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Google has been hit with a record-breaking fine of 2.4 billion euros ($2.7 billion, £2.1 billion) by European regulators.
The European Commission accused the California-based technology giant of abusing its dominant position and promoting its own shopping service in its search results over those of its competitors.
The culmination of a multiyear investigation into Google’s business practices going back nearly a decade, it is a mammoth ruling, more than twice as big as the previous largest comparable fine.
It seems likely to further inflame tensions between European regulators and Silicon Valley — and it opens the door to further investigations of Google’s businesses by the European Commission as well as legal action from Google’s competitors in national courts across Europe. The EC has two more unresolved investigations into Google and its Alphabet parent, one into Android’s dominance of the mobile device ecosystem and another on its use of Adsense to allegedly prevent websites using other search ad partners. So, while today’s penalty feels like the spectacular end of a long, behind-the-scenes process, it is actually merely an appetizer — there are two more courses on Vestager’s menu that have yet to be served.
“What Google has done is illegal under EU antitrust rules,” Europe’s competition commissioner, Margrethe Vestager, said in a statement. “It denied other companies the chance to compete on the merits and to innovate. And most importantly, it denied European consumers a genuine choice of services and the full benefits of innovation.”
In a statement issued immediately after the ruling, Google said it “respectfully” disagreed and was considering whether to appeal.
An epic, record-breaking fine
The fine is far larger — more than twice as much — as the roughly €1.1 billion (£971 million) that was expected before the announcement. The previous largest monopoly case was a €1.06 billion (£932 million) fine targeting Intel in 2008, Bloomberg reported (3% of its sales at the time).
The case centres on Google’s shopping service. It appears at the top of Google’s search results for relevant searches — above rival price comparison services. The European Commission says the placement means Google is abusing its dominant position in the European search-engine market (where its market share tops 90%) to promote its shopping service at the expense of competitors, harming competition, and breaking the law.
Vestager said: “Google has come up with many innovative products and services that have made a difference to our lives. That’s a good thing. But Google’s strategy for its comparison shopping service wasn’t just about attracting customers by making its product better than those of its rivals. Instead, Google abused its market dominance as a search engine by promoting its own comparison shopping service in its search results, and demoting those of competitors.”
In a press conference on Tuesday, she added that the company was “not allowed to abuse their power in one market to give themselves an advantage in another market … Our investigation has proved Google has done exactly that.”
Google must now change its practices within 90 days or face daily “penalty payments” of up to 5% of the daily worldwide turnover of its parent company, Alphabet, the commission said. (In 2016, Alphabet’s global revenue was $90 billion.)
In a blog post published in response to the ruling, Google’s senior vice president and general counsel, Kent Walker, challenged the finding.
“Our ability to do that well isn’t favoring ourselves, or any particular site or seller — it’s the result of hard work and constant innovation, based on user feedback,” he wrote.”Given the evidence, we respectfully disagree with the conclusions announced today. We will review the Commission’s decision in detail as we consider an appeal, and we look forward to continuing to make our case.”
Alternatively, Business Insider’s Jim Edwards has argued that Google’s record-breaking fine and its troubles in Europe are “entirely of its own making.” The fine followed complaints by multiple companies about Google’s practices in displaying its results above links to competitors in search results.
Source: BusinessInsiderRelated posts:


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Virgin America and Expedia Announce Multi-Year Partnership
SAN FRANCISCO and BELLEVUE, Wash., Sept. 8-- Virgin America, the airline that is reinventing domestic air travel, and global online travel leader Expedia, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPE), today announced a new multi-year strategic partnership.
"Expedia and Virgin America are both known for providing high value to smart travelers, so we are thrilled to announce this partnership and to give Expedia customers the chance to experience our approach to making air travel a little more fun, stylish and entertaining at an attractive price," said Virgin America President and CEO David Cush. "Expedia is a trusted and important distribution channel that will help us reach new customers as we continue to grow to new destinations."
"Virgin America is one of the most innovative airlines in the industry and its addition to the Expedia marketplace only enhances our continued efforts to offer travelers the best selection at the best value," said Paul Brown, President, Expedia North America and Expedia, Inc. Partner Services Group." We´re pleased that this partnership will help Virgin America extend its reach to the millions of people who visit Expedia every month."
Virgin America has also partnered with Expedia® Media Solutions Group to launch an advertising campaign that will extend the exposure of the Virgin America brand in Expedia´s marketplace. With targeted display ads running throughout the site, Virgin America is leveraging the unique media value of Expedia as the most highly trafficked travel site on the Web.
The agreement also provides for Hotwire to begin offering Virgin America flights.
Virgin America has one of the newest fleets in the U.S. with upscale, tech-savvy amenities that are reinventing domestic flying. Virgin America offers topnotch service and a host of innovative amenities for less, including power outlets at every seat and the carrier´s RED In-flight Entertainment system which features over 25 films, 3,000 MP3s, live TV, videogames, seat-to- seat chat, and the first on-demand in-flight menu system. In July 2008, Virgin America was named "Best Domestic Airline" in Travel + Leisure World´s Best Awards.

domain: news


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The size of this new iPad Pro will be the same as the existing 10.5 inch model, but slimmer bezels will apparently allow for a slightly larger display of 11 inches instead of 10.5 inches.
Apple is also expected to launch an update 12.9 inch iPad this year, this may also be launched at WWDC 2018. The new iPads will come with a new Apple A11X processor and they will also get more RAM and updated cameras.
We are also expecting to see a new range of Macs at the event, this will include an entry level MacBook, a new MacBook Air and some new iMacs.
Image Credit: Benjamin Geskin


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Cork Food Forum 2011, which takes place in the Rochestown Park Hotel, Douglas, Cork on Monday, 7th November, 2011 already has 120 participants registered with up to 300 expected. It is aimed at SME food companies, food distributors, food retailers, Chefs, executives in food marketing, manufacturing and technical areas of the food industry.
Simon Coveney, Minister for Agriculture, Food and Marine will officially open a unique ‘networking and knowledge’ event that will take place at the Rochestown Park Hotel on 7th November.
The Minister will join some of Ireland’s top food industry experts from the areas of retail, marketing, business development, food science and food technology, as they gather to address the Cork Food Forum 2011.
The event is the next in a series of highly successful ‘food forum’ seminars that offer Cork food businesses an unrivalled opportunity to network, exchange knowledge, develop new food business ideas and find new markets for their products.
The Cork Food Forum is an initiative that was launched by the Cork City and County Enterprise Boards in 2009. The functions have been run in association with Bullseye Food Marketing.
In addition to the Minister’s opening address, speakers on the evening will include: Pauline Browne, Musgrave Retail Partners Ireland; Ella McSweeney, RTÉ broadcast journalist (Ear to the Ground, Countrywide etc.) and Tadhg O’Donovan, Sales and Marketing Manager at Glenilen Farm.
Assistant CEO at West Cork Enterprise Board, Deirdre O'Mahony, says it’s hoped that a semi-structured event format will encourage discussion and debate:
“We’re delighted to have such an excellent line-up of speakers – industry figures who will be able to offer a superb insight into emerging opportunities and challenges within the sector. Previous Cork Food Forum events have been extremely engaging, with members of the local food business community participating in one-to-one networking, as well as group discussion.
The Cork Food Forum combines an agenda of guest speakers followed by a Q&A session. The semi-structured event format is designed to encourage discussion and debate, while also acting as a vital platform for expanding attendees’ all-important professional networks.”
As part of the Cork Food Forum 2011, a group of ambitious food entrepreneurs, who are in the final stages of the Cork County Enterprise Boards’ Advanced Food Development Programme 2011, will showcase their recently-launched product ranges.
Seán O’Sullivan, CEO of the South Cork Enterprise Board, says he’s delighted to welcome the programme participants to the event:
“The Advanced Food Development Programme 2011 is a progressive training initiative which has focused on providing targeted food business workshops and one-to-one expert mentoring sessions. Over a period of six months, the food entrepreneurs from across Co. Cork also participated in trade events and met with retail buyers. We’re now preparing to offer the 2012 programme so the Cork Food Forum provides the perfect occasion for emerging food businesses to meet with the 2011 group and discover what products they’ve developed during the programme.
Other exhibitors will include BIM (Bord Iascaigh Mhara), retailers, local and national distributors and packaging and ingredient suppliers.”
In addition, Cork Food Forum 2011 will mark the official launch of the new Cork Food Finder directory, a publication that aims to boost sales of local produce. The comprehensive guide to County Cork food and drink products will be launched by Minister Coveney.
The Cork Food Forum is a completely free food sector event. However, advance event registration is essential.
N.B. For more information and to pre-register for the Cork Food Forum, please log-on to:


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Piyush Sharma (Chief correspondent)
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) may declare that supply of non-essential goods by e-commerce companies would remain prohibited during the nationwide lockdown, which is meant to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. This might comes at a time when e-commerce firms were getting themselves ready to deliver products to customers in areas that do not fall under COVID-19 hotspots from April 20, as per guidelines issued by the MHA last week. The nationwide lockdown in India, initially meant for a period of 21 days, has been extended till May 3 as COVID-19 cases in the country continue to rise. Under the first phase of lockdown between March 24 and April 14, the Centre had only allowed delivery of essential goods, including food, pharmaceuticals and medical equipment through e-commerce platforms. Online food delivery by private companies may also be restricted in Agra after found pizza delivery boy covid-19 positive.


