runway and a party. Burger King is supporting the program with a marketing campaign spanning television advertising, in-restaurant merchandising, custom packaging and online promotions.
The promotion ran earlier this year in 10,000 BK restaurants in more than 30 countries.
BK is also currently featuring Prehistoric Pets toys as premium choices with kids' meals.


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Like President Trump,
'Fetch' and Prince Harry dating a US television actress, the revival of noughties staple
Juicy Couture looks like happening.
Founded by Gela Nash and Pamela Skaist-Levy in 1997, the brand's velour tracksuits became the uniform of It girls Britney Spears, Madonna, Jennifer Lopez and Paris Hilton.
The company was sold to US clothing giant Liz Claiborne in 2003 but faded from the headlines and star's wardrobes towards the end of the decade.
In 2013 the company was sold to the Authentic Brands Group and finally has a new creative director.
Nicole Richie's stylist Jamie Mizrahi (pictured with Nicole) will release her first collection for the revitalised label spring '18.
Juicy Couture has already gathered heat by collaborating with Paris fashion favourite Vetements but Jamie won't be straying too far from the DNA.
"I am not trying to reinvent Juicy," Mizrahi told WWD.
"It has such a brand identity already- carefree, tongue-in-cheek fashion. What I'm doing is taking the history that is so special and continuing to make it feel fun."
Until Jamie's collection arrives, take a look back at the people and pieces that made Juicy Couture great.


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Fuck me, that went fast! I can hardly believe that 2011 is already over and yet here we are.
So let me give you a tantalising insight into the months ahead as this new, recession-prone year coughs and splutters its way into existence.
Let’s start with the subject of recession, because that’s the theme for the months and years ahead. By now marketers are aware of the depth of the downturn we are experiencing but many have yet to grasp how long the period of austerity will last. No one is even pretending that we will come out of the economic doldrums in 2012 so the key challenge for marketers will be to continue to adapt to recession as the new norm. A growing band of economy offerings will take hold, contrasting with the continued success of luxury brands. That might sound strange, but in a slump as deep and bitter as this one it will be brands in the middle that take a pounding.
In direct juxtaposition to all this darkness and gloom, London will host a £10bn party. The 30th Olympiad will obviously dominate proceedings this summer but, for marketing minds, the emphasis will be on return on investment for the sponsors in the ever-more expensive global sporting business. And Britain will have to justify its own ROI, as it blows billions from the public purse on two weeks of entertainment. As usual, marketers should remember that ROI is not just about showing the ‘I’ produced an ‘R’. Clearly, £10bn of investment is going to bestow a return in terms of many benefits for the British Isles. The real ROI question is whether that sum could have had a bigger R if it had been invested elsewhere. And that same equation should be applied to corporate sponsors too.
The buzzword that I will try to avoid over the coming year will be SoLoMo. Because marketers love buzzwords, be prepared to be besieged by the term from February onwards. The concept, like most of the hot new things that will happen in 2012, was invented by someone at Google.
Marketers must once again accept that we are the vocational equivalent of the fart in the elevator
To be fair, it does – unlike most marketing buzzwords – actually mean something important: the confluence of social, local and mobile technologies that allow marketers to operate on a new strategic plane. In the US during the Christmas sales, for example, several American brands began to use SoLoMo strategies to lure consumers standing in their competitors’ queues to head across the mall to their store instead.
But it won’t be all plain sailing this year for digital. The big theme for both social media and search in 2012 will be ‘digital bastardisation’. As you may have guessed, that was a term coined by me, not Google. The early years of the web and social media were dominated by people too saintly (Tim Berners-Lee), too straight (Brin and Page) or too strange (Mark Zuckerberg) to manipulate its potential for evil. But the bastards are now well and truly among us.
In my favourite moment to date of the juggernaut that is the US election, which will also occupy our thinking this year, it was revealed by social media firm PeekYou that only 8% of the 1.2 million followers of Newt Gingrich on Twitter were actually human. The rest were carefully created fake personas designed to add weight and legitimacy to Gingrich’s campaign. Evil deeds such as “astroturfing” and “online reputation management” are likely to become more and more of a concern as the year progresses. But one man’s evil is another’s marketing career path. So expect marketers to be held up as the perpetrators of these evil deeds as global awareness of their impact grows.
And that’s bad news for marketers, because we are already in reputational hell. We ended last year in classic foot-shooting territory with our own Chartered Institute recommending we call it a day and merge with sales. And things will not get better in 2012. My most depressing yuletide experience was reading Walter Isaacson’s Steve Jobs biography and noting how many times throughout his career Apple’s iconic founder referred to himself as a marketer. He even signed the founding contract for Apple’s creation with the title under his name. And yet when he became iconic how was he described? Entrepreneur? Yes. Innovator? Yes. Visionary? Yes. Marketer? Never. Much like years gone by, marketers must once again accept that we are the vocational equivalent of a fart in an elevator.
And finally there will be the great tussles of capitalism that will occupy us in the year ahead. Who knows which great brands will stumble and which will fall in 2012? The most interesting sector has to be smartphones. Nokia looks incredibly wobbly. Research in Motion and its iconic BlackBerry is also looking poor. And then we have the issue of Apple without Jobs to monitor in the months ahead.
Closer to home is the epic battle now occurring in the British supermarket wars. There are growing whispers that Tesco is a busted flush – Britain’s biggest retailer has a long way to fall if those rumours prove to be true.
Oh yes, dear reader, it’s going to be grim, bloody and painful. See you on the backpage with more good news next week.


