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Dare County COVID-19 update: ‘No way to provide a timeline’ for lifting restrictions
Published 12:18 pm Thursday, March 19, 2020
The Dare County Control Group received an update regarding COVID-19 from Health and Human Services Director Sheila Davies Thursday morning, March 19, during which she reported that the number of confirmed cases in North Carolina continues to increase. Currently, there are 97 confirmed cases in North Carolina in 22 counties. Twenty-six of these confirmed cases are affiliated with a group of students from Duke University who traveled internationally. No individuals have tested positive for COVID-19 in Dare County at this time, according to the press release from Dare County.
“The Dare County Control Group will continue to meet daily to receive and evaluate updated information and global research regarding this novel virus to make decisions in the best interest of the health and safety of our community,” stated the March 19 bulletin. “At this time, there is no way to provide a timeline or expected date for lifting the restriction that is in place for visitors. When conditions warrant, revisions to the restrictions on travel to Dare County will be implemented.”
Individuals who are traveling to and from Dare County for medical appointments will be allowed to exit and enter the county. However, the county recommends calling the healthcare provider in advance to confirm the appointment.
On March 18, Governor Cooper announced an executive order closing restaurants and bars for dine-in customers, but allowing takeout and delivery orders to continue. Dare County is encouraging the community to continue to support local restaurants and businesses, including ordering takeout and delivery from favorite restaurants.
“Local stores that sell groceries and other necessary supplies are receiving inventory, however, some items continue to sell out,” continued the bulletin. “Please think of your neighbors and shop responsibly by only purchasing what your household needs.”
U.S. Small Business Administration Disaster Assistance
The U.S. Small Business Administration is offering low-interest federal disaster loans for working capital to North Carolina small businesses suffering substantial economic injury as a result of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). Applicants may apply online, receive additional disaster assistance information and download applications at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/
North Carolina Department of Health & Human Services
North Carolinians can text COVIDNC to 898211 to receive general information and updates about COVID-19. Sign up to get regular alerts on the rapidly evolving situation and North Carolina’s response.
Planning and Code Enforcement Department:
Town offices are closed to the public until further notice. The town is conducting business by phone, email, fax, online permit submittals and drop box, which is located at the Town Hall front entrance (nearest the flagpole). To receive updates and online permit submittal information, visit the town website at https://www.southernshores-nc.
Offices at the Town Hall are currently open; however, access is restricted to the public. Access into the Town Hall will be granted by an appointment only. Those with business with the town should call, email or visit www.kdhnc.com to schedule an appointment or to gain additional assistance.
“We are all facing this pandemic together as a community. Practice patience, provide support to your neighbor and choose to keep smiling,” stated the release. “We will persevere with the resiliency that Outer Bankers are known for.”
To ensure the safety of the public, as well as town employees, the Town of Nags Head continues to discourage the public from entering Town Hall. This includes touring Nags Head’s art collection.
There are many ways to conduct business with the town; visit their website at nagsheadnc.gov for more information on conducting business with the town either online or through the phone.
Trash and recycling collection services in Nags Head remain on their normal schedules.
The April 1, 2020 Board of Commissioners meeting has been moved to Wednesday, April 15, 2020 at 9 am.
READ ABOUT MORE NEWS AND EVENTS HERE.
Dare County Transportation System still running, with limitations


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Citing long lines at Perrotti Park and capacity issues, the city recently canceled two cruises set to dock in Newport next J uly and August.The cruises were rejected by the harbormaster, Stephen Land, because of their scheduled visit on the weekends of the Newport Folk Festival (July 26-28) and Labor Day (Aug. 31-Sept. 2). Combined, they would have brought about 9,000 passengers to Newport.
Land, who recently took over the role of harbormaster, said he learned a lot about cruise ship operations over the summer. He said unsuccessful days came when cruise ships were double booked on weekends. “Too many people,” he said. “We had 9,000 people in Perrotti Park on a weekend in September. Everyone saw the lines. It’s not the kind of Newport that I want to represent. I can’t handle a 5,000-person cruise ship during Folk Fest. There’s absolutely no way to do it.” “We have found we’re really oversaturated with the cruise ships in the summertime,” said Councilor Jeanne-Marie Napolitano. “We got nothing but complaints from locals. It became really difficult.”
About 85,000 people, the most ever, entered Newport in 2023 from the nearly 100 cruise ships that visited, resulting in about $450,000 in revenue for the city and additional economic benefits for local businesses. Nearly 110,000 people are scheduled to visit Newport from cruise ships in 2024, though Land expects that number to decline. “There’s a notion out there that passengers don’t shop, spend money or eat at the restaurants when they visit the city,” Land said. “It’s simply not true. They all have bags in their hands upon returning.”
Despite the cancellations, some cruises are still slated for the summer, including the QUEEN MARY II in the second week of July and a smaller cruise of about 300 passengers that is set to visit five times between May and September. “The cruise companies and passengers get it,” Land said. “They want to have a successful trip, too, so they don’t want to come to a place that’s totally mobbed.” Land said. “We need to manage this.”
Newport is the highest-rated cruise destination in New England. That distinction is owed to the attractions of the city being in close proximity to docks, quality services and facilities, according to Land. At present, there is extremely limited regulation of cruise ships at the city level. For example, there are no time constraints on what time of day they may unload passengers, what time passengers must return to the ship or what time of year they may visit. “We don’t want to be a cruise ship destination only,”
Currently, the city focuses on September and October for cruises. Typically, passengers disembark around 8 a.m. and return to the boat by 4 p.m. Cruise ships do not stay overnight.
Councilor Mark Aramli said cruise ships are great for the local economy, but pointed out “a capacity issue.” “I see how many cruise ships are out there every day and I see the lines at Perrotti Park on my way home,” he said. “There have clearly been days that are out of control down there when we’ve had two cruise ships.” Aramli said he has observed passengers lined up past the Harbor Hotel for hours to board and voiced support for the cancellations. “I think careful management of capacity is critical,” he said. “If I was one of those passengers with that experience, I wouldn’t want to come back to Newport again.”
Land said the docks and surrounding areas crowd quickly because cruise ships supply only two or three tender boats to transport passengers to and from the cruise ship. Each tender boat usually holds about 125 people, Land said. “I will get on the horn with the cruise ship captain and tell them to put four more [tender boats] in,” Land said. “They tell me they don’t have drivers for four more. So, if it’s a 4,500-passenger cruise, it is what it is. It’s not our fault. There’s only so much yelling I can do. It’s definitely an issue.”Land said long lines persist for up to 45 minutes. “The passengers aren’t mad at Newport,” Land said. “They see and they know what the problem is. They’re used to it, and Perrotti Park is not the worst place to hang out. People do enjoy it. It’s not a hostile environment; it’s just a lot of people.”
According to Land, many New England municipalities are now regulating the number of cruise ships, when they can come and passenger capacities. He hopes to schedule more cruises for Newport in the spring to offset the summer burden.The city is likely to petition the state for permission to increase a per-passenger fee assessed to cruise ships for docking and disembarking. The increase will be used to supplement capital improvement projects totaling an estimated $16 million along the harbor, including about $1.3 million for three new docks in Perrotti Park and an estimated $3 million for the expansion of public restrooms and facilities.
Source : newportthisweek

domain: news


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30 years ago, Dragon Quest makes its debut as one of the most influential game in the Console RPG genre. Today, to celebrate 30 years of awesomeness, Square Enix has announced the crossover collaboration between the two of their most popular titles, Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy.
The collaboration takes place in two of their current popular mobile games, Dragon Quest Monsters Super Light and Final Fantasy Brave Exvius (Japan version).
Final Fantasy Brave Exvius
The FFBE & DMQSL event will take place from 30/6 to 20/7 and players will be able to gacha new Dragon Quest Monsters into their roster. There will also be an event that allows Players to collect special DQMSL weapons and armors.
Dragon Quests Monsters Super Light
Odin, Gilgamesh and Bahamut will make it’s appearance in the DQMSL and FFBE collaboration. Similar, Players will have a month to farm these special bosses and stand a chance to acquire the special Odin character.
Login DQMSL between 1-4 July and get yourself a special Mog monster.