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Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 4/2/2013 (1691 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
TORONTO — The launch of the new BlackBerry smartphone is getting off to a better start than some had predicted.
At least two analysts have weighed in with anecdotal evidence that suggests the BlackBerry Z10 is selling at a solid pace in the United Kingdon since going on sale there last Thursday.
The Canadian launch today will give further insight into how the phones will fare in the U.S. when they hit stores next month.
But so far, investors appear to be impressed.
The BlackBerry company's shares rose more than 15 per cent on Monday, moving ahead $1.98 to close at $14.99 on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
Earlier in the day, a senior analyst at Bernstein Research upgraded the company to "outperform" with a target price of $22, an increase from $12.
"We have grown more confident in the likely success of the BlackBerry 10 launch, supported by low channel inventories, strong operator support and material pent-up demand," said Pierre Ferragu from Bernstein in a note.
"Initial feedback we have received from distributors on the first days of sales is particularly positive."
Last week, Jefferies analyst Peter Misek said the new touchscreen device sales were off to a "strong start" in the UK.
"Some stores had lineups out front with widespread sellouts of the white Z10 and limited stock of the black Z10," he said in a note.
"Also, our checks indicate that pre-orders in the UAE and Canada have had a solid start. While this is not the crux of our call, these initial data points could provide some relief as many thought that the Z10 was DOA."


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Professional service robots replacing human workers around the world, IHS Markit says
LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As technology improves and as prices fall, professional service robots are increasingly doing jobs formerly handled by human workers. Revenue from professional service robots reached $2.6 billion, with around 20,000 units shipped in 2015, according to a new report from IHS Markit (Nasdaq: INFO), a world leader in critical information, analytics and solutions.
The emerging market for professional service robots is forecast to increase very quickly, with a unit-shipment compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 46 percent, from 2015 to 2020, the report says. After 2020, the global market for professional service robot markets will grow even faster, with more robots moving from prototype to commercialization in various applications.
“The various demands on the professional service applications are multi-billion dollar opportunity for the professional service robot markets,” said Wilmer Zhou, Senior Analyst, Manufacturing Technology, IHS Markit. “The agriculture industry, logistics, medical and care, and domestic help are the early adoption industries for professional service robots.”
According to the latest IHS Markit Service Robots and Drones Report , automated agricultural machinery is gradually replacing the work formerly handled by farmers. Demand for service robots has increased considerably, especially for agricultural processes like seeding, planting, harvesting, pruning, weeding, picking, sorting, spraying and materials handling.
In the logistics sector, service robots have been largely deployed in automatic warehouses. Exemplified by Amazon’s recent acquisition of Kiva Robotics, large companies are very active in investing in logistics and automated warehouse applications, to reduce the number of workers and increase efficiency.
The medical and healthcare industries are making great progress in service robot deployment. With surgical robot prices falling, and their use in medical operation tasks growing, the medical industry will continue to be one of the fastest growth sectors for robots. As the global population ages – especially in Japan, Germany and other developed countries -- demand for domestic help robots is also growing.
In 2015, unit shipments of professional service robots in North America reached 35 percent, and revenue reached 37 percent of the total global market, the report says
“North America will continue to lead the medical and care, agriculture, logistics, transportation, and space sectors of the service robot market, because of the country’s abundant innovation resources, including talented people from around the world, large capital funds, leading universities and huge consumer and commercial markets,” Zhou said.
Demand for robots is also strong in Europe, especially in energy, government, civil defence and rescue, maritime, shipping and ports and docks. In these industries, service robots are more expensive and more specialized.
“These applications need the service robot companies to cooperate with their customers very closely for customized solutions for dedicated applications,” Zhou said. “Europe has had abundant industry knowledge and specialized professionals for a long time.”
Thanks to their huge consumer markets, professional service robot unit shipments in Asia-Pacific will grow the fastest, at a CAGR of 50 percent from 2015 to 2020. Japan and Korea will lead in both domestic-help applications and entertainment and education robot applications. China will soon catch up and be the future industry powerhouse, thanks to strong support of the Chinese government.
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AutoGuide News Blog
The AutoGuide News Blog is your source for breaking stories from the auto industry. Delivering news immediately, the AutoGuide Blog is constantly updated with the latest information, photos and video from manufacturers, auto shows, the aftermarket and professional racing.
Ford has just announced the remainder of its SEMA lineup of custom cars, which will joint the eight Fiestas on display at Ford’s usually huge presence at the aftermarket expo. Along with a mishmash of other customized Fords, the Blue Oval will use the show to put the focus on its new 2011 Explorer crossover, showing off three modified versions of the “truck” in three different styles: Urban, Luxury and Adventure.
Not surprisingly the Urban Explorer was created by Funkmaster Flex, while Galpin Auto Sports built the Luxury model (above), complete with 24-inch wheels. Finally there’s the Lifestyle model built by CGS Motorsports with some up-scale touches while also highlighting the adventurous side of the crossover with items like carbon fiber bicycles.
In addition to the Explorer, Ford will also have on hand two Taurus SHOs, including one built by H&R Springs and another by Rick Bottom Designs with a 16,000 watt audio system. A pretty-tacking looking Ford Edge by K-Daddy Kustomz will also be a part of the display, as will a Ford Fusion Sport by Steeda Autosports with plenty of suspension upgrades. And finally, there’s the Lincoln MKX by the ID Agency. Normally a custom Lincoln isn’t worth much of a mention, but this one looks impressive and is described as a “Urban Assault Vehicle.”
Check out all the pictures of Ford’s 2010 SEMA Lineup in the gallery below, especially the Lincoln and check out AutoGuide’s complete 2010 SEMA Preview page, which will be updated with live coverage from the show starting November 2nd.
GALLERY: Ford’s 2010 SEMA Show Lineup
Official release after the jump:
Lincoln has been hard at work refreshing its lineup over the past few years and the luxury arm of Ford has chosen to display three of its newest vehicles at the 2009 SEMA Show: a 2010 MKZ, a 2009 MKS and a 2010 MKT. But before the two luxury sedans and one crossover made their way to Las Vegas, Lincoln shipped them out to different tuning shops across the country to have each car individually stylized.
“Lincoln as a brand is continuing to attract younger customers to the showroom with products like the MKS, MKZ and the new MKT luxury crossover,” said Amy Marentic, Ford Car and Crossover marketing manager. “These customers place huge importance on style, design and technology, and these are areas where Lincoln plays well. SEMA gives customizers the opportunity to push the boundaries of design, while still focusing on the core strengths of the Lincoln brand.”
Ford’s SEMA Designer Melvin Betancourt echoes Marentic’s thoughts stating that, “Customization is about individuality and reflecting who you are. That is particularly true about the new generation of people who are buying cars. The vehicles at this year’s SEMA show prove that Lincolns have great personalization potential.”
See more on each of the three SEMA Lincolns after the jump:


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The manufacturing scene of small and medium-sized companies has now entered the Smart Manufacturing 2.0 era. In addition to adoption and vitalization of IT capabilities, it is developing into a digital cluster that analyzes various data of smart factories through artificial intelligence (AI) and closely connects data through networks. If digital upgrade to manufacturing scenes was considered as first-generation smart factory, the biggest takeaway of “smart factory 2.0” is a great improvement to connectivity that is integrated with many latest technologies based on industrial clusters.
The Smart Manufacturing 2.0 era can build infrastructures such as facilities, equipment, and system that can be utilized by small and medium-sized companies and reduce amount of time that goes into manufacturing processes and various costs. Small and medium-sized companies that are small in size can also expect so-called “economies of scope”. The era is expected to enhance the manufacturing industry by connecting the industry to key areas of the Fourth Industrial Revolution such as 5G mobile network and cyber physical system (CPS).
First digital cluster will be built at Busan International Industrial Logistics Complex in Gangseo-gu. Centered on a medium-sized automotive parts maker called Korens, around 20 companies will gather and manufacture electric vehicle motors. President Moon Jae-in visited the complex back in February and emphasized that the country needs to be the best in the world when it comes to future vehicles by 2030. This first digital cluster will invest $634 million (760 billion KRW) and create jobs for 4,300 people by 2031. Production of electric vehicle motors will begin in 2022.
Unlike other industrial complexes, this cluster will connect smart factories of companies that are tied in a value chain through 5G network. Joint cloud computing platforms and intelligent logistics systems will also be introduced.
Under this cluster, it is possible to analyze and predict data from individual manufacturing process of electric vehicle motor manufacturers and partnering companies. System integration and real-time data sharing between smart factories also take place. Automated distribution within the cluster can also be expected.
Smart factories in other industrial complexes are also evolving into “digital clusters”.
Pumps of booster stations of ten small and medium-sized chemical companies that moved into Haksan Industrial Complex in Ulsan are attached with sensors that can detect temperature, pressure, and vibration. These sensors collect data on seismic waves that are created from these pumps and hazard and operability study and make immediate diagnosis on damage that may occur due to aging facilities. Analysis through machine learning also takes place in real time.
These data will be shared with other chemical companies that adopt smart factories in the future through (AI) manufacturing platforms and help them solve various issues that may arise with their smart factories. Innovation of infrastructures such as facilities, equipment, and systems that can be shared by small and medium-sized companies is being pursued in all directions at the same time as building of smart factories.
Digital cluster allows smart factories of same type of business or smart factories located within a same region operate as single factory. Not only plans for production can be established in a joint manner, companies can also reduce costs on inventory and distribution.
There is also a high chance of developing key technologies such as 5G and AI even further. Large-scale on-site studies can be done as a cluster. Expansion and advancement of various technologies such as data security technology, open software between companies, and CPS-based digital twin creation technology that are related to smart facotyr can also be expected.
“Although we have been working on Smart Manufacturing 1.0 that is centered on expanding the foundation for smart manufacturing, now we have to focus on Smart Manufacturing 2.0 that will make manufacturing innovation more advanced through 5G, big data, and AI and promote companies that supply necessary infrastructures.” said Cho Joo-hyeon who is the head of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups’ Small and Medium Enterprises Smart Manufacturing Innovation Planning Team. “We are going to materialize a manufacturing innovation powerhouse through great digital transformation of small and medium-sized manufacturing companies.”
Staff Reporter Ryu, Geunil | email@example.com