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Big, emerging trends are driving the so-called analytic trend in business. They are behavioral science, data science (the machine-learning revolution) and addressable technology (the ability to reach individual consumers with personalized marketing messages), Seethu Seetharaman said at a recent event in Minneapolis titled “Got Algorithm?”
Copyright by www.bizjournals.com
“These three forces are really turning on its head how we are applying analytics to solve business problems,” said Seetharaman, director of the Center for Analytics and Business Insights and W. Patrick McGinnis Professor of Marketing at Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis.
“There’s a lot of exciting research going on in understanding how consumers think and feel,” he said. For example, one recent project by some of his colleagues shows that ambient scents in supermarket retail makes a big difference in what customers put in their shopping carts.
“If you have the smell of cookies in the air, then consumers buy more healthful foods. You heard that right,” Seetharaman said. “It’s almost as if some kind of satiation is going on. If your nose gets its share of that, then your belly doesn’t.”
Customer data explosion
The words “machine learning” are more than the latest business buzz words. If you’re not tapping into the power of big data analytics, you’re already behind the curve. Seetharaman discussed how to harness big data and machine learning to drive business forward. He explained how machine learning algorithms can predict product sales and compared machine- learning approaches with traditional marketing mix models.
Businesses in every industry are unearthing profit-generating insights unknowable just a decade ago, with customer data collected from scanners, cash registers, online product reviews, wearable devices and other sources.
In retail, research using machine learning shows a manager’s No. 1 job is this: “Set your price right before you worry about all the other marketing levers,” Seetharaman told the Minneapolis audience, where he spoke Jan. 22 about his research in the retail space.
The price of beer
He pointed out some interesting ancillary findings, too. “The price of beer is the most important predictor in terms of predicting cigarette sales as well as predicting diaper sales. … But the converse is not true. So that’s interesting. The price of diapers doesn’t drive the sales of beer. Seasonality is hugely important for beer, and machine-learning algorithms kind of agree with each other in terms of which variables they tag as the most important.”
For price optimization, most managers use heuristics, or rule-of-thumb strategies. Examples include price markups at 25% over cost, pricing 5% below the geographically nearest competitor, and a 20% discount for the store brand versus the national brand, Seetharaman said.
But an algorithmic approach to price optimization can go deeper by solving problems analytically for a single product or numerically for multiple products, he said.
Supermarket category pricing
Seetharaman and Durai Sundaramoorthi, senior lecturer in management at Olin Business School, conducted a study on machine-learning approaches for supermarket category pricing. Using store-level weekly scanner data from 24 product categories in each of nine stores of a supermarket chain over a period of six years, they estimated the six machine-learning models and compared their predictive performance. […]


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More than half (57%) of Australian consumers would never buy from a brand again if it was accused of working with unethical suppliers, according to new research from OpenText. Instead, they would look to find an alternative brand that engages in responsible sourcing.
The survey findings also highlight the pandemic has made consumers more mindful of the impact of their purchases with 84% of consumers planning to prioritise buying from companies that make it clear they have ethical sourcing strategies in place; compared with 73% pre-pandemic.
Nearly half (48%) of Australian consumers judge a brand based on not just its actions but the actions of its suppliers as well. In fact, consumers place such value on buying from ethical brands that well over three quarters (81%) are willing to pay more if they can be sure a product has been ethically sourced or produced. More than three in ten (32%) are willing to spend between 25% and 50% more for that product.
Purchasing ethically sourced or produced items matters to 77% of Australian consumers, though just under a quarter (24%) admit it has only started to matter to them in the last year or so. The majority (81%) of Australian consumers are even willing to compromise convenience, such as accepting a slower delivery, if they can be sure an item has been ethically sourced or produced. Over half (59%) agree they would only opt for this sometimes or for certain items, but more than a fifth (22%) are always willing to make this compromise.
“Creating an ethical supply chain requires having visibility into every supplier. The ethically minded consumer is exercising more control over their buying power. Brands can no longer claim they act responsibly if they have no visibility into their operations or those of their suppliers,” OpenText senior vice president and chief marketing officer, Lou Blatt said.
When shopping online, 49% of Australian consumers now make a conscious effort to purchase locally sourced or produced items to support local businesses and reduce their carbon footprint.
Almost two thirds (65%) of Australian consumers agree businesses have a responsibility to ensure their suppliers abide by an ethical code. More than half (58%) believe that businesses that cannot monitor where their goods have come from and don’t know if suppliers are sourcing goods ethically need to rethink their supply chain.
Nearly two thirds (61%) of Australian consumers agree government should introduce regulation that holds businesses more accountable for responsible sourcing. The majority (83%) also think online retailers should clearly mark whether or not products are ethically sourced where they can.
More than three quarters (78%) admit that knowing where a product has originated from or where parts are sourced is important to their buying decision. For 48%, this information always or often impacts their buying decision.
“Transparency is paramount in building an ethical supply chain, and this can only be achieved through the utilisation of trustworthy information, according to OpenText regional vice president for business ecosystems Asia Pacific, George Harb.
“Having full visibility across the supply chain empowers organisations to do more to meet customers’ expectations when it comes to ethical sourcing and practices, and enables them to hold partners and suppliers accountable. By embracing a single, unified, cloud-based integration platform, organisations will not only optimise the flow of information across the supply chain, but have the transparency to ensure it operates ethically at every stage.”


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The Phrooti Mango Water has been announced by the brand as a new refreshment that puts a focus on a free-from profile to address the increasing number of consumers seeking out simplistic beverage options. Packaged in recyclable plastic bottles, the drink consists of spring water that's mixed with crushed mangoes. No added sugar or sweeteners are in the mix, which makes it applicable for consumers seeking out a cleaner option to enjoy in place of alternative drinks.
Founder of Phrooti Jerome Jacob boasted about the new Phrooti Mango Water saying, "Since we first started in 2014, we’ve tried and tested several concepts before finalising our new range of Fruit Waters, so we’re chuffed that our Mango Water will be sold in convenience stores across the country. Plus, we can’t wait to unveil our other recipes later in the year.”


text:
Electric Vehicle news
The reason behind the growth in sales is solid sales performance of the F-PACE as well as the introduction of the Range Rover Velar, Jaguar XF Sportbrake and long wheelbase Jaguar XFL in China.
Future generations of GM electric vehicles "will be profitable," Reuss said, but added it was not clear when GM could make all its new vehicle offerings zero-emission electric cars.
Suzuki admitted several times in the past that it is working on the development of an EV to suit the markets like India.
Most of those savings will not show up on Ford's bottom line until 2019 and 2020, Hackett and other Ford executives said, reflecting the industry's long product engineering lead times.
The specialty chemicals company said the overall market "could be (worth) more than $30 billion (in) sales when battery electric vehicle penetration increases to around 10 percent."
With the growing clamour over environment, green mobility is the need of the hour globally, Kant said at the Ford City of Tomorrow symposium in New Delhi.
The company is planning to strengthen its commercial vehicle portfolio in India.
Hero MotoCorp, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India, TVS Motor, Mahindra Two Wheelers, Yamaha and Bajaj Auto all have scheduled launches of electric two-wheelers from 2018.
The ID BUZZ revealed in Detroit showed how a similar vehicle could embrace the fun and flexibility of the original Microbus.
Cos can partner power discoms, electricity cos can set up stations or even aggregate batteries at swapping shops for electric cars.
“Before I start pushing EVs, I have to make sure they give him the value that they should give to him, which is what a customer expects from Maruti,” said Bhargava.
The government wants the traditional fuel mobility to be converted into electrical at earliest and suggested that automobile manufacturers to go for alternative fuel
According to NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant, for mass scale EV adoption and to make India a base for EV production challenges such as ingeniousness battery production and creation of charging infrastructure need to be met.
"Government has announced programme to rapidly promote the use of electric vehicles in India," MSI Chairman R C Bhargava.
The document, unveiled by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, also calls for steps to promote electric cooking and adoption of electric vehicles.
The prototype of the vehicle with a solar roof will be built by end-2017, the automaker added, without giving any details on investment and estimated time frame for mass-production.
Tata Power's aim is to build a network to make it easier for people to adopt to electric vehicles and be future ready, the company said in a statement.


