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Microsoft Surface 2 Pre-Order Stock Sold Out
The next-generation of Microsoft Surface tablets and their accessories are nearly sold out, the company says, and the official release date is still three weeks away. Is this a sign Microsoft may finally be turning the corner in the tablet market?
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With under three weeks remaining before their official release date, Microsoft Corp.'s Surface 2, Surface Pro 2 and accessories are nearly sold out, the company said in its blog. The strong demand for the Windows-based tablet comes as Microsoft posts impressive enterprise customer wins for the devices.
“You may have heard the pre-order stock of the Arc Touch Mouse Surface Edition, Type Cover 2 in Purple and Black, and Touch Cover 2 has sold out at Microsoft Stores in the U.S. It also looks like pre-order stock of the Surface 2 (64GB) and Surface Pro 2 (256 GB and 512GB) are close to selling out -- also at Microsoft Stores. We’re pretty happy about this, of course, given we just unveiled Surface 2, Surface Pro 2 and the new accessories to the world only a week or so ago,” wrote Surface general manager Brian Hall in the Surface blog.
Before getting too excited about this proclamation, remember this isn’t the first time Microsoft has sold out of a product that ultimately fell into the disappointment bucket. In October 2011, Microsoft announced selling out of the Surface RT tablet just hours after it went on sale.
Officially, Surface Pro 2 running Windows 8.1 and Surface 2 running the RT version of the operating system will go on sale in 22 countries around the world. This next generation has longer battery life and a docking station, making the device more suitable as a notebook PC replacement.
Early reviews of Surface Pro 2 and Surface 2 are positive, as testers noted improved speed and performance over the inaugural editions.
Already Microsoft is posting gains in enterprise sales, with Delta Airlines announcing last month it is fielding the Surface tablet to its pilots to replace its bulky flight manual. Microsoft reportedly has similar deals in the works with major universities and financial services firms.
Microsoft is not shy about saying that Surface 2 tablets are ideally set for business use. However, Microsoft isn’t saying when the Surface tablet will be made generally available for channel sales.
In July, Microsoft expanded Surface sales from direct and retail to include select resellers, such as CDW and En Pointe. While now available through partners, Surface sales are limited mostly to direct market resellers that sell products in volume.
The restricted channel strategy hasn’t sat well with solution providers, as many see it as a sign of increased conflict between resellers and Microsoft. While Microsoft hasn’t been forthcoming on when, if at all, it will expand Surface sales to all partners, it is pushing its massive reseller base to OEM partners such as Dell Inc. and Hewlett-Packard Co. by selling their Windows 8 tablets.
The Surface channel issue remains unresolved, but Microsoft’s intent to compete in the tablet market is not. Microsoft is already planning to release in 2014 new versions of Surface in various sizes and performance ratings. All this comes as Microsoft’s tablet market share remains under 5 percent and it took a $900 million charge in July for unsold Surface RT inventory.


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Top 10 Appointment Scheduling Solution Companies - 2019
Scheduling and managing appointments and reservations are some of the most critical aspects in operating any organization, and businesses stand to benefit from using Appointment Scheduling software. These applications help companies to be more efficient and save time and money. Research shows that Generation Z wants nothing to do with call centers, and this infers that the vast majority of the next-generation participants would prefer to handle tasks online than in person or on the phone.
Advancements in technology revolutionizing the way consumers behave is not something new to businesses. According to a report, a widely cited trend in 2018 that will continue in 2019 and beyond when it comes to appointment scheduling is the use of artificial intelligence (AI) like chatbots that can be implemented in customer service as well. AI poses as a direct line of communication between the problem and the solution, all while humanizing the relationship between businesses and their customers. With today’s capability to pair AI with online scheduling, automating administrative tasks to enhance the customer experience has skyrocketed. Mobile apps are yet another trend to watch out for in the coming months.
In an effort to help companies nurture technology to get a more productive and engaging workforce, a panel of prominent CEOs, CIOs, CTOs, and analysts, along with the CIOReview editorial board has assessed scores of Appointment Scheduling solution providers and picked out a list of prime choices. In our selection process, we looked at the vendor’s capability to fulfill the need for cost-effective and flexible services that add value to the landscape. We present to you CIOReview’s “10 Most Promising Appointment Scheduling Solution Providers - 2019.”

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Rockstar are celebrating the 10th anniversary of the release of Grand Theft Auto III by shrinking it down and wrapping it in select new platforms as a present to you, the fans.
To commemorate the gameās 10th anniversary, weāre proud to announce that Grand Theft Auto III will be coming to select new generation iOS and Android devices later this fall. For the lineup of supported devices, check the list below:
- Apple iOS Devices: iPad 2, iPhone 4S
- Android Phones: Droid X2, HTC Evo 2, LG Optimus 2X, Motorola Atrix, Samsung Galaxy S2
- Android Tablets: Acer Iconia, Asus Eee Pad, Motorola Xoom, Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1
They also announced a limited edition collector's figure of the game's lead character, Claude, which would be made available for pre-orders from the Rockstar Warehouse with a US price-tag of $149.99 (AU$147 at the time of writing), however, Rockstar Social Club members can also try and win one by clicking here
There's no word on the game's pricing on the respective platforms, or on a specific release date other than "later this fall", which means later this spring for us.


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By Brian Brockway
This week marks the 15th anniversary of Amazon S3 being launched as the first generally available AWS service. To commemorate the occasion, AWS is hosting Pi Week 2021 – a weeklong virtual event with sessions hosted by AWS leaders and experts discussing different aspects of Amazon S3, ranging from the history of the service to current features, capabilities, and benefits.
We are extremely excited that Commvault was offered the opportunity to participate in this event as a strategic storage partner, working with AWS to enhance the value that Amazon S3 brings to our customers. In Henry Axelrod’s partner-centric blog post he outlines some of the use cases that partners like Commvault are enabling with Amazon S3, with support from executives like our own John Tavares, Vice President of Channels and Alliances, and Rahul Pawar, Global Field CTO.
Fifteen years is an incredible milestone for a product that has revolutionized how customers can store and securely share their data. When I think back to the storage landscape fifteen years ago, the buzz was for thin-provisioned storage arrays promising self-service capabilities so end-users could provision their own storage. Of course, you had to first purchase and deploy the packed sets of the enterprise-class storage arrays to ensure resiliency. I recall, we had many EBCs with proud storage Directors who felt they were best-in-class with one storage specialist dedicated to every 300TB of capacity. Amazon S3 simplified it all – offering that storage as a service to its customers, providing a scalable, resilient storage target that could be provisioned on-demand. It was a true game-changer, bringing enterprise-class data storage instantly to anyone with an internet connection and a credit card.
Commvault introduced our first cloud-native offers with Amazon S3 in 2009, enabling our customers to easily leverage the storage service for backup and archival use-cases. Over the next decade of digital expansion, along with the rapid expansion in bandwidth and reduced economics of cloud-scaling, many of our customers have accelerated their cloud journey and transformed their own businesses. The “easier” offsite data copy managed on the Amazon S3 bucket acted as the catalyst, when combined with the steady stream of Commvault cloud innovation use-cases that added elastic compute, data transformation, key management and self-service automation. The realization that there are no “boxes” in the cloud drives a completely different approach to creating value from data and unlocking the full potential to disrupt and change for the better. That proposition defined and guided our innovations roadmap with the S3 teams for many years.
- Simplified management through policy-based automation.
- Deduplication, compression, and automated storage tiering across all Amazon S3 storage classes, including Glacier and Deep Archive. All of these reduce your cloud storage consumption and network egress fees, keeping your cloud costs down.
- Workflows and automation to simplify restores and migrations from Amazon S3 to other AWS services.
- Enhanced role-based security with support for IAM, KMS, and STS Assume Role – to ensure complete security while accessing AWS service resources.
- Support for AWS Snow Family of devices for offline migration of data into Amazon S3.
One last benefit that isn’t talked about much — Commvault even provides the capability to protect and govern data in Amazon S3 buckets. We all know Amazon S3 is highly resilient and secure, but just as with all of your other cloud and SaaS data, data is always susceptible to malicious attacks, natural disasters, or simple human error. We can protect your Amazon S3 buckets – whether they’re in an AWS Region or in AWS Outposts in your data center – so you’re always capable of recovering your mission critical data.
Commvault has been providing enterprise-class data protection to customers for almost 25 years now, and over the last 15 years we’ve seen firsthand the move our customers are making to the cloud. Over that time we’ve seen huge growth in the amount of data Commvault users are writing to Amazon S3 –now at hundreds of petabytes per year – which is a very strong testament to how much trust those customers have in both AWS and Commvault. There’s good reason why — the innovative new solutions coming from the partnership and the relentless focus on the customer experience from both companies.
If you haven’t seen the Commvault session from re:Invent 2020, co-presented with a customer of ours – a huge, multi-national soft-drink company – I’d encourage you to check it out. You can view it on YouTube here. It’s a great story of how we’re helping our customers optimize protection of their data and workloads in AWS.
So here’s to fifteen years of Amazon S3 and celebrating the massive impact it’s had on data storage and the adoption of cloud services. We’d like to congratulate AWS for the incredible prolonged success of Amazon S3 and thank them for an outstanding partnership that continues to grow and provide tremendous value to our customers. We all look forward to what the next fifteen years will bring as we continue to innovate new ways to solve customer challenges together.