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The Brazilian agribusiness exports reached US$ 3.73 billion in October, an increase of 16.9%, in comparison with October of 2004, when sales totaled US$ 3.30 billion, according to information issued Tuesday, November 8, by the Ministry of Agriculture’s Secretariat of International Relations.
Sectors that presented best results were soy, sugar and alcohol, meat, coffee, and forest. From January to October, exports totaled US$ 36.21 billion, which is 9.6% more than what was registered in the first 10 months of 2004.
During the first nine months of 2005, beef in natura exports rose 34%; poultry in natura, 29%; pork, 65.6%; coffee beans, 58.3%; sugar, 60%; alcohol, 41.5%; and milk, 40.8%. The European Union was the main buyer of Brazilian products (32.5% of total exports), followed by Asia (19.7%), NAFTA (14.9%), Eastern Europe (8.6%), Middle East (7%), and Africa (6.6%).
In September, Brazilian agribusiness external sales totaled US$3.820 billion, with a 0.5% negative variation when compared to the same period in 2004.


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Ross Stores Inc. said higher basket trends helped it outperform in the fourth quarter, where footwear and homewares got customers buying.
In a Nutshell: “Our fourth quarter sales and earnings results exceeded our guidance due to customers’ positive response to our improved assortments and stronger value offerings,” Barbara Rentler, CEO, told investors in a conference call on Tuesday.
Lower freight and incentive costs helped, but charges for pack-and-hold inventory offset those improvements, she said.
Shoes, home and gift merchandise did well. Florida was the off-pricer’s strongest region, Rentler said.
Home goods sales “slightly” outperformed the chain average,” the apparel also doing well. “The thing that’s part of what really drove home is that home has the highest penetration of gifting and that part of our business performs well,” Rentler said.
Consolidated inventories are down 11 percent.
“We also believe we are well positioned to take advantage of the numerous buying opportunities in the marketplace,” Rentler said, reiterating her belief that the “supply bubble” won’t burst anytime soon.
Inflation is one of the biggest factors in consumer spending right now. “As a result, our shoppers today are seeking even stronger values when visiting our stores,” Rentler said, noting that DD Discounts shows the greatest impact from hard-hit customers.
“In response, merchants are fine-tuning our assortments with an increased focus on delivering the most competitive bargains available while continuing to adjust our product mix, based on our customers evolving preferences,” she said.
Ross Stores has a game plan in mind.
“We think that the best way to drive sales is for us to continue to focus on value for our customer. That’s really what helped us perform in the fourth quarter,” she said.
Fortunately, there’s plenty of goods floating around the marketplace right now. “We are really highly focused on value and giving our customers the best value possible,” she said.
Ross’ chief operating officer Michael Hartshorn said the company has automated distribution centers and is seeing how technology can optimize store-level operations.
Net Sales: For the fourth quarter ended Jan. 28, net sales rose 4 percent to $5.21 billion from $5.02 billion, as comparable store sales rose 1 percent on top of a 9 percent increase in the same year-ago quarter.
Adam Orvos, executive vice president and CFO, told investors that the increase came from “growth in the size of the average basket as traffic was relatively flat compared to last year.”
He said the company plans to open 75 Ross Dress for Less and 25 DD’s Discounts doors this year.
For the full year, net sales slipped 1 percent to nearly $18.7 billion from $18.92 billion.
Earnings: Net income for the quarter rose 22 percent to $447.0 million, or $1.31 a diluted share, from $366.8 million, or $1.04, a year ago.
Wall Street was looking for adjusted diluted earnings per share of $1.24 on revenue of $5.17 billion.
For the first quarter ending April 29, 2023, the company is projecting earnings per share of 99 cents and $1.05 versus 97 cents a year ago, on flat comps from inflationary pressures.
For the full year ending Jan. 27, 2024, it expects comp store sales for the 52 weeks to come in flat versus a 4 percent decline in Fiscal 2022 and a 13 percent gain in Fiscal 2021. Earnings per share were guided to the range of $4.65 to $4.95 versus $4.38 in Fiscal 2022. The per share guidance is for the 53-week period ending Feb. 3, 2024, and includes an extra week for comparison.
Orvos said projections take into account higher wages and lower ocean freight costs, noting that transportation costs still outpace where they were in 2019.
For the year, net income fell 12 percent to $1.51 billion, or $4.38 a diluted share, from $1.72 billion, or $4.87, a year ago.
CEO’s Take: “Looking ahead, we have significantly increased our focus on strictly controlling inventory and operating expenses throughout the company. We strongly believe that these measures will enable us to maximize our potential for both sales and profit growth in 2023 and beyond,” Rentler said.


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It’s 2015 and the thought on everyone’s minds (at least those dominating the tech world) is what the year will bring us. 2014 saw the release of the long anticipated iPhone 6, security breaches from celebrities to Sony and what is now known as the infamous “Instapurge.” From wearable tech to cars that drive themselves, we’re ready for 2015.
Here’s five things that happened in tech this week:
The Microsoft Windows 10 event revealed a giant touchscreen TV, a new OS, and said goodbye to Internet Explorer, welcoming a new browser codenamed Project Spartan. However, perhaps the most intriguing and talked about feature was Microsoft’s virtual reality headset Hololens. Hololens is a see-through visor that overlays holographic imagery over the real world and is probably the coolest piece of technology since Oculus Rift. Coined as breaking down the walls between technology and people, video calls, gaming, and walking on Mars in real 3D are just some of the unimaginable things Hololens holds for the future.
- Read more The Verge
eBay to cut 2,400 jobs in first quarter
eBay, the e-commerce giant, is set to slash seven per cent of their workforce following the anticipation of a planned split from PayPal that will divide the once unified company into separate businesses. In the face of declining growth the company announced the job cuts would range across its eBay Marketplaces, PayPal, and eBay Enterprise units. 2014 was a difficult year for the company who saw its slowest growth of its auction sites in years.
- Read more on the New York Times
Uber closes on $1.6 billion from Goldman Sachs
Uber, the mobile car-booking company, has just closed on another $1.6 billion in convertible debt from Goldman Sachs, closely following the $1.2 billion they raised in equity financing. The mobile car-booking company is raising funds to roll out its services in more cities and expand internationally. Bloomberg reports that the financing would be in the form of a six-year bond that will convert into equity at a 20 to 30 per cent discount to Uber’s valuation at the time of an IPO. This is hot off the heels of the San Francisco based startup being valued at $40 billion, one of the highest valuations for a technology startup.
- Read more on Bloomberg
Twitter officially launches recap feature
One of Twitter’s most successful and attractive features is the real-time tweets, making it a great breaking news source for users. However, the moment you step away from the service, you’re bound to miss something in a world whose latest news is developing at a rate that we can barely keep up with. Introducing Twitter’s “While You Were Away” feature that officially launched on iOS with Android and web to follow shortly. The Twitter recap feature allows users to view recycled news feeds of some of the most relevant tweets you might have missed “while you were away.”
- Read more on Tech Crunch
Kim Dotcom releases Skype competitor
Internet entrepreneur and somewhat controversial, Kim Dotcom, has set to release an encrypted chat service, called MegaChat. The beta version of the MegaChat service revealed that video-calling would eventually be followed by a text-chat service and video-conferencing. Dotcom announced the launch on Twitter following the EU counter-terrorism proposal; similar to Prime Minister David Cameron’s proposal to ban messaging services WhatsApp and Snapchat. In what some consider preemptive measures to a shadow threat, cyber security is a highly debated hot topic for governments and the affect it potentially could have on privacy laws.
- Read more on BBC News
WhatsApp heads to your desktop
Image: WhatsApp via Shutterstock
Mega-messaging service WhatsApp has released a desktop version that will allow users to chat on their phones as well as their computers. The service, similar to Apple’s iMessage desktop capability, will become more accessible for its millions of users; however, setting it up is not as easy as one would think. Users must first scan the QR code on this page to connect their Google Chrome browser to their WhatsApp account. Even more restricting, only Android, Windows Phone or Blackberry are able to use the desktop version; iOS devices are currently not compatible.
- Read more on Tech Times
Feature image: Microsoft


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Microsoft and Yahoo, together forever. Could open-source offspring be the result?
According to Terry Semel, former CEO of Yahoo, the last time Microsoft approached Yahoo to buy some or all of its search business, Yahoo turned the Redmond giant down. Flat. As for an offer to acquire all of Yahoo, that "conversation has never come up."
"(Yahoo and Microsoft discussed) search and Microsoft co-owning some of our search. I will not sell a piece of search--it is like selling your right arm while keeping your left; it does not make any sense."
But that was then. Now Microsoft has put down a $44.6 billion offer for Yahoo that Yahoo surely can't refuse under present circumstances. Especially since it will give customers a new choice, and Microsoft is all about offering customers choice...or so it says:
Today, the market is increasingly dominated by one player, who is consolidating its dominance through acquisition. Together, Microsoft and Yahoo can offer a credible alternative for consumers, advertisers, and publishers.
Yahoo would be foolish to decline, given its recent travails. What is most interesting to me in all this is how it could drag Microsoft into the next generation of open source.… Read more


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Sony’s VR platform finally hit another new milestone, as was announced today by Mary Lee, Vice President of PlayStation Marketing at Sony Interactive Entertainment. Less than two years since its launch back in October 2016, PlayStation VR has now sold a total of three million units worldwide. While that may not sound a lot in terms of video game hardware, given the fairly lukewarm reception of virtual reality headsets on a commercial front still, it’s a commendable result nonetheless.
In terms of software, nearly 22 million VR-compatible games and, what Sony have dubbed, “experiences” have also been sold though given both these types of releases were combined into the same figure, it’s hard to tell how much of this pertains to fully-fledged games, albeit VR alternatives to otherwise non-VR (by default) titles such as, for example, Resident Evil 7. There have been the ocassional well-received VR games however, such as Polyarc’s adventure,, puzzle-platformer Moss. Where VR’s future lies in the coming years remains a mystery and while it may still be considered a niche interest compared to the appeal of consoles or PC, VR is at least intriguing a fair number of PlayStation owners.