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Tesla has proven itself as a leader in the electric vehicle world, but CEO Elon Musk is always looking for ways to improve his Tesla vehicles. However, the company has also come under scrutiny for a variety of issues with their cars and has had some unwanted media coverage.
Tesla leads the industry when it comes to having an impressive range for their electric vehicles on a single charge. However, there have been some issues with its batteries, Autopilot, and self-driving technology that may need improvement. Read on to discover what six improvements this company should make with their electric vehicles.
Why Tesla Needs to Improve
Tesla was definitely the innovator of electric vehicles, starting with its unique Roadster in 2008. This was when most other manufacturers were concentrating on manufacturing hybrid vehicles, not electric ones, and Tesla seemed ahead of its time. Since then, they have manufactured a much larger variety of electric vehicles than the competition.
For example, their batteries deliver more energy density than their competitors. This means Tesla continues to lead the industry in range, sometimes doubling some of its competitors, due to the materials used to improve energy density.
In 2020, Tesla was the highest performing automaker. This included sales growth, total return, and long-term shareholder use. Yet, with these evolutions and developments come risks. Tesla has come under scrutiny and scorn for its innovations and may need to make improvements on their electric vehicles as the competition closes in on them.
On one hand, Elon Musk is the master of using innovation capital from successful companies like Paypal and SpaceX to secure much-needed support from stakeholders for his future projects like his controversial “Cybertruck.”
Continue to Research Battery Risks
On one hand, taking risks is what has put Elon Musk’s Tesla brand above and beyond the rest when it comes to electric vehicles. For example, Tesla’s Long-Range Model S had touted a battery that could drive approximately 370 miles – from San Francisco to Los Angeles – on a single charge due to the innovations of the battery’s material.
At their best, competing vehicles from other manufacturers, like Nissan, Jaguar, and Chevrolet, only drive around 240 to 260 miles, while other manufacturer vehicles hardly even make 200 miles on a single charge. This comparison illustrates how Tesla continues to lead in the electric vehicle contest when it comes to battery range.
Tesla uses software that makes their batteries much more efficient and ditched numerous features that are more traditional in luxury vehicles for aerodynamics and have scrapped multi-gear transmissions for dual motors that are programmed to communicate fluctuating power ratios to both the front and rear wheels.
The problem is that Tesla’s batteries are denser, which has hurt the battery’s cycle life and may have caused spontaneous battery fires under investigation. If problems continue risking powerful range for shelf-life and combustion, Tesla may need to revise the materials used in their batteries. This may affect range but improve safety features.
Not the Only Manufacturer With Battery Issues
Is Tesla risking their battery possibly catching on fire and not having as long of a shelf life as other batteries? Maybe. It seems Tesla is winning the battery range race by sacrificing materials that could make them safer. However, they are not the only manufacturers that have had to look at improving the batteries in their electric vehicles:
- Nissan had to change the chemistry of the battery in the Leaf because it worsened in warmer climates.
- General Motors has been invested by the federal government for risks to the battery catching on fire in its Chevrolet Volt.
- Audi recalled the e-Tron SUV due to the risks of moisture seeping into battery packs and catching on fire due to a malfunction in a wiring harness.
Many of these manufacturers have improved the safety of their batteries. Tesla, on the other hand, continues to use distinctive battery chemistry of aluminum, the standard nickel, and cobalt. This is different from other manufacturers and has indeed led to higher-capacity battery chemistry. Yet, Tesla has two downsides that need to be addressed:
- A shorter cycle life for their batteries
- The risk of spontaneous fires
Other manufacturers are using manganese instead of Tesla’s choice of using aluminum. Manganese does have a lower storage capacity and less range than aluminum but has a possibly longer cycle life and less risk of spontaneous fires. Tesla may need to find a way to improve its batteries instead of accepting the tradeoff of its current battery.
This tradeoff is higher energy density and higher-capacity materials that make up the battery, like aluminum, that results in an increased range but also more heat being put out. Improving the battery means incorporating cooling and temperature-management systems that are more advanced to preserve the battery’s cycle life and prevent fires.
“Tabless” Battery Cells May Make Improvements
Tesla did unveil that they are developing what they call a “tabless” battery to further improve their electric vehicles’ power and range. They also said they will reduce the costs of this battery’s development in that it will be produced in-house. This should allow Tesla to sell vehicles with this new battery for the same price as gasoline vehicles.
This new tabless battery is supposed to lower Tesla’s cost per kilowatt-hour. In turn, this should also lower the price of the Tesla vehicles and make them that much more competitive with electric vehicles and even the lower-priced gasoline vehicles.
These batteries were first announced on Tesla’s “Battery Day” and have the tab removed that connects the cell and what it is powering. This change increases the energy capacity of Tesla batteries by five times and makes the batteries six times more powerful. They also have a 16 percent increase in range for Tesla vehicles using these batteries:
- 5 times more energy capacity
- 16 percent (or more) increase in range
- 6 times more power
These tabless batteries measure 46 millimeters by 80 millimeters, so they were appropriately named “4680 cells.” How will this battery improvement help their electric vehicles in terms of battery cycle life and fire risks while maintaining the impressive energy capacity, power, and range? The answer to those questions is unclear.
Improve Battery Cells
Tesla has been researching how to get an even longer range using durable and safe battery cells. This includes a focus on lithium iron in lieu of lithium-ion, which has been a staple in powering electric vehicles. Tesla hopes that their vehicles will have a range of 400 miles or more with their new battery technology, to one day being one million miles.
The company also aims to eliminate cobalt from its batteries, which is the most expensive element of a lithium-ion battery. Yet, the future of Tesla and the electric vehicle industry may be simply adding that letter “R” to ion. Tesla claimed this improvement will have numerous benefits for their electric vehicles of the future:
- Cut the costs of the vehicle
- Extend the range to more than 400 miles
Add to the cycle life and the longevity of the battery even when driven continuously
Encourage a mass adoption of electric vehicles from gasoline drivers
Add to the value of batteries so that they could be resold when owners trade in their vehicles
It sounds like this improvement by Tesla will hit one of its battery issues, which is increasing the cycle life and longevity of the battery. They may even be used in vehicles that are continuously on the road like taxis, Ubers, and Lyft vehicles since they can possibly last twice as long as the original batteries for the same or cheaper price.
The future may end up seeing robo-taxis, like in science fiction films, since Tesla is looking to improve both their self-driving capabilities as well as the longevity of their battery cells. Right now, electric vehicles with lithium-ion batteries and cobalt are predicted to give way to lithium iron phosphate and other innovative chemistries.
Improve Cybertruck Towing Capabilities
When Tesla launched its Cybertruck, the critics were harsh and saw the trapezoidal truck as further evidence that Tesla’s innovations were doomed for failure. Tesla did receive 200,000 pre-orders within a month, but this did not compare to the best-selling vehicle that same year, which was over 1 million Ford F-150 vehicles.
The Cybertruck is offered in three versions, a single motor RWD and either a dual motor or tri-motor AWD. They all differ in range and towing capacity, while all have a payload capacity of 3,500 pounds, come with Tesla’s autopilot technology, and have adaptive air suspension. Why would Tesla receive criticism on this innovation with these benefits:
- The trapezoidal exoskeleton is made of impenetrable Ultra-Hard 30x Cold-Rolled stainless steel (some even say this exoskeleton is actually bulletproof)
- The exoskeleton contains armor glass that is ultra-strong and polymer-layered composite
- The suspension of the Cybertruck can be raised and lowered four inches in either direction for easy and comfortable access to the truck or back vault
- The Cybertruck has the same torque as an electric engine
One look at the Tesla Cybertruck and you may think you are looking at a spaceship, not a standard truck. It has a distinctive trapezoidal shape that is unlike any other vehicle on the planet. This unique, aerodynamic shape has been a strong point of contention for Tesla and can also pose some important problems for the Cybertruck.
For example, the Cybertruck was found to have more blind spots than a standard pick-up truck. However, Tesla did address this issue by improving its Cybertruck through the incorporation of a ground-breaking eight-camera system into the vehicle. But, the unique aerodynamics may need improvements with towing campers or travel trailers.
The aerodynamics of the Cybertruck may work more efficiently when towing trailers with very low profiles, such as a teardrop camper or pop-up trailer. Yet, drivers may not want to be limited to towing these low-profile vehicles. What about towing a camper with a wider front profile? Improvements may be needed to tow these vehicles efficiently.
Improve Autopilot Technology Safety
Autopilot is a driver-assist technology system that combines automated steering and adaptive cruise control with additional features (some at an additional cost) to help drivers avoid accidents and alleviate the stress of driving. However, this technology has also come under scrutiny due to drivers relying too much on this driver-assist system.
Tesla first received unwanted attention when two Tesla drivers were killed in 2016 and 2017 when their vehicles did not brake and, instead, crashed into tractor-trailers. The drivers had seemed to be relying on their Autopilot technology to brake for them, but the automatic braking technology failed to register that there was a truck in the car’s path.
Tesla claimed it was not the Autopilot technology that was at fault but, instead, the vehicle’s automatic braking system since the vehicles did not register that they were supposed to brake and, instead, crashed into the tractor-trailers. Critics still called on Tesla to permanently disable the driver-assist technology, Autopilot.
Instead, Tesla has continued to make improvements with its Autopilot technology and has gone through numerous upgrades since its first version of Autopilot hardware was introduced in September 2014. This hardware, Autopilot Hardware 1.0, only had one front-facing camera, a Bosch radar sensor with a 525-foot range, and 12 sonar sensors.
Tesla Has Worked on Improving Autopilot
Autopilot gives drivers a variety of benefits, including stop sign control, which helps them see and respond to stop signs, and traffic light control, which slows down the vehicle when coming up to a traffic light. Yet, the company has continued to improve Autopilot and possibly move toward a world where self-driving is possible and safe.
One of the main improvements Tesla has worked on is its driver-assist Autopilot technology. Since Hardware 1.0, Autopilot has gone through three other versions and is currently selling the latest Autopilot Hardware 3.0 in every Tesla vehicle manufactured after March 2019. Musk said this version has all the needed components for self-driving:
- Improved from one to eight cameras that surround the Tesla vehicle for 360 degrees and a 250-meter range.
- Updates to the original 12 sonar ultrasonic sensors so they can better identify soft and hard objects and detect twice the distance of the old system’s 16-foot range.
- Bringing the computer system in-house instead of using a third party and now using a two bespoke unit design.
- Incorporating a new Hardware 3 onboard computer processing system that increases the data from the older system more than 40 times.
- The onboard computer can also read lane paint that is on the road so that it can sense and detect any surrounding vehicles.
- The incorporation of “Tesla Vision,” which are vision-processing tools that replaced the Bosch radar sensor so that it further analyzes the Tesla vehicle’s surrounding environment without radar.
- A Tesla-developed neural net to help see in every direction simultaneously.
Tesla Vision in particular is an improvement in Model 3 and Y cars delivered after May 2021 that assists drivers without the original Bosch radar sensor. Instead, the Autopilot and Full Self-Driving technology now rely on computer vision-based technology on its cameras to improve the vehicle’s monitoring of its surrounding environment.
Because Autopilot Hardware 3.0 is only available in Tesla vehicles manufactured after March 2019, Tesla vehicle owners that have two older versions of Autopilot – Hardware 2.0 or 2.5 – can upgrade to the 3.0 Hardware system if they buy a Full Service-Driving package. Tesla vehicles come with standard Autopilot; full features cost $10,000 more.
Is the Removal of Radar Really an Improvement?
After Tesla removed the Bosch radar system and replaced it with the Tesla Vision component, this “improvement” actually ended up harming the company’s rating with the respected ratings giant Consumer Reports. When the Model 3 had radar, it was a top pick and helped Tesla attain a rating of 9/10 for capabilities and performance.
Tesla was the only manufacturing company to earn a 9/10 in this category, but this all changed once the radar was removed and replaced by vision-processing tools. Once Tesla took the Bosch radar out of its Model 3, the vehicle was removed from the Consumer Reports top picklist. Other ratings companies have also followed suit.
Both the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have said they are removing the Model 3 from their Top Safety Pick title (IIHS) and removing the checkmark given to some of the main features offered by Tesla’s Autopilot (NHTS). In particular, this includes automatic emergency braking.
It is questionable how features like adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, and lane changing will work without radar. In addition to the controversy behind Tesla’s decision to improve their vehicles by removing radar, the automatic emergency braking has come under fire by customers, the media, and the federal government.
Improve Marketing for Self-Driving Cars
Probably the two biggest issues Tesla has had that have caused a flurry of media attention is with drivers relying too much on the self-driving aspects of Autopilot and have paid fatal consequences for not paying attention. Tesla had conducted beta testing of Full Self-Driving software but found problems with the testers that led to changes.
Tesla hired individuals to be beta testers of its new Full Self-Driving software. However, the company ended up revoking some of the drivers’ beta testing liberties because they were relying too much on the software and not paying attention when they were sitting behind the wheel. This illustrates how the name of the software may be misleading.
Tesla offers its Full Self-Driving Capability as a compatible option for all new Tesla vehicles and is designed to assist drivers with both short- and long-distance trips. However, the name indicates that you can sit back, relax, and let your Tesla drive you to your destination, but this is not the case. Instead, it seems to be more driver-assist:
- Helps automatically park the car
- Changes lanes automatically
- Has both traffic and stop sign control
- Leads your vehicle onto a ramp from a highway
Another improvement Tesla is researching is adding its autosteer function onto city streets, but none of these conveniences make the cars autonomous. Although Musk is testing fully autonomous driving on his own Tesla to see if a Full Self-Driving package can deliver this convenience in the future, a Tesla is currently not a self-driving vehicle.
Improve Automatic Braking System
In addition to the media attention garnered with Tesla’s Autopilot and Full Self-Driving package, its automatic emergency braking system has also come under fire in recent years. More specifically, a common complaint that has needed to be addressed is the problems with “phantom braking” with Tesla’s automatic emergency braking system.
Phantom braking occurs when Tesla’s vehicle cameras perceive there is an obstacle and then react to this perceived obstacle by either slowing down the vehicle or stopping abruptly without warning. The term “phantom” comes from the fact that the obstacle is not there and can be confusing and potentially dangerous to the driver.
This problem has been said to be prevalent when the driver is using either autosteer or cruise control. Sure, you can simply turn off these functions to avoid phantom braking, but they are important features that are wanted by Tesla drivers. That being said, phantom braking occurrences have happened in the most inopportune places:
- Occurring when oncoming traffic is driving in the other direction even if it is not in the way or in danger of hitting the Tesla
- On snowy and icy roads and putting the Tesla out of control
- Occurring after recognizing a large sign on a four-lane road flashing “traffic signal ahead” as an obstacle and braking abruptly
- Phantom braking while the car is in “current speed” or “speed limit” mode
Simply happening while driving on the highway for no apparent reason at all
The main way Tesla drivers have found to stop this dangerous phantom braking is to turn off the autopilot, automatic emergency braking, and cruise control so that the human is driving the car, not the computer. This defeats the purpose of having the benefits of Autopilot if it needs to be turned off to avoid the dangers of phantom braking.
Improving its Automatic Emergency Braking System
Tesla’s automatic emergency braking system is meant to calculate the probability of a crash occurring and then reacting by either greatly reducing the vehicle’s speed or abruptly stopping the vehicle completely. This should reduce the potential damage from colliding or crashing into an obstacle, whether it is another vehicle, pedestrian, or object.
When a Tesla vehicle was said to have caused a three-car collision in Norway, it was blamed on the vehicle’s automatic emergency braking system and phantom braking. The media made claims that the Tesla car went wild because of the speed limit change on the road and abruptly stopped. This, in turn, caused the cars behind to crash.
It was later established that ongoing traffic may have triggered the phantom braking, but that the van behind the Tesla was probably following too close, as was the truck behind the van, and this also contributed to the three-car crash. That being said, Tesla will more than likely need to make improvements to avoid phantom driving in the future.
Drivers can fix this automatic emergency braking issue by pushing the accelerator and brake, but this should not have to occur with systems that are meant to make things less stressful for the driver. Therefore, both experts and Tesla customers agree that the company should look into this further and help find a solution for phantom braking.
Improvements Needed for Phantom Braking
The latest Autopilot Hardware 3.0 is certainly impressive and the company has definitely made improvements to the software with the latest version introduced on February 27, 2019. Some of these latest features have definitely made driving easier for Tesla customers and have alleviated many of the stressors of driving, including the following:
- Autosteer that can make automatic lane changes
- Traffic aware cruise control that matches the vehicle’s speed to vehicles in front
- Autopark for hands-free parking
- Eight cameras to track the lanes
Although Tesla has made improvements in its Autopilot driver-assist technology, there may need to be further improvements if this computer software system ends up being triggered for no apparent reason and ends up causing the vehicle to phantom brake in frustrating or dangerous situations. Drivers should not have to turn off Autopilot for help.
Tesla drivers have said they are able to stop the frustrations of phantom braking by going into the Autopilot settings and turning off the “Automatic Emergency Braking” part of the software. If this Autopilot feature is disabled, the vehicle will give the driver a warning that braking will not occur even if the cameras detect a possible collision.
Tesla’s Autopilot software could be triggered by anything, and phantom braking could occur. Whether it is oncoming traffic, a street sign that is too large or blinking sign lights, Tesla drivers need to pump the accelerator to stop braking and be able to use automatic emergency braking if the Autopilot software is triggered by a “phantom.”