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Re “CalChamber files sensible challenge to acrylamide signs” (Editorial, Oct. 13):
Your editorial mischaracterized the science regarding Proposition 65 warnings for exposure to acrylamide.
The carcinogen acrylamide is created when foods are cooked at high temperatures. Some foods do not have significant levels of this chemical and acrylamide in these foods is not a cancer concern.
Other foods have higher levels and the U.S. Health and Human Services Agency advises reducing exposure by modifying cooking methods, times and temperatures.
Similarly, the European Union has set limits for acrylamide in various foods that have relatively high levels. In the United States, manufacturers of potato chips and other foods have been able to reduce acrylamide in their products. For more information on acrylamide, see our fact sheet at www.P65warnings.ca.gov.
The editorial said coffee “caught a break” when the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment adopted a regulation stating that exposure to Prop. 65 chemicals in coffee does not pose a significant cancer risk.
Coffee is a unique complex mixture that contains cancer-preventative agents as well as carcinogens.
A very large number of studies affirmatively show that coffee does not pose a significant risk of cancer, and thus warnings would be inconsistent with the purposes of Prop. 65.
The same cannot be said for other foods, which is why Prop. 65 warnings will continue to play an important role in educating consumers and incentivizing companies to reduce the acrylamide levels in their products.
—Lauren Zeise, Sacramento
The letter writer is director of the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment.
President Trump’s decision to pull U.S. troops out of Syria a big blunder
Re “Syrian army pushes north as U.S. prepares to withdraw troops” (News, Oct. 14):
President Donald Trump withdrawing U.S. troops from Syria was a monumental blunder.
It lets loose thousands of ISIS soldiers who were guarded by the Kurds, and leaves the Kurds, our most reliable allies and perhaps our best fighters in Syria, exposed to being slaughtered by Turkey.
— Kenneth L. Zimmerman, Huntington Beach


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As of late, the cost of Bitcoin, the world's most notable digital currency, has been on a rollercoaster ride, standing out from financial backers, monetary organizations, and the overall population the same. The brilliant ascent in the cost of Bitcoin has started both fervor and wariness, prompting banters about its drawn out feasibility and effect on the worldwide monetary scene. In this article, we'll dive into the variables adding to the rising cost of Bitcoin and investigate its suggestions. Bitcoin, made in 2009 by a mysterious individual or gathering utilizing the nom de plume Nakamoto, was imagined as a decentralized computerized cash that works without the requirement for middle people like banks or legislatures. Its basic innovation, blockchain, is a conveyed record that records all exchanges across an organization of PCs, giving straightforwardness and security. The limited supply of Bitcoin is one of the primary factors contributing to its rising price. Bitcoin's protocol incorporates a limit of 21 million coins to resemble the scarcity of gold and other precious metals. As interest for Bitcoin increments, driven by elements like developing institutional interest, standard reception, and worries about government issued money degrading, its value will in general ascent because of the stockpile request elements. Besides, Bitcoin's decentralized nature and its allure as a fence against expansion and financial vulnerability have drawn in financial backers looking for elective store of significant worth resources.
Bitcoin is increasingly seen as a digital gold or a safe haven asset that can preserve wealth in times of economic turmoil in an era of unprecedented monetary stimulus measures by central banks and concerns about currency debasement. The developing acknowledgment of Bitcoin by institutional financial backers and companies has additionally filled its cost flood. High-profile supports from organizations like Tesla and Square, which have added Bitcoin to their monetary records as a hold resource, have given authenticity to the digital money and ingrained certainty among financial backers. Furthermore, the section of conventional monetary establishments into the digital money space through venture items, prospects agreements, and guardianship administrations has worked with more prominent institutional support in Bitcoin markets. Moreover, the rising standard reception of Bitcoin for the purpose of installment and speculation has added to its cost appreciation. From online retailers and specialist co-ops tolerating Bitcoin installments to the rise of Bitcoin-based monetary items and administrations, the foundation supporting the utilization of Bitcoin in regular exchanges is growing quickly. This developing utility and acknowledgment are driving interest for Bitcoin, further reinforcing its cost. Bitcoin, on the other hand, continues to be a highly speculative and volatile asset that is susceptible to sharp price fluctuations and regulatory scrutiny despite its rising price and growing popularity. Worries about its ecological effect because of energy-concentrated mining tasks and its possible use in illegal exercises have additionally brought up issues about its drawn out maintainability and administrative oversight.
In conclusion, the increasing prominence of Bitcoin as a digital asset with the potential to disrupt conventional financial systems is reflected in its rising price. While its restricted stock, developing institutional reception, and standard acknowledgment have pushed its cost higher than ever, challenges stay regarding instability, guideline, and natural manageability. As Bitcoin proceeds to develop and get some forward momentum, its effect on the worldwide economy and monetary business sectors will be firmly watched, forming the fate of advanced monetary standards and decentralized finance.


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Dubai – Mubasher: Ajman Bank
has partnered with the Fintech company Kamel Pay to provide innovative payment solutions to businesses and individuals in the UAE.
Kamel Pay seeks to enable businesses and individuals to have access to digital financial services in the UAE, as per the country's National Payment System Strategy to move towards cashless society, according to a press release on Sunday.
Kamel Pay aims to grow beyond the UAE and become a leading Fintech company in the MENA region.
The Chairman of Kamel Pay, Hussain Al Qemzi, said: "This collaboration between a Bank and an agile Fintech offering latest digital technologies will have a substantial impact on the adoption of secure and cashless payments across the UAE; especially in the underbanked population who had been largely neglected till now."
Meanwhile, the CEO of Ajman Bank, Mohamed Amiri, commented: "Our goal is to develop a robust electronic payment ecosystem driven by data and insights to increase the safety and security of electronic payments. It complements our strategy and vision to address the needs of our customers with the most innovative products and services."
All Rights Reserved - Mubasher Info © 2005 - 2021 Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).


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Google began compiling the Writely waitlist in March and started sending invitations to users on the wait list in July. This month they reached the bottom of the waitlist, which meant that they can now accommodate anyone who wants to use the program.
When Google acquired Writely in March, they closed the free registration and started putting users on a waitlist until they could beef up the infrastructure.
"We were a very small company and our resources were pretty limited so we didn't have the scalability and capacity that was required to meet the overwhelming demand that followed the [acquisition] announcement so rather than putting the program at risk, we decided to proactively start a waitlist," said Jen Mazzon, senior product marketing manager for Writely. "That way we just made sure that our current users would not be impacted."
Writely is Google's word processing program where users can compose, store, collaborate and share their documents. When Google purchased the program in March, it raised eyebrows as to whether Google wanted to compete with Microsoft's Office suite. PC Magazine reviewed the product in July and found it to be satisfactory but no real competition for Microsoft Word.
But online document management just might have its place in the world and Mazzon said that the feedback to the program has been quite good. She said that users love the ability to collaborate in one document and have access to documents anywhere there is an Internet connection. She could not predict when the Writely software will leave beta, however.
"Frankly, we're not in a huge hurry to leave beta," Mazzon said. "Once we feel that we're ready, we will. It's kind of a qualitative decision and not just quantitative."
Before the program moves out of beta, Writely will move to Google's account login so that users who use multiple Google services can consolidate their Writely account to the same username and password.
On Monday, the "Beta Meter" on Writely was at 62 percent, which means that 62 percent of users who took the online poll believe that the program is ready to come out of beta. Users who vote "no" can enter suggestions and comments for improving the program. The decision to move Writely out of beta will not be determined by a certain percentage on the Beta Meter, Mazzon said.
"One hundred percent of people agreeing on one thing? I don't think so," she said. "The poll is really a litmus test and it's been a great way to solicit feedback from people who wouldn't normally give feedback."
Although Google did not release a statement about opening registration for Writely, Mazzon announced it on the Writely bloglast Thursday.


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Patrick Mohr decided to rock Berlin Fashion Week in the most unconventional way yet. His collection featured monk-like models, who could also pass as serial killers.
The ghoulish painted faces combined with the loose rags gave an eerie feeling as these male models came down the runway. Whether the theme was being homeless, monk, or murderers, Patrick Mohr was surely put under the spotlight with his weird and wonderful line of clothing.
Implications - As strange as these styles and models may look, Patrick Mohr will definitely not go unnoticed. While you may not see these fashions sprout up in department stores anytime soon, you'll definitely respect the designer for his outlandish imagination.
Patrick Mohr Showcases His 2010 Spring Collection in Berlin
1. Unconventional Fashion - The use of ghoulish painted faces and loose rags in fashion shows creates disruptive innovation opportunities for avant-garde designers and fashion brands.
2. Alternative Runway Models - The inclusion of monk-like models or unconventional appearances on the runway presents disruptive innovation opportunities for inclusive and diverse fashion shows.
3. Eccentric Designer Collections - The creation of weird and wonderful clothing lines by designers like Patrick Mohr taps into disruptive innovation opportunities to challenge traditional fashion norms and push artistic boundaries.
1. Avant-garde Fashion - The avant-garde fashion industry can embrace disruptive innovation by incorporating unconventional styles, such as ghoulish painted faces and loose rags, into their designs and shows.
2. Modeling and Fashion Shows - The modeling and fashion show industry can explore disruptive innovation by featuring alternative runway models, such as monk-like models, to promote diversity and inclusivity.
3. Artistic Fashion Design - The artistic fashion design industry can find disruptive innovation opportunities by creating eccentric clothing lines that challenge traditional fashion norms and cater to unique artistic expressions.


