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LAKEVILLE — The Lakeville Garden Club's first meeting of 2013 will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 26, at 7 p.m. at the Lakeville Council-on-Aging building off Precinct Street. The evening's program is a "Regift Auction'"
Each item is wrapped and has three clues. Last year's auction was an evening of surprises, laughter, and reasonably priced items.
The Lakeville Garden Club is a member of the National Garden Club, Inc., the Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts, Inc., the National Arbor Day Society, and the New England Wildflower Society.
Meetings are open to the public and membership is not limited to Lakeville residents.


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Secondhand Containership Market Heats up in 2021 Driven by Demand
Skyrocketing container shipping freight rates and the prospects for sustained demand are driving the container shipping segment to new heights. Yet while much of the attention has been focused on the record new orders and the efforts to expand the long-term capacity, the charter and secondhand markets are also being driven to new heights, according to a new analysis by industry trade group BIMCO. In the hottest segments of the market, prices for second had ships have increased fourfold in the past year.
“Carriers’ options for getting hold of extra tonnage in the short-term to meet current demand is limited to the charter and secondhand market,” says Peter Sand, BIMCO’s Chief Shipping Analyst. “The former is getting progressively more expensive and harder to come by as available tonnage is quickly snapped up, leaving the option of buying existing tonnage. Currently, both options come at a premium.”
The costs paid by shippers have skyrocketed, but so too has the demand for tonnage to cater to the high demand. As a result, charterers are paying record amounts for ships. Equally though the opportunity to add owned capacity into a well-earning market, has also caused the sale and purchase activity for containerships to double in 2021, according to BIMCO.
During the first half of 2021, a total of 277 container ships have changed hands, representing a 103.7 percent increase from 136 ships bought and sold in the same period of 2020 according to data from VesselsValue. The jump testifies to a red-hot container market that has fueled demand for tonnage, not only in the charter market but also for secondhand ships.
BIMCO’s analysis shows that a total of 922,203 TEU found new owners, with an average ship size of 3,403 TEU. The average size of ships being traded, however, has fallen compared with last year, while the number of deals has more than doubled. Capacity has only increased by 40 percent.
“From the seller’s perspective, the current prices offer a great incentive to sell, highlighting the role of asset play in some shipowners’ models, as profits on ships being sold these days can potentially cover the losses made by the ship over its lifetime,” says Sand.
The most dramatic price increase is coming for the smaller ships. Reported prices in June 2021 were up more than four times that paid in June 2020 for vessels in the feeder category, with a capacity between 100 and 2,999 TEU. VesselsValue reports the average paid in June 2021 was $17.6 million versus an average of $4 million in June 2020.
By far the most traded ship this year has been the feeders. So far in 2021, a total of 167 have been reported sold, representing a 165 percent increase from the first half of 2020. Measured by capacity, the feeder ships sold totaled 289,636 TEU. This was second to the 358,874 TEU of post Panamax (5,000- 9,999 TEU) ships, but only 54 boxships in this category have been bought and sold in the first half of 2021. The largest ships have been the least popular on the secondhand market with only five ships above 10,000 TEU changing hands in 2021.
With the delivery of the new constructions still years away, the high demand for capacity and tonnage is driving the red-hot secondhand market with BIMCO’s analysis showing the prices will continue to be drive by the demand.