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Sony on Friday has increased the prices of its Playstation 4 Pro and Playstation 4 Slim models with PS4 Pro now priced at Rs 38,710 while PS4 Slim now priced at Rs 29,990. The company had earlier priced the PS4 Pro at Rs 36,990 while PS4 Slim was priced at Rs 27,990. While Sony has made no announcement regarding the increase in the prices, the company has updated the prices on its website. However, the new prices are not reflected on the e-commerce sites including Flipkart and Amazon as the products are currently unavailable for sale. It has to be noted that e-commerce sites are allowed to sell only essential items until the end of COVID-19 lockdown which is currently said to last until May 3. The e-commerce sites including Flipkart and Amazon are expected to reflect the new prices when they resume deliveries of the PS4 Slim and PS4 Pro.
PS4 Slim and PS4 Pro Were Under Promotional Schemes
The previous prices of PS 4 Slim and PS4 Pro were said to be part of a promotional scheme which has now been lifted, The Mako Reactor, said in a report on Thursday.
The report said that Sony had maintained the price of PS4 Pro at Rs 38,710 between January 2019 and February 2020. In March 2020, Sony slashed its PS4 Price to Rs 36,990 under a promotional scheme which seems to have ended.
Further, the PS4 Slim was said to have received a promotional pricing of Rs 27,990 in December 2019. The report said that the PS4 install base in India was around 425,000 as of March 2020 as compared to 55,000 of Xbox One.
Sony PS4 Slim Would Receive New Bundle
According to the report, Sony PS4 Slim would receive a new bundle under the label Mega Pack. GTA V, Days Gone, God of War and a code for Fortnite are said to be part of the bundle.
The Mega Pack bundle is also said to include three month access to Playstation Plus with the bundle up for pre-order at certain retailers. It has to be noted that Flipkart currently has two Mega Pack bundles currently listed for Rs 27,990 and Rs 29,990. Both the bundles are identical with the games including Horizon Zero Dawn, God of War, Uncharted 4 are listed as part of the bundle along with a three month subscription to Playstation Plus.
Additionally, a third Mega Pack bundle on Flipkart is priced at Rs 27,990 with access to Detroit - Become Human, The Last of Us - Remastered, God of War and a code for Fortnite. The three month subscription to Playstation Plus is also included in the third bundle.