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Inflation nation hits Philly | Business Weekly Newsletter
Skyrocketing inflation is impacting some of the Philly region’s favorite foods, and other news.
Philly cheesesteaks, Wawa hoagies, and soft pretzels are getting more expensive. Blame inflation, which recently hit a 30-year high, my colleague Joseph N. DiStefano writes.
Plus, a Radnor official says cattle are part of a tax dodge at the former Ardrossan estate. And a whistleblower claims Aetna took Medicaid money and failed to provide care to poor children.
Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here to get this newsletter each week.
And please send us your questions, tips, and feedback. Thanks for reading.
— Christian Hetrick (@_Hetrick, firstname.lastname@example.org)
A Philly cheesesteak from the award-winning John’s Roast Pork just got more expensive. It will cost you $12 as of last week, up from $9.75.
The South Philly sandwich shop is hardly alone. Facing cost increases for fuel and food, and shortages of workers, distributors and local stores are jacking up prices. Inflation hit 6.2% for the 12-month period ending on Halloween, driven by new and used cars, furniture, rent, and healthcare. Those prices rose slightly less — 5.4% — in Mid-Atlantic states like Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
The price hikes have hit some of Philly’s favorite foods and businesses. At a Philly Pretzel Factory in Delaware County, pretzels that were five for $3.75 in June are now $5.25. A Shorti hoagie at Wawa that listed for $4.39 over the summer now starts at $4.99.
Costs “have risen, in some cases rather dramatically,” a Wawa spokesperson said.
What else you need to know ...
Other stories ...
Nurse whistleblower: Aetna’s network appeared robust on paper, but it included doctors who had died or moved out of state, a whistleblower found. The insurer denies the allegations.
A Giant warehouse: To speed up home delivery of groceries, the Giant Co. opened a large e-commerce warehouse in the Eastwick neighborhood that aims to fill online orders from Center Center to Cherry Hill.
Holy cow: A Radnor official wants the township to cancel its lease with a cattle rancher on publicly owned land, saying the deal helps wealthy landowners take unfair advantage of tax breaks for agriculture.
More cow news: A $1 million grant will be used to switch Lancaster County dairy farmers to grass-based operations. Advocates say pasture-based dairy farming is good for the cows and for the environment.
Fossil fuel: An environmental group is pressuring the Biden administration to block the National Park Service’s plan to install natural gas boilers on park property, including Independence Hall.
Irresponsible parents: After 22 incidents this year, Valley Forge Casino is installing infrared cameras in its parking areas to detect unattended children left in vehicles while their parents gamble.
International flights return: American Airlines is offering routes from Philadelphia to Paris, Amsterdam, Lisbon, Madrid, and Rome. Demand for flights to Europe Is expected to bounce back.
Magic mushrooms: Pennsylvania could become a leader in studying magic mushrooms as a treatment for mental illness under a bill that was introduced last month.


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Buybacks have gotten a bad rap from both Republicans and Democrats. But stocks would be trading at a massive discount without them.Marketsread more
Fiat Chrysler and France's Renault could soon partner up to take on the sweeping changes to the global auto industry, according to a report in the Financial Times. The...Autosread more
Microsoft shares have gained 133% since November 2015, outperforming a tech "basket of unicorns" over that stretch.Technologyread more
The president's state visit comes amid tensions with carmaker Toyota over potential auto tariffs. Trump has repeatedly threatened Japanese and European carmakers with tariffs.Traderead more
When commercial real estate investor Manny Khoshbin spent $2.2 million on the fastest production car in the world, he had no idea it would very quickly also become the...Autosread more
The IRS is about to release a new draft of Form W-4, which will more closely reflect the changes stemming from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. For workers, that means they'll need...Personal Financeread more
The Mega Millions jackpot has spilled over $400 million. It would be the ninth largest winning since the game began in 2002.Personal Financeread more
Trump was speaking at a meeting of Japanese business leaders in Tokyo during his state visit to Japan on Saturday.Marketsread more
The biggest U.S. gasoline price surge in years is running out of steam just in time for the start of the summer driving season.Energyread more
The federal minimum wage has remained $7.25 per hour since 2009. But several states, and even some companies, have since taken matters into their own hands to pay employees a...Workread more
Stocks rose on Friday, but notched weekly losses as investors worried the U.S.-China trade war is hurting economic growth.US Marketsread more
Check out the companies making headlines after the bell:
Shares of Nike dropped more than 3 percent in extending trading Thursday following the release of the retailers better-than-expected third-quarter earnings results. Nike posted earnings per share of 68 cents, beating estimates of 65 cents, according to Refinitiv. Revenue came in-line with Wall Street's expectations at $9.61 billion. The stock was down on weaker-than-expected sales growth in North America.
Cintas shares dipped as much as 3 percent after hours Thursday on mixed third-quarter earnings. The business services company reported $1.68 billion in revenue, slightly missing estimates of $1.69 billion. Earnings per share were $1.84, beating the $1.71 forecast by analysts surveyed by Refinitiv.
Shares of Caleres fell more than 6 percent after market close Thursday following weak fourth-quarter earnings. The footwear company missed on the top and bottom lines. Caleres posted earnings per share of 38 cents on revenues of $720 million. Analysts forecast earnings per share of 45 cents on revenues of $738 million, according to Refinitiv.
GameStop shares popped slightly in extended trading on news that the gaming company named George Sherman as its CEO, effective April 2019. Sherman succeeds Shane Kim, who has served as interim chief executive officer since May 2018. Sherman has leading rolls at retailers Best Buy, Target, and Home Depot.
Shares of Zuora fell more than 11 percent after hours after reporting fourth-quarter earnings. The enterprise software company's total revenue grew 29 percent year-over-year. The company adopted a new revenue recognition standard that put first-quarter and full-year guidance below the outlook under the previous revenue recognition standard.


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The European corrugated cardboard industry shares the European Union’s ambition to pioneer climate neutrality and drive fundamental change in the European economy. Corrugated cardboard packaging stands out as a prime example of circularity, as it is collected and recycled extensively throughout Europe. This is a testament to the effectiveness of our well established, high-performance recycling system, which has enabled the recycling rate for cardboard to exceed 90 percent and corrugated cardboard to reach an average recycled content of 89 percent. Following its commitment, industry has developed credible pathways to reach the EU’s climate neutrality ambitions.
The European Union’s new rules on the reuse of packaging risk leading to an uptake of plastic packaging, and consequently of plastic waste and pollution. This would have disastrous environmental implications and go against the very spirit of the transition towards a European circular economy. A sustainable industry risks being wiped out while a plastic economy would be promoted by recently tabled proposals in the European Parliament and the Council as part of the ongoing legislative process. If adopted, these would be in total contradiction with the goals of the European Green Deal, the Circular Economy Action Plan and the ongoing negotiations for an international plastics treaty.
The reuse targets for transport packaging in the EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) could pose a major risk to the environment. Reuse targets by default favor plastic packaging while penalizing recyclable materials like cardboard. In the case of transport packaging, reusable plastic will inevitably replace recyclable cardboard — though this increases energy, water usage and transport. Reuse of transport packaging will lead to massive increases in logistics and road congestion in order to handle all reuse journeys across Europe. In addition, it will increase the impact of packaging on the climate. A peer-reviewed study shows that corrugated cardboard packaging outperforms reusable plastic crates in 10 out of 15 environmental impact categories, including carbon footprint.
Inadequately defined reuse targets will devastate the cardboard industry, despite the recycling rate of 90 percent, the highest of all packaging materials in Europe. This will hit local communities and the entire supply chain, as the cardboard industry is a local producer and employer with over 660 plants located across Europe employing 100,000 people directly and creating a further 270,000 jobs indirectly.
Corrugated cardboard packaging is a valuable partner in the B2B supply chain despite being less visible to the general public. Most of the food and drinks available for consumers at retail stores are safely delivered in cardboard. Our packaging protects and preserves even the most fragile goods. Damaged goods create additional pressure on the planet through wasted food, fuel and other resources.
Europe is sleep-walking towards an ecological tragedy. Plastic does not go away; most of it remains in the environment when not properly disposed of. Every kind of packaging, reusable or single use will reach its end-of-life. When imposing mandatory reuse targets, this fact needs to be seriously considered. With around 20 million tons of plastic already on the market, it is no surprise that we often find plastic littering our streets, our parks and our beaches. When plastic ends up in the environment or the ocean, it causes irreversible damage to natural ecosystems. This is a catastrophe in the making.
Industry’s estimates are truly alarming. The proposed amendments to the PPWR coming from the Parliament and Council suggest a reuse target for transport packaging of at least 90 percent by 2040. To meet this target, the market will be flooded by plastic packaging, for example, reusable crates. The plastics industry will need to produce 8.1 billion additional plastic crates (assuming 10 reuses a year), putting an additional 12m tons of plastic on the market (assuming 1.5kg per crate). This will almost double the amount of plastic packaging on the market today.
In her address at the Beyond Growth Conference at the European Parliament, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that “a growth model centered on fossil fuels is simply obsolete”. With this in mind, one can wonder if fostering a reuse economy based on plastic packaging is truly the way towards circularity and climate neutrality.
The PPWR’s goals are ambitious, and we share them, but its unintended consequences could further increase the negative impact of packaging on the environment. We are very much concerned with the biased approach towards reuse, which is seen by many politicians and consumers as a panacea for the packaging problem. Targets must be realistic and should only be introduced if they can be shown to be positive for the environment, for society and for the economy. It is certainly not a one-size-fits-all solution. Corrugated cardboard is the most recycled material due to its intrinsic properties, which at the same time means reuse is not a realistic option for most applications. The only credible way forward for Europe is for reuse and recycling to exist equally alongside each other.
As the negotiations continue between the EU institutions, we expect that EU and national political ambitions will consider the economic reality of the packaging supply chain and agree upon a Regulation that is good for the environment, the economy and society at large.