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Get this: when Alicia Keys ' Girl on Fire album arrived in stores Tuesday, one of her biggest fans purchased not one, not two, but 150 copies of the disc! That fan was Alicia's hubby, Swizz Beatz , who took to Instagram to show off his mile-long Best Buy receipt.
"Ok I might get STAN of the year award..." Swizz captioned a set of pictures, capturing his shopping adventure. "So What... I just got 150 copy's to give out 2 the fans... #GOF"
One snapshot shows Swizz pushing a cart that was filled to the top with stacks of the Girl on Fire set. He even had to put a few dozen copies in a yellow handbasket.
Swizz was on hand Tuesday night, during Alicia's album release party in New York City. Keys will be heading to Europe next month to promote her fifth studio album. "Ready 2 set UK & Europe on fiyah with my new tour! Can't wait 2 perform for u all!!" she tweeted, sharing a link for her upcoming show dates.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio


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After confirming the name of its Playstation VR successor would simply be PSVR 2 at CES in January, before further detailing specs in February, Sony is rumored to be sending out emails hinting that an official showcase for PSVR 2 is imminent.
Similar to how Sony is rejiggering its approach to PlayStation’s subscriptions, this update to its virtual-reality headset for gaming was long expected.
But data from IDC makes it clear the PSVR brand has a significant uphill battle to stand out among other VR headsets once again.
Per its annual tracking of headset shipments, IDC found that PSVR wasn’t just well below the 78% share of 11.2 million shipments exhibited by the Meta Quest 2 (formerly known as Oculus Quest 2), it failed to rank among the top five headset manufacturers, with Chinese companies DPVR, ByteDance-owned Pico Interactive, HTC and iQIYI selling the most headsets after Meta.
While VR is still a relatively niche medium for gaming and other interactive experiences, the speed with which Meta knocked PSVR out of the running as the standout headset from 2019 to 2020 via Quest 2 was nothing short of cutthroat.
As vicious of a competitive leap forward as this was for Meta, the reasons behind it were simple.
For one, the number of cords, connections and accessories required to get PSVR set up for use drew many complaints. Beyond that, there was also the fact that buying a PSVR headset also meant buying a PS4 console if you didn’t already own one.
By contrast, Quest and its second iteration were cordless and required no extra hardware to operate after purchasing.
Good thing Sony and the PSVR 2 are hitting back with better features that ... have nothing to do with either of those things.
To be fair, the PSVR2 does remove the required PS Camera connection for a smoother operating process, but is not fully wireless and of course still requires a PS5 for use, effectively cementing PS5 owners as the only ground to gain in achieving a better share of VR shipments sold going forward.
That doesn’t mean substantial improvements in viewable pixels, field of view and vision tracking aren’t going to appeal to tech enthusiasts, but it’s important to remember the Valve Index was already developed as a more tech-intensive VR option and is selling about as poorly as PSVR has been over the last two years when compared with the headsets from Meta and leading Chinese entities.
Much like what makes PlayStation a leading console brand, the PSVR 2’s only realistic option to gain ground is going to be the games it offers — specifically AAA-quality games compatible with PSVR.
Given that many AAA studios already deal with the development challenge of making their games playable on both PS4 and PS5 hardware, it will always be easier for Sony to just collaborate with them on new games intended for PSVR. But only sticking to that model is a wasted opportunity.
“Hitman 3” hit 50 million players within a year of its release, making it the most popular installment of IO Interactive’s new “Hitman” trilogy, and was also PSVR-compatible from launch, with reception to the VR mode positive enough for IO to further develop a PC VR version that launched this year.
Likewise, Capcom’s “Resident Evil 7” was an instant hit when it released in 2017, not just because of its reimagined take on the long-running horror franchise but also because the multiplatform game was fully playable on PSVR, with almost 10% of its players experiencing the game that way. When follow-up “Resident Evil Village” launched without PSVR compatibility, there was prominent disappointment.
Next-generation PSVR games are certainly in the works, as confirmed by Epic Games’ presentation last week for the launch of Unreal Engine 5. The PSVR 2 logo was shown amongst a collage of studio logos already working with the next Unreal engine, so there are certainly big games in the periphery.
But until we see the full scope of what the new PSVR hopes to achieve, it remains difficult to see what if anything can be done to regain its former momentum.