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Employing contrarian investing tactics is exceptionally difficult. Evolutionarily speaking, we are inclined to follow the majority and not stray from the pack. However, in investing, it can be extraordinarily lucrative to deviate from the consensus. The consensus view of Whole Foods Market (WFM) is that the company faces several headwinds that will stagnate growth and cause the stock price to languish. Nonetheless, the market is overly discounting shares of WFM and is providing an undervalued opportunity.
"Be fearful when others are greedy and greedy when others are fearful." -Warren Buffett
The trading history of WFM has been categorized by acute volatility. The stock powered to over $35 in 2006, and subsequently fell to $5 per share in the depths of the recession in 2008. Coming out of the recession, WFM rose precipitously, and eventually eclipsed $65 last year. More recently, the stock has been among the worst performing this year, falling to its current level of approximately $38 per share. The recent sell-off has been due to concern of decelerating growth. However, WFM is set to surprise investors with the rollout of several novel initiatives.
WFM data by YCharts
Recent Quarterly Report
Prior to the quarterly report, analysts were expecting WFM to earn $0.39 per share on revenue of $3.39 billion. Analysts also expected same-store sales to rise 4.6%. WFM reported better than expected EPS of $0.41, and revenue of $3.4 billion. However, the sell-off was due to lowered guidance by management and same store sales growth of 3.9%. Instead of the prior guidance of 10.5% - 11% sales growth, management now projects 9.6% - 9.9% in 2014. I believe management is being quite conservative with its estimates and is positioning itself to beat guidance and re-accelerate revenue growth in the coming quarters with the rollout of its new initiatives.
Source: Earnings Press Release
Some are also skeptical of the earnings beat being organic, as it purchased more shares during the quarter than projected. However, management repurchased 9.1 million shares during the quarter, which positively impacted EPS by less than $0.01 per share. Therefore, the argument about the growth being financially engineered is unfounded.
New Store Growth & Remodels
Currently WFM has 380 locations, but management has stated that it projects the store count can reasonably reach 1,200 stores. There are currently 116 stores in the development pipeline, which management guided will add $1 billion in new sales next year. Further, management expects to reach the 500 store milestone by 2017. With comparable stores less than 2 years old averaging 15% return on invested capital, well in excess of their weighted average cost of capital, these additions will certainly become accretive.
Management is also being prudent in remodeling approximately 70% of their stores over 10 years old. Remodels has previously grown comparable store growth, and management believes it will see an immediate boost in comps with the full benefits being realized in 2016.
National Marketing Campaign
During the conference call, management announced plans to launch their first-ever national marketing campaign. With less than 400 stores and marketing expenses being less than 1% of total sales, WFM's current strong brand image is impressive. The new marketing campaign will provide tremendous returns and spur sales growth. Advertising generally has a diminishing rate of return, and with this being WFM's first national campaign, it is set to benefit greatly.
WFM has formed partnerships with 176 unique suppliers to gain an exclusive relationship with them. This move is brilliant by management, as it will allow them to have better products than competitors and retain its strong brand image. The strong brand will allow WFM to sustain its premium pricing and industry-leading gross margins.
Digital Footprint Expanding
Management is staying ahead of the shift to e-commerce and is rolling out several initiatives in order to capitalize on the increasingly digital trend. Management has discussed a three-pronged approach to achieving this end. First, they will expand their reach to customers outside of stores by offering home delivery, and customer pickup. Second, they will launch of their first online subscription club. Those programs will be begin in 12-15 major markets by year-end. The final aspect of their mobile strategy is to introduce a more robust WFM mobile application.
Expanded Buyback Program
With the substantial sell-off recently, the Board of Directors is being prudent with its capital allocation and announced the authorization of a new share repurchase program of $1 billion. By repurchasing shares at this undervalued level, investors will benefit tremendously. The authorization extends through August 2016 and will allow for EPS growth to accelerate.
On a historic price to earnings multiple, one can see the degree of negative sentiment that is priced into the stock. The PE multiple has not been this low since the Great Recession. At a trailing PE multiple of just 24.71x, I believe investors are discounting this stock far too harshly.
WFM PE Ratio (TTM) data by YCharts
After the recent sell-off, WFM once again is an undervalued investment opportunity. Although management reduced its guidance going forward, I believe they are being too conservative and will likely exceed estimates. Moreover, the new stores, remodels, first national marketing campaign, partnerships with suppliers and digital rollout will be catalysts for revenue acceleration. Accumulating shares at these levels will lead to outsized capital gains in the coming quarters.
Disclosure: The author has no positions in any stocks mentioned, but may initiate a long position in WFM over the next 72 hours. The author wrote this article themselves, and it expresses their own opinions. The author is not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). The author has no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.


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The Guardian is wrong about Google
Newspapers are struggling and it's up to Google to do something about it. At least, that's what the Guardian believes.
In a letter to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport [PDF link] last month Guardian Media Group urged the Government to examine the role of news aggregators. Though aggregators, such as Google News, do not carry newspaper stories in full and in fact send traffic to newspaper websites, the Guardian isn't happy.
The letter says: "There is a vast over-supply in the market of advertising inventory, and yields have come under severe downward pressure. As a result, the value of the traffic generated by search engines and aggregators has reduced significantly."
This is different from the row between the music industry and Google over music videos on YouTube because in that case Google is showing the content in its entirety. That argument is over how much Google pays for the rights to the content.
In the case of newspapers, Google is simply advertising our content. If the Guardian can't make enough money out of the traffic Google sends to it why is that Google's problem? Should plumbers complain if they can’t make enough money from the business they get from the Yellow Pages?
If the Guardian doesn't like the arrangement with Google then it can always ask for its content to be removed from the site. Google will happily oblige but that's not good enough for the Guardian either:
"Content creators cannot simply remove their content from the dominant player because the damage to their business would be significant. As such, this increasingly appears to be an issue that requires examination from the point of view of competition law principles."
So the Guardian won't withdraw from content aggregators but doesn't feel it's getting enough from them either. Again, it's difficult to see why this would be Google's problem. So what do they propose?
The letter notes: "Search engines and aggregators benefit from content creators, in the sense that they generate revenue by acting as gateways to content other people produce." The Guardian doesn't suggest any particular remedy but strongly implies that Google should "invest in the creation of content".
If that's true then it follows that Google should invest in all the content on the internet. After all, they put ads on all of their search results. Bloggers, filesharing sites and online shops should all start getting cash from the search engines, surely? Or is it only those who are struggling with their business models who should get a hand-out?
The changes forced on the news business by the internet have left all newspapers under threat. It's up to us to find a way to make the business model work. The economics are fairly straightforward: Google has a surplus of content available to it for aggregation. They aren't going to pay for that content because it is so plentiful. That surplus benefits advertisers too because the over-supply of content means cheaper ad rates.
The cold reality is that a lot of news organisations are going to go out of business, a process that's already begun. With fewer places to advertise, the price of ads will rise and ad-supported services will become more profitable. At least that's one theory. And if that doesn’t happen, well it's still not Google's problem.
EU's new copyright leader doesn't believe private copying should exist
April 5th, 2011 10:19
Amazon's music locker offers only what customers expect – but labels still complain
March 30th, 2011 12:43
iPhone 5 'won't launch this summer'
March 29th, 2011 16:39
SXSW 2011: Jane McGonigal on the beneficial effects of video games
March 13th, 2011 15:11
Ronald Reagan is the father of Foursquare, says tech publisher
March 11th, 2011 21:30


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Tim Hortons offers omnichannel contest
Oakville, Canada – The omnichannel Tim Hortons Duelling Donuts contest kicks off July 7 and at the end of seven weeks, the creator of the next Tim Hortons menu item will be crowned — and they’ll win $10,000. New this year, eight finalists will have the opportunity to defend their donut ideas in person to a panel of famous Canadians — Jason Priestley, Jann Arden, Anna Olson and Ben Mulroney.
Through Aug. 1, consumers can visit DuellingDonuts.ca to design their donut and make a case for why their virtual creation would make the next best donut on the Tim Hortons menu. Tim Hortons will provide weekly design themes to spark donut designers’ creativity. At the end of the four-week submission period, eight finalists will be selected to be flown to Tim Hortons head office in Oakville, Ontario, to pitch their pastry to the celebrity panel, and battle it out for a spot in the final four.
On Aug. 18, Tim Hortons will open up the polls and ask Canadians to decide which donut creation will be crowned champion. The winner will be awarded $10,000 cash and will have their donut added to the Tim Hortons menu later this year. Tim Hortons fans can share their donut favorites throughout the contest on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
West Elm opens Indian fair trade rug factory; Bill Clinton visits
Brooklyn, N.Y. – In partnership with its largest rug supplier, Raj Overseas, West Elm has established a fair trade certified factory for handcrafted rugs in India. Fair trade certification ensures that the rugs are made in safe working conditions and that workers are justly compensated, delivering a premium back to the worker to invest in causes of their choice.
Employees at the West Elm fair trade factory have chosen to fund additional healthcare coverage. Fair trade certified rugs will be available this holiday season at West Elm retail locations and on its e-commerce site.
President Clinton recently visited West Elm’s corporate headquarters in Brooklyn to view West Elm’s work to support artisans around the world and offer handcrafted products under the brand’s 2013 Clinton Global Initiative Commitment to Action.
Additional projects and progress under West Elm’s consciousness initiatives and CGI Commitment to Action include:
- In 2013, West Elm committed to purchasing $35 million in handcrafted products during the next two years. The brand has nearly met this goal in one year.
- West Elm is building a network of artisan makers and currently working with more than 35 artisan groups in 15 countries. More than half of the artisans West Elm works with are women. The brand makes long-term commitments of three to five years to each maker.
- To further support artisans, West Elm recently launched an adult literacy initiative in Haiti in partnership with the Clinton Foundation and ProDev, teaching artisans reading, writing, financial literacy, and vocational training. The brand hopes to replicate the program with additional vendors and in other countries, including the Philippines.
- In August, West Elm will launch the We Love Local Small Business Grant as the next phase of its West Elm Local program. The grant, which will be awarded by West Elm with feedback from customers through online public voting, will go to one U.S. based small business and includes a $25,000 cash prize and ongoing business support from West Elm.
PetSmart investor Longview joins Java in calling for sale
New York – PetSmart investor Longview Asset Management LLC, Chicago, has joined activist investor Jana Partners in calling for the retail chain to consider a sale. Meanwhile, PetSmart said it was reviewing ways to return more cash to shareholders.
In a regulatory filing, PetSmart disclosed that its board of directors is considering changes to the company’s capital structure in order to return more capital to shareholders. The disclosure follows a July 3 announcement by Jana Partners that it holds a 9.9% stake in PetSmart and plans to ask the retailer to explore various options, including a sale.
PetSmart has not specifically said it will consider a sale, but previously said that it welcomes communication with shareholders and that its board and management are committed to creating value for shareholders. Jana, a $10 billion firm hedge firm run by Barry Rosenstein, has a reputation for pushing corporate managements to make changes
"The evaluation is ongoing and is consistent with the company’s commitment to driving shareholder value,” PetSmart stated in the disclosure. There is no assurance any new initiatives will be undertaken, and if so, the amount and timing of any such initiatives," PetSmart stated.