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Coffee and keto coffee have become synonymous with both wellness and health, and this year the two are expanding their horizons.
With more than 400,000 people on the Ketogenic Diet program, this year’s event aims to get people on board and learn more about the benefits of the ketogenic diet, as well as the latest news on ketogenic supplements, supplements for weight loss, and ketogenic cooking.
For the first time, the event will be held on September 28, 2018, in New York City.
Organizers are encouraging people to join in the festivities and participate in a conversation with the participants of this year, from the makers of coffee and tea to the people that create the best keto recipes.
“We have been making coffee for many years now, and we’ve never had the chance to try it ourselves,” said Erica C. Grosz, co-owner of Coffee and Tea Cafe in New Hyde Park, NY.
“We decided to come together and create a little coffee party, with the goal of making this our biggest event ever.”
The coffee party is scheduled to take place in the Coffee and tea shop of the coffee shop in New Hampshire’s Westmont neighborhood.
The event will take place on Friday, September 28 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., with a lineup of more than 100 people, including coffee makers, coasters, espresso makers, and other coffee enthusiasts.
The coffee parties have become a regular part of the New Hampshire Keto Diet, and the event is a perfect way for people to learn more and get involved.
“For years, coffee and ketones have been the best sources of energy and healthy fats for many people,” said Erin T. McVicker, an assistant professor of nutrition and food science at the University of Central Florida.
“But now we have the first-ever coffee party.
It’s an opportunity to learn about the keto diet and get to know the people who make the best coffee.”
Organizers say they hope the coffee party will inspire people to get off of their meds, and they’re asking people to attend if they want to get started.
“If you are trying to lose weight, there’s no better time than now to learn the ketone pathway,” said C.J. Spence, cofounder and CEO of The Nutritional Ketogenic Revolution, a New York-based startup that creates ketogenic meals and supplements.
“With this event, we hope to share with you some of the best recipes and tips for keto that will help you live better.”
This year, participants will receive a complimentary coffee mug from the Nutritional Keto Revolution, and there will be giveaways from Nutritional, the Nutrientals, and others.
Participants can even get in on the conversation with other people who are already on the ketosis wagon, including Dr. Richard Branson, Dr. Mark Sisson, and a host of celebrities, like the actors James Corden, John Oliver, and Kate Hudson.
For more information on this year of the Keto Diet, check out the event page on keto.org.
Follow Josh on Twitter.


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DECORATIVE ARTS DIARY
by Brook S. MasonMar. 12, 2007
The much gossiped-about face-off between art dealers and auction houses at this year’s European Fine Art Fair
in Maastricht, which opened with a glorious vernissage on Mar. 8, turned out to be a non-event. In fact, art dealers on hand paid scant heed to the presence of their archrivals.


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Global logistics solution provider, Samskip, has expanded its multimodal model in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
The recent expansion of Samskip’s presence in Poland was the starting point for the roll out of this initiative in the region.
Samskip’s current offer comprises a Pan-European network which focuses on the UK and Ireland, while reaching all the way from Portugal up to Iceland and Northern Norway.
Opening an office in Prague reportedly supports Samskip’s focus on customer centricity and will ensure that its team will be as close to our customers as possible.
Filip Chajęcki, General Manager Central Eastern Europe, said: “In Czechia and Slovakia, we want to develop partnerships with shippers that are keen to explore the sustainability benefits and opportunities that Samskip offers their supply chains.
“Our existing customers already appreciate the high level of care and agile support offered by our teams, and we look forward to making it our trademark in this region as well.
“With our high level of care and use of digital solutions, we make the switch to multimodal transport as easy as possible,” added Chajęcki.
The Samskip team in Gdansk will work as a hub for customer service and operations for the Central Eastern Europe region.
Samskip has also plan to accommodate to its customers in Poland by using local speaking colleagues from Czechia and Slovakia to foster care and easy collaboration.


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You may have noticed it while going by: a seemingly random blue trailer in the middle of a decaying parking lot between the Clarendon Whole Foods and the PNC Bank.
What you might not have realized at the time is that your next meal might be coming from there.
The trailer belongs to REEF Kitchens, which is part of a company focused on turning thousands of underutilized, urban parking lots around the country into food and logistics hubs. It serves as a “ghost kitchen,” producing meals for a number of virtual “restaurants” available on food delivery platforms like Uber Eats, Doordash, Postmates and Grubhub.
A full kitchen crew works out of the trailer, which is positioned to be close to a large, dense population and convenient for delivery drivers, who don’t need to double park or dodge dine-in customers while picking up meals.
REEF currently has only one location in Arlington, but is scouting out more here and around the D.C. area.
“Our Neighborhood Kitchen on Wilson Blvd is REEF’s first, and currently only, Neighborhood Kitchen in the Arlington area,” said a PR rep for the company, in response to inquiries from ARLnow. “REEF currently operates two parking facilities in the Arlington area and close to 80 locations in the greater DMV… I think it’s fair to say we’re growing quickly and are adding new locations all the time.”
Each kitchen cooks for 5-6 restaurant brands, serving up to 80-100 delivery orders per day and offering 20-35 minute delivery times. The trailers — along with waste bins and portable bathrooms — require 6-8 parking spaces apiece, in addition to utility connections, according to a slide deck obtained by ARLnow. The company sometimes groups multiple trailers together in the same parking lot.
REEF currently employs 10 people in Arlington, the rep said, though that is significantly fewer than would be required to run five separate bricks-and-mortar restaurants. Fewer employees, close proximity to a critical mass of potential customers, and the lack of a physical building means more sales and lower costs, something that’s hard for restaurants struggling through the pandemic to compete with — particularly given the fees collected by the delivery apps.
But REEF says it is looking to unlock opportunities for restaurants and local entrepreneurs through its model.
“REEF Neighborhood Kitchens leverage the power of proximity through the company’s network of parking lots to allow food entrepreneurs, local restaurants, and national restaurant brands to open and quickly expand their delivery businesses,” said the rep. “Neighborhood Kitchens help to reduce the barriers and costs associated with traditional brick and mortar restaurants either by helping to expand an existing restaurant’s delivery radius, or by allowing food entrepreneurs to get their business off the ground without the barriers to entry of the traditional restaurant industry. ”
He added that the kitchens follow stringent food handling, cleaning and COVID-19 safety protocols, and that customers “benefit from the added convenience of expanded delivery areas and quicker delivery.”
REEF, which released a video (below) that shows its holistic vision for turning parking lots into bustling neighborhood logistics hubs, says its model represents the future — a reimagined melding of technology and the physical world.
“We believe a parking lot can be more than a place to store a car,” the company said in a presentation. “A parking lot can be a hub for the community, connecting people to the businesses, services, and experiences that make a neighborhood thrive.”
Arlington County police say the rideshare driver who crashed into Ireland’s Four Courts on Friday did not do so intentionally and was not drunk. Beyond that, not much is known…
A set of utility covers in the middle of Wilson Blvd that have bothered residents for nearly a decade may finally get a permanent fix. For Alex Korolkoff, the banging…
This week, Mike Mount is tackling the topic of recently-created neighborhood names. Mike’s new cartoon pokes fun at modern place name inventions, perhaps given recent media attention for National Landing…
The impact on the housing market slowdown in different regions is discussed in Ask Eli.
Do you struggle with anxiety, depression, stress, grief, trauma or anger? Are
you ready to make a change?
Lauren K. Nickum, LCSW, CSAC from Peaceful Mind Solutions is now taking new
clients for psychotherapy. Lauren has over 10 years of experience treating
mental health disorders and general life stress in adults and adolescents. For
more information visit
15 year old Australian Shepherd went missing from her yard in Waycroft-Woodlawn on the evening of August 8.
A pet tracker hasn’t been able to find her, and despite roaming in a busy area, there have been no reported sightings. She is microchipped, and her information is up to date. It’s most likely someone has picked her up. If found, or if there is any information, please contact the Animal Welfare League of Arlington or her owner at 571-510-0508 or [email protected]. If spotted, please don’t approach or call to her, but take a picture and call her owner.
Have you ever considered purchasing a rental property but weren’t sure where to start? This free webinar will go over the basics of how to invest in real estate, how to choose rental properties, and a market overview. Our Director


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ToneFuse Is Top 5 Global Music Property
Please note, ToneFuse as referenced in the following story is now ToneMedia Online Music Content Platform Catapulted Into Top 5 Among Global Music Properties; Had 56.7 Million Unique Visitors Globally in December According to comScore
NEW YORK - January 31, 2011 - ToneFuse, (tonemedia.com) a marketing and monetization company centered around online music content, ranked among the web's top 5 Music properties globally in December and also ranked fourth in the heavily contested category in the U.S. ToneFuse reaches more than 56.7 million unique visitors globally, according to new data released by comScore Media Metrix. Only VEVO, MTV Music, AOL Music and QQ.com Music, respectively, ranked higher. "We are very pleased with the comScore results, which validates our content offerings and solidifies our position as a leading Music property in the U.S. and globally," said Val Katayev, Founder and CEO, ToneFuse. "The year-end comScore numbers prove that our strategy is working. And with the creation of new ad products in the pipeline, we have the opportunity to accelerate this growth in 2011 by leaning into audience fragmentation on the Web, and providing unique value and solutions for our advertising partners."
Additional data from the comScore report shows ToneFuse Music:
- 3rd in Music for the highly sought after 18-24 & 18-34 age groups.
- Reaches 11.3% of all Internet users in U.S.
- Reaches 17.9% of all 18-34 users in U.S.
- Reaches 24.2% of all 18-24 users in U.S.
- Reaches 4.2% of all Internet users Worldwide.
ToneFuse is a global online music platform offering marketing and monetization services. ToneFuse reaches an estimated half a billion unique visitors per month through a suite of proprietary advertising products. Its media division, ToneFuse Music (TFM) is ranked #4 in US, #3 in UK and #5 globally by comScore within the Music category. ToneFuse caters to marketers by providing high impact ad units including video that can be targeted to audiences or content through high traffic music properties. Furthermore, its RingtoneMatcher division is the most trafficked ringtone marketer in the world, processing more ringtone traffic than the next four largest ringtone providers combined. For more information visit: tonemedia.com.