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The newest budget smartphone from Google was just announced. Here's how to protect your new device when you get your hands on it later in August.
Like GearBrain on Facebook
Google just released the new Pixel 4A, its latest smartphone for the budget conscious, that we expected would still be released in 2020. The device is currently in pre-order, expected to deliver on August 20. But you can pick up, or at least order a case, at the same time, because it's never a bad idea to protect a new phone.
Here then are 7 cases designed specifically for the new Google Pixel 4A, all available to order right now.
Google — $40
Google Pixel 4A case in Blue ConfettiGoogle
We're starting with the official case from the company that designed the Pixel 4A in the first place. Google has a fabric case (as it did for the Pixel 4) for the Pixel 4A, which gives a bit of a couch or love seat look to your new smartphone. And yes, the case is machine-washable, plus made from over 70 percent recycled materials. (Google says some of this comes from plastic water bottles.)
There are raised edges, and a microfiber lining, and you can currently pick one up in three color options, Blue Confetti, with speckles of range and grey woven though, Static Gray and Basically Black.
Catalyst — $39.99
Catalyst Pixel 4A Impact Protection CaseCatalyst
Catalyst has already released an Impact Protection Case for the Google Pixel 4A. It's tested drop proof to 9.9 feet, or 3 meters, and has a textured back covered with a Polymetric grip, plus a top and bottom bezel to protect the new smartphone. Back ports open for access to the headphone and charging ports.
You can also wireless charge the newGoogle Pixel 4a without removing the case. Pick up the new Impact Protection Case in black for $39.99
Catalyst - Official Made for Google Pixel 4 Case with Clear Back, Compatible with Active Edge, Heavy Duty 9.9ft Drop Proof, Truss Cushioning System, Compatible with Wireless Charging, Lanyard Included
List Price: $39.99
New From: $39.99 in Stock
Gear4 — $29.99 and $39.99
Gear4 Pixel 4A case in Wembley PaletteGear4
Gear4 has two new cases launched today. The Crystal Palace, for $39.99, is a transparent case that can protect the new Google Pixel 4A from a drop of 13 feet. The Wembley Palette, at $29.99, is available in a smoke finish, and can protect the smart phone from a drop of up to 13 feet. (And yes, you'd be right to pick up on the Premier League association here.)
Both cases have anti-bacterial protections woven through, and can support wireless charging.
InvisibleShield Screen Protector — $24.99 - $49.99
InvisibleShield Pixel 4A screen protectorInvisibleShield
InvisibleShield has released three different options of glass protectors designed specifically for the new Pixel 4A. The baseline model, the Glass+, at $24.99, is meant to standup to daily use while allowing the screen to stay touch sensitivity. The next step up, the Glass Elite+ is $39.99 and is meant to make the screen even more resistant to scratches, chips, cracks and also impacts. At the high end of the Glass Elite VisionGuard+ which is $49.99 which also protects against everything the lower priced models too, but also reduces blue light by adding layers to filter that high-energy visible light as you're using your new device.
Otterbox Pixel 4A case in Stardust GlitterOtterbox
Otterbox has two different options for the new Pixel 4A, both are part of its Symmetry Series, both are $49.95 and both are essentially clear. You can pick up a completely clear option, or one that's called Stardust Glitter and looks as it sounds, with bits of sparkle throughout the material.
The cases are made of synthetic rubber and polycarbonate and have raised bumpers, but are thin enough to put into a pocket.
Starhemei — $4.98
Starhemei Pixel 4A case in a floral patternStarhemei
Don't expect too much with this under-$5 case — but maybe a budget case is the right call for a budget phone. The Starheimei case is clearly designed for the 4A, right down to the cutaway for the fingerprint sensor on the back. You can also select multiple floral designs this from roses to wild peonies. You can grab one now and get it as soon as tomorrow through Amazon Prime.
Latercase — $39
Latercase Google Pixel 4A case comes in blackLatercase
Latercase makes a smartphone case for the Pixel 4A out of Kevlar fibers. It's just .6mm thin and weigh only 9 grams. There are raised edges for the camera and the material is matte-finished, but has a nice grippy feel. You can order this case now, which is expected to ship this month.
From Your Site Articles
- Android smartphone buying guide 2020: 8 top options - Gearbrain ›
- Google Pixel 4a leaks and rumors: What we know so far - Gearbrain ›
- Top protective cases for the new Google Pixel 5 smartphone - Gearbrain ›
Related Articles Around the Web
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Uruguay is well on their way to being the dankest country in modern history. They’re the first in pot, setting a precedent in 2013, becoming the first country to wake up and smell the kush by legalizing the sale and production of cannabis. Some states in America are waking up to change, while others are bogged down in yesteryear.
Meanwhile, Uruguay unleashed legal pot to the market on Wednesday. For the first time, nationwide, citizens of Uruguay were able to get their hands on government-approved marijuana. So far, nearly five thousand Uruguayans have applied to the national registry to purchase pot. Seventy percent of those registered are males between the ages of 30 and 44. There’s gonna be a lot of high bros in Uruguay, dude.
But all because pot is legal doesn’t mean the government won’t still f*ck with your weed, whether it’s in the United States or south of the border.
Of course with any government program, there’s usually going to be restrictions, regulations, red tape, etc. In order for a citizen of Uruguay to buy ganja, they’ll need to register with the government’s spanking new pot bureaucracy, the Institute for the Regulation and Control of Cannabis (IRCCA). Anyone who purchases legal cannabis in that nation must be at least 18 years old or older. They’re also strict limitations on how much pot you can purchase at a time. The new rule is you can only buy a maximum of 10 grams (0.35oz) a week and nothing exceeding 40 grams per month. And you’re probably going to be pissed when I tell you how much THC is in the big government marijuana.
Right now, 16 pharmacies throughout Uruguay is selling marijuana. To purchase the product, the customer will also need to go through the process of fingerprint recognition. This is some real next level special ops sh*t just to get your hands on some simple grass.
Welp, it gets worst. When that lucky citizen decides to buy the greenery, they’re only given two options. The customer will have to chose between Alpha 1 and Beta 1, both developed in state-supervised fields. And oh, they’re both only 2 percent THC.
But the silver lining in all of this is that each gram of cannabis only costs $1.30 per gram. That sure does sound like a bargain if it weren’t watered down scheme weed. The lion’s share of the revenue (90 cents per sale) is driven back to the pot industry, while the rest is split up between the pharmacies and the state government. The tax revenue from marijuana sales will allegedly be used to fund prevention programs.
Lawmakers believe that their idea of legal weed will cut the illegal pot trade, devastate and destroy the marijuana black market, and raise a lot of tax money through sales. Good idea, geniuses! The only problem is that what they consider legal marijuana is barely even marijuana at all. Two percent THC, are you kidding me? Apparently not.
These smart guys believe that only allowing people to sell weed with only 2 percent THC will strike a blow to organized crime. Watered down buds will surely to put an end to the black market of cannabis, right? I’m sure no one will go to the dealer selling pot with 18-60+ percent THC content. They’ll be more than happy sucking down a gram with barely any kick to it. Of course, I’m be utterly sarcastic right now.
But this is only the beginning. Soon enough, many more will smarten up to the lucrative dynamics of this growing green boom.
By the way, it’s worth mentioning that only citizens of Uruguay can purchase legal buds in that country. It’s all good though. Their cannabis quality sounds terrible. Just awful. Two percent, are you f*cking kidding me?


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L’Oréal Groupe and Sainsbury’s bring AI-driven skincare advice to the grocery category
L’Oréal Groupe brands have partnered with Sainsbury’s to launch in-store skincare consultations in over 100 stores across the UK.
Expert skincare and personalised recommendations will be offered in Sainsbury’s grocery category for the first time with the use of L’Oréal’s AI-driven skincare technology from ModiFace to scan customer’s faces.
Sophie Hogg, director of category – health and beauty at Sainsbury’s, said: “Our beauty experts play an important role in supporting customers shopping our beauty ranges in our stores and this fantastic technology will mean they can provide an even more tailored and personal service. The combination of face-to-face interaction and technology really sets us apart from others and gives customers another compelling reason to stop by the beauty aisle when doing their grocery shop.”
Garnier and L’Oréal Paris have trained Sainsbury’s beauty experts on L’Oréal Paris’ Skin Genius and Garnier’s Skin Coach tools which have been built using the ModiFace technology. The tool harnesses 20 years of research and a database of more than 15,000 faces to deliver personalised routines based on an individual user’s skin type and needs.
Lex Bradshaw-Zanger, chief marketing and digital officer at L’Oréal UK and Ireland, said: “More than ever, we know that our consumers want to be sure they are making the right choices when spending their money, and the increased interest in their skin health and skincare needs is no exception.
“L’Oréal Groupe’s acquisition of ModiFace in 2018 is a key enabler for our beauty tech and innovation, allowing us to develop services that help create the future of beauty, which means customers can shop for tailored skincare in the supermarket aisles for the first time.”
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Saturday, 26 Nov 2022
Here's the down-low on what Qualcomm has in store for 2023 and beyond: new SoCs for smartphones, AR glasses, and even dynamic spatial audio sound proccessors.
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2: A closer look at AI-assisted 5G, Wi-Fi 7, Dual Bluetooth and other connectivity perksFriday, 18 Nov 2022
Getting a new premium mobile processor for 2023 Android phones isn’t just about performance gains. We take a look at how Qualcomm made its connectivity options faster, more robust, and more seamless for phone users.
Sunday, 20 Mar 2022
Missed MWC 2022? Here are some of the highlights from the big show in Barcelona.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 mobile platform explained: what are you getting in your 2021 flagship Android smartphone?Sunday, 6 Dec 2020
With Qualcomm announcing the Snapdragon 888 - 2021's flagship-tier mobile chipset - we take a closer look at the parts to see where the improvements are and what they offer.
Sunday, 29 Dec 2019
Months before a retail-ready Snapdragon 865 phone is available for sale, Qualcomm is ready to share what its flagship 2020 mobile processor can unleash. Can it dethrone all existing Android phones and even the latest iPhones? Find out!
Thursday, 5 Dec 2019
Everything you want to know about the new mid-high-tier Snapdragon 765 moble processing platform and it's gamer-oriented Snapdragon 765G.
Monday, 31 Dec 2018
Both AMD and Intel have plans for ultra-low powered mobility solutions in 2019, but Qualcomm might just become enough of a credible threat with their upcoming Snapdragon 8cx compute platform.