domain: news


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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Dunkin’ Donuts spent Wednesday morning giving essential workers something essential, coffee and donuts.
Alim Haji who owns a couple of Dunkin’ Donuts stores around town asked his employees to load up the coffee and head out to UNM Hospital. He says medical workers deserve a free pick-me-up after working so hard over the last few weeks.
“Everybody picked up on this spirit. Everyone is having a good time out here and they want to be a part of something like this,” said Haji.
Haji says the company handed out more than 500 cups of coffee in the first 30 minutes.
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SUNDAY NEWSPAPER SHARE TIPS: Victoria, Fever-Tree, Finsbury Food Group
We round up the Sunday newspaper share tips. This week, Midas runs the rule over carpet maker Victoria.
Meanwhile The Sunday Telegraph takes a look at luxury drink mixer company Fever-Tree while the Sunday Times goes through the numbers of Finsbury Food Group.
MAIL ON SUNDAY
Far-sighted shareholders who bought into carpet maker Victoria in 2013 have been handsomely rewarded. However even today there is significant potential, says The Mail on Sunday’s Midas.
At the time, chairman Geoff Wilding took over following an acrimonious boardroom coup.
Since then he has been regaining the support of Victoria’s banks so it could make acquisitions; five have been completed so far.
He also set about cutting costs, selling non-essential sites in Australia and raising prices to more commercial levels.
He plans to take shares to £25 and sell the business to a large US firm.
Today the stock is priced at 1377½ p so there is still some way to go. However they’ve already come up from less than 100p when the company was at rock bottom.
Mindful of debt and the risks of overexpansion, Victoria is likely to limit acquisitions to a couple a year, but even that should make a material difference to sales and profits by 2018.
The Victoria board is compact, comprising Wilding as chairman, a finance director and three non-executives, including a member of the Anton family, which founded the firm.
Midas verdict: There is no doubt that Victoria has already come a long way, but the shares have further to go. Buy.
Cheers: Fever Tree is expected to report a tripling of annual profits on Monday, says Questor
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH
Shares look particularly tempting since they have dropped seven per cent this year during the wider sell-off.
However investors need to keep the jump in profits in perspective, warns Questor, as the performance is flattered by a few detail, including costs of a loan repayment of £5.6million affecting the 2014 numbers.
The company’s concoctions have become very popular, particularly over Christmas in pubs and supermarkets.
The only concern is that shares already price in a lot of the good news.
Shares are trading on about 40 times forecast earnings, which looks expensive compared with other drinks companies.
‘Fever-Tree has recorded an excellent first full-year of trading as a listed entity and with the luxury drink producer’s shares retreating from record highs we would keep an eye out for buying opportunities around 400p,’ says Questor’s John Ficenec.
THE SUNDAY TIMES
The company has returned to health since its stock plummeted in the depths of the 2008 crisis and climbed 60 per cent over the past year.
Its transformation has been done largely through deals, including the £56million purchase of Fletchers bread-makers and the sale of a division to Genius Foods.
However Inside the City’s Danny Fortson says the fine print reveals that chief executive John Duffy and finance director Stephen Boyd were each awarded £240,000 cash bonuses for carrying out the transactions without the cost of external advisers.
‘A cynic might conclude they got paid extra for simply doing their job,’ says Fortson. He adds that they also received bonuses equal to their salaries for generating £18.2million of earnings before costs.
Although Panmure Gordon increased its target price recently, praising its ‘impressive performance’, Fortson advises to sell and says that although true he’d rather ‘have my cake elsewhere’.
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Footwear trends: the latest footwear trends
For the season's latest footwear fashion trends. Keep up to date with the footwear trends homepage.
Kensington Shoe Event
Hit or Miss
Footwear & Accessories designer directions
Micam Autumn 09
The founder of kids’ footwear mini-chain One Small Step One Giant Leap Nick Schwefel has left the business as the parent company puts expansion plans on hold.
Premium footwear chain Author Shoes, owned by David Casey, the co-founder and former owner of Office, has gone into liquidation owing £3.5m.
Fashion and footwear were the top performing retail categories in March, according to data published by the British Retail Consortium/KPMG today.
Footwear brand Jimmy Choo has launched a pop up shop in Selfridges featuring exclusive prints across seven casual styles.
Footwear retailer Kurt Geiger has completed a management buyout led by chief executive Neil Clifford.