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ZunRoof, a Gurugram-based smart energy solutions provider has raised a fresh round of pre-series A funding of $1.2 million from Godrej family office.
The company plans to utilize this round of capital for expansion and further strengthen its product portfolio.
The funding comes at a critical time for the company, which claims to be contributing to the government's target of achieving 40 Gw of rooftop solar power by 2022.
ZunRoof specialises in solar rooftop design, installation, and management using technology. The company uses computer vision, AI (artificial intelligence) and VR (virtual reality) to streamline the solar rooftop installation and maintenance for homeowners.
"Our pre-series A and backing from Pirojsha Godrej comes at the perfect time - allows us to hire and retain great talent, scale solar rooftop operations across India and launch our home-IOT products. We are already market leaders for residential solar rooftops in more than 40 cities and aim to build on this lead to bring smart and clean energy choices to every home in India," Pranesh Chaudhary, founder & chief executive officer of ZunRoof said on the fourth round of funding.
ZunRoof has designed solar rooftops for over 10,000 residential houses.
"We are delighted to support ZunRoof's exciting plans in the home IOT (internet of things) and solar rooftop spaces. The founders' exciting vision combined with the passion, knowledge and the leadership they've demonstrated in the space makes us very excited to be a part of their journey," said Pirojsha Godrej, Executive Chairman, Godrej Properties.
The home tech start up serves customers in more than 40 cities, including Delhi-NCR region, Bengaluru, Chennai, Chandigarh, Lucknow, Kanpur, Agra, Jaipur, Haridwar, Ludhiana, and Jalandhar.


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U.S. workers took home more pay in March but growth in consumer spending slowed somewhat, according to figures released Monday by the Commerce Department.
Department figures put U.S. personal incomes up 0.4 percent in March, slightly higher than the 0.3 percent growth posted for February.
That comes in slightly higher than the 0.3 percent growth predicted by most economists.
Furthermore, the February personal income figures were revised up from the 0.2 percent growth rate initially reported.
Consumer spending, while still up for the month, did not keep pace with rising incomes, growing 0.3 percent.
That comes in somewhat below the 0.4 percent predicted by most economists and the revised growth rate of 0.9 percent for February. The February growth in consumer spending was the largest month-to-month increase since August 2009.
The price index for personal consumption expenditures, a measure of potential inflation, increased 0.2 percent in March, a lower rate of growth than the 0.3 percent increase posted in February.
The "core" PCE price index, which excludes the volatile food and energy sectors, also increased 0.2 percent after rising 0.1 percent in February.
The increases in the PCE price index overall and the core PCE prices were both in line with the expectations of most economists.
Personal savings ticked up in March, with the personal savings rate - a measure of savings as a percent of disposable income - rising to 3.8 percent in March from the 3.7 percent rate in February.
Objavljeno: 2012-04-30 13:36:00 UTC+00


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President Donald Trump just raised the stakes in the fight with China over trade.
The White House said Monday evening that if China goes through with its promise to retaliate against the US tariffs announced last week, the United States will impose tariffs on an additional $200 billion worth of Chinese goods.
"Further action must be taken to encourage China to change its unfair practices, open its market to United States goods, and accept a more balanced trade relationship with the United States," Trump said in a statement.
The Trump administration said Friday that it will impose a 25% tariff on $50 billion of Chinese exports. China,claiming the United States had "launched a trade war," retaliated almost immediately, outlining its own tariffs on US goods worth $50 billion.
The Trump tariffs, which the US government says are punishment for intellectual property theft, will be enacted in two waves. More than 800 exports, about $34 billion worth, will be subject to tariffs starting July 6. Another 280 or so still need to undergo a public comment period, and will take effect later.
Trump said Monday that China's response "indicates its determination to keep the United States at a permanent and unfair disadvantage." China's tariffs would target agricultural products, cars and seafood, among other items.
"China apparently has no intention of changing its unfair practices related to the acquisition of American intellectual property and technology," he said. "Rather than altering those practices, it is now threatening United States companies, workers, and farmers who have done nothing wrong."
He directed Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to identify $200 billion worth of Chinese goods for additional 10% tariffs, which would be enacted "if China refuses to change its practices, and also if it insists on going forward with the new tariffs that it has recently announced."


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Volvo is all set to work on some new cars with excellent new designs.
Volvo is about to launch new cars, however before presenting their news, the head of designs at Volvo the concept of two new cars.
This concept shows that Volvo is going to opt for new figures now. The concept of new cars is something that tells us that Volvo is about to change the shape of its cars in future.
Volvo disclosed the designs of two new cars that will be designed in the years to come. The designs show that the same design for cars is finally shunned by the company and they are about to go for a new turn. These cars are not named yet however we will call them 40.1 and 40.2.
The 40.1 is a crossover car and looks absolutely brilliant. While 40.2 is hatch-sedan type. Their shapes are pretty much different from the ordinary cars that are made by Volvo. They also seem to differ from the elegant shapes that we see in the 90-series.
These cars will go in production in next year. This concept that is named CMA will cater hybrid cars as well. The hybrid cars T5 and T8 will be modeled here by Volvo. T5 will use a three cylinder engine and will have hybridized seven speed dual clutch system.
These cars have state of the art technology and will surely look classy as well. As Volvo is about to make them in small size. It will absolutely increases the efficiency of the cars too.
These cars will surely be on top in the department of looks but also will have intense technology that would ensure safety. The interior design is supposed to a ground breaking Scandinavian design that will make it look elegant yet comfy.


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In celebration of Fantasy War Tactics’ first anniversary, Nexon Korea is inviting fans around the world to join in the festivities as the popular strategy role-playing game (SRPG) rolls out special in-game events starting Nov. 5 through Nov. 17. When launching the game, players will also receive ‘goodie bags’ filled with an assortment of new costumes, equipment and more on their journey to world domination as a gift for their continued devotion and support.
In addition to new items and equipment, the anniversary event will offer players the chance to explore the ‘Library in the Sky Birthday Party Dungeon.’ Lord and his companions will lead players through short, adventurous stages filled with fun stories, and perhaps to uncover the mystery behind the woman with the red hair who crashes the birthday party. Fans will also see additional items for sale in the exclusive shop.
Each day of the three-day anniversary event, all new and current players who log into their account will be rewarded with:
- Ian’s Costume on Nov. 5: Players will kick off the anniversary event with a new and improved costume for the most purrrr- fect character;
- 5 ★ Full Set Guaranteed Equipment Capsule (SS Legendary Grade) on Nov. 6: The “best of the best” equipment will be available as the ‘on-time’ gift to any player who runs the game;
- 365 Crystals on Nov. 7: In-game currency will be shared for players to buy gifts for their favorite characters.
We’d love for you to share the news of the anniversary events and new assets with your readers. Members of the Nexon team are also available for email Q&A’s on the Fantasy War Tactics.


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To celebrate Dollar General serving as the exclusive retailer of the newest, limited-edition OREO, the company is excited to officially declare Wednesday, June 7, as Mississippi Mud Pie Day throughout the state. Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant helped commemorate the day with an official state proclamation and Dollar General is encouraging customers to enjoy #DGOREOMSMud by providing customers a complimentary package with a select purchase, June 7 only.
“Dollar General is excited to partner with OREO, Mondelez, Governor Bryant and the great state of Mississippi to celebrate Mississippi Mud Pie Day on June 7,” said Larry Gatta, senior vice president and general merchandise manager, consumables. “We hope customers will enjoy the flavors of the Magnolia State in America’s favorite cookie and take advantage of additional digital coupon savings to receive complimentary product this week.”
Dollar General is providing customers a free package of OREO cookies with the purchase of two additional packages through its Wow! Wednesday digital coupon offer. To redeem, customers should visit www.dollargeneral.com/coupons or visit the Dollar General mobile app on smartphone devices only on Wednesday, June 7 to add the coupon to their platform, or to create a digital coupon account. Customers can then redeem the offer from June 7 through June 9 by entering their 10-digit Digital Coupon number at checkout.
The OREO Mississippi Mud Pie Flavor Creme Chocolate Sandwich Cookie combines the rich chocolate flavors of Mississippi’s unofficial state dessert with America’s favorite cookie. Dollar General is the exclusive retailer of the limited-edition cookie, which is in more than 13,600 stores in 44 states while supplies last.
With approximately 465 stores throughout the state and a distribution center in Indianola, Dollar General employs more than 4,600 Mississippians.


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More Articles for dozer
The Wages of Smart Completing the early stages of road building is all about doing it right the first time with new technology, say equipment manufacturers. By Mike Anderson When an equipment owner sends his gear and his people out on a road-building ...
Tier 3-Ready Dozer More horsepower, optimized blade profile, enhanced operator station and the most requested mining specs come standard. The new D3765-6 dozer from Komatsu American Corp. features 636 horsepower (gross), 610 horsespower (net) at 1,800 rpm. Powered by a Komatsu SAA6D170E-5 ...
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Watsons, Asia’s largest health and beauty retailer and a member of the A.S. Watson Group, today launched its “Say Yes to Watsons Brand” campaign, designed to promote Watsons Brand, the store’s affordable, high-quality own brand, to the market in Malaysia. The launch, which took place at Damansara Performing Arts Centre (DPAC), Empire Damansara, was also graced by the presence of Reggie Lee, one of Malaysia’s most popular cartoonists. Read more →
(SEMASA) Watsons launches “Say Yes to Watsons Brand” marketing campaign featuring cartoons by Reggie Lee to promote Watsons high quality, affordable own brand health and beauty products in Malaysia.
(SEMASA) LOCUS-T Joins Forces with Baidu – Partnership offers Malaysian businesses new online marketing platform to potentially reach over 618 million internet user population in China
LOCUS-T, a leading Malaysian internet marketing company, has teamed up with Baidu, China’s largest search engine, to offer Malaysian entrepreneurs and businesses an all-new digital platform to reach out to China’s businesses and consumers. Read more →


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Apple analyst says AirPods 3 will use AirPods Pro’s System-in-Package tech
Apple is said to be working on affordable AirPods which will launch early next year. It is worth noting that Apple may also stop bundling EarPods with the iPhone 12 series. The move is likely to help push sales of the wireless earbuds.
Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has revealed that the company's next-generation wireless earbuds will embrace the “system-in-package (SIP)” technology. Similar to AirPods Pro's, the technology allows one to fit one or more chips in one module.
The move will help Apple to add more functionalities in the earbuds without increasing the size of the wearable. These wearables are said to have the same design as AirPods Pro.
Dubbed as AirPods 3, Apple is expected to launch the new wearable lineup in the first half of the next year. Kuo further revealed that Apple is already in talks with suppliers for the SIP components. These include Amkor, JCET and Huanxu Electronics.
The analyst has also predicted how the demand for AirPods could grow in the future. According to Kuo, part suppliers can expect a shipment growth of 50-100% year over year for the current generation AirPods Pro. He also said that Apple may phase out the second generation AirPods once the new series is official.
Kuo had made a similar prediction last week when he revealed Apple's next-gen AirPods will launch in the first half of 2021.
That said, reports of Apple's affordable AirPods come amid rumours of the company trying to do away with bundled Earpods in the retail box for iPhone 12. Since the first generation of the iPhone, Apple has always bundled the earphones. According to reports, Apple may also not ship the charging cable with the iPhone 12 box. Read more about the iPhone 12 in our brief rumour round up.