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Export of fruit and vegetables has shown an appreciable increase of 16 percent, fetching US $625 million during just one year, ie 2012-13. According to All Pakistan Fruit and vegetable, Exporters, Importers and Merchants Association (PFVA) Chairman Waheed Ahmed, during the year South Korea and Japan markets for Pakistani fruits were made available, whereas exports of potato to Middle East also started.
During the year new records were established in the exports of potato, onion and kinnow. Exports of fruits and vegetables which stood at US $538 million in 2011-12 went up to US $625 during 2012-13. After a lapse of seven years, exports of potatoes to Middle East were resumed during the year. The ban on exports of potato to Middle East from Saudi Arabia proved a blessing in disguise for Pakistan as it got ready space in the market for its potatoes.
Potato exports touched a record figure of three hundred thousand tons and so was the case with onion exports due to a bumper home crop, he said, adding that because of floods and rains, Pakistan had to import onions from Bharat in 2011-12. However, Waheed Ahmed said that during 2012-13 Pakistan exported onions in a big way and established a record of 2.5 lakh tons exports, so also during the same period export target for Kinnow, ie 275,000 tons was also achieved. He expressed satisfaction that Pakistan had now access to three new markets, ie South Korea, Mauritius and Japan and soon Australian market might also be available for the export of Pakistani fruits and vegetables.
Chairman, PFVA said that unlimited opportunities were available for the export of fruits and vegetables and with a little more efforts exports could reach US $1 billion in three years. He, however, emphasised that to maintain export level, research and development would have to be given top priority. Waheed Ahmed feared that in case research and development in horticulture sector was not taken seriously, exports of fruits and vegetables would come to a halt and Pakistan might have to import them for local consumption.
Keeping in view the importance of research and development PFVA, after taking all the stakeholders and concerned departments into confidence has started preparation for research and development road map at national level. In the first stage consultations are being held with all the important universities and research institutes. A team of agriculture department of Karachi University would visit PFVA office on Monday and hold a briefing on their projects. A decision would also be taken on signing an MoU between Karachi University and PFVA.


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Walmart customers can now sign up for Straight Talk Wireless' $45 no contract unlimited talk, text and data plan for the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 5. The offer is available in more than 2,000 Walmart stores and online at Walmart.com. (A $60 no contract plan with unlimited nationwide talk, text and data, plus unlimited international calling to more than 1,000 destinations in Mexico, Canada, India and other countries, is also available.)
The catch is that you have to pay full price for your iPhone - a 16GB iPhone 5 is $649 and the 8GB iPhone 4 is $449. Customers who buy the phone in-store with a Walmart credit card can pay off their purchase at $25 a month with a no interest, fixed-monthly payment financing offer. (Providers like AT&T and Sprint typically discount the cost of the phone when you sign up for a two-year contract.)
Walmart says the Straight Talk plan saves consumers an average of $950, as compared to conventional contract plans.
“We believe customers shouldn’t have to choose between saving money and having the latest technology,” said Seong Ohm, senior vice president of Entertainment for Walmart U.S. “Now customers can have the coveted iPhone with unlimited talk, text and data without a contract for $70 a month thanks to our exclusive Straight Talk plan and industry first financing offer.” ($45 for the plan, plus $25 monthy phone payment.)
"We are thrilled to be bringing the remarkable iPhone 5 to customers looking for one of the most advanced smartphones with one of the most affordable No Contract plans ever," said F.J. Pollak, CEO and President, TracFone Wireless. “The advanced iPhone 5 with our unlimited $45 monthly plan and Walmart’s $25 special financing offer is a marriage made in heaven – making it the most affordable premium smartphone offer in America. With this exclusive offer the last reason for not purchasing the No Contract Straight Talk plan is gone.”
Information: www.straighttalk.com/iphone and www.walmart.com/iphone


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The state of Ohio is quickly becoming a top destination for businesses looking to relocate or expand their operations. With its strategic location, skilled workforce, and business-friendly environment, it's no wonder that more and more companies are choosing to call Ohio home. However, in order for businesses to thrive and reach their full potential, it's crucial that they have the necessary infrastructure in place to support their growth. That's where infrastructure improvements come in. These are essential upgrades and developments to the physical systems and structures that support business activities, such as transportation networks, utilities, and communication systems.
By investing in infrastructure improvements, Ohio is positioning itself as a prime location for businesses to establish themselves and grow. In this article, we will delve into the various infrastructure improvements that Ohio has implemented to support business growth. From new roads and bridges to upgraded telecommunications networks, we will explore how these improvements are creating opportunities for businesses to thrive in the state. Whether you're a company looking to relocate or an investor searching for new opportunities, this article will provide valuable insights into the real estate and infrastructure landscape in Ohio. So let's dive in and discover how Ohio is paving the way for businesses to succeed with its forward-thinking approach to infrastructure improvements. The state of Ohio has made significant investments in its infrastructure to support economic development and create opportunities for businesses. Some of the key areas of focus include transportation, energy, and technology.
Let's take a closer look at each of these areas and how they are contributing to Ohio's growing economy.
Transportation:Ohio is strategically located in the heart of the Midwest, making it a prime location for businesses that rely on transportation and logistics. The state has invested in improving its roads, bridges, and airports, making it easier for businesses to transport goods and connect with customers and suppliers. The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) has also implemented initiatives such as the Jobs and Commerce Plan, which focuses on improving transportation access for businesses.
Energy:Ohio is a leader in renewable energy, with a focus on wind and solar power. The state offers incentives for businesses that invest in renewable energy sources, making it an attractive option for companies looking to reduce their carbon footprint.
In addition, Ohio has invested in modernizing its energy grid, which not only benefits existing businesses but also makes the state more attractive for new businesses.
Technology:Ohio's technology sector is growing rapidly, thanks to investments in high-speed internet and other digital infrastructure. This has created a favorable environment for businesses that rely on technology, such as e-commerce and software development. In addition, the state has also established innovation hubs and technology centers to support research and development, providing opportunities for businesses to collaborate and grow. Overall, Ohio's investments in transportation, energy, and technology have created a strong foundation for business growth. These improvements not only benefit existing businesses but also attract new businesses looking for a supportive environment to thrive in.
Investing in Renewable EnergyIn today's world, businesses are under increasing pressure to reduce their carbon footprint and operate in a more sustainable manner.
As a result, many businesses are looking for opportunities to invest in renewable energy sources as a way to not only reduce their environmental impact, but also to save on energy costs in the long run. Ohio recognizes the importance of investing in renewable energy and has taken steps to make it more accessible for businesses. The state offers a variety of incentives and programs to support the development and use of renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power. These initiatives are not only beneficial for the environment, but also for businesses looking to cut costs and improve their bottom line. By investing in renewable energy, businesses in Ohio can not only reduce their carbon footprint, but also position themselves as leaders in sustainability and attract environmentally-conscious consumers. This can lead to increased brand loyalty and a positive reputation in the market.
Technology AdvancementsOhio's commitment to supporting business growth extends beyond traditional infrastructure projects.
The state has also made significant investments in technology advancements to create a digital-friendly environment for businesses. One of the key initiatives is the Ohio Broadband Strategy, which aims to expand access to high-speed internet across the state. This is crucial for businesses that rely on digital communication and data transfer, as well as for remote workers and virtual collaboration. In addition, Ohio has implemented various programs and initiatives to foster innovation and entrepreneurship in the technology sector. The Ohio Third Frontier program provides funding and support for startups, while the SmartOhio initiative promotes the use of smart technology in government operations. All these efforts have contributed to Ohio's reputation as a tech-savvy state, making it an ideal location for businesses looking to thrive in the digital age. With reliable internet access and a supportive ecosystem for technology companies, Ohio is paving the way for businesses to succeed in today's increasingly digital landscape.
Transportation Improvementsuse HTML structure with Transportation Improvements only for main keywords and Ohio's focus on accessibility is evident in its commitment to improving transportation infrastructure.
This includes investments in roads, highways, bridges, and public transportation systems. The state has allocated significant funding towards upgrading and maintaining its transportation network, making it easier for businesses to move goods and people across the state. This not only benefits local businesses but also attracts new companies looking for efficient transportation options. One notable project is the Ohio River Bridges Project, which aims to improve connectivity between Kentucky and Indiana, two key states for business development. This project has greatly reduced travel time and congestion, making it easier for businesses to access new markets and expand their operations. In addition to physical improvements, Ohio has also implemented technological advancements to enhance its transportation system. This includes intelligent transportation systems, such as real-time traffic monitoring and electronic toll collection, which improve efficiency and reduce costs for businesses. Overall, Ohio's focus on accessibility through transportation improvements is a testament to its dedication to promoting economic growth and attracting businesses.
With a well-connected and efficient transportation network, businesses can thrive in the state and contribute to its overall success. do not use "newline character"In conclusion, Ohio is a state that is committed to supporting economic development and creating opportunities for businesses. With its strategic location, supportive business climate, and investments in infrastructure, it is no surprise that Ohio is a top choice for businesses looking to grow or relocate. Whether you are an established business or an entrepreneur looking to start a new venture, Ohio offers the resources and incentives you need to succeed.