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The drama between the Michelin Star Chef Supaksorn Jongsiri (Ice) from Sorn Fine Southern Cuisine (Sorn) and Thailand’s Iron Chef Chumpon Jangprai from R-HAAN might have come to an end when two chefs have reconciled on the an “unintentional” and a “misleading” campaign from R-HAAN.
It all started with R-HAAN’s online campaign that somehow linked the restaurant’s website and reservation with Chef Ice’s Sorn Fine Southern Cuisine whenever typing “sorn” in the keyword box, causing a lot of confusion among people who want to dine at Sorn Fine Southern Cuisine, but ended up booking for R-HAAN instead. Some even believed that the two restaurants are the same.
To end the turmoil, Chef Ice had to write a post on Instagram saying that Sorn and R-HAAN aren’t related, but somehow ended up being sued for 50 million baht by Chef Chumpon with a request to delete his Instagram post!?
Not long after the case went to the court, Chef Chumpon miraculously wrote on his Instagram saying that he had reconciled with Chef Ice and clarified that the confusion was due to an error in his online campaign, while expressing his apologetic acknowledgment.
As the drama has come to an end, it is very curious why the Iron Chef of Thailand didn’t cross-check with his marketing team or say sorry before taking the matter to the court for 50 million baht and end up on reconciliation. Not that this is a waste of time, but also an ill repute as well.
More importantly, why on earth did Chef Ice, who seems to be the victim of this story, was sued for 50 million baht for clarifying the truth!?


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Forget The Amazon Hype, Fires Globally Have Declined 25% Since 2003 Thanks To Economic Growth
It is already well known that the Amazon is a vast region of the central and northern part of South America that includes the rainforest of the Amazon River basin. This Amazon rainforest is the most extensive tropical forest in the world. It is considered that its extension reaches 7,000,000 km² also stands out as one of the ecoregions with the greatest biodiversity on the planet.
In relation to the Amazon, the news about the forest fires that are affecting the Brazilian Amazon has shocked the entire world, because of the images of complete destruction and lack of control that the fire has caused in one of the vital areas of the planet.
And it has been made headlines by The New York Times, CNN and the mainstream media around the world that ensure that the entire world is burning. In fact, they have claimed that the Amazon could soon “self-destruct”. Likewise, they have emphasized that in consequence of the fires the world’s largest rainforest could be erased from the earth.
Fires Globally declining
As already mentioned before, the media have been in charge of informing the world that in case enough tropical [Amazon] rainforest is lost and it cannot be restored, consequently the area would become savanna that of course would not store so much carbon, which would bring a significant reduction in the ‘lung capacity’ of the planet.
Although it is being claimed that fires worldwide are on the rise, but they are not. In fact, NASA has indicated that there was a huge 25 percent decrease in the burned area from 2003 to 2019. Certainly it has been said that the fires that have occurred in recent years are caused by economic growth, however, The truth is quite the opposite since the amount of land being burned is decreasing thanks to development, including urbanization.
This is because the amount of land converted into ranches and farms has decreased, not increased and because more is being done with machines than with fire. For the past 35 years, the world has been reforesting, which means that the growth of new trees has overcome deforestation. The area of forest-covered Earth has increased in an area the size of Texas and Alaska combined.
Source: Michael Shellenberger | Forbes


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The fight against obesity in America and a government crackdown on menu labeling have triggered restaurants to step up the flavor of healthier dishes, a new report says.
Restaurant market research firm Technomic said it surveyed 1,200 top U.S. chains and discovered more are adding better-tasting, low-calorie items, including Irvine-based Mimi's Café, Carl's Jr. and Z'Tejas.
"If you can menu these lighter items in a way that does not make consumers feel as though they are sacrificing flavor or satisfaction, they will be more likely to order them," said Darren Tristano, an executive vice president for restaurant consulting firm Technomic.
That trend is playing out in Orange County, where a growing number of upscale establishments and fast-food chains are telling diners that good-for-you foods don't have to taste bad. Want to learn more about these guilt-free dishes and skinny drinks?
Contact the writer: firstname.lastname@example.org


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Chain Store Age
Kohl’s got off to a slow start in its first quarter, reporting its worst showing in same-store sales in three years and lowering its annual earnings guidance by more than 10%.
On a call with analysts, Kohl’s executives said the company plans to be more aggressive in driving top line sales to regain its momentum and grow market share.. . . more


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As more and more big companies are ditching the Adobe Flash Player for the HTML5, it seems that investors may find hard to justify the P/E ration of over 60 that Adobe still has. However, let’s not forget that Adobe is a big company that has many other applications that a good amount of people are using daily. In other words, Adobe is a company that still has a lot to offer to its clients and investors.
It is good to know that Adobe Systems have reported quite strong in the first quarter results, even if its flash player is not doing as good as a few years ago. The company has a revenue of 1.38 billion dollars, and year after year is recording a growth of 24.7%. The company has also shared net income of 254.3 million dollars, an increase of 169.4 million dollars compared to the first quarter of 2015.
We remind you that Adobe has protested a few years ago against Apple’s “no-Flash policy”, but in time, the company had to adapt to these conditions and it shifted its focus towards other products that it offers.
It seems that investors don’t worry about the continuously decrease usage of the Flash Player, as the company’s subscriber count of Creative Cloud subscriptions is growing with the speed of light. In the first quarter of 2016, Adobe has added over 798.000 new Creative Cloud subscriptions, which brings an overall Creative Cloud Subscribers to almost 7 million. According to Adobe, about to 30% of the subscribers are new and they expect even more users to subscribe in the near future.
It is clear that Adobe will not die, as it has a good amount of tools that are selling well. However, the Adobe Flash Player will surely die in about 1-2 years, whether we like it or not and this is because the HTML5 is bug-free and more secure.


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A new report by the financial risk analyst Chain Reaction Research says most of the deals have since failed, with 27 representing 1.37 million hectares (3.39 million acres) of land having been outright abandoned.
When commodity prices spiked in the late 2000s, multinational agribusiness giants smelled profits. Eager to branch out of crowded Southeast Asian rainforests, some palm oil companies set their sights on Africa, where governments in countries like Sierra Leone, Liberia, Cameroon, and Côte d’Ivoire assured them that they had land to spare. In just a few years, deal after deal was inked, with companies from across the world suddenly holding the rights to huge tracts of West and Central African land. For the palm oil industry, an exciting new frontier was opening up at a breakneck pace.


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Target is investigating a possible data breach that could involve of millions of customers’ credit and debit card information, journalist Brian Krebs is reporting.
Citing “multiple reliable sources,” Krebs says the breach appears to have affected Target stores nationwide and may happened over the course of several days on or around Black Friday.
“The breach window is definitely expanding,” a source identified as an anti-fraud analyst at a top-10 U.S. bank card issuer told Krebs. “We can’t say for sure that all stores were impacted, but we do see customers all over the U.S. that were victimized.”
We’ve reached out to Target for comment and will update when we hear back.
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MELBOURNE, Australia, March 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- In response to record numbers of Australians moving their lives online, Australia Post today announced a free Australia Post Digital MailBox for every Australian will be launched this year, in addition to opening 30 superstores across the country.
"The Australia Post Digital MailBox will allow businesses, government entities and customers to communicate through a secure online portal that can be accessed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, wherever they are," said Australia Post Chairman, David Mortimer.
"Just as the traditional letterbox has been a vital part of people's communications for the past 200 years, we think a personal digital mailbox for every Australian is the perfect complement to the letterbox in this online revolution," said Mr Mortimer.
The new superstores will have a 24-hour zone with vending machines, parcel lockers and self-service terminals, as well as a Harvey World Travel store, an American Express currency exchange outlet and a concierge to help customers.
"With our parcel volumes growing a staggering 13 per cent since July last year due to online shopping, our superstores are where people's physical lives will connect with their digital lives," said Australia Post Managing Director and CEO, Ahmed Fahour.
The 24/7 zone will give customers around-the-clock access to post and collect parcels, pay for postage, purchase stamps and packaging products, pay bills and use an Australia Post ATM.
"With online shopping booming, Australians have told us they want to be able to collect their parcels at a time and place that suits them. Following successful parcel locker trials in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane we are now extending parcel lockers to a total of 10 sites, with plans for a national rollout to further expand this service.
"Customers have told us they don't have time to wait in a queue so we're also investing in self-service terminals in our superstores so customers can skip the queue and spend more time doing the things they enjoy," said Mr Fahour.
Bridging the divide between physical and online shopping, the superstore will have Apple Macs, iPads and digital screens to allow customers to shop or research online, arrange their parcel delivery electronically and navigate key products and services.
SOURCE Australia Post