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Sony CEO Lays Out New Plans to Make Company Profitable
April 12, 2012 11:08 AM
comment(s) - last by
Sony CEO Kazuo Hirai
Changes to digital imaging, games, mobile and TV are on the list
Sony CEO Kazuo Hirai announced his "One Sony" approach today, which consists of a series of initiatives that aim
to turn the company around
Hirai, who became CEO starting April 1, has quite an agenda for the sinking ship he has inherited. He laid out five key ideas for transforming Sony's electronics business, including strengthening core businesses (digital imaging, games and mobile); turning around the television business; expanding business in emerging markets; creating new businesses and accelerating innovation, and realigning the business portfolio and optimizing resources.
Hirai announced previously that the three core pillars of Sony's business would be digital imaging, games and mobile. In today's "One Sony" presentation, he noted that he hopes to generate 70 percent of total sales and 85 percent of operating income for the entire business from these three pillars by fiscal year 2014 (FY14), which is the year ending March 31, 2015.
To break it down further, Sony hopes to leverage key digital imaging technologies like image sensors, lenses and signal processing via consumer products and has a total sales target of 1.5 trillion yen for the consumer, professional and image sensor businesses by FY14.
As far as games go, Sony will continue offering gaming experiences through its PlayStation hardware as well as the PlayStation Network, but plans to expand its catalog of downloadable game titles and subscription services. Sony hopes for one trillion yen and an operating income margin of 8 percent by FY14.
With mobile, Sony wants to pull its VAIO, smartphone and Sony Tablet businesses together to offer superior mobile devices that feature the Sony Entertainment Network. Sony is looking for sales of 1.8 trillion yen in FY14.
While the three core pillars remain the primary focus of the company, the TV business still holds a special place in Hirai's heart. He has said before that he wants to turn it around after years of consecutive losses, and even said he'll be directly running this unit himself.
correct the TV business
, Hirai plans to improve design engineering efficiency, reduce the number of models by 40 percent from FY11 to FY12, and enhance the quality of its BRAVIA LCD televisions with OLED and Crystal LED Displays. Hirai hopes to make the TV unit profitable by FY13 by reducing fixed business costs by 60 percent and operating costs by 30 percent from FY11 to FY13.
Other changes that Hirai plans to implement around the company is increased sales of electronics in emerging markets from 1.8 trillion yen in FY11 to 2.6 trillion yen in FY14; entry into the medical industry by creating medical equipment, targeting sales of 50 billion yen in FY14, and implementing overall restructuring costs of 75 billion yen in FY12.
By completing all of the above, Sony hopes to generate 6 trillion yen and operating income margin of 5 percent for its electronics business in FY14. It also hopes for sales of 8.5 trillion yen and operating income margin of over 5 percent for the Sony Group overall in FY14.
Sony could certainly use all the help it could get. One of its worst issues was the LCD TV business, which had eight years of consecutive losses. After
shaking up this unit
in 2011, Sony finally sold its 50 percent manufacturing stake to Samsung in their LCD joint venture called S-LCD Corporation.
Standard & Poor's Ratings Services confirmed an unfavorable outlook on
Sony's long-term corporate credit rating
long-term corporate credit and senior unsecured debt ratings dropped from an "A-" to "BBB+."
To make matters worse, Sony then announced that it would
cut 6 percent of its global workforce
as soon as the end of 2012. It then announced that it expected an
annual net loss of $6.4 billion USD
This article is over a month old, voting and posting comments is disabled
RE: Focus on opening up Playstation digitally.
4/12/2012 12:00:02 PM
$50 a year for all that content? You're kidding right? That's waaaaay too low!
NOT that I would be complaining if they did price it as such... But hell. They are more than happy to charge $100+ AUD for a new release title here, so it's pretty much not going to happen at that price point.
But I do agree with the Op, I wish these console manufacturers would push their games out to all the platforms much like what the humble indie bundle does. (Linux, Android, Windows, MacOS, iOS etc'.)
Or at the very least bring them to the other platforms they hold, in Sony's case it would be their Smartphones. Microsoft? Well. The PC and Windows Phone 7. - While you're at it Microsoft I would like Gears of War 2 and 3, Fable 2, Halo 3, ODST, Wars and Reach on PC too! Don't forget the eyefinity sauce! :)
“And I don't know why [Apple is] acting like it’s superior. I don't even get it. What are they trying to say?” -- Bill Gates on the Mac ads
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US stock futures looked to stage a partial recovery on Friday, helping markets stabilize following the worst S&P 500 selloff since 1987, down -9.57%; the index closed at a discounted -26.8% from its record high.
Those declines overshadowed a Fed decision to ease “highly unusual disruptions” by providing $1.5 trillion to banks in the repo market.
Global equities were headed for their worst week since 2008 as markets worried that emergency fiscal and monetary packages would fall short of staving off a global recession; markets remain volatile.
Participants are doubting the efficacy of policy responses as Covid-19 cases continue to grow across the world, while restrictions on people and businesses toll sentiment worldwide.
Ahead, lawmakers and the Trump administration are nearing an agreement on legislation aimed at aiding Americans affected by virus, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said.
Today’s economic calendar includes; Import and Export for February at 8:30am EST and Consumer Sentiment data for March at 10am EST.
Earnings reports are expected today from; Jail (JBL), Overstock.com (OSTK) and JinkoSolar (JKS).
TODAY'S TOP HEADLINES
Coronavirus: Coronavirus Testing to Soon Happen on ‘Very Large Scale’. (Bloomberg)
US President Donald Trump said testing for coronavirus cases will “soon happen on a very large scale basis” following some changes, according to a Twitter post on Friday.
Today's Economical Announcements.
08:30AM - ★★☆ - Export Price Index (Feb) (Previous: 0.7%)
08:30AM - ★★☆ - Import Price Index (Feb) (Previous: 0.0%)
10:00AM - ★★☆ - Michigan Consumer Expect. (Mar) (Previous: 92.1)
10:00AM - ★★☆ - Michigan Consumer Senti. (Mar) (Previous: 101.0)
STOCKS IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Pre-Market Movers & News Related Stocks.
DocuSign (DOCU): [EARNINGS] Earned 12 cents per share for its fourth quarter, well above the consensus estimate of 5 cents a share. The electronic signature technology provider’s revenue also beat forecasts and the company gave better-than-expected forward guidance.
Walt Disney (DIS): [NEWS] Announced it will close Disneyland and other theme parks in Southern California through the end of the month, in response to the coronavirus outbreak.
Gap (GPS): [EARNINGS] Reported quarterly earnings of 58 cent per share, 17 cents a share above estimates. The clothing chain’s revenue also came in above Wall Street forecasts, and Gap forecast better-than-expected 2020 profit. The company warned, however, that it expects a $100 million revenue hit this quarter due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Oracle (ORCL): [EARNINGS] Beat estimates by a penny a share, with quarterly profit of 97 cents per share. The business software company’s revenue was slightly above analysts’ forecasts, boosted by growth in Oracle’s cloud business.
Apple (AAPL): [NEWS] Reopened its 42 branded stores in China, after shutting them down in early February due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Broadcom (AVGO): [NEWS] Withdrew its 2020 revenue forecast, the latest chipmaker to do so following coronavirus-related supply disruptions.
United Airlines (UAL): [NEWS] Said it would keep its regular schedule for flights to the US from Europe through March 19, but will cut back its schedule after that date. That follows news of the 30-day ban on flights announced by President Donald Trump on Wednesday.
Ulta Beauty (ULTA): [EARNINGS] Reported quarterly profit of $3.89 per share, 16 cents a share above estimates. Comparable sales were also above estimates, although the cosmetics retailer’s revenue was slightly below consensus and its full-year outlook was also below estimates.
Slack Technologies (WORK): [EARNINGS] Lost 4 cents per share for its latest quarter, 1 cent a share less than analysts were expecting. The workplace messaging platform provider’s revenue came in above estimates, however Slack forecast lower-than-expected billings for this year and reported a surge in expenses during the most recent quarter.
The Buckle (BKE): [EARNINGS] Reported quarterly earnings of 96 cents per share, 9 cents a share above estimates. Revenue was essentially in line with expectations. Comparable-store sales were up 3.3%, above the Refinitiv consensus estimate of a 2.5% rise.
DECLINERS: EPR, SAVE, BTAI, VTR, AL, XENT, GDOT, NVTA, BA
WE WILL SHOW YOU THE WAY!