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The service industry was turned on its head during the COVID-19 pandemic, with many businesses having to embrace a fundamental shift in business operations, at least temporarily. We’ll take a closer look at the economic impact of COVID-19 on the service industry, how businesses adapted, and what we can expect from the future.
The service industry is a broad sector that encompasses health and wellness, beauty salons and spas, financial and legal services, landscaping maintenance and contracting, and automotive services. Each of these subsectors was impacted differently by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The health and wellness subsector went through a transformation during the pandemic. It was estimated that the $4.5-billion industry lost billions in 2020 due to the sudden decline in brick-and-mortar business. On the flip side, there was enormous demand for at-home workouts. Sales of at-home workout equipment increased by 50% during the pandemic. This transformation is likely here to stay. As Nicole Dunn, CEO of Dunn Pellier Media, told Forbes, “I see at-home fitness increasing even more with so many people continuing to work from home. After many months in quarantine, consumers’ approach to fitness, health and wellness has shifted, and it appears that more consumers are taking control of their health now than ever before.”
Consumer behavior in the beauty sector changed in a number of ways as a result of the novel coronavirus pandemic. According to industry media outlet WWD, “Some binged on at-home or stealth treatments in car parking lots; others went makeup-free, and others still took an ‘anti-aesthetic’ route by shaving their heads or embracing extreme looks or makeup. Some tried them all.” According to the industry report Beyond Beauty, one of the most frequently asked beauty-related search queries was “How do I shave my head at home?”
Unlike other service-industry businesses, the financial and legal professions don’t rely as heavily on in-person services. As a result, they were better positioned to adapt to the work-from-home shift. While these subsectors still experienced downturns due to the pandemic, they may be better suited to weathering a downturn. Legal services, according to McKinsey, tend to be especially well-positioned for a downturn. For example, while transactional practices tend to contract during a downturn, litigation practices tend to be steady.
According to a survey conducted by Green Industry Pros, 50% of landscaping industry respondents indicated that the pandemic had affected their revenue in some capacity. Only 11% of businesses reported that they had experienced no impact. More than 60% of respondents stated that the pandemic has “delayed some capital,” while 30% reported that they’d experienced a loss of capital. Around 30% also said they’d had to reduce staff hours as a result of COVID-19.
Automotive repair shops were classified as essential services early on in the pandemic, allowing them to maintain business operations despite stay-at-home and social-distancing orders. But that status could not undo driving-related behavior shifts that led to a decline in business. With many people staying at home, they drove less. As a result, there wasn’t as much wear and tear on vehicles, and the need for repairs declined.
Some service industry businesses were designated as essential services, like automotive repairs and legal services. This designation allowed businesses to remain operational, mitigating the negative impact on revenue. The majority of businesses that remained operational in-person rolled out social distancing measures in line with CDC recommendations and local requirements.
Service subsectors that were not initially given “essential service” status had to find more creative solutions to business challenges. Many health and wellness businesses pivoted their business model towards an at-home-friendly approach, offering individual classes and streaming memberships. While this was easier for larger health and wellness companies with more robust resources to support the switch, small businesses were also able to adapt. Tiny Space to Breathe, a small meditation center and yoga studio in Chicago, offered virtual classes while the studio remained closed.
Beauty professionals, too, had to find innovative ways to meet consumer demand within their limited operating capacity. According to Beyond Beauty, beauty professionals were forced to become “hackers and hustlers” to address changing business needs. For some, this meant launching an online store to sell retail products. For others, it meant instructing clients on how to self-perform a service while at home.
What the service industry learned from the COVID-19 pandemic was similar to what the entire business community took away. This included learning how to work remotely, helping working families find a work-life balance, and finding ways to increase profit margins where possible.
Perhaps the biggest takeaway for service businesses was how to find an opportunity in the middle of a crisis. Some beauty professionals found ways to virtually walk their clients through dying their roots or touching up highlights. This may not be advisable to continue directly long-term (professional instruction cannot match the quality of professional application), but it demonstrated the ingenuity and revenue-generating adaptivity of small business owners in this sector. As digital transformations continue to reshape how we imagine our economy, this ability to innovate and find opportunities will continue to be important.
It’s expected that health and wellness businesses will continue to see a demand for at-home services going forward, as Dunn suggested. Many others, including beauty services, landscaping, and automotive services rely on in-person business in a way that suggests that they may not continue remote-service offerings in the future.
Then there is the case of financial and legal services. Of all service sectors, this one was perhaps the most suited for a shift to remote service offerings. Yet, a Vox report indicates that just because financial and legal service professionals can continue to work from home, that doesn’t necessarily mean they will, whether by choice or obligation.
Enjoyed this article? Check out the rest of our COVID Impact on Industry series:
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Hong Kong Customs today (April 2) conducted an anti-counterfeiting operation to combat the sale of counterfeit handbags and leather products. A total of about 1 300 pieces of suspected counterfeit handbags and leather products with an estimated market value of about $600,000 were seized.
Customs conducted patrol earlier and found that suspected counterfeit goods were being sold at retail shops in Stanley. After an in-depth investigation and with the assistance of trademark owner, Customs officers today took enforcement action and raided two retail shops and one storage facility in the district. The batch of suspected counterfeit goods were also seized.
During the operation, one man and two women were arrested, including one shop owner and two salespersons, aged between 34 and 47.
Investigation is ongoing.
Customs will continue to step up inspection and enforcement to combat the sale of counterfeit goods.
Customs reminds consumers to procure goods at reputable shops and to check with the trademark owners or their authorised agents if the authenticity of a product is in doubt.
Customs also reminds traders to be cautious and prudent in merchandising since the sale of counterfeit goods is a serious crime and offenders are liable to criminal liability.
Under the Trade Descriptions Ordinance, any person who sells or possesses for sale any goods with a forged trademark commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for five years.
Members of the public may report any suspected infringing activities to the Customs' 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (firstname.lastname@example.org).
Ends/Tuesday, April 2, 2019


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Planner 5D says artificial intelligence is the future of interior design
May 16, 2017,
HIGH POINT — Interior design app Planner 5D plans to incorporate artificial intelligence into its apps in order to help users create their dream home design with a click of a button.
According to a report from Tractica, artificial intelligence (AI) software application will grow from $1.4 billion in 2016 to $60 billion by 2025, and officials from Planner 5D think interior design might be the next field where AI replaces humans.
After a user indicates her preferred style, the number of people in the household and the location of the house, AI will come up with optimal home design results.
“Currently, only professional designers know design rules and techniques,” said Alexey Sheremetyev, co-founder of Planner 5D. “Our vision is to empower everyone to become interior designers with an app that combines artificial intelligence with virtual reality. When we connect interior design techniques with AI, we hope to surpass an average interior designer who works using ‘cookie cutter’ design methods. Later on, we might even win some interior design contests.”
Planner 5D representatives said that with the help of AI, users’ wishes will be predicted before they even think about a solution, and accessed and shown through DIY virtual reality goggles or on one of the in-app 3D projections. The machine learning algorithm will crawl through someone’s projects looking for patterns.
Originally a startup company founded by Alexey Sheremetyev and Sergey Nosyrev, Planner 5D has a community of more than 18 million users with more than 100,000 users daily. It is a free cross-platform application which supports in-app purchases and can be used on a browser, Android and iOS. The app offers customization of furniture with the ability to change textures, colors and size, a VR tool and creative suggestions for home design.
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LAS VEGAS – Curomax Limited, a provider of dealer finance e-commerce solutions, has reached an agreement with Key Recreation Lending to originate recreational vehicle (RV) and marine loan transactions from dealers across the United States, the company reported in a statement today.
The announcement was made today at the 2005 Recreational Vehicle Dealers International Convention/Expo (RVDA).
The companies expect that Key Recreation Lending and its full slate of financial products and services, including contract generation, will be available to dealers before the end of the calendar year.
“Key Recreation Lending is pleased to offer this Internet-based option as another delivery channel for dealers,” said Grant Skeens, president and CEO of Key Recreation Lending. “It was clear that the Curomax loan origination solution was the ideal solution for Key. Their ability to customize the application to suit our requirements allows us to deliver our strategic value, enhance customer service and differentiate ourselves from competitors.”
Dealers use Curomax to submit transactions to the lender of their choice, obtain on-line, real-time credit decisioning, update deal status and produce all necessary lender contract documentation. Additionally, through the use of its communication platform, Curomax efficiently facilitates deals with dealers and credit officers that require further information to be completed successfully.
“Our strategy of establishing the leading North American platform based on a dealer centric, lender sensitive model continues to gain momentum for Curomax,” said Alan H. Bird, president and CEO of Curomax. “Consistent with that strategy and commitment is a requirement to ensure that lenders in the US RV and marine markets see value in our services. In this way, we move closer to ensuring that all of our dealer customers can originate all of their financing requirements via a single application. We are focused on being that solution and believe that our new relationship with Key Recreation Lending is proof of our progress in this regard.”
- For more of the latest news, click here.


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The 6th Professional MBA Automotive Industry Program started successfully with participants from 7 different countries. In additionto providing future-oriented and practical knowledge transfer, the Continuing Education Center of the Vienna University of Technology is organizing top class Business Evenings with the opinion leaders from the automotive Industry.
On November 27, 2014 at the Vienna University of Technology Dr.-Ing. h.c. Andreas Tostmann, Executive Vice President for Production, SEAT gave a lecture on „Automotive industry: driving on the fast lane”. Prof. Jan Lesinsky, Academic Director of the Professional MBA Automotive Industry, STU Bratislava welcomed the guests and introduced Dr. Andreas Tostmann.
Dr. Andreas Tostmann focused on the themes: CO2 Reduction, Autonomous Driving and Connectivity. The car producers must comply witth the CO2 regulations. By developing new technologies car producers have been able considerably to reduce CO2 emissions. However, there are still challenges for the automotive industry to further reduce CO2 emissions,such as, immature technology and insufficient infrastructure. New cars already meet the CO2 regulations, but the major part of the whole car fleet in use is composed of old cars, that do not meet regulations. Autonomous driving cars will definitively come, but there are still challenges in infrastructure, technology costs, and legal issues fo autonomous driving. Connectivity is one of the current spotlights in the automotive industry: mobility goes hand in hand with communication: integration of IT technology into the car: communication within the car as well as the communication between cars and with the car environment. Because of this, the new trend "Coopetition" (cooperative competition) between the automotive and IT industries will bring IT companies like Google or Apple to join the race with the automobile producers.
The next Professional MBA Automotive Industry starts on October 22, 2015.
More information about the Professional MBA Automotive Industry under automotive.tuwien.ac.at, opens an external URL in a new window