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What is more, traders can use the helpdesk to tell EU importers of the products they have. They can also ask EU experts for help with specific problems and contact directly the customs authorities of individual EU countries, as well as EU importers associations and organisations involved in promoting imports from developing countries.
The service is free: it is being made available to exporters in all developing countries by the EU trade commissioner, Pascal Lamy. Even though the EUs imports under its GSP schemes are three times higher than those of the US (they came to well over $50 billion in 2002), Lamy believes exporters are not making full use of the benefits available to them.
The helpdesk is designed to give practical help to expor-ters, using the cheapest and most readily available form of communication, Lamy said when launching the service earlier this week. Lamy, who was recently in New Delhi, Dhaka and Jakarta, said the service is based on my talks with exporters in developing countries.
The helpdesk is the good news for Indian exporters. But there is also alarming news for exporters relying on GSP schemes to boost exports to the EU. Indian exporters are among the leading GSP beneficiaries. They accounted for 11.5 per cent of the EUs total GSP imports in 2002 well behind China, with 33 per cent.
But should the EU grant preferential access to its market to countries like India and China A leading European economist believes the time has come to scrap the GSP. He is Andre Sapir, a specialist in international trade, a onetime expert on EU-India trade and at present economic adviser to Romano Prodi, president of the European Commission, the EUs executive arm.
The EU introduced its GSP scheme for all developing countries in 1971. The aim was to help these countries industrialise, by granting them preferential access to the markets of the developed countries. One of the foremost advocates of the GSP during the 1960s, in both GATT and UNCTAD, was K B Lall, Indias first ambassador to the then six-nation European Economic Community.
The fact that the leading GSP beneficiaries are India, China and Indonesia suggests that they are well and truly established as emerging industrial powers, and can therefore dispense with the GSP. Lamy believes these countries should grant GSP benefits to developing countries that are still struggling to industrialise. For Prof Sapir (he lectures at the Unive-rsity of Brussels), the GSP shou-ld be replaced by free trade agreements. This was the solution favoured by another Indi-an ambassador to the EU, Arjun Sengupta, some 20 years ago!
The EU has already concluded bilateral and regional preferential trade agreements with South Africa, Chile and Mexico, on the one hand and Mediterranean and Balkan countries on the other.It is currently negotiating a free trade agreement with the Mercosur group, that includes Argentina and Brazil.
Indeed, the EUs most comprehensive GSP scheme is already under threat, so to speak. This is the scheme under which the EU has been granting GSP benefits, for some 30 years, to the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries that have been linked to it through the Lome, and now Cotonou, agreements.
Lamy is currently in Mauritius, to open negotiations with 16 of these 77 ACP countries for an Economic and Partnership Agreement (EPA). The 16, which include Ethio-pia, Kenya, Mauritius, Zamba and Zimbabwe, belong to the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa. These talks will be extended to the Caribbean and Pacific members of the Cotonou agreement.
Lamy seems to be implementing Prof Sapirs suggestion that GSP schemes be replaced by free trade agreements, but without eliminating the existing GSP schemes. On the contrary, the current sche-me, covering 178 developing countries, including India and China, will be replaced in two years time with a scheme valid for a further 10-year period.
The online helpdesk may include details on GSP utilisation also.


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3D Systems has long been involved with using 3D technology to change and save lives in the medical industry. Last summer, the company introduced a new On Demand Anatomical Models service, which allows medical professionals to order 3D printed anatomical models from their own files. The service lets users upload 3D model files, which can be prepared with the company’s D2P (DICOM to PRINT) software. The technology makes it possible to use medical imaging data to accurately, and quickly, produce digital 3D anatomical models.
3D Systems just announced that it has received additional 510(k) clearance from the FDA for its D2P solution, which makes it the only company that provides a solution which combines its own hardware and software to 3D print patient-specific anatomic models for diagnostic purposes in a wide range of medical specialties, such as cardiovascular, craniofacial, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, musculoskeletal, and neurological.
“The capabilities offered in D2P give the healthcare professional an unprecedented toolset for deeper medical understanding across most medical specialties. Our proprietary advanced visualization technology is changing how medical imaging data is used in a variety of formats such as virtual reality and 3D printed physical models,” stated Ran Bronstein, vice president, chief research and operation officer, 3D Systems.
D2P uses deep learning-driven automatic segmentation tools so that medical practitioners can speed up the process in using medical imaging data to accurately produce digital 3D anatomic models. The software includes the latest in virtual reality visualization, and deep learning image processing technology, which helps decrease the amount of time it typically takes to make this kind of 3D model. In order to help facilitate important surgical planning and comprehension ahead of the surgery, for both surgeons and their patients, the D2P technology has an embedded volumetric VR solution that allows the user to get instant views of patient scans in a 3D environment.
“We are used to going into surgery with uncertainties and an arsenal of contingency plans. With 3D printed models and enhanced 3D visualization tools such as VR, we are able to gain a better understanding of the surgery and pathology we are going to treat. This allows us to come up with a more precise surgery plan designed to deliver a better surgical outcome,” explained Dr. Solomon Dadia, deputy director of the orthopedic-oncology department and director of the 3D surgical center at Souraski Medical Center in Tel Aviv, Israel.
In accordance with FDA guidelines that were introduced two years ago for 3D printed patient-specific anatomic models, models of diagnostic-quality have to be an output of a Class II regulated medical device software. As previously mentioned, 3D Systems is the only company that offers both its own compatible 3D printers and a software solution that meet this requirement. This additional FDA clearance brings 3D Systems squarely into the Point of Care (POC) market, and its continued need for in-house manufacturing of 3D printed anatomic models made with a reliable, accurate 3D segmentation solution.
Discuss this story and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts in the Facebook comments below.[Images: 3D Systems]