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Thursday, January 27, 2011, 02:10 pm PT (05:10 pm ET)
Apple releases iTunes 10.1.2 with fixes, support for CDMA iPhoneApple on Thursday released a maintenance and stability update for its iconic iTunes software that delivers a handful of improvements in addition to support for the soon-to-be-released CDMA-based Verizon iPhone.
"iTunes 10.1.2 syncs music, movies, and more with iPhone 4 (CDMA model) and provides a number of important stability and performance improvements," the company said in a brief set of release notes.
The software is currently available via Software Update and the company's download website in distributions for both Mac OS X 10.5 and later and 64-bit versions of Windows Vista and Windows 7.
On Topic: iTunes
- Apple Inc's new Swift language a "huge leap forward for iOS ecosystem," offers "enormous opportunity" with IBM in enterprise
- iTunes Software and Services fastest growing Apple business segment this year
- Apple releases iTunes 12 beta with 'elegant new design,' Family Sharing
- Apple's 2014 iTunes Festival in London to feature Maroon 5, Beck, Blondie, more
- Apple responds to EC complaints by touting iTunes' app controls as 'leading the industry,' cites iOS 8 "Ask To Buy" feature


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Cargo space, apparently, is priority uno to Generation X car buyers, who were born 1960s, 1970s and early 80s.
Read This Article
Although there isn't a whole lot of information on the new 2014 Infiniti QX60 hybrid, what we've heard already has us excited for its debut at the 2013 New York International Auto Show.
Perhaps Infiniti’s biggest announcement at the Frankfurt Motor Show won’t come at a show booth with a new car unveiling this year.
Infiniti announced today that it will begin building vehicles at Nissan's facility in Sunderland, United Kingdom.


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» View Roms Para Lg L3 2013
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Not long after the presence of the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 at Mobile World Congress, is now audible leaks on the presence of its 3G version.
It is verified through a newspaper as reported endgadget.com (12/03), the series Galaxy Note 8.0 3G has entered [...]
Who says Gangnam Style fever is gone? Maybe so for some people, but not for these robots.
Quoted from ITN UK, Tuesday (11/06), in a robot competition called Chinese Intelligent Industrial Exposition and Forum Summit in Hangzhou, China, robots skill performance.
Human skull intentionally shaped like alien heads were found in a 1000 year-old tomb in Mexico, according to the researchers reported as quoted by LiveScience.
Practice changing the shape of the skull has become common practice in Central America. But [...]
AMD (03/13) announced the first time the presence of AMD Elite A-Series Accelerated Processing Units (APUs), which was given the code name of “Richland”.
AMD A-Series APUs will present the latest innovation for users, such as log-in using [...]
Good news came over the user’s smartphone Sony Xperia J. That is because, the smart phone made by Sony’s got a release update 4.1.2 Jelly Bean.
Through the release of this time, the Xperia J users can now be able to enjoy the advantages [...]
The use of female anime characters are cute.
On Monday (10/29), Microsoft Corp Chief Executive Steve Ballmer said that since its launch last week, the rate of sales of Windows 8 exceeds the rate of sales of Windows 7, which is the top-selling version [...]
Apple reportedly ready to release a mini-version of the course will also be priced cheaper than its flagship smartphone, the iPhone.
Quoted from Techradar, Saturday (2/23), according to the report, the presence of the iPhone Mini will happen this summer.
Jobs family have not paid off a fee designer.
Venus, ships super sophisticated and minimalist late founder of Apple, Steve Jobs, was confiscated because the ship designers claim the Jobs family have not paid off a fee.
Philippe Starck, designer of the [...]
The news about the release of Windows Phone 7.8 update for the Nokia Lumia line of smartphones from the old series yesterday NaviFirm seem right. Nokia Lumia 800 is the first smartphone that will get the updated Windows Phone 7.8 and will soon be followed [...]
WhatsApp application certainly already be familiar to your ears.
This free application brief message seems to be trying to compete with the popularity of the BlackBerry Messenger application.
BlackBerry Messenger BBM-voice that presents, WhatsApp seems [...]
An average of 377 of every 1000 people who live to age 15 years will die before reaching the age of 60 years
Man who live in the tropics tend to die sooner, 7.7 years younger than other humans different hemisphere, according to a study initiated by the [...]


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Taiwan Hon Hai Q2 profit up 43% on better demand
Aug 31, 2006
Taiwan's top electronics components maker, Hon Hai, posted a 43% rise in second-quarter profit on Thursday, fuelled by growing demand for consumer electronic products, such as mobile phones.
Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. earned a net profit of T$12.77 billion ($388 million) for the quarter ended June, according to Reuters calculations based on the firm's report of a first-half profit of T$22.75 billion.
Second-quarter profit was higher than a net profit of T$8.94 billion a year earlier and up from T$9.98 billion in the first quarter.


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The latest news, analysis, data and video on online and digital retail.
Our top online retail story
As the battle to become the next prime minister nears its conclusion, Retail Week investigates the impact a Boris Johnson or Jeremy Hunt premiership would have on retail.
Retail Week Indicator 2019
Retail Week’s flagship research is back for a second year.
Indicator 2019 is an extensive audit of the digital capabilities of 176 leading UK retailers, measuring 30,000 data points across four categories – ecommerce, cross-channel, marketing, and logistics and customer service – to identify what makes a winner in today’s retail landscape.
Find out where you rank amongst the best of today’s UK retail.Access Indicator today


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Twitter CEO and tech entrepreneur, Jack Dorsey has sold his first-ever tweet for $2.9 million after putting up an NFT of it for auction a few weeks ago.
Dorsey shared a link to a platform called “Valuables” two weeks ago via a tweet. Bidding was to be made on the platform, and in just about 24 hours, the highest offer was $2.5 million—an offer from Malaysian businessman and CEO of Bridge Oracle, Sina Estavi overtaking tech entrepreneur Justin Sun’s $2 million bid.
The tweet which says, “just setting up my twttr” was posted on March 21, 2006, and was the first tweet on the social media platform following its inception on the same day.
The tweet was later sold to previously mentioned Malaysian businessman Sina Estavi for $2.9 million; afterward, the funds were converted to 50.875 Bitcoins and donated to charity.
Dorsey whose bio on his Twitter profile reads, “#bitcoin” has been an ardent supporter of Crypto Assets himself.
As a consequence, it wasn’t a surprising revelation to learn he aims to sell an NFT of his first tweet when he made the announcement. He noted that bidding would end on the 21st of March, the proceeds would be converted to Bitcoin and donated to GiveDirectly—a Nonprofit Organization in East Africa focused on helping families in penury.
An NFT [or Non-fungible Token] is a virtual asset that registers the ownership of a digital file (a GIF, a video, or in this case, a tweet) on a Blockchain ledger. It is called “Non-fungible” because the …
Story continues on Zycrypto