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Chinese iPhone Launch Off to Slow, Rainy Start in Beijing
Apple’s iPhone launch appears to be off to a slow start in China as China Unicom and Apple held a launch event largely free of the buzz and long buyer lines that have accompanied launches of the handset elsewhere. During the event, Beijing’s first rain in weeks fell on an overhead canopy during the event.
“It’s because of the rain, the temperature really is a little low today,” said Li Yi, a 27-year-old man waiting in line to buy an iPhone 3GS, when asked about the low attendance.
High prices may also have kept away buyers and Chinese shoppers can find cracked gray-market iPhones for around 4,000 yuan ($587) at many local electronics markets, while the cheapest iPhone being sold by China Unicom costs 4,999 yuan with no service contract.
China Unicom is currently selling the 32GB iPhone 3GS with no contract for the equivalent of $1,026, compared to about $800 in nearby Hong Kong. Apple has also removed Wi-Fi from the iPhone for China to comply with the country’s regulatory demands, another strike against the phone compared to gray-market versions, .
“It’s unfair that the phone has no Wi-Fi,” said a 30-year-old male surnamed Fan as he looked at an iPhone in the Beijing Apple Store, where sales also launched Friday night.
China Unicom has said any handset that supports its 3G mobile standard will be able to use its network, so gray-market iPhone users will be able to buy service contracts just like users of the official handset.
A China Unicom representative declined to say how many buyers had reserved iPhones, which could be picked up at the launch event. The carrier was selling the 8GB iPhone 3G and the 16GB and 32GB versions of the iPhone 3GS.
The main appeal of an official handset is that it is uncracked and can download iPhone updates as they come out, said Liu Xinran, a 30-year-old female employee at a local movie studio, as she waited in line to buy a 32GB iPhone 3GS.
“I couldn’t use my old iPhone 3G anymore because of a software upgrade,” said Liu, adding that she had trouble accessing the App Store. “I have little choice but to buy an official one.” Liu showed off a Nokia E71 she was using in the meantime as she spoke.
Apple’s deal with China Unicom is non-exclusive and China Mobile, another local carrier, has said that the company is in ongoing talks with Apple about offering the iPhone.
[Via Macworld UK]


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>> Marc Jacobs's longtime business partner Robert Duffy joined Twitter on January 29 — catch him while you can, he says he's only Twittering until Feb. 16 after the Marc by Marc Jacobs show. In the week or so he's been on the social network, however, Duffy has shed a lot of light on upcoming projects at the company — as well as his business philosophy. For instance:
Duffy went to Los Angeles last week to work on an undisclosed movie project.
"Working on a movie project in LA. Also helping to edit a photo book about all the people that work with us. It's amazing! . . . The kids I work with all over the world are the most inspiring ever! So a book is being done on them. Working title 'the men and women of mj.'"
Posts for February 8th 2010
>> Devi Kroell and Lanvin Now Share an Investor —The Bartel family, founders of Travelzoo, who last November took a 12.5 percent stake in Lanvin's parent company, has been revealed as Devi Kroell's silent investor. Bartel quietly took a stake in Kroell in 2008, allowing the designer to open boutiques and expand her product range; she's also holding her first runway show Feb. 15 during New York Fashion Week. Bartel reportedly doesn't have the intention of building a fashion conglomerate, but has looked at investment opportunities in Christian Lacroix and Jil Sander in recent years. [WWD]
"A kind of contemporary minimalism" is how Phoebe Philo described her spring 2010 collection for Celine, and Zara is one leather tee shirt away from taking a little too much inspiration from that editorially-priased runway show. Zara goes for the same chic utilitarianism and simple silhouettes in wide-leg pants, crisp menswear shirts, and leather shorts—all in Philo's muted palette of camel, beige, and white. Click below for images.
On Gary Graham's fall 2010 inspiration board—Native American photographs and David Bowie's 1970s mug-shot.
Burberry plans to live stream its London Fashion Week show in 3-D.
Most of the fashion industry throws around terms like "sustainability", "ethical", and "eco" without having a clue as to what they mean.
Ann Dexter-Jones launched collection of rock-inspired ID bracelets at Edon Manor.
New York gets closer to the arrival of its first Isabel Marant store.
Donatella Versace thinks the current crop of runway models are boring robots: "Now we need something. We need a special personality. We need to feed the egos of these girls. Somebody like Kristen [McMenamy] who had a huge ego. Beautiful."
Source: Kelly Stuart/ELLE.com
Andre Leon Talley Has 13 Custom-Made Capes and a Catchphrase for His First Judging Season on America's Next Top Model
>> Tyra Banks first approached Andre Leon Talley to be on America's Next Top Model eight years ago. “At that point," he told WWD, "I said no because it was the beginning. I was thinking I wanted to see where it goes.” Fast forward to 2010 and cycle 14 of the show, which premieres March 10 on The CW, with Talley on the judging panel:
I felt maybe I could contribute something to it that had not been on the show. I just felt that it was a way to step out of the box and associate myself with a very important American success story, a very important brand — Tyra Banks.
>> Burberry Fall 2010 to Be Streamed in 3-D —Avatar influenced the couture designs of Jean Paul Gaultier and Valentino a couple of weeks ago, but it was the technology — not the aesthetic — of the film which affected Christopher Bailey. While the rest of London Fashion Week is being streamed in 2-D, Burberry will become the first brand to livestream its show in 3-D — to select guests in New York, Paris, Dubai, Los Angeles, and Tokyo, who will view the show in custom screening spaces designed by Bailey himself. For at-home viewers, the Feb. 23 show will also be projected in 2-D via live.burberry.com.
Marc Jacobs' spring 2009 collection presented a mash-up of of American themes—from the New Frontier to Nineties grunge—all paired with piled on accessories and armfuls of bangles. We've selected some of the most wearable looks to be discounted at the Outnet this week, inspired by the Valentine's Day weekend and ready for the spring season.


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This Month’s 3 Best Cryptocurrencies To Buy Right Now
Bitcoin continues to be by far the biggest cryptocurrency in regards to market capitalisation, and also who can quibble regarding its 300% cost gain in 2020? Yet that’s absolutely nothing compared to smaller cryptocurrencies like Ethereum, Chainlink, Polkadot and Cardano which appreciated by an astonishing 500% to 700% over the last year. Take a look at the adhering to table of the leading 10 doing cryptocurrencies over one year: Resource: Revix These might feel like extraordinary returns as well as they are when compared to more typical financial investments like stocks as well as bonds yet in crypto terms they aren’t uncommon.
The cryptocurrency possession class has been hands-down the best-performing financial investment group you can have chosen over the last years, transforming out an exceptional 39 583% return over that duration. You read that. It indicates that a R10 000 investment in the more comprehensive crypto market 10 years back would be worth R3.
While Bitcoin is delighting in expanding assistance from institutional investors and large corporates, with Tesla being the most up to date blue chip to obtain a record breaking $1. 5 billion (R22. 4 billion) as a result of its viewed function as electronic gold as well as therefore a bush versus rising cost of living the other cryptocurrencies shown above have entirely different pressures powering their costs.
Top cryptocurrency 2021 by value: Bitcoin, Ether, Dogecoin
Bitcoin stays by much the largest crypto in terms of market cap, a number of altcoins (a terms made use of to specify any cryptocurrency that is not bitcoin) have considerably outshined Bitcoin over the last year. For example, Ethereum is up 630% over the in 2015, Chainlink 697%, Cardano 533%, and also Polkadot 428%.
“This is in part many thanks to the eruptive increase in decentralised finance [De, Fi], which is a subsector of the cryptocurrency industry where business owners are building automated trading and also loaning systems atop blockchain networks that do not call for any type of middlemans like financial institutions or brokers,” states Sanders. One method to obtain wide direct exposure to these emerging cryptocurrencies is by investing in among 3 diversified ‘crypto packages’ used by Revix.
Those who wish to possess a broader spread of cryptos can purchase the Leading 10 Bundle, which spreads their financial investment similarly over the 10 largest cryptos as well as immediately updates their holdings on a monthly basis. There’s additionally a Repayment Bundle for those who want direct exposure to those cryptos that are aiming to come to be electronic money (like Bitcoin or Litecoin).
Most Popular Types of Cryptocurrency
You can additionally purchase USDC on Revix, a ‘USD stablecoin’ completely backed by the US dollar along with Pax Gold which is an asset-backed token backed 1:1 by physical gold bars kept in London Brinks Vaults. Below’s exactly how these bundles executed over the in 2015 to day relative to Bitcoin: While numerous financiers in standard assets have actually stayed careful concerning diving right into cryptos, believing either that it is a bubble waiting to burst or that it has currently run also high, a little historical point of view might help.
Those cautions are warranted, provided its extreme volatility. After hitting $20 000 in December 2017, bitcoin drew back sharply by 84% prior to resuming its remarkable recuperation. What’s different this time around is the entrance of solid purchasing support from both retail capitalists and also organizations like Tesla, Pay, Pal, Black, http://pilgrimrestmbc.org/ Rock, Fidelity, JP Morgan, Micro, Strategy, Harvard’s endowment fund as well as Twitter creator Jack Dorsey’s company, Square, in addition to billionaire investors like Paul Tudor Jones and Stanley Druckenmiller.
It notes an important change in the public’s perception of cryptocurrencies: rather than being seen entirely as a speculative asset for those trying to find eye-popping returns, cryptocurrencies now keep a much broader allure. Bitcoin will likely stay king of the cryptos for the foreseeable future, yet focus is shifting to the investment potential of smaller cryptocurrencies like ether (or ETH, the coin that makes business feasible on the Ethereum blockchain), Cardano, Chainlink as well as others.
Best Crypto Exchanges and Bitcoin Trading Platforms of 2021
While Bitcoin will only ever have 21 million coins in issue, dekrypto.club ETH has no ‘difficult cap’ and is increasing its coin issuance by about 2% a year. The Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) is set to debut its brand-new futures agreements on ETH this week, which will produce extra buzz around the coin.
This is the fast-growing globe of De, Fi as well as ETH is the money that greases the system. The Ethereum blockchain is being updated to take care of bigger volumes at speed, as well as even more ETH coins are being held instead of traded adding a prospective element of deficiency of the kind that has driven bitcoin to such heights.
“Rate improvements are an all-natural component of any kind of investment market as well as are particularly natural in the crypto environment. Yet one thing is clear: crypto has arrived as well as the time to prosper of crypto’s mainstream breakout is beginning to run brief.” If you’ve been enjoying this year’s crypto boom from afar, as well as wish to buy Ethereum, Bitcoin or a diversified crypto basket, currently’s your opportunity to get begun by enrolling in a cost-free account at Revix.
This Month’s 3 Best Cryptocurrencies To Buy Right Now
Other Sources about
best cryptocurrencies to invest in 2021
The minimum investment is R500, and also while you could think that crypto prices have actually fled from you as well as it is also late to capture the crypto bullet train, lots of clients ignore the cost activities and also merely invest a little every month referred to as buck cost averaging. Revix costs no monthly account or membership costs, however rather a straightforward 1% deal cost for both buys as well as sells and also a 0.
04% a year) on the complete package worth held (this fee is not levied on solitary cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin or the Pax Gold token). Given you by Revix. To learn more, see. This post is intended for educational objectives just. The views shared are not as well as need to not be taken as financial investment guidance or referrals.
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A Birmingham manufacturer has brought a slice of golfing history back to the fairway. Tom Scotney learns about the return of the famous Penfold Heart ball.
Picture the scene – the 17th hole, neck-and-neck with a £5,000 bar of Nazi gold at stake.
James Bond, casual today, in polo shirt, jumper and narrow-brimmed hat, watches his oleaginous opponent Goldfinger line up a shot with a ball that seemed to have gone off into the rough.
“If that’s his original ball, I’m Arnold Palmer,” says Bond’s excitable caddie.
Bond (impassive) replies: “It isn’t.”
“How do you know?”
“I’m standing on it.”
Bond will eventually win the game after a spot of crafty ball-tampering. Goldfinger will try to return the favour with the help of a giant laser later on in the film.
But it’s the game scene that sticks in the mind of any avid golf/Bond fan. And when the creators were looking for a brand that would be well suited to Bond – with his Aston Martins, Rolex Submariner and Kina Lillet – they turned to Birmingham golf ball makers Penfold.
The Penfold Heart ball used and identified by 007 became an iconic brand in the world of golf.
And 40 years after Goldfinger, Birmingham-based Penfold is being flooded for orders from around the world after re-releasing the ball.
Penfold chief executive William Baird, who leads the company from its headquarters at Aston Science Park, said the Bond factor had been a big bonus when the company decided to relaunch the high-end Penfold balls.
He said: “It’s been excellent since the relaunch. We only sell on the internet so a lot of our promotion is internet-based.
“The Americans love James Bond, probably more than we do here, so we sell a lot of the Penfold Hearts there.
“The American golfing market is just vast. But as we market on the web it’s just a world-wide thing. We’re getting orders from almost everywhere – not from Russia though, I’m not sure they’re quite so keen on James Bond.”
The balls are now sold individually wrapped for the first time since the 1960s – although in a nod to modern demands the wrappers are biodegradeable. And the four-piece balls are ‘dual marked’ with symbols from suits of playing cards, meaning each one is harder to confuse with another ball left on the playing area.
It was this that helped out Bond – after switching his opponent’s Slazenger ball with a different model he was able to point out that his was the one with the heart on.
Penfold Golf was founded in Birmingham in 1927. For decades it operated from a factory in Erdington. But the site was sold and closed down in 2000, and production was moved out to Korea. The site on Bromford lane was sold on for development and has since been turned into flats.
Mr Baird said the cost of production had simply got too high for the firm to carry on making the balls in the UK. For a number of years the Penfold brand was in hibernation, just producing golf balls for driving ranges. The company was bought by the Harris Watson group, and now has about half a dozen people working from its main office at Aston Science Park.