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Environmental activists took a whack this week at Ford Motor Company CEO Bill Ford in a full-page ad in the New York Times.
Bill Ford ought to be embarrassed — not because the enviros ridiculed him, but because the ad demonstrates that his strategy of appeasing environmentalists is backfiring.
Featuring a weary-eyed Bill Ford pointing in opposite directions, the ad caption reads “When it comes to global warming, Ford can’t have it both ways.”
After Ford caved into pressure from left-wing activist investors and issued a report stating that it “views stabilization of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and energy security as critical and related business issues that warrant precautionary, prudent and early action,” the enviros thanked Ford in return by accusing his company of putting “more heat-trapping pollution into our skies each year than the entire country of Mexico”; continuing to “produce more global warming pollution on average than any other automaker”; continuing to make SUVs; and fighting a California law that would require a 30 percent reduction in automobile carbon dioxide emissions by 2016.
The enviros glibly conclude their ad by stating, “A healthy planet and a financially sound Ford won’t be achieved until Ford offers a full fleet of cleaner and more innovative vehicles.”
Eco-rhetoric aside, the reality is that Ford could shut down tomorrow and the planet would not be any “healthier” in terms of greenhouse gas emissions.
Ford’s entire U.S. fleet of new and used cars and trucks is estimated to emit about 73 million metric tons of carbon dioxide per year — an inconsequential drop in the bucket compared to the estimated 207 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide released annually into the atmosphere by nature (200 billion tons) and man (7 billion tons).
As far as the Ford fleet out-emitting Mexico in terms of carbon dioxide, it’s unclear how the enviros conclude that the Ford fleet’s estimated 73 million tons of annual emissions exceeds Mexico’s annual emissions which have been estimated by various sources as ranging from 100 million tons (U.S. Department of Energy) to more than 400 million tons (World Resources Institute).
Ford’s fleet may produce slightly more carbon dioxide than other manufacturers’ fleets, but that’s largely a function of the mix of vehicles sold by the various manufacturers. SUV- and truck-heavy Ford, General Motors and Daimler Chrysler are expected to have slightly higher carbon dioxide emissions than the smaller car-oriented Honda, Nissan and Toyota.
Still none of this really means anything since we could stop all driving today (and all other human activity, for that matter), and it would not make a detectable difference in atmospheric levels of greenhouse gases or any ongoing climate change — a fact most recently acknowledged by the global warming alarmist World Resources Institute.
Criticizing Ford for selling SUVs is downright ridiculous — SUV popularity made Ford profitable and quadrupled its stock price between the mid-1980s and the late-1990s. But higher gas prices crippled SUV sales, made Ford unprofitable and drove Ford’s stock price back down to mid-1980s levels.
In one of his “green” moments at the 2004 New York Auto Show, Bill Ford announced support for higher gas taxes to reduce fuel consumption. Two years later, he didn’t get higher gas taxes, but he did get a similar result — higher gas prices that are wrecking his company.
Ford is right in fighting the California law requiring automakers to make special cars for Californians that emit less carbon dioxide. While the law may reduce carbon dioxide emissions by miniscule amounts, it will increase the cost of cars by thousands of dollars according to the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, the auto trade group suing to overturn the law.
What’s odd about all this is that Bill Ford seems largely preoccupied with getting the Greens to like him and his company.
Ford views himself as an environmentalist and he chaired the company’s Environmental and Public Policy Committee before becoming company chairman. He signed onto global warming alarmism as early as 2000 when he told a Greenpeace audience that, “I believe there is now more than enough evidence of climate change to warrant an immediate and comprehensive — but considered — response.”
Ford supports various “green” groups including Business for Social Responsibility, World Resources Institute, Chicago Climate Exchange (where hot air is traded like it’s a real commodity) and Ceres, a coalition of environmental activists and their institutional investor allies.
Ceres is sponsoring a conference on April 5-6 in Oakland, Calif. Much of the conference is dedicated to global warming hyperventilation. A conference panel entitled “Improving corporate disclosure on climate risk worldwide” features a Ford spokesman named Neil Golightly.
I imagine that Mr.Golightly may be required to defend the Ford report denounced in the enviro’s New York Times ad since three of the ad’s five sponsors — including the Rainforest Action Network, Sierra Club and the Global Exchange — are scheduled to participate in the conference.
Bill Ford ought to be the one on the spot at the Ceres conference, learning firsthand the lesson that the rest of the world learned during the 20th century — appeasement is a strategy doomed to failure.