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News & events
News about our supported start-ups
Ragn-Sells and C-Green collaborate on circular sludge management
The Swedish clean-tech company C-Green and the environmental company Ragn-Sells, one of Sweden’s largest sludge handlers, have signed a cooperation agreement with the goal of establishing 8–10 C-Green biorefineries in the coming years. The first facility will be located outside Norrköping and become operational in 2023, a project that is… Read More
Four EIT InnoEnergy portfolio companies among the Top 33 tech companies in Sweden
Since 2008, the Swedish media Ny Teknik has been nominated every year Sweden’s 33 most promising young technology companies. The technology areas are broad, ranging from energy solutions to pharmaceuticals, from electric aircraft to steel manufacturing. But all 33 companies have one thing in common: they are based on their… Read More
Next Rung to commercialise C-Green’s technology in North America
C-Green, a company with a transformative technology for sustainable handling of wet organic waste supported by EIT InnoEnergy, has entered into a three-year partnership with Next Rung Technology, a US-based engineering and consulting organisation. The partnership will focus on managing the marketing and development of opportunities for the… Read More
GDI Leads an Industry First Silicon Anode Manufacturing and Supply Chain Alliance with AGC Glass Europe and Carl Schlenk AG
GDI, a manufacturer of 100% silicon anodes, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to lead an advanced silicon anode alliance with AGC Glass Europe (AGC), a world leader in flat glass for the automotive, solar, and high-tech industries, and Carl Schlenk AG (Schlenk) a German-based leading international manufacturer of metal… Read More
GDI raises $13.3 million to produce a breakthrough 100% Silicon Li-ion battery anode enabling both high energy and fast charging
Series A funding round led by EIT InnoEnergy and Helios Climate Ventures GDI’s patented 100% silicon anode technology increases energy density and reduces charging times to support electric vehicle and e-mobility revolution Pilot production has begun in Eindhoven, the Netherlands – to reach 300kWh by the end of 2022 GDI,… Read More
Equinor Ventures – led consortium invests €30 million in EIT InnoEnergy supported electricity storage company Elestor
Dutch large-scale electricity storage company Elestor has secured a €30 million investment from a consortium led by the corporate venture capital arm of the Norwegian energy giant Equinor. The consortium also includes the venture capital arm of the world’s leading independent tank storage company Royal Vopak, Dutch impact investor Invest-NL… Read More
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Hundreds of antiquarian books are currently on the Internet auction block through the Web site www.manions.com. Manion’s International, which specializes in militaria and historic collectibles, has recently received a large consignment of collectible volumes.
“Antiquarian books certainly fall within the realm of historic collectibles,” said company representative Andrew Turner. “We’re pleased to offer this collection, and to continue to expand recognition of the different types of material sold through our very unique online auction company.”
Descriptions and photos of editions from the 1700s to the early 1900s can be viewed by visiting the company’s Web site – www.manions.com – and clicking on the “Antiquarian Books” banner in the center of the page. The auction is currently live, and will close July 28 at 8:30 p.m. CST. Membership with Manion’s is free, but a credit card is required to bid.
“We actually sell thousands of books every year,” said Turner. “In addition to the antiquarian collection currently featured on the auction, bibliophiles will be interested to learn we continually have hundreds of other titles available.”
Desirable bound offerings include titles on subjects including theology, history, literature and natural history, among others. One such offering, Mark Twain’s autobiography, a first edition in two bound hardback volumes by Harper’s & Brothers, New York, 1924, would be a valued addition to many collections.
Another of the highlights of the antiquarian book sale is an 1864 cook book entitled What to Eat and How To Cook It by Pierre Blot, (hardback, 259 pages, published in New York by D. Appleton and Company). Boasting over 1,000 “receipts,” the 19th century home manual will find a new home before the end of July.
Manion’s International Auction House has brokered the sale of historic collectibles, with a heavy emphasis on militaria, since 1970. What began as a catalog auction, held several times a year, has grown to online auctions closing 365 days a year.
For more information, visit www.manions.com or call 866-626-4661.


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In a surprising move that has sparked discussion within the triathlon and shoe tech community, Canadian triathlon star Lionel Sanders has announced his decision to ditch the use of carbon-plated super shoes during his training sessions.
Renowned for his relentless pursuit of improvement and a series of training changes and adaptations this season, Sanders shared his reasoning behind ditching super shoes in a recent YouTube video.
In his video, Sanders, a two-time Ironman World Championship runner-up, candidly discussed his departure from the carbon shoe trend during his training sessions.
Expressing his growing dependency on high-tech footwear over the past three years, he acknowledged a sense of loss that accompanied his exclusive reliance on these shoes during training.
In his video, he captured moments of introspection and technical analysis, detailing the challenges and benefits of his decision.
While carbon-plated shoes have revolutionized running performance since Nike’s introduction of the Vaporfly in 2017, Sanders raises pertinent questions about their overuse in training.
Acknowledging the potential biomechanical alterations caused by these shoes, Sanders advocates for a balanced approach to daily runs that preserves the body’s natural motion.
The decision to ditch super shoes isn’t solely based on theoretical concerns; Sanders details an experience during his recent track workout, which demonstrates the tangible impact of this change.
When looking back at the session, he says that whenever he puts on carbon shoes, he gets lazy.
Despite his undeniable talent and training regimen, Sanders noticed a significant disparity in performance when wearing traditional shoes compared to carbon-plated ones.
After consistent usage in training, this reflected in his times and in his ability to produce speed without the help of super shoes.
He said his observation emphasized the necessity of re-adapting to traditional footwear and training methods to maintain peak performance.
Sanders’s decision to revert to traditional footwear aligns with his broader training philosophy, characterized by a relentless pursuit of excellence and his willingness to challenge conventional wisdom.
By embracing an “old-school” approach to training, he aims to rediscover lost sensations and enhance muscle recruitment, ultimately striving for a more balanced and sustainable training regimen.
Sanders is now gearing up for the upcoming Kona World Cup and IRONMAN Pro Series, where then, and only then, he might be spotted in super shoes.


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Walmart Fight Hunger. Spark Change. Campaign Generates $54,296 for the Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest Pennsylvania
Walmart announced that Erie residents have generated a total of $54,296 for the Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest Pennsylvania to support those facing hunger in the region. Through Walmart’s Fight Hunger. Spark Change. campaign, families rallied together to help fight hunger through three simple actions taken in Walmart stores and online. Nationwide, the campaign raised more than $10 million to support Feeding America and its affiliate food banks across the country.
The Fight Hunger. Spark Change. campaign offered customers the opportunity to help fight hunger from April 6 to May 3, 2015 by making a donation to their local Feeding America food bank at a Walmart register, or purchasing select products from some of the nation’s leading food companies: Campbell’s, ConAgra Foods, General Mills, Kellogg Company, Kraft, and Unilever. In addition, the public participated in the #WeSparkChange social media challenge. Customers were asked to take a picture of six friends who share their commitment to fight hunger and post a public picture on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with the hashtag #WeSparkChange. For each post, Walmart donated $10 to Feeding America on behalf of its affiliate food banks.
“I am so grateful to Walmart, its customers and the community members for this donation,” said Executive Director Karen Seggi of the Second Harvest Food Bank of NW PA. “It will be put to work immediately, helping the Second Harvest Food Bank to supply food to our most vulnerable neighbors in need who are facing difficult circumstances. With more than 167,000 individuals within 11 counties receiving some kind of food assistance from Second Harvest, our work is essential and the generosity of donors like Walmart truly makes a difference in the efforts to end hunger in northwest Pennsylvania.”
“We take pride in giving back to local communities and empowering residents to support their neighbors in need. This spring, customers across the country jumped into action to fight hunger, and the results were truly extraordinary,” said Karrie Dennison, Director of Hunger and Nutrition for Walmart and the Walmart Foundation. “With 49 million Americans struggling with hunger today, we are dedicated to helping families access affordable, nutritious and sustainably grown food. With the support of our customers, associates and Feeding America, we will continue our work to help every family have access to the food they need.”
The Fight Hunger. Spark Change. campaign is just one step towards Walmart’s larger commitment to provide meals to those in need, helping ensure every family has access to affordable, nutritious and sustainably grown food. As the nation’s largest grocer, Walmart is in a unique leadership position to help impact the issue of hunger in the United States. Last year, Walmart announced a commitment to create a more sustainable food system, with a focus on improving the affordability of food by lowering the “true cost” of food for both customers and the environment, increasing access to food, making healthier eating easier, and improving the safety and transparency of the food chain. This commitment includes a goal of providing four billion meals to those in need in the U.S. over the next five years.
A copy of the official registration and financial information may be obtained from the PA Department of State by calling toll free within Pennsylvania 1.800.732.0999. Registration does not imply endorsement. Click on the icon below to view our four-star rating.


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Step towards convenience? Uninor to rope auto drivers, milkmen to sell recharges
Norway’s Telenor is taking the next step on their way to become India’s fourth largest operator by coupling their ‘cheap’ services along with door-step delivery of SIM cards and phone recharges by roping milkmen, newspaper boys and auto-rickshaw drivers.
Yogesh Malik, CEO, Uninor says they are working to achieve the fourth position by the end of this year. The company which sheds out innovative beam into the market will reach Rs.1.2 lakh crore in revenues this year according to research firm Gartner.
Malik, who took over as CEO on May 1, said the company is about to gain 8 per cent market share in terms of subscriber number in each of the six circles — UP East, UP West, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra.
Uninor, which last year won spectrum to offer mobile phone services in six of the 22 telecom services areas for Rs 4,018 crore, is focusing on breaking even by 2013-end, Malik said. To begin with, Uninor has trained auto-drivers in Pune to enroll new customers and sell recharge vouchers. Malik said: The project has kicked off with 10 auto rickshaws in Pune as a pilot. This number will soon be scaled up to 40 such auto-rickshaws. Monthly income of the auto driver is around Rs 2,500 with about 50-60 transactions a month. Uninor plans to launch 1,000 auto recharge vehicles in five or six cities across Maharashtra over the next 6 months.
This strategy will soon be replicated by all the competitors. While Uninor started a pilot project for using milkmen and newspaper vendors at its retail channel as well. Malik says,
“We just want to make things available for customers and let him decide where he wants to do business. Milkmen visits the house every day or newspaper vendor in the morning. The project is currently underway at local areas in Pune. He can make some extra money just by selling a recharge at the door.“
The company had 3.17 crore subscribers by the end of February 2013, as per sectoral regulator TRAI.


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Zappos.com Inc. has long offered pay to new hires who wanted to quit. The company’s leader, Tony Hsieh, said he wants employees who are truly excited about working for the Las Vegas-based online retailer.
When Zappos recently gave that option to its entire staff, offering at least three months’ severance to anyone who chose to leave by April 30, it was an offer many couldn’t refuse.
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Belvedere Vodka Ad Banned for Suggestion that Alcohol Makes a Party
December 29th, 2014
Just in time for arguably the wettest holiday of the year — New Year’s Eve — regulators across the pond have banned an alcohol ad for suggesting that a successful night out hinges on the consumption of booze.
The U.K.’s Advertising Standards Authority ruled that a Belvedere print ad — though it did not display people drinking vodka — “suggested that alcohol was the major element of the apparent success of the featured party.”
The ad showed a woman splayed out on the knees of friends on a couch with superimposed text surrounding a bottle of Belvedere vodka that read, “There’s a night out. And there’s a night out. Belvedere Vodka. Know the difference.”
The ASA said the nature of the “very playful scene” alongside the image of the bottle and text implied that the group’s shared enjoyment came as a direct result of drinking alcohol.
The ad breached social responsibility codes for the advertising of alcohol, the ASA ruled. Moet-Hennessy, which owns Belvedere vodka, argued that the ad did not portray alcohol as the inherent factor of the group’s good times because no one was shown throwing back any drinks, according to an ASA release.
In the U.S., industry standards require that alcohol ads convey a message of responsible drinking. But sometimes those messages fall short. For instance, a recent study into the efficacy of “drink responsibly” messages found that 9 out of 10 alcohol ads carry such a message, but none with a defined message about the potential dangers of drinking.
For more of our coverage on the alcohol industry, click here.