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New York City has been famous for its brand of thin, crispy, deliciously-greasy pizza for the past century, and this year, the city’s mass of pizzerias might be working a new ingredient into their menus: cannabis.
The past year has been monumental for cannabis in New York, as the state can finally enjoy full adult-use legalization after decades of lobbying for change.
Since the plant was legalized in 2021, state officials have been busy working out the framework for how New York will approach legal cannabis sales.
Most recently, the Office of Cannabis Management began weighing in on whether the state’s pizzerias and other eateries should be allowed to sell fresh cannabis-infused food and/or packaged edibles at their establishments. A move that’s almost guaranteed to take New York City’s grub scene and new business opportunities to new levels.
Will New York Allow Legal Cannabis into Eateries?
As it stands, cannabis in eateries isn’t explicitly prohibited in New York’s regulations.
The biggest issue posed would be the fact that while people under the age of 21 regularly enjoy New York City pizza pies, they certainly wouldn’t be allowed to legally consume infused versions of their order. In fact, they likely wouldn’t be allowed in the establishment at all — especially if the entire menu is infused.
This would likely require a particularly strong level of regulation, bringing back many of the issues that accompanied cannabis prohibition in the first place: over-policing of the plant and under-policing of serious crimes.
However, it’s hard to ignore the fact that this would be an exciting shift in how cannabis is perceived, sold, and enjoyed, which is almost guaranteed to have a heavy influence on the rest of the nation’s regulatory efforts.
Although legal adult-use cannabis is still a novel concept in New York, the city has enjoyed a thriving plant culture for several decades. The industry’s eyes are on the Empire State as it establishes its distinct and defining approach to cannabis.
That being said, will cannabis-infused pizzerias and eateries be the city’s first major step in that direction?
It sounds great on paper, but it will entirely depend on the actual regulations that accompany the change — and right now, they aren’t looking great.
While eateries may be permitted to apply for cannabis licenses and begin working the plant into their recipes, any owner who obtains a license would currently be barred from having a liquor license as well, and vice versa.
This could inevitably weed out most if not all of the potential restaurant-owning applicants who have consistently relied on steady alcohol sales to remain profitable in a difficult and competitive industry. Determining whether cannabis can replace those alcohol sales would be a risky move for many established eateries.
“We’ve been advocating for on-license cannabis sales for restaurants and nightlife establishments. New York is the culinary capital of the world,” NYC Hospitality Alliance attorney Max Bookman said in an interview. “But denying establishments from having both a liquor and cannabis license killed our buzz. We’re waiting to see the regulations.”
Of course, the plant’s continued federally-illegal status would pose a number of issues as well — especially if a customer has a bad experience with the cannabis-infused products and threatens to sue.
Many experts are doubtful that the regulations could get to a place that makes sense for the state government, the eateries, and the consumers, but this would undeniably have a dramatic effect on the industry and how it could operate for years to come.


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Although release dates have not been confirmed by either Sony or Microsoft everyone expects both next gen consoles to have a confirmed release date at some point in November. This may not be the case for PS4 according to a poster on NeoGaf.
The poster reportedly from a retail background and privy to release date information because of his status as the manager of the electronics sales force at a “very large retailer” stated “Our internal product release schedule from head office dropped yesterday and on Oct 21st an unnamed Sony console will be launched” he added “The release schedules we are sent are for internal use only, designed to allow us time to create our instore merch plans”.
The poster further spoke of the legitimacy of the release date by explaining if a release date is unknown it is always stated as TBA, the fact the date was included could well confirm that this is the actual release date.
This could all be taken as nothing more than a rumor however the poster has been mod-verified, which means he’s had his source checked by a NeoGAF mod.
True or not this only builds the tension for Gamescom, an event many believe will be where the release dates of both companies next gen consoles will be revealed.
Gamescom kicks off August 21st in Cologne Germany for trade and media and is open to the public from August 22nd to August 25th 2013.
- This article was updated on:March 9th, 2018


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Panalpina has obtained Good Distribution Practice (GDP) certification for its logistics centre in Singapore, making it the 32nd GDP certified location.
The certificate was issued by Singapore’s Health Sciences Authority (HSA), having demonstrated compliance with HSA GDP guidelines.
With the certificate, Panalpina is authorised to store, handle and distribute medicines in the local market and ship them abroad on behalf of pharmaceutical companies.
Panalpina managing director for Singapore and Malaysia, Gino Marzola says: “The pharmaceutical sector in Singapore has developed enormously since 2000 and the companies are increasingly outsourcing the logistics for their highly sensitive products.
“Healthcare supply chains have a zero-fault tolerance, and the GDP certification for our brand-new facility demonstrates that we can meet that requirement. We also give pharmaceutical companies access to a global, quality distribution network for their products.”
According to the Singapore Economic Development Board, eight of the top 10 pharmaceutical companies have a presence in Singapore, with the sector producing more than S$16 billion worth of products a year.


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YG Entertainment comes hand in hand with China’s representing IT company Tencent for a strategic MOU, creating a stage for cooperation and business expansion.
YG’s Executive Producer YANG HYUN SUK, CEO YANG MIN SUK, Tencent’s CSO James Mitchell, two of Tencent’s Vice Presidents came together at Hong Kong W Hotel at 2pm to sign the MOU that ties the two companies with a strategic partnership.
At the ceremonial speech, YANG MIN SUK commented, “It has only been since YG, the icon of Asia’s pop culture, entered the Chinese market. So we were in need of a good partner for faster growth, and this is how we came to sign the MOU with Tencent. YG’s contents and Tencent’s influential platform will come hand in hand to create synergy beyond imagination.”
Tong Taosang, the vice president of Tencent, commented, “The partnership is like a ‘aircraft carrier plan’ in the entertainment world, where YG’s music and stard contents come together with Tencent’s platform.”
Through this MOU, music and videos of YG artists will be shown to the local fans on QQ Music, the largest digital music service platform under Tencent. With this, Tencent is given the right to distribute YG’s contents exclusively in China.
The two companies agreed to protect digital music sales in order to rid illegal downloading and protect copyright.
Starting from 2015, the two companies will also come together to co-produce and manage broadcasting contents. YG, with the capacity to produce contents, will be in charge of the production while QQ Music will support the partner by investing with human resources, holding the rights to the contents in China.
YANG MIN SUK and Tong have high expectations: “With YG’s star-making capacity and Tencent’s large internet user base, the two companies will give birth to a one-stop star-making program where they discover, choose, train and promote stars in one.”
They will expand their partnership in other areas as well.
Tong added, “Apart from QQ Music, cooperation will YG will expand to developing new contents like SNS Platform QQ Zone, Mobile Messenger WeChat, games, videos, e-commerce and concerts.”
At the MOU, YG’s artists GD, TAEYANG, WINNER’s KANG SEUNG YOON and iKON’s BOBBY were also present. Others like PSY, EPIK HIGH, AKDONG MUSICIAN, LEE HI and WINNER sent their congratulatory messages using a video clip.
GD, when asked by the moderator the most memorable moment in 2014, wittily answered, “I think that will be today,”arousing an applause. GD, as the representing artist of YG, was invited to QQ Music Festival and QQ Music Award to be held in 2015.
At the MOU signing, more than 70 of China’s representing media like CCTV and Hong Kong Daily News came to report the big event.