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EBay looking to UK classifieds
ONLINE auction giant eBay is eyeing Britain's lucrative classified advertising market as part of a global expansion plan centred on its purchase of internet group Craigslist.
The company has picked up 25% of Craigslist, an online forum for job vacancies, property sales and rentals and articles for sale.
Mainly US-focused Craigslist has expanded from its San Francisco base to 45 cities around the world and is now targeting UK cities including London, Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh.
Last month, the site crossed the one billion monthly page-views mark for the first time - doubling its traffic level of a year ago. Most of the ads are placed free and industry experts reckon Craigslist could have revenues of more than $100m (£54.3m) if it charged for job adverts across its whole network.
The site has been profitable since 1999 on making job advertisers in the San Francisco Bay area pay $75 a month.
Craigslist chief executive Jim Buckmaster said eBay would help Craigslist expand into overseas markets and develop non-English language countries, starting with Spain.
The firm said it also needed eBay's help to shut down overseas spammers and scammers who are said to plague its users. The relationship gives eBay 'insight into the classified trading model' said eBay spokesman Hani Durzy.
EBay came across the business idea when it was contacted by a former employee who wanted to sell his shareholding. It decided to make the investment only after Craigslist's other shareholders were assured that eBay would make no changes to the operation. EBay is believed to have paid around $15m for the stake.
Craig Newmark, who founded Craigslist in 1994, said the deal would have great benefits for his new partner.
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The (Third-Party) Cookie Crumbles
Posted: March 5, 2021
UPDATE: Google announced via Blog post on June 24th that their cookie-blocking privacy plans will now roll out in late 2023. VisionPoint Marketing’s stance and point-of-view expressed here remain unchanged. Advertisers and platforms simply have a longer window to take the necessary steps, and VisionPoint remains prepared for this change when it occurs.
What Google’s Announcement This Week Means for Advertisers and Agencies
The era of third-party cookies has been in decline for some time. Technology leaders such as Apple and Google are serious in their drive toward a more “privacy-first” web experience, which VisionPoint fully supports. In Google’s announcement this week, it shared the perspective that they envision a (near) future where “there is no need to sacrifice relevant advertising and monetization in order to deliver a private and secure experience.” Google receives a significant portion of its revenue via ads, so while its drive for privacy-first is real, its intent to continue selling relevant ads is equally real.
What does this most recent announcement mean in the near term?
As the industry shifts further away from third-party cookies, the ability to hyper-target right-fit customers and students may be temporarily impacted. However, it is important to note that website retargeting – an important component for our clients’ media campaigns – is considered a first-party cookie, so impacts to this tactic are minimal at this time.
The same is true for Responsive Display advertising (from Google), which remains a fully viable channel for the foreseeable future. That said, channels like Programmatic Display – which utilizes third-party cookies – could experience some impacts. But changes are not fully expected until 2022. Currently, the DSP we use for Programmatic Display uses a blend of third-party cookies and first-party IDs. Throughout 2021, we expect this offering will transition away from the use of some third-party IDs to a mix of first-party IDs, household IDs, and what is described as aggregate-level targeting. One main component within aggregate-level targeting is Google’s own Federated Learning of Cohorts (FLoC) technology.
What the FLoC?
FLoC is Google’s own approach to circumventing third-party cookies. It is touting this as an “effective replacement signal for third-party cookies.” Google’s tests have gone well (hence yesterday’s announcement) and this technology is coming to Chrome and directly to advertisers and agencies (including VisionPoint) in Q2: from Google’s previous announcements: “Chrome intends to make FLoC-based cohorts available for public testing through origin trials within its release this month, and we expect to begin testing FLoC-based cohorts within advertisers in Google Ads in Q2.“
So, what’s the bottom line?
A healthy and diverse digital media mix that includes website retargeting from your site and Responsive Display channels using first-party cookies is a solid approach and should remain unaffected. With channels like Programmatic Display, Major DSPs have been planning for this transition for a long time and are now accelerating their efforts to adapt to the new reality in 2022. Talk with your agency or platform provider ASAP and ask if its plans are in place to move away from third-party cookies this year.
To our clients – VisionPoint remains committed to providing clarity and action with you now and as further best practices are determined. We’ll continue to keep you informed, and please reach out to your Client Services team with any immediate questions.
Not a VisionPoint client but would like to discuss this topic with us further? Reach out today to set up a free call with our team. We’re always looking to chat with our higher ed peers.


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Warehousing space in Poland just exceeded 23 million square meters and it’s still growing.
As you’re reading this article, nearly 3.6 million square meters of warehousing space is being created in Poland and at least one warehouse is put into use. Such are the headlines of a report from the commercial real estate and investment management company, Colliers. The accumulated available warehouse space in Poland exceeded 23 million square meters for the first time in history. That’s far more than 3200 full-size football pitches.
The pace of increase is still growing – each year another million square meters is being added and the total could reach 25 million in just three months.
There are four main distribution centers in Poland. Warsaw and its surroundings, Greater Poland, Lower and Upper Silesia. Only in the latter two regions warehouse spaces the size of 140 football pitches are being built. Vacant spaces, which had been an issue for the industry have practically disappeared from the market, dropping below 5% which means a decrease by 3.3% year on year. And in the last 5 years warehousing space grew by over 120%!
Prices are also increasing. Renting a square meter of warehouse space depends on many factors, the key one being location. According to CBRE, one of the largest commercial real estate consulting firms, the price spread is significant: from around 12 Polish Zloty (PLN) near Poznań and Łódź, 17 PLN in Cracow and Katowice, 19 PLN in Wrocław and 20 PLN in Gdańsk. In Warsaw the price per square meter reaches 30 PLN but there are offers as high as 60 PLN and they don’t stay on the table for long! That’s why it’s not just the price of warehouse space that’s increasing in value but also the cost per minute of storage. Smart warehouse management systems are becoming instrumental for the industry as they regulate what is stored and how long in those precious square meters.
Here are programs that generate large, unforeseen savings: https://navigal.eu/produkty-pl/
Companies who chose those solutions and are at the forefront of polish and european e-commerce: https://navigal.eu/referencje-pl/


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Fri, 24 February 2017
There has been a resurgence of creative sports game concepts thanks to independent developers over the last few years and the latest to break onto the scene is Disc Jam. Reminiscent of the 90's game Windjammers, and evoking natural comparisons to recent smash hit Rocket League, Disc Jam appears to have a great deal of potential based on reaction to the beta that just came to a close.
This episode of the Press Row Podcast also includes discussion on everything Diamond Dynasty mode for MLB The Show 17 and a big gameplay patch that just released for Madden NFL 17.
On the show this week:


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Ryse Son of Rome PC Version Compared with Xbox One by Crytek
Crytek’s latest action adventure was released to Xbox One in November last year as a timed exclusive; now we are finally talking about the Ryse Son of Rome PC version.
With the release date looming in closer every day, it sounded like a good idea to compare the graphics and visuals of the previous iteration of the game with the upcoming one.
Developers took some time out to discuss all that in an interview where they shared some of the highlights where the game had been taken up another notch in the PC version.
Although the interview is in German, you may still go and check it out if you know the language, otherwise we have a roundup on it right here.
As expected, the PC version of the game is going to have higher quality of textures that the previous version and the Level of Detail (LOD) transition in case of the PC version is going to be much more subtle.
Talking of the same, the developers also confirmed that due to softer shadows, the LOD transitions will not be as noticeable as before.
Moving on, some of the aspects that have been confirmed to have had improvements includes SMAA T1x, which has a further improved version; also 1.5X1.5 ad 2X2 SSAA will be available separately from the SMAA; lastly, the SSDO has been improved from Crysis 3.
Ryse Son of Rome PC version has been developed by Crytek Frankfurt who will be releasing the game worldwide on October 10, 2014.
How many among you have played the game on Xbox One? Do you think that the Microsoft Windows version would be worth spending money on after reading the improvements above?


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"The current mobile broadband device and phones market is increasingly driven by embedded devices and smartphones, with injections of growth coming from new touch screen form factors, such as the tablet, notably the Apple iPad, and e-readers like the Amazon Kindle," said Richard Webb, directing analyst of the market research firm’s Mobile Devices practice. "As LTE rolls out, these trends will continue, with device competition intensifying around embedded devices and high-end smartphones."
With the pressure on networks growing, HSPA+ will continue as the bridge between CDMA and LTE, Infonetics said. "Current networks won’t disappear anytime soon, and early LTE networks will only carry data while voice services will fall back to good-old circuit switch networks before LTE deployments start to ramp up," said Stephane Teral, another Infonetics analyst. "We're still at a very early stage for LTE with HSPA/HSPA+ rollouts, which are poised to enjoy a long tail."
The market research firm expects a dozen LTE deployments to be under way this year (MetroPCS and Verizon Wireless are two LTE deployments currently being rolled out). Infonetics noted that it has been increasing its LTE subscriber predictions and projects 165 million LTE worldwide subscribers by 2014.