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DuPont has announced its 2017 winners, honoring companies that have demonstrated major advancements in packaging technology to address the diverse and particular needs of consumers in markets around the world.
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation, along with The Prince of Wales's International Sustainability Unit, launch a $2 million New Plastics Economy Innovation Prize, which calls for innovators to find new ways of designing packaging to help keep plastics out of the ocean.
Recognizing masterful folding carton and rigid box manufacturing, the competition will be adjudicated by a panel of packaging experts in July at PPC headquarters in Springfield, Mass. The winning packages will be revealed at PPC’s 2017 Fall Meeting in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Campbell Soup Company, Church & Dwight, Henkel, Nestlé Waters North America, RB, Unilever and Ocean Spray join How2Recycle label program; announcement made at sustainability event hosted by Walmart, which has encouraged brands to join the program.
The Paperboard Packaging Council (PPC) held its Spring Outlook and Strategies Conference on Mar. 29-31, 2017, in Charlotte, NC. During the three-day event, leaders in the paperboard packaging industry learned the latest in consumer, economic and policy trends.
Technology has made it easier for individuals involved in counterfeiting activities, as e-commerce platforms have gained popularity. Technology is assisting counterfeiters to advertise, produce and distribute fake products. However, technology can also play a crucial role to curb the production and distribution of counterfeit goods.


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Tiger Global acquired 795 Thousand Snowflake shares worth $139 Million. That's 0.94% of their equity portfolio (22nd largest holding). The first Snowflake trade was made in Q3 2020. Since then Tiger Global bought shares seven more times and sold shares on four occasions. The investor's estimated purchase price is $205 Million, resulting in a loss of 32%.
Steve Grasso, Grasso Global CEO, joins ''Power Lunch'' to discuss how to trade the news of Kroger''s opioid settlement, momentum growing in the biotech secto...CNBC, 3 months ago
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Joint customers can now use pre-built H2O.ai applications within Snowflake to build AI models that anticipate customer churn and boost retention H2O.ai , the...Benzinga, 9 months ago
Snowflake Inc. (NYSE:NYSE:SNOW) Barclays 2022 Global Technology, Media and Telecommunications Conference December 8, 2022 12:50 p.m.Seeking Alpha, 12 months ago


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5 coolest security tech seen at CES 2016
LAS VEGAS — Imagine if you could operate an ATM with a wink.
A company here at the Consumer Electronics Show is showcasing technology that lets our eyes open our ATMs, computers and smartphones. And that was hands down the coolest security tech we’ve seen so far at CES 2016.
The iris is far more effective than a password, says Anthony Antolino, the chief marketing officer for EyeLock, which is showcasing a new iris-enabled ATM here.
“You have to be alive in front of the camera in order for the system to work,” he says.
-- We loved the Ring video doorbell when we reviewed it earlier in the year, because it allowed for communication with neighbors, FedEx deliveries and the like from anywhere, even while on vacation in the Oregon Cascade Mountains.
Now, Ring has a follow-up: a battery-operated security camera with the ability for two-way talk, just like the video doorbell.
The $199 Ring Stick-up Cam, shipping February 1, “allows for full monitoring of your home in 15 minutes,” says founder Jamie Siminoff. With the talkback feature, you could put it on the side of your house, get an alert at work that there’s motion activity outside, “and yell at the burglar, get out of there, and he won’t know where you are.”
-- Roost (getroost.com) has one of the more affordable, and ingenious CES inventions. It’s a $35 add-on to a regular smoke alarm that makes your home smoke detector “smart.” “If you’re not home, your smoke alarm goes off, and you get a notification,” says Roost’s Chief Marketing Officer David Henry. Your old smoke alarm has just been brought into the modern age.
--Vtech showed off its wireless home monitoring system, which is so smart it can also turn on and off and dim your lights as well, from an app. “You can come home and turn on your porch light, with an app,” says Vtech’s Stephanie Fazio. “And also look at what’s going on in your home, through our cameras.”
--Finally, welcome to the connected nursery. Binatone Global, a Motorola subsidiary, showcased smart products for the baby, including a video baby monitor that talks to an app, a dream machine to help baby sleep and a smart scale to see how baby is growing. The connections "give parents insight into what their babies are doing," says Binatone's David Westendorf.
Follow USA TODAY tech columnist and #TalkingTech host Jefferson Graham on Twitter: @jeffersongraham