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Lexus RX 200t . — VNS Photo Doan Tung
Toyota Vietnam, Japan’s automobile manufacturer in Vietnam, is recalling 360 cars in Lexus RX200t and Lexus RX350 models to repair and replace the Electrical Control Unit (ECU), which electrically controls back doors' opening/closing.
This was stated by the Vietnam Competition Authority (VCA) under the Ministry of Industry and Trade.
According to the VCA, the programme is applicable for models sold in Viet Nam and manufactured during the 2015-2016 period.
For Lexus RX200t and Lexus RX350 not imported by Toyota Vietnam, at the request of consumers, Toyota Vietnam will consult with Toyota in Japan to check and verify information based on the VIN.
If the VIN comes under the recall programme, Toyota will examine and replace the unit free of charge.
Updating the ECU for each vehicle takes some 1.4 hours and related costs will be paid by Toyota. The programme will continue until the end of December 5, 2017, at Toyota Lexus outlets throughout the country.
VCA has been supervising the recall programme and will update consumers and media agencies with latest information in the future. — VNS


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Sterling, Va. (October 13, 2021) – REI Systems, a leading provider of IT professional services to the Federal Government, announced today the launch of its refreshed brand, tagline, and website. The refreshed brand reflects REI’s evolution in the mid-tier government contracting market with more than $800 million in recent IT modernization contract wins.
The brand campaign unveils REI’s new tagline, “Delivering Mission Impact.” REI’s purpose—to deliver IT solutions that impact missions and help people—guides the company’s strategy and priorities. Inspired by the REI logo, the new brand element—a signature sphere and indent—reflects the company’s commitment to diversity and using technology to make a difference in the world.
The refreshed brand creates a single identity system that differentiates REI in the highly competitive government IT market. Integral to that differentiation is REI’s Mindful Modernization® approach that focuses on integrating people, process, innovation, and technology to help clients accelerate mission impact.
REI Systems’ CEO Shyam Salona stated, “REI Systems began with a single contract 32 years ago and has evolved to serve a customer portfolio that spans across 25+ departments and agencies. Based on our recent IT Modernization wins, it is a good time to refresh our brand and messaging.”
Gene Zapfel, REI’s Chief Growth Officer stated, “We believe our refreshed website and brand will enhance our ability to recruit talent in support of our customer missions.”
Visit the refreshed REI website to learn about REI’s updated service offerings and markets — www.REIsystems.com.
About REI Systems
REI Systems provides reliable, effective, and innovative technology solutions that advance federal, state, local, and nonprofit missions. Our technologists and consultants are passionate about solving complex challenges that impact millions of lives. We take a Mindful Modernization® approach in delivering our application modernization, grants management systems, government data analytics, and advisory services. Mindful Modernization is the REI Way of delivering mission impact by aligning our government customers’ strategic objectives to measurable outcomes through people, processes, and technology. Learn more at REIsystems.com.


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Written on: June 20, 2023 by ICM
In support of the industry’s drive to carbon neutrality, The Beckett Corporation is now shipping AF/AFG Burners with full UL listing for use with biodiesel blends up to B100.
The B100 UL Listing is consistent with R.W. Beckett’s alignment with the Providence Resolution, adopted by the liquid fuel heating industry in 2019.
“We continue to expand our Tank-to-Flame system of renewable fuel products, enabling appliance manufacturers and liquid fuel dealers to provide UL listed, sustainable heating solutions to their customers today,” says Kevin Beckett, President and CEO.
“Collectively the B100 AF/AFG burner and the GeniSys 7565 Advanced Burner Control deliver a viable solution to positively impact today’s ongoing legislative activities in support of our industry’s future,” he added.
For additional information, visit BeckettCorp.com.


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Former TJX CFO Reappointed to Role
Framingham, Mass. The TJX Cos. said Wednesday that Jeffrey Naylor will resume the role of CFO following the current CFO’s resignation.
Naylor will replace Nirmal “Trip” Tripathy, who resigned as CFO to pursue other opportunities, according to the company. Tripathy’s resignation takes effect Jan. 31, the end of the company’s fiscal year.
Naylor has been serving as the company’s chief administrative officer and senior executive VP and will continue in those duties. He previously served as CFO from Jan. 2004 to June 2007, when Tripathy became CFO.
Tuesday Morning suffers 2Q loss
DALLAS Tuesday Morning reported that as previously announced, net sales for the second quarter of fiscal 2009 were $272.7 million compared to $308.7 million for the quarter ended Dec. 31, 2007, a decrease of 11.7%. Comparable-store sales decreased 14.9% for the quarter compared to the same quarter in the prior year.
According to the company, the decrease in comparable-store sales was comprised of a 9.6% decrease in traffic and a 5.3% decrease in average ticket.
Net income for the second quarter was $12.7 million or 31 cents per diluted share, compared to $20.5 million or 50 cents per diluted share during the same quarter last year.
Kathleen Mason, president and CEO, stated, “The December 2008 quarter was reported as the most difficult retail holiday season on record. While consumers remain cautious, we remain focused on preserving our strong balance sheet, managing inventory levels and generating positive cash flow.”
Obama figurine added to Chia product line
SAN FRANCISCO Joseph Enterprises, makers of the Chia Pet line of products, has introduced the Chia Obama, in honor of the 44th U.S. president.
The Special Edition CHIA OBAMA is a handmade decorative figurine in the likeness of President Barack Obama.


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Date Opened: March 2023
Address: 550 Broadway
Hours of Operation: Monday – Saturday: 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.; Sunday: 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
In March 2023, Timberland opened its new store at 550 Broadway after relocating from their previous location on a few blocks down Broadway. Initiative staff stopped by to welcome Timblerland to its new location and learn more about what the store has to offer!:
At the heart of the SoHo Broadway corridor, the new location at 550 Broadway is the company’s first flagship store in New York City. Staying on Broadway was important to the future of Timberland who is focused on reaching a broad audience and expanding its women’s footwear and apparel selection.
The original brick walls from 1850 when 550 Broadway was home to Tiffany & Co. were revealed during the renovation process. Timberland’s decision to keep the brick walls uncovered speaks to the company’s essence as an urban workwear brand.
The space at 550 Broadway is nearly double the size of its previous location. Timberland is taking advantage of their larger space by expanding the custom services on offer. “The Shed” is a new extension of the brand exclusive to the SoHo Broadway location. Here, customers can receive custom etching, embroidery, and patches free of charge with purchase. Additionally, patrons can customize a pair of Timberland boots from a previous purchase by bringing them into the store. Timberland will partner with New York City-based artists to design patches– the only Timberland store in the U.S. to deliver monthly collaborations and custom drops.


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By The Nation
In response to the warm welcome it received over its Sri Kreetha and Siam sites, JWD is taking steps to expand its offerings of private and secure storage spaces by opening two new sites – at Thian Ruan Mit and Ram Inthra.
It is planning to then open additional sites yearly in a drive to reach beyond 20,000 sq m by 2022. Phase 2 of the Siam site will also be launched to provide safe boxes for rent that satisfy international standards and are equipped with a modern security system.
Charvanin Bunditkitsada, the CEO and executive chairman of JWD InfoLogistics Public Co Ltd (JWD), a leading logistics and supply chain solution in Asean, said the company got a warm welcome for its Sri Kreetha and Siam sites. The first, on Krungthep Kreetha Road) has already achieved an occupancy of 90 per cent, and the second at Zy Walk has gone beyond 70 per cent and is planning a new phase.
JWD is working to expand its self-storage operations under the name JWD Store It! by increasing the space available for the modern generation who live in housing or condominium units with limited space, but need rental storage space that is separate from their living space.
In the last quarter of this year, JWD will open two JWD Store It! Sites – Thian Ruam Mit with total rental space of Bt2,000 sq m, and Ram Inthra with 1,800 sq m of space. They would increase the service areas covered, particularly in Ratchadaphisek, Huai Khwang, Rama IX, Ekkamai-Ram Inthra and Kaset-Nawamin. The new spots would attract the interest of those who live in the areas, as well as those SME and e-commerce operators who require storage space that meets the applicable standards and offer a high security level and 24-hour accessibility.
The company benefits from the know-how of Store It Management, its Singapore partner.
“We believe that self-storage is a promising business. It is present and thriving in several major cities and countries, including Singapore, Hong Kong, and Japan,” said Charvanin. “We will open a few more sites every year, especially in the densely populated inner areas of Bangkok, such as Yaowarat and Sathon.”
The CEO added that apart from opening new sites, JWD will offer new solutions that will meet users’ demands, including launching in September the second phase of the Siam site of JWD Store It! that will provide more than 2,000 safe boxes for rent primarily to those seeking space for storing valuables, as safe boxes are currently not sufficiently supplied at banks.
For the safe box service, the company will satisfy the International Vault Standard Class A, with reinforced concrete walls, a fire prevention system and a state-of-the-art security system that will employ biometric scanning equipment for fingerprints and facial recognition, as well as anti-trespass tools and security guards on a 24-hour basis.