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President Donald Trump said on Monday that China is ready to come back to the negotiating table and the two countries will start talking very seriously.Politicsread more
The escalating trade war between Washington and Beijing dominated discussions at the G-7 gathering in France.Politicsread more
China's state media is putting up a brave front as the country's trade war with the U.S. escalated sharply over the weekend.China Economyread more
The latest round of tariff announcements in the last few days means that by the end of the year, essentially all Chinese goods exported to the U.S. will be subject to duties.China Economyread more
U.S. stock futures surged Monday morning after President Trump said China is ready to come back to the negotiating table following a phone call Sunday and the two countries...Marketsread more
As Washington and Beijing continue to up the ante in their protracted trade fight, the potential of a recession in the U.S. is now "the biggest concern," according to Standard...US Economyread more
Tensions stemming from the U.S.-China trade war escalated sharply over the last few days, with much happening as Asian markets were shut down for the weekend.China Economyread more
Clouding the G-7 gathering, which represents the world's major industrial economies, are the tit-for-tat tariffs between Washington and Beijing.Politicsread more
Neither the U.S. nor China wants to be seen as the party that derailed trade talks, says William Reinsch of Center for Strategic and International Studies.World Economyread more
China said Friday it will be resuming 25% duties on U.S. autos, and a further 5% on auto parts and components.Asia Marketsread more
World leaders, environmental groups and celebrities have publicly decried the vast swaths of forest being destroyed by the fires.World Newsread more
In all the headlines and hype about the launch of the latest iPad models and iMac computer there was one new member of the Apple ecosystem that analysts are calling "remarkable" that wasn't even mentioned: Apple SIM.
A preinstalled data-only SIM card has been inserted into the $499 iPad Air 2, and allows users to change carriers at the tap of a finger. It's available in the U.S. on AT&T, Sprint and T Mobile, and in the U.K. on EE. Consumers can buy short-term data plans and can switch between the carriers to find the best deal.
Consumers would be able to change the carrier on the iPad Air 2 if the network cut out, but one analyst said the "knockout" aspect was the potential to kill data roaming charges. And it is this ability to change carriers that could prove to be a game changer for other Apple products such as the iPhone.
Apple said on its website that users "may also be able to choose a data plan from a local carrier for the duration of your trip."
"The final knockout is the fact that you can switch networks when roaming in the U.K. and U.S. right now, rather than paying expensive charges," Ben Wood, chief of research at CCS Insight, told CNBC by phone.
"If Apple can secure this with other network operators across the world it becomes massively attractive."
Apple 'testing' networks' business
Apple has been struggling with declining iPad sales, with units sold falling 9 percent in the third quarter of 2014 compared with the same time last year. This compares with 11 percent year-over-year growth in tablet shipments worldwide in the second quarter of this year, according to IDC.
Ian Fogg, head of mobile at IHS, said the Apple SIM move is an attempt to "raise the appeal of the iPad."
iPads have always had data SIM capabilities, but it is normally bought through a contract with carriers which tie users into paying a monthly bill for a certain amount of time. The Apple SIM, according to Fogg, could "test the business model of operators" if it introduces a similar type of SIM on to iPhones but with data, calls and texts.
"Were Apple to offer this on the iPhone, it could change completely the relationship between mobile operators and consumers. Suddenly consumers may find it easy to switch operators and Apple will find it very easy to sell iPhones through Apple stores," Fogg told CNBC by phone.
Opposition from carriers?
The Cupertino, California-based technology giant, which recently unveiled the iPhone 6 and the larger-screen iPhone 6 Plus, has been accused of lacking innovation. The unveiling of the Apple Pay payments system and wearable Apple Watch looked to stem the criticism.
While the latest release has been praised by some analysts, not all agree that Apple will be able to transfer the SIM model over to the iPhone because of tough opposition from networks.
James Gautrey, global technology and telecoms sector specialist at Schroders, said monthly contracts offered by carriers allow consumers to afford highly priced devices like the iPhone 6, and Apple wouldn't want to "risk annoying" them by introducing the SIM into their smartphones.
"I don't think Apple is going to be quite brave enough to offer this as a SIM-only plan on a phone because Apple relies on carriers to sell their iPhones," Gautrey told CNBC by phone.


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On Saturday, January 7th, the Cortland County Sheriff’s Department responded to Walmart on Bennie Rd. in the Town of Cortlandville for a reported larceny.
Through an investigation conducted by officers, they were able to determine 34 year old Brandi L. Rogers of Ithaca had stolen merchandise from the store and caused damage to the store and she exited.
Rogers was arrested by officers and was then found to be in possession of a controlled substance. She was charged with Petit Larceny, Criminal Mischief in the 4th, and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the 7th, all Misdemeanors.
She was taken to the Cortland County Sheriff’s Office where she was processed and then released with an appearance ticket to reappear at the Cortlandville Town Court at a later date.


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FORMER EastEnders star Kara Tointon was joined by TV presenters Tess Daly,
Alex Jones and Claudia Winkleman at the unveiling of these snazzy socks for
Organisers are hoping participants will buy the special footwear to take part
in the hundreds of Sainsbury’s Sport Relief Mile events across the country
from March 23 to 25.
Ex-Strictly Come Dancing judge Arlene Phillips, left, is also taking part –
despite an injured knee.
She said: “I really think this is going to raise millions and it’s for a
wonderful cause that does the most incredible work.
“It’s going on everywhere. I’m going to do it on March 25. I do a lot of
exercise but running isn’t my favourite because it’s tough on the knees.
“I have a bad knee that I have strapped when I’m dancing or running. But I
shall strap up my knee and do it for this wonderful charity.”
The socks will be available at Sainsbury’s from tomorrow. At least half the
£2.50 price will go to Sport Relief.


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November 1, 2016
Former B&N CEO gets 4.8 million dollars for allegedly doing a bad job
by Chad Felix
Earlier this year, we reported on how Ken Bone look-a-like Ron Boire had been asked to leave his position as Barnes & Noble CEO after less than one year on the job. Now, as a result of that shocking decision, Publishers Weekly’s Jim Milliot reports that Boire will receive $4.8 million in severance pay — which is approximately $4.8 million more than I made “exceeding expectations” at Barnes & Noble for nearly a decade. Amazing!
At the time of Boire’s dismissal, it was noted that the former Sears Canada CEO was a “poor fit” for the company. In light of the bookstore chain’s six-point loss in the first quarter of 2016, which was reported in mid-September, this might translate as “did not make money” or “made decisions that led to things that are not money.” To be clear, I don’t know what CEOs actually do, but I think trying to make money is a top priority. I think.
Anyway, for someone who is ostensibly bad at making money, Boire did a really good job of making money off getting fired! Now, for those of you who do not know, getting fired is, or is supposed to be, bad. It means you did a bad job at your job, and so you don’t get a regular paycheck anymore. For example, whenever I get fired I have to sell all my furniture in order to continue to eat the food I need to survive. Boire, on the other hand, boss that he is, made nearly five million dollars off a company that is famously not doing so hot right now.
What is the world and how does it work?
About the settlement, Barnes & Noble (“The Company” in cryptic legal jargon) stated the following, which might have been written by a robot:
The Company regrets that things did not work out for the longer term between Mr. Boire and the Company. The Company appreciates Mr. Boire’s efforts on behalf of the Company, and the Company wishes Mr. Boire the best going forward.
Very cool! Sounds like everyone will remain friends.
Barnes & Noble is currently looking for a new CEO, with founder Len Riggio acting in the position for the time being. Update those resumes, CEOS of the world — and prepare to get paid whether you do a good job or not!
Chad Felix is the Director of Library and Academic Marketing at Melville House, and a former bookseller.


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How COVID-19 is reshaping supply chains
McKinsey November 23, 2021
Companies have only partly addressed the weaknesses in global supply chains exposed by the coronavirus pandemic. In the face of new challenges, finishing the job is even more urgent.
In May 2020, much of the world was still in the grip of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Lockdowns, shelter-in-place orders, and travel restrictions were disrupting activity in every part of the economy. Demand evaporated in some categories and skyrocketed in others. As they struggled to keep their businesses running, companies were planning significant strategic changes to the configuration and operation of their supply chains. When we surveyed senior supply-chain executives
from across industries and geographies, 93...
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U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo is threatening to “shut down” major Chinese chipmakers like SMIC from accessing critical US manufacturing tools if they violate the sanctions imposed on Russia and Belarus.
After Russia invaded Ukraine, the US, the EU and several key allies sanctioned it heavily, prohibiting the sales of semiconductors to Russia.
On Tuesday, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo directly named China as a possible way for Russia to circumvent the sanctions placed on importing chipsets.
Before the invasion, Russia bought most of their chipsets from China but also sourced from Samsung and German company Infineon. Russia and China also had strengthened their trade ties in recent years, so the warning is dire.
Essentially, if China circumvents this ban, Chinese chipmakers could end up like Huawei, who was totally isolated from the US market and lost billions in revenue.
“They have their own self-interest to not supply this stuff to Russia. So they’re not doing it out of the goodness of their heart. It would be devastating to China’s ability to produce these chips,” Raimondo said to the Times.
Companies vs Russia: Every Brand That Took a Stand
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