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Verizon, the nation's second largest provider of landline phone service, is joining other telecommunications companies by no longer providing free backup batteries needed to keep its digital voice telephone service operating during a blackout.
The company said that as of early as December, new FiOS customers who want a backup battery will have to pay a one-time charge of $29.99, buy it elsewhere, or do without.
During a blackout, FiOS customers without a battery, household generator, or other type of backup power system will lose their landline voice service, including access to emergency 911. (Read our generator buying guide.)
Verizon's decision comes about 14 months after Superstorm Sandy knocked out power to millions of homes and disrupted cell phone service in widespread areas.
"We will no longer provide the free 12-volt lead-acid battery. We'll begin the policy later this month or early January," said Verizon spokesman William Kula. New FiOS business customers will continue to receive a free battery, at least for the time being.
Verizon joins other carriers, including Time Warner, Cablevision, CenturyLink, and, most recently, Comcast and Cox Communications, in requiring new customers who want a backup battery to pay extra for it.
AT&T, the nation's largest provider of landline service, said it has no plan to begin charging customers extra for backup power equipment that is included with installation of its digital phone service. Telecommunications company RCN said it too will continue to provide free backup batteries, as well as replacing worn-out batteries at no charge.
The issue involves the nation's transition from copper-line phone service to digital systems that run on fiber optic cable. Copper lines carry not only the communications signal but also the electricity needed to operate a standard corded phone, even during a blackout, a capability fiber-optic cables lack. The more than 5.5 million existing FiOS residential and small-business customers had free backup batteries included with their installation. The battery provides up to eight hours of standby time, less if phones are used to make or receive calls.
Verizon's decision to eliminate the free batteries drew criticism from Edgar Dworsky, the former Massachusetts assistant attorney general who runs ConsumerWorld.org. Dworsky is a member of the Verizon Consumer Advisory Board. "I'm upset because I frankly think every telephone provider should provide backup batteries so that digital phone service will work in an emergency," he said.
The Federal Communications Commission requires telecommunications companies to provide emergency 911 access to digital landline phone users, but it does not mandate that they provide a way to keep phones operating during power outages, when 911 access may be needed the most.
Read "Surprise! Your High-Tech Home Phone System Could Go Dead in an Emergency" to learn how prolong phone service when the lights go out.
Verizon made the decision following a pilot program it conducted last summer in parts of Texas and Florida. Kula said 93 percent of the tens of thousands of new customers who were given the option to buy the battery decided against it, adding that no customers chose not to order FiOS because Verizon was not providing the battery for free.
"The customers expressed loud and clear that the battery wasn't important to them," he said. He noted that reducing the number of lead-acid batteries in customers' homes will be better for environment.
Dworsky said Verizon has reached the wrong conclusion from the Texas and Florida test. "It demonstrates that consumers are cheap," he said. "My sense is consumers haven't evaluated the risk of saving the $29.99 versus what would happen if they called 911 during a power outage and their phone was dead."
Brian Fontes, CEO and executive director of the National Emergency Numbers Association, agreed that many people probably don't understand the power limitations of digital landline phone systems, especially older people who are used to having working phones when the power fails.
But he stopped short of saying that telecommunications companies should be required to provide free batteries. He noted that many households have given up landline service and depend entirely on cell phones. However, he said, the federal government and telecommunications companies need to make sure people comprehend the power limitations of digital phone systems.
"It is critical they understand that this is not your daddy's phone system," he said.
When subscribing to or renewing phone service, insist that the carrier provide at least one backup battery. If that doesn't work, buy one or more batteries, but shop around. We found sellers on Amazon.com offering backup batteries that fit the Verizon systems for as low as $18, including shipping.
Also, keep an old-fashioned wired telephone handy because most cordless phones don't operate in a blackout, although some do. Check our cordless phone buying guide for more information. If there's a prolonged power outage, consider disconnecting the backup battery or, if possible, shutting it off so that it doesn't drain while on standby. You won't be able to receive calls, but you'll maintain 911 access.
Finally, maintain a fully charged cell phone that works from your home. If you can change your cell phone battery, it's also worth considering keeping a fully charged second one.


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Karnataka government announces a financial package worth Rs 1111.8 crore to take care of the unorganised sector
Bengaluru: The viral vengeance unleashed on India has had its terrible effects.
Myriad people have lost their lives. Several others are finding it difficult to find oxygen cylinders, concentrators and hospital beds.
Others are finding it difficult to make ends meet as businesses have shut down.
With a view to extending a helping hand to them, the Karnataka government has announced a financial package worth Rs 1111.8 crore.
This package targets those in the informal sector and the unorganised sector, as also the economically weaker sections.
Rs 10,000 per hectare will be provided out to horticulturists and flower growers who have suffered losses due to the statewide lockdown.
The amount will be directly transferred to the bank accounts of the beneficiaries and this initiative is set to benefit around 69,000 fruit and vegetable cultivators along with 20,000 flower growers.
Similarly, Rs 3,000 per person will be given to cab and auto drivers along with construction workers and artistes. Tailors, barbers and street vendors will receive Rs 2,000 each and even additional ration has been sanctioned under the public distribution system (PDS), as reported by Swarajya.
“We are announcing this package despite the state’s fiscal health not in a good condition. I have directed the finance department to transfer the amount to the bank accounts of beneficiaries without delay,” Economic Times quoted chief minister BS Yediyurappa.
Read Exclusive COVID-19 Coronavirus News updates, at MyNation.
Last Updated May 19, 2021, 6:44 PM IST