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The first renders of Sabrina have just been unveiled, the code name of the new Google Chromecast that shows a complete redesign, new colors, built-in remote control, and new software-based on Android TV.
We can already take a first look at the new Chromecast that Google is going to launch in 2020. A radical redesign compared to previous versions. Code-named Sabrina, it may end up being called Nest Chromecast or something similar, as Google is changing the name of its home products, including them under the Nest label.
The images published by XDA Developers reveal a new longer design, new colors, the new remote control that is included for the first time with Chromecast, and the new software based on Android TV.
The first thing that catches the attention of the successor to the Chromecast Ultra is its oval design, which contrasts with the round versions of the previous models. It also debuts a new pink color, along with white and black, so that users can better combine it with the furniture:
But the big news is the new remote control that Google has been forced to include after the success of Amazon’s Fire TV and the future competition of the Xiaomi Mi TV Stick, which will also have a remote control.
The Chromecast Sabrina remote shows the Pause, sound, menu, and favorites buttons, highlighting above all the black button with the Google Assistant, to control Chromecast with the voice. It will be much more comfortable to use than the control from the mobile screen, which is quite annoying.
The other great novelty of Sabrina is the new software based on Android TV. It will stop prioritizing apps to focus on platforms and TV content, as you can see in this screenshot:
Without a doubt, it will be a much more practical and comfortable device to use, focused on its main function: television streaming.
There are no official data on its launch and price, but rumors say that it will launch this summer at a price of around $ 80.
See the Inside Components of the Latest Apple Watch Series 6
Apple has recently launched its newest smartwatch, the Apple Watch Series 6. Comes with updates in the hardware and specifications sector, of course, many are curious about what the inside of the smartwatch looks like.
Luckily iFixit has succeeded in disassembling the Apple Watch Series 6 and seeing the inside contents of the smartwatch. iFixit also said that this smartwatch is quite easy to repair, such as replacing the screen and battery when damaged.
Getting a 6/10 repair score, Apple Watch Series 6 got the same score as the Apple Watch Series 5. The reason is that it says there are not many changes in the arrangement of components on this smartwatch, so the repair process is not too difficult.
When the screen of the smartwatch is opened, we can already see the various components that are present in large sizes such as the Taptic Engine made by Apple and also the battery. Then underneath there is the motherboard of the smartwatch and a number of sensors to detect heart rate and oxygen levels in the blood.
In addition, iFixit also said that Apple has removed a number of cables connected from the screen to the motherboard, making the repair process a little easier.
It’s just that what is still a problem is the very small size of the bolts and also the number of cables that must be soldered when you want to replace some components which make it score 6/10.
OnePlus will release a special application so that its TWS works well on other smartphones
OnePlus has recently officially launched its TWS device, the OnePlus Buds, which is priced at US $ 79 . Of course this makes many people interested in buying these devices.
However, this TWS device was originally presented for use by users who have OnePlus smartphones. Because with the OnePlus Buds application, users can get more features for OnePlus Buds and also the latest firmware updates.
Well, recently there was information stating that OnePlus seems to be releasing the OnePlus Buds application to more Android devices so that later all users of Android smartphones with various brands can also use OnePlus Buds to the fullest.
“We will launch a separate application to manage OnePlus accessories in the future, where this application also supports third-party Android smartphones with the Android 6.0 operating system and above. So just wait!” wrote the OnePlus on its official forum in Chinese.
But until now the OnePlus Buds application on the Google Play Store is known to not be able to be downloaded anymore by Android smartphones other than OnePlus. It is stated in the description that the application can only be installed by OnePlus devices.
Until now, it is not known when OnePlus will launch the application for other Android devices. Are you increasingly interested in buying these OnePlus Buds?
Renders de los altavoces domésticos Google Nest que circulan por Internet antes del lanzamiento
Last July, Google announced the presence of a new smart speaker, called Google Nest Home. However, Google does not provide more complete information about the speaker, including how it looks.
However, recently, a famous leaker named Roland Quandt has uploaded two render photos showing what the Google Nest Home looks like. It is known that these speakers come in colors called ‘chalk’ and ‘charcoal’.
Shortly after the render was published, XDA Developers Editor-in-Chief , Mishaal Rahman, also uploaded a photo from the speaker which was sent directly by Public Relations from Google.
It can be seen that the speaker comes in blue with a shape like the Google Home Max which is placed vertically. However, the shape of the Google Nest Home looks more symmetrical and minimalist.
Just like other Google smart speaker devices, Google Nest Home also comes with four LEDs that can light up when the user takes advantage of the voice assistant feature. Then there is a mute switch on the back with a ‘G’ logo.
It is also predicted that these speakers will also present various features such as a touch area so that users can later adjust the volume to the song that is currently playing by touching the area on the speaker.
It is planned that this smart speaker will be launched by Google on September 30, along with the announcement of the Pixel 5 smartphone, Pixel 4a 5G, and also the latest Chromecast device.
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Josh Patterson, our senior SEO Manager, wrote an article for the Smart Business blog about the growing threat of negative SEO and how businesses can monitor and address these threats.
Successful digital marketing campaigns utilize a 360-degree approach that touches all points of a customer's interaction with your organization the entirety of a person's digital journey. The world is evolving and the ways brands engage their constituents online are changing.
A recent Gartner survey reveals digital marketing budgets will increase by almost 10 percent in 2015, reflecting companies' desires to better connect with customers. In 2014, spending on digital marketing averaged one-quarter of the marketing budget and according to the survey, among 51 percent of companies that plan to increase their digital marketing budget in 2015, the average increase will be 17 percent.
Some of the most prevalent investments in digital marketing will be protection from cyberattacks, specifically negative SEO attacks. Negative SEO attacks occur when a site is effectively targeted by a hostile attack, deliberately creating low quality and toxic links to decrease the site's performance in organic listings.
Click below to read the full article.