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The e-commerce major divested its remaining 3.3 per cent direct stake in One97 Communications, which operates under the Paytm brand
New Delhi: Chinese e-commerce major Alibaba on Friday divested its remaining 3.3 per cent direct stake in One97 Communications, which operates under the Paytm brand, for Rs 1,378 crore through an open market transaction.
However, the company’s group firm Ant Financial continues to hold around 25 per cent stake in Paytm and remains the biggest shareholder of the digital financial services firm.
The latest transaction marks Alibaba’s exit from direct shareholding in Indian entities.
As per bulk deal data available with the National Stock Exchange (NSE), Alibaba.com Singapore E-Commerce offloaded 2,14,31,822 shares, amounting to 3.3 per cent stake in Paytm.
The shares were sold at an average price of Rs 642.74 apiece, taking the aggregate value to Rs 1,377.50 crore.
“With this deal, Alibaba has sold its entire direct stake in Paytm. It no longer holds a direct stake in any of the Indian entities,” a source told PTI.
During the day, Morgan Stanley Asia sold 5.23 lakh shares for Rs 667.66 apiece and bought 54.23 lakh shares for Rs 640 per scrip.
Alibaba directly held 6.26 per cent stake in Paytm as of the December 2022 quarter.
In January, Alibaba had sold around 3 per cent stake. Rest of the direct stake was offloaded in Friday’s trade.
The development follows Alibaba’s stake sale in BigBasket and Zomato.
In 2021, Alibaba sold its entire stake in BigBasket. Later in November 2022, it offloaded its direct stake in online food delivery platform Zomato.
Alibaba continues to hold an indirect stake in Zomato through its group entities, including Antfin Singapore Holding Pte Ltd.


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Security: Is this China’s great hardware hack?
China could be stealing corporate and government secrets with a tiny microchip “not much bigger than a grain of rice,” saidJordan Robertson and Michael Riley in Bloomberg Businessweek. According to U.S. officials, those spy chips have been found on motherboards sold by a U.S. company called Super Micro, and were likely placed there by the People’s Liberation Army as the boards were being assembled in Chinese factories. While Super Micro is not a household name, its compromised servers—computers that manage networks of computers—sit at the heart of the internet. They are used by major U.S. cloud-computing firms, including Apple and Amazon, as well as by the Pentagon and CIA. Investigators say the tiny chips would allow Beijing to spy on infiltrated computer networks, “stealth access that spy agencies are willing to invest millions of dollars and many years to get.” China has a unique advantage in executing this kind of operation because it makes most of the world’s computer components. Still, ensuring that doctored devices make it through the global supply chain to their intended destination is so difficult that one hacker likens this attack to “witnessing a unicorn jumping over a rainbow.”
If this hardware hack is real, then it’s “a manifestation of the tech industry’s worst fears,” said Lily Hay Newman in Wired.com. But it’s unclear if the attack actually happened. Apple, Amazon, and Super Micro have all vociferously denied being compromised by the Chinese, and the Department of Homeland Security says it has no reason to doubt those denials. What’s important is that this hack “is actually plausible,” said Nicholas Weaver in LawfareBlog.com. Most circuit boards are filled with support chips, “and the backdoor chip would appear to be just another faceless component to all but the most detailed examination.” It’s also within the power of China’s totalitarian government to “bribe, threaten, or cajole” Chinese subcontractors into letting them modify the boards. Even if this alleged attack turns out to be “a false alarm, it is a sobering wake-up call.”
So what can we do to counter the threat? asked Ian Bogost in TheAtlantic.com. As long as computer components can be made faster and cheaper in China than in the U.S., there’s little likelihood of companies rebuilding our offshored semiconductor and motherboard-manufacturing industries. Even devices stamped “Made in the USA,” such as Apple’s Mac Pro desktops, use components produced in China. Revelations of Beijing’s ability to exploit our reliance on Chinese high-tech manufacturing could lead President Trump to intensify his trade war with China. Investigators will likely soon confirm whether or not this hack is real. But “it is a real crisis no matter the outcome.”


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Dianne Craig narrows her eyes and purses her lips when the Ford of Canada president is asked to respond to skepticism from a competitor over whether the aluminum F-150 pickup would live up to its billing.
DETROIT – General Motors recalled 2.7 million more cars Thursday and has now recalled more than 11 million vehicles in the U.S. since January, putting the auto industry on track to set a record for recalls in a single year.
Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada Inc., (TMMC) announced Wednesday that it will spend $27 million at its Cambridge assembly plant that will help the automaker cut energy costs and reduce demand on the local and provincial power grids.
Word that Chrysler Group CEO Sergio Marchionne wants an end to the two-tier wage structure at Detroit Three auto plants in the U.S. is making union officials on this side of the border nervous.
DETROIT – Chrysler Group saw big sales gains in the first quarter thanks to the new Jeep Cherokee and Ram pickup, but its results were overshadowed by charges related to its merger with Italian automaker Fiat SpA.
As the epicentre of the Great Recession in Canada, Windsor reflects two worrisome trends: the erosion of the middle class and the collapse of the manufacturing sector, says an economist at the Centre for Policy Alternatives.
Chrysler Group is replacing window switches in an estimated 780,000 minivans, including 106,980 in Canada, equipped with third-row power window vents following incidents of overheating, the automaker announced Friday. Chrysler said it was unaware of any related injuries or accidents. […]
Ford of Canada CEO defends government subsidies
Chrysler Group wants to expand its sales with new vehicles — including a plug-in hybrid minivan and a new small Jeep SUV — and a more aggressive effort to differentiate its brands.
The Windsor Assembly Plant’s 30-year run of building two minivan models will end in 2016 when Chrysler Group discontinues the Dodge Grand Caravan and launches the next generation Chrysler Town and Country as the automaker’s sole minivan, Chrysler brand CEO Al Gardner confirmed Tuesday.


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The European Commission (EC) opened this Friday a Facebook antitrust investigation to assess whether the US company violated EU competition rules by using advertising data from advertisers in order to compete with them in markets such as classified ads.
The Commission explained in a statement that the formal investigation will also analyze if Facebook links its online classifieds service “Facebook Marketplace” to its social network, in breach of the competition rules of the European Union (EU).
“Close to 3 billion people use Facebook on a monthly basis and almost 7 million companies advertise on Facebook in total,” underlined the EC Executive Vice President and Head of Competition, Margrethe Vestager.
Added that the tech giant “collects large amounts of data from the activities of its social network users and beyond, allowing you to target specific customer groups. “
“We will look in detail whether this data gives Facebook an undue competitive advantageparticularly in the online classifieds sector, “said the Danish commissioner.
He recalled that in that sector Facebook competes with companies from which it also collects data: “In today’s digital economy, data shouldn’t be used in a way that distorts competition,” Vestager stressed.
Facebook: “We will continue to cooperate”
For its part, a Facebook spokesperson said in a statement that “we are always developing new and better services to meet the changing demand of people who use Facebook.”
Thus, he affirmed that the shopping (Marketplace) and dating (Dating) sites “offer people more choices”, adding that “both products operate in a highly competitive environment with many large operators.”
“We will continue to cooperate fully with the investigations to show that they lack foundation“, he concluded.
The Commission indicated that it will carry out its investigation on a “priority” basis and recalled, in any case, that the opening of the dossier “does not prejudge its result.”
The United Kingdom also investigates it
For its part, the United Kingdom also launched its own investigation on Facebook’s use of data on Friday, and the EC hopes to collaborate “closely” with the UK authorities in the course of independent investigations.
The EC also indicated that there is no legal deadline to conclude an antitrust investigation and that its duration depends on factors such as the complexity of the case, the extent to which the companies concerned cooperate, or the exercise of the right of defense.


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Mark spoke today about Australia's first electronic vehicle transition conference which he attended. Presentations aimed at myth busting around electric vehicles showed that the range is now hundreds of kilometres per charge and when it comes to costs, electric vehicles are already cheaper than petrol vehicles for fleet owners.
Last month, I attended Australia's first electric vehicle transition conference held in Sydney. Over two days, experts from all aspects of the industry shared insights into not whether but how and when Australia would catch up with the rest of the world and embrace the electric vehicle revolution. There were representatives from vehicle manufacturers, power companies, charging station installers and various levels of government.
The electric vehicle transition conference was organised by the online electric vehicle news platform The Driven, which is an offshoot from the popular and influential online news service RenewEconomy, whose editor, Giles Parkinson, in my view is Australia's most knowledgeable energy journalist and commentator.
It was no surprise that the appalling debate around electric vehicles during the last federal election campaign featured prominently at the conference. The diatribe coming from Liberal and National MPs was gobsmacking in its ignorance and its vehemence against anything that might be seen to be green or good for the environment. For example, Barnaby Joyce suggested that electric vehicles were so small they would be crushed by kangaroos.
Barry O'Sullivan, who was then the chair of the Senate transport committee, had said that he would rather die in a ditch than drive an electric vehicle. Energy minister Angus Taylor, despite announcing deals for ultrafast charging equipment, warned of the hours and days it took to charge an electric vehicle and claimed that they had no range. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said electric vehicles were an attack on the Australian weekend. Michaelia Cash had promised to defend the tradie and the ute. Even usually moderate MP Dave Sharma compared electric vehicle policies to Soviet-style policies, while finance minister Mathias Cormann compared the opposition and Greens' electric vehicle policies to mandating the consumption of brussels sprouts.
Regardless of the rhetoric, electric vehicles are coming. Australia no longer makes cars, so we are a technology taker in this space, but electric vehicles are already beginning to dominate new sales in some other countries. For example, in Norway around 60 per cent of new vehicle registrations were plug-in electric vehicles.
As for utes and tradies, the new Tesla electric ute will be on sale in Australia from November. But it is not just utes, there are now electric trucks and buses. Electric buses are in use around the world. For example, China has around 480,000 electric buses—nearly half a million electric buses. In Australia you can count the number of electric buses without taking off your socks, because there were less than 10 at last count. As a final embarrassing put down for the electric vehicle knockers, a report was published on The Driven website yesterday that the Australian Army is now looking at the advantages of electric vehicles for their substantial fleet of transport and even combat vehicles.
The conference included a number of presentations aimed at myth busting around electric vehicles, particularly in relation to cost and range. The range is now hundreds of kilometres per charge—much greater than the very early models. But when it comes to costs, electric vehicles are already cheaper than petrol vehicles for fleet owners. Climate Works CEO, Anna Skarbek, told the conference that savings from lower fuel (or, rather, energy) and maintenance costs meant that councils and organisations can benefit financially when choosing to go electric. It is all about the whole-of-life cost of the vehicle.
So what about South Australia? Over the last few months I have been asking questions in this place about what the government is doing to promote electric vehicles, in particular when we might see an electric vehicle strategy for South Australia. What I will say was encouraging is that the South Australian government sent at least two representatives to this conference, and I am looking forward to seeing what they come up with.
In terms of take-home messages, when something is new and it is big and it is coming, you need to plan for it. When it comes to electric vehicles, the big difference is charging. Of course, every home or building with access to electricity potentially is an electric vehicle charging station, but to make the most of it we need to embrace the new fast-charging technology. That means that whenever a developer builds a new multistorey, multidwelling building we need to make sure that the electricity connections and the wiring, to the car park in particular, are suitable to cope with electric vehicles because even if the current residents do not have them the next set will and they will become ubiquitous in coming years.