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Plastics firm bags growth into Europe
IPL splashes €75m on Belgian packaging group
IPL, the Ireland-based plastics company, is set to acquire a Belgian packaging group for about €75 million.
Alongside its 2018 results announcement, the company said that it was acquiring 100 per cent of Loomans Group, an industrial manufacturer specialising in mould construction, with clients including Heineken and Danone.
The acquisition will be funded from existing cash resources and credit facilities, IPL said, adding that Loomans would be incorporated into its European consumer packaging business.
“We have been tracking this business since 2015,” Alan Walsh, IPL’s chief executive, said. “Loomans will add geographic, customer and sector diversification which will enable IPL to participate in new and existing customer growth plans in continental Europe and also provides us with in-house tooling manufacturing capabilities.”
IPL, which was set


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NEW YORK (
) -- The guesswork has begun as analysts try to predict how many
can sell when the
Android-powered device debuts next Friday.
One thing seems certain: You will find it hard to avoid the massive upcoming
advertising campaign, which Verizon calls its biggest marketing effort ever.
There is a lot riding on the
, to be sure. Verizon needs a holiday blockbuster. Motorola needs Droid's success to get back in the game. And the ultimate showdown is how well the Droid does compared with
iPhone sold by Verizon rival
Motorola CEO Talks Droid
The magic number in this matchup is 1 million phones sold. And the $400 million-plus question is how long it takes to get there. (Macquarie Securities analyst Phil Cusick estimates Motorola collects more than $400 per phone from each sale.)
In other words, will it burst out of the gate like the iPhone, or stumble like the
"Half a million units on the debut weekend is the target to beat if you want to challenge the iPhone," says Nielsen analyst Roger Entner.
Fittingly, the iPhone is the measure of success. Not only has the slim touchscreen iPhone set the current standard for smartphones, but its debut sales performance, complete with round-the-clock blogging from the waiting line and glaring door-buster media coverage, is the yardstick of any initial gadget success.
It took 74 days for the original iPhone to hit the million-sold mark. But the follow-up iPhone 3GS hit a million in three days.
Verizon has never had anything close to that in the arena of smartphone debuts. It took Verizon nearly three months to sell the first million of last year's holiday blockbuster, BlackBerry Storm from
Research In Motion
Verizon's challenge is to make the Droid arrival a massive event.
"Until now, Verizon has just teased with the
," says Entner. "Now they have to turn that into desire. They have to make it the must-have device."
Assuming the advertising blitz is effective, Verizon has been getting prepared, behind the scenes, for a big weekend.
A Motorola representative said Verizon stores will have a substantial supply of
at the ready.
How much is substantial?
Verizon has had an average of 15 devices per store for big launches in the past, says Michael Cote with the Cote Collaborative.
"If you believe Verizon has changed store hours for the launch, and considering more marketing spend, it suggests they will have more than 15 per store," says Cote. And with Motorola, he adds, "Verizon has an experienced supplier than can deliver in quantity."
So how about some
Macquarie's Cusick conservatively expects Motorola to sell 750,000 this year.
Jefferies analyst Bill Choi predicts 900,000 Droids will be sold by year end.
Charter Equity analyst Ed Snyder thinks Verizon's internal target is 2 million this year, but says: "that seems high."
Anything above those estimates will be considered a win.
What constitutes a flop?
"If it's only a few hundred thousand for the weekend," says Nielsen's Entner, "it's going to look like the Palm Pre."