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In a world seemingly awash in iPhone and Android-powered smartphones, is there still room for the relatively staid BlackBerry, the one that popularized wireless messaging and created a generation of CrackBerry addicts on Bay Street and elsewhere?
In a word, yes. But there’s always a but.
First, disclosure: I’ve used a BlackBerry for years. I use it for work, hammering out countless e-mail messages with my well-trained thumbs. I’ve tried iPhones, but can’t get past the typing-on-glass experience that results in barely-legible text and elevated blood pressure.
I know I could choose from over 250,000 programs – better known as “apps” – if I bought an iPhone, or over 100,000 if I bought a device that runs Google’s fast-improving Android mobile operating system. But my BlackBerry, with its relatively paltry 9,000 apps, is a productivity device. An iPhone would be more fun, but I wouldn’t get any work done.
If everyone were like me, message-centric and somewhat app-aloof, BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion would continue to indefinitely own the market it essentially invented a decade ago. But I no longer represent the typical smartphone buyer, and messaging no longer drives wireless adoption.
Apps, and online app stores that make it easy to purchase, download and install them, are the new Ground Zero of smartphones. Software developers flock to create new titles for the hottest mobile devices and operating systems.
Consumers hang on Apple CEO Steve Jobs’s every word before lining up to be the first on their block to bring home the latest touchscreen-based devices with drool-worthy industrial design. No one I know has ever lined up for a BlackBerry.
More ominously, the company is under growing pressure from various governments, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and India, to allow greater access to its proprietary security technology. Government officials claim it’s to allow them to monitor terrorists and other criminal activity, but critics say such access could just as easily be used to spy on citizens. While negotiations continue, nervous investors, worried this could impact RIM’s aggressive global growth plans, have lopped more than 10 per cent off its share value.
To be fair, RIM isn’t about to fold its tent and go home. The company sells almost one in two of all smartphones sold in North America and 20 per cent worldwide (behind global giant Nokia and its mobile Symbian operating system) and its technology is a key global economic tool. For all their bluster, the governments pressing RIM for more access would do more damage to their own economies by banning BlackBerry traffic.
In the retail space, where the real smartphone wars take place every day, RIM remains a formidable force as well.
Unlike Apple, which typically offers only one top-end model – the iPhone 4 – and last year’s model (the 3GS), there are dozens of BlackBerrys for sale at any given time. This gives RIM a key in-store advantage, where consumers looking for a deal often have more than one BlackBerry to choose from.
Google’s strategy, where it gives its Android mobile operating system away for free to handheld makers like Motorola, HTC and LG, promises an even more diverse and competitive future, and largely explains comScore data that shows its U.S. smartphone market share growing from 2.5 per cent in September 2009 to 13 per cent in May. RIM’s, in comparison, shrank from 42.6 per cent to 41.7 per cent during that same period.
Ramon Llamas, senior research analyst with IDC Mobile Devices Technology and Trends, says this will likely springboard Android past RIM and Apple in global smartphone market share by 2014.
But the overall smartphone market pie is growing fast enough to keep everyone happy. Canalys figures show 47.2 million North American smartphone shipments in 2009, up 27 per cent over 2008. The research firm projects even faster growth – 38 per cent - in 2010, to 65.1 million units by year’s end.
This reflects the industry’s rapid transition over from so-called feature phones, which support voice, basic text, light online activity and little else, and smartphones, which in some cases can outpower a full-blown desktop or laptop computer. Five years from now, the vast majority of us will be carrying smartphones.
Unfortunately for RIM, its latest effort to recapture consumer attention and inject some sexiness into its iconic brand has fallen somewhat short. The BlackBerry Torch 9800 was supposed to be the company’s new flagship product. A new operating system, BlackBerry 6, also bowed on the new device, which sold 150,000 units in its first weekend.
In contrast, Apple’s iPhone 4 sold 1.6 million in the first few days after launch. While Torch sales are certainly respectable, they reflect RIM’s continued slow-but-steady brand image, and fail to elevate RIM into Apple’s or Google’s headline-grabbing league.
In a marketing sense, RIM remains the tortoise to Apple’s and Google’s hare. Tomorrow’s consumers won’t crave BlackBerry devices as they do its competitors, and RIM’s global leadership aspirations now seem distant at best.
IDC’s Llamas says this may not be such a bad thing. The perception of bulletproof security remains a key BlackBerry selling feature, especially to enterprise buyers who have long based entire mobile strategies on RIM devices and services. That makes it all the more critical for RIM to not give away the farm to Saudi Arabia and India, because if RIM fails to successfully navigate this international tightrope it could damage its security-centric brand.
Whatever happens in the Middle East, even if BlackBerrys aren’t fashion-forward consumer darlings, they will in all likelihood continue to generate growth and profits from business-focused buyers.
“It’s harder to go from consumer to enterprise than enterprise to consumer,” says Llamas. “You have to provide lot of security and encryption, and RIM has been in this game for over a decade. That says to me they have something going on that you can’t replicate overnight.”
Carmi Levy is a London, Ont.-based independent technology analyst and journalist. email@example.com)


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Critics slam Microsoftâ€˜s Skype deal
Microsoft Corp's move to buy money-losing Internet phone service Skype for $8.5 billion was immediately skewered by critics and investors, who questioned the logic of the deal and suggested the software giant is paying far too much.
The price is about double the expected value of Skype if it had gone ahead with its planned initial public offering, leaving investors puzzled over how Microsoft will make the deal pay for itself.
"I wish they had not done it," said Whitney Tilson, founder and a managing partner of T2 Partners LLC, which owns Microsoft shares.
"Initially when I first read about it, I hated the deal. Now, I don't like it," said Tilson, who is a long-term buyer of Microsoft shares and still sees them as a great cash-generating business and an undervalued stock.
"Everybody I know uses it and I am glad Microsoft owns it. They just probably paid too much for it," said Tilson, who did not buy or sell Microsoft stock on Tuesday.
Shares of the world's largest software company fell 1.4 percent, anchored at the same level they have been for 10 years.
The latest deal was a fresh reminder that Microsoft has no record of making acquisitions pay off. Its 2007 deal to buy online ad firm aQuantive for $6 billion was a flat-out failure.
"They really have to do some explaining as to how this company merited that price and how they'll return the value to shareholders," said Kim Caughey Forrest, senior analy
"We have to see the path to profitability. It smacks of that 1999, 2000 time period when valuations were granted on eyeballs, not revenue and earnings."
Skype made a net loss of $7 million last year on revenue of $860 million, even as its user base grew nearly 40 percent to 145 million.
Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer said the deal would add to the company's profits from the first year, preferring to focus on the $264 million Skype made last year, excluding interest, tax, depreciation and amortization.
He stressed that Skype, which will be a separate unit within Microsoft, will help sales of its other products such as Xbox game console and Kinect motion-sensing system, and add luster to its Office suite of applications.
"Will we sell a few more Kinects when we get these things hooked up? Yeah, I think so. Skype can help where we are in the enterprise by getting those customer bases to work well together," said Ballmer in a phone interview.
"I think there's a lot of value in here that we can drive -- we've just got to go get it done when we get through the regulatory (approval)," he added. Microsoft aims to complete the deal this year.