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Hewlett-Packard Co. doesn’t plan to be a silent observer in Dell Inc.’s transition from a public to a private company.
Palo Alto, Calif.-based HP (NYSE: HPQ), which has a major presence in Houston, released a statement Tuesday morning stating its intent to “take advantage” of Dell customers after the news broke that Round Rock-based Dell (NYSE: DELL) is going private in a $24.4 billion buyout deal.
“Dell has a very tough road ahead,” HP said in a statement. “The company faces an extended period of uncertainty and transition that will not be good for its customers. And with a significant debt load, Dell’s ability to invest in new products and services will be extremely limited. Leveraged buyouts tend to leave existing customers and innovation at the curb. We believe Dell’s customers will now be eager to explore alternatives, and HP plans to take full advantage of that opportunity.”
Both HP and Dell rely on personal computers for the bulk of their business. However, in terms of market share, HP is the largest PC company in the world, while Dell is the third-largest PC company worldwide.
Still, both Dell and HP have seen decreases in their PC business for some time. In the fourth quarter of HP’s 2012 fiscal year, personal systems revenue was down 14 percent year-over-year. Bloomberg reports that Dell has also suffered due to a loss of PC business — its stock has lost more than half its value since 2007, and its profit is estimated to drop about by about $500 million between its fiscal year 2012 and 2013.
In Houston, at least one technology expert believes that Dell will be able to invest more in research and development when it goes private.
Chuck Orrico, CEO of Houston-based Dyonyx LP, an IT services provider, said from a technology standpoint, Dell will have more creativity as a private company, while from a financial standpoint, the company will no longer have to satisfy the needs of shareholders.
Bloomberg pointed out that Michael Dell, the CEO and founder of Dell, has talked about paring down some elements of the PC business and investing in new technologies in computer networking and storage.
However, Bloomberg also said there is a chance that going private could hurt Dell since other technology companies that went private have had difficulties, including being able to finance deals. Therefore, Dell may just be beginning its journey down what HP deemed as its "tough road."


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BML, American Express launch joint initiative to promote Maldives tourism
Bank of Maldives (BML) and American Express have announced a partnership to promote the Maldives as a leading international tourist destination.
The “Experience Maldives” campaign was launched by tourism minister Moosa Zameer at a ceremony held at Hotel Jen in capital Male Tuesday evening.
In a statement, BML said under the campaign, which is endorsed by the tourism ministry and the Maldives Association of Tourism Industry (MATI), the Maldives will be promoted internationally to American Express’s global network of clients. Over 20 resorts have announced their participation in the campaign and they will make available a number of attractive offers to encourage tourists to consider the Maldives as their preferred holiday destination, it added.
BML CEO and Managing Director Andrew Healy commented, “We are delighted to partner with American Express on this major new destination marketing campaign. This is an important initiative for the country and it will promote Maldives to travellers from across the globe. We are grateful for the strong personal support extended by minister Zameer, and we will continue to work with the Ministry of Tourism, MATI and other stakeholders to support the industry.”
Manoj Adlakha, Senior Vice President and CEO of American Express Banking Corp. said, “This campaign will raise Maldives’ profile among the premier clientele of American Express around the world. It demonstrates our commitment to support our merchant base in Maldives and we are confident bringing more American Express cardholders to the country will deliver significant economic benefits. We are delighted to work with the Ministry of Tourism, MATI and Bank of Maldives to do our part to raise Maldives’ international profile.”
The destination marketing campaign by the Maldives’ largest bank and American Express comes weeks after American Express Travel revealed that the Maldives has topped the list of hot summer destinations this year as bookings have seen a staggering 117 percent increase.
Although the Maldives is an all-year round destination, the high season falls between December and March when its winter in Europe. Resorts in the Maldives enjoy occupancy levels of over 80 percent during this period.
Despite being a traditionally slow season for the Maldives tourism industry, summer is off to a good start this year, as arrivals to the Maldives saw a double digit increase in April. Official figures show that a total of 119,774 tourists visited the Maldives in April — a 15.7 percent increase over the 103,493 tourists in April 2016.


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|Archives - April 2007|
|Sunday, April 01, 2007|
BAKER CITY — General manager Ted Hausotter says success at Natural Structures would not be possible without great employees. The manufacturer of water slides, park pavilions and outdoor furniture moved from Sherwood with 15 employees in 2003. Fast-forward four years and business is booming and the employee list has grown to about 40. Hausotter attributes that growth to the good reception the company got from local banks, allowing loans for $200,000 worth of new equipment and the ability the company now has to do more work in-house. Now if there’s a problem it can be fixed onsite, allowing the product to ship without delay. Natural Structures plans to open their 22,000-square-foot expansion in early April.
Friday, April 24, 2015
BY BEN DEJARNETTE | INVESTIGATEWEST
Timber companies and environmental groups take a stab at collaboration to boost logging and restoration in Oregon fires.
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
BY JASON E. KAPLAN | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
New Jersey and Oregon are the only two states in the U.S. that ban self serve gas stations. But these two holdouts may be ready to give up the game. New Jersey is considering legislation that would lift the state's ban on pumping your own gas. Oregon is considering smaller scale changes.
Thursday, April 23, 2015
BY JASON NORRIS | GUEST BLOGGER
There are winners and losers with a strengthening U.S. dollar.
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
BY JACOB PALMER | DIGITAL NEWS EDITOR
Portland is awash in rideshare options. We ask the head of Flywheel what sets his app apart.
Friday, May 08, 2015
BY CHRIS NOBLE | PHOTOS BY JASON E. KAPLAN
Hagfish may not have evolved much over the last 300 million years, but their protein-heavy slime promises advances in super-materials.
Friday, May 22, 2015
BY CHRIS NOBLE
The right sunglasses can protect your eyes and look cool at the same time. This being the 21st century, select shades are socially conscious, too. Portland brand Shwood uses wood and other natural materials and manufactures locally. Founded by Ann Sacks, the brand Fetch dedicates a portion of its profits to animal welfare. But whether you choose classic tortiseshell or aviator chic, please, shed the sunglasses when you walk in the door — and, of course, at night.
Monday, April 27, 2015
BY JACOB PALMER AND EILEEN GARVIN
A power lunch at Solstice Wood Fire Cafe & Bar.
|The Good Hacker|
|It's a Man's Man's Man's World|
|Short Shrift:The threat of just-in-time scheduling|
|Downtime with the director of Barley's Angels|
|Fighting Fire With Fire|
|Shades of Gray|
|Man for All Seasons|
|Two protesters chain themselves to Shell ship outside of Bellingham|
|PDX Carpet Adidas sell out in limited edition release|
|How to court millennials|
|Wal-Mart wants meat suppliers to improve treatment of animals|
|Scandal negatively impacts Tom Brady's endorsement value|
|John Kerry pushes TPP in Seattle speech|
|Big banks hit with $2.5B fine|
New conference aims to solve challenges, quell fears amid regulatory changes.
Tourism marketing supports entrepreneurship by attracting visitors to all corners of the state.
Beaverton firm's business intelligence platform rivals that of industry heavyweights.
The Oregon Entrepreneurs Network (OEN) will be presenting its third annual Entrepreneurial Summit on Friday, June 5 at Castaway in Portland, Oregon.
On June 13th Mayor Charlie Hales will attend nonprofit organization Dream Change’s inaugural Love Summit and will introduce one of its keynote speakers, Dan Wieden of Wieden+Kennedy advertising agency.
34 spots for food, 17 places to sip, and 7 sites to choose a brew beckon visitors.


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Apple just announced that the next iPhones — the iPhone 8 and the iPhone X — will both support Qi wireless charging. And lo! did the floodgates open to a swathe of third-party wireless charging pads.
Wireless charging has been around – even for the iPhone – for years, but it wasn’t until the last 12 months that it’s been refined to be as good as standard wired charging. Case-mate’s Hug is our favourite for the iPhone.