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RAPAPORT… Signet Jewelers’ sales and earnings rose in the fourth fiscal quarter as e-commerce helped the retailer capitalize on a recovery in consumer demand.
Group sales increased 1.5% year on year to $2.19 billion for the three months ending January 30, which included the important holiday season, the company reported Thursday. Same-store sales — at branches open for at least a year — were up 7%, while net profit jumped 36% to $254.3 million.
Online sales rose 70% versus the same period a year earlier, contributing 23% of the total, Signet added. This compensated for weak brick-and-mortar traffic, especially in markets outside North America, where Covid-19 lockdowns continued to affect business.
The company, which owns the Kay Jewelers, Jared and Zales banners, among others, said it had achieved the goals it set three years ago in its turnaround plan, Path to Brilliance. It’s now embarking on a new strategy, Inspiring Brilliance, which focuses on innovation and sustainable growth.
“This quarter marked an important milestone for Signet, as our team delivered a strong fourth quarter and third year of the company’s Path to Brilliance transformation,” said CEO Gina Drosos. “These results reflect the exceptionally hard work and resilience of our Signet team members in a uniquely challenging time.”
As part of the new strategy, Signet will shift toward off-mall formats in response to changes to US shopping patterns that predated the coronavirus pandemic. The jeweler plans to shut more than 100 stores in the current fiscal year that began on January 31, and will open up to 100 new locations, mainly in “highly efficient kiosks,” it revealed.
Sales for the entire fiscal year dropped 15% to $5.23 billion, mostly because of a slump in the first half, when stores shut and demand plummeted. Signet incurred a full-year net loss of $15.2 million, compared with a profit of $105.5 million for the previous year.
The company expects this year’s first-quarter revenue to surge by up to 67% to between $1.42 billion and $1.46 billion, with same-store sales rising by 80% to 84%, reflecting the comparison with the peak of the Covid-19 crisis last year.
Full-year same-store sales will increase at a more modest rate, with revenue gaining up to 15% for a total of $5.85 billion to $6 billion, as the jewelry sector’s recovery will slow in the second half of 2021, Signet forecast. Same-store sales will climb 14% to 17%.
“Signet expects stronger sales performance in the first half of the fiscal year,” the company noted. “As the vaccine rollout progresses, there could be a shift of consumer discretionary spending away from the jewelry category toward experience-oriented categories, the magnitude and timing of which is difficult to predict.”
Signet’s share price was up 7% in premarket trading Thursday.
Image: A Jared store. (Signet Jewelers)
Source: diamonds.net Rapaport


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For the latest entry in our Conversations With interview series, HYPEBEAST linked up with Ray J to discuss his new company Raycon — who recently signed a $31 million deal with New York City-based leading distributor of consumer electronics, Cowboy Wholesale — and the future of audio technology, who he really thinks is this generation’s King of R&B, a popular topic that was sparked by Jacquees, and why more young people should enter the tech industry rather than pursuing a music deal.
When discussing the importance of visibility, Ray J deliberates on the benefits of entering the tech industry over the music industry. “To me, the music industry is a dangerous industry,” he said. “Financially it’s not the best industry to be in, the time that you put into making your music, you start to attach yourself to your project and you start to be emotional about what people think, what people say and it can really make you mad if somebody says, ‘Yo I don’t like it.”
He continues, “Technology is the wave because you can be a coder, you can be a marketer, you can be the person building it out, you can be the PR firm, it’s so many ways to make a billion dollars in the industry.
Watch the video above.


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PHILADELPHIA (CBS) --If you want a ticket to the Super Bowl, it's going to cost you.
Ticket exchange companies like StubHub are warning buyers to beware of fake tickets out there, and to only purchase from reputable sources.
The cheapest Super Bowl ticket on StubHub right now goes for about $3,500.
The most expensive will set you back more than $15,000.
for more features.


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Jim Carrey Says He Bought Nikes as a 'Salute to Colin Kaepernick'
Actor says he bought 'some freedom friendly Nikes' to thank anti-American athlete
Hollywood comedic actor Jim Carrey says he went out and bought "some freedom friendly Nikes" after seeing the company's recent anti-American ad campaign featuring Colin Kaepernick, as a "thank you" to the athlete.
During Friday’s edition of Real Time with Bill Maher, Carrey described his purchase as a “salute” to the sportswear brand’s embrace of NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
Carrey walked on set and put his shoes on the table to show off his new Nike sneakers, which he claims he bought to celebrate both Nike and Kaepernick himself.
“I went out today and bought me some Nike’s, some freedom friendly Nikes,” Carrey said.
“It’s a salute to Colin Kaepernick, to Nike.
"Congratulations, fantastic choice.
"Thank you, so much.”
SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO
According to Breitbart, Carrey’s purported purchase came less than a week after Nike unveiled Kaepernick as the face of their 30th anniversary “Just Do It” campaign, over two years after he became a major social justice figurehead by refusing to stand for the pre-game singing of the national anthem.
“Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything,” the campaign slogan reads.
Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything. #JustDoIt pic.twitter.com/SRWkMIDdaO— Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) September 3, 2018
Nike’s decision to use Kaepernick has sparked both delight and fury, with Kaepernick supporters choosing to buy Nike products while others pledged to boycott the company entirely.
Carrey, meanwhile, posted artwork earlier on in the week thanking Nike for choosing Kaepernick as their figurehead, describing the decision as “capitalism with a conscious.” (He presumably meant conscience).
Thank you @Nike for just doing it. #CapitalismWithAConscious pic.twitter.com/rIpKfDAJ5V— Jim Carrey (@JimCarrey) September 5, 2018
During his appearance on Bill Maher, Carrey used the opportunity to tear into President Donald Trump, arguing that the president is tearing the country apart “limb from limb.”
“[Trump’s] tearing us limb from limb,” Carrey said.
“He’s a car salesman.
"He’s a used car salesman.
"He didn’t make America great again but he did turn back the odometer.
"So who knows what the hell is wrong with us.”
“We’ve got to get back to a place where we realize that a vote is not who you are,” he continued.
“Because you voted for Republican doesn’t mean you’re stupid, you’re not different, you’re not worthless.
"I could break bread with anybody who voted for Trump right now.
"We could come up with common ground and a reason to love each other.
"Just stop doing stupid sh*t!”


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Small-scale farmers in Central America threatened by aggressive roya outbreak; businesses and coffee drinkers encouraged to take action
OAKLAND, Calif.,March 28, 2013 - Fair Trade USA, a nonprofit organization and the leading third-party certifier of Fair Trade products in North America, today launched a new initiative to help small-scale farmers fight the devastating outbreak of coffee leaf rust in Central America.
Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc.announced that another one of its best-selling coffees, Green Mountain Coffee® Nantucket Blend®, is now 100-percent Fair Trade Certified™.
Hershey Announces Milestones to Achieve 100% Certified Cocoa by 2020
‘A Watershed Moment for Our Industry to Work Together With Cocoa Growing Nations to Increase Opportunities for Farmers’
Quarterly packages of ethical food products from around the world delivered to your doorstep


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via press release:
TELEMUNDO MEDIA WINS THREE 2013 NAMIC EXCELLENCE IN MULTICULTURAL MARKETING AWARDS (EMMA)
Network to be Honored for Excellence in Case Studies/Campaigns, Out of Home and Experiential Marketing Categories on Wednesday, October 9th at the 27th Annual NAMIC Conference
MIAMI – September 16, 2013 – Telemundo Media, the largest producer of Spanish-language prime time content for audiences in the U.S. and around the world, will receive three awards at the 2013 NAMIC Excellence in Multicultural Marketing Awards (EMMA) on Wednesday, October 9th at the 27th Annual NAMIC Conference. Telemundo will be awarded 1st place in the Case Studies/Campaigns category for “Mia Mundo,” the hit English/Spanish web series that broke new ground as the first-ever bilingual branded entertainment crossover in history; 1st place for Marketing Tactics in the Out of Home category for the Telemundo Network Rebrand; and 3rd place for Marketing Tactics in the Experiential Marketing category for the “La Voz Kids” Chair Tour.
“Telemundo Media is honored to be acknowledged by NAMIC for our ongoing commitment to creating campaigns that connect with Hispanic audiences. These awards will inspire our team to continue to deliver innovative content that resonates with our passionate fans,” said Jacqueline Hernández, Chief Operating Officer, Telemundo Media. “We are very proud that our cutting edge marketing tactics have been recognized with this prestigious honor.”
The NAMIC Excellence in Multicultural Marketing Awards celebrates the top marketing tactics and case studies targeted to multicultural audiences.
ABOUT TELEMUNDO MEDIA
Telemundo Media, a division of NBCUniversal, is a world-class media company, leading the industry in the production and distribution of high-quality Spanish-language content across its multiplatform portfolio to U.S. Hispanics and audiences around the world. Telemundo’s multiple platforms include the Telemundo Network, a Spanish-language television network featuring original productions, theatrical motion pictures, news and first-class sports events, reaching U.S. Hispanic viewers in 210 markets through its 16 owned stations and its broadcast and cable affiliates; mun2, the preeminent voice for young Hispanics in the U.S. reaching TV households nationwide on digital and analog cable, and satellite; Telemundo Digital Media, which distributes Telemundo’s original content across digital and emerging platforms including mobile devices, http://www.telemundo.com and www.mun2.tv; an owned and operated full power station in Puerto Rico that reaches 99% of all TV households in that DMA; and Telemundo Internacional, the international distribution arm which has positioned Telemundo as the second largest provider of Spanish-language content worldwide by syndicating content to more than 100 countries in over 35 languages.


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Entrepreneurs in Egypt will soon be able to register their companies online in a bid to shorten the bureaucratic business registration process, according to a statement released on May 15 by Presidential Spokesperson Bassam Rady.
President Abd El Fattah al Sisi’s meeting with Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and MCIT Minister Amr Talaat discussed incentives to streamline the application process of tech companies and encourage their registration under a framework of driving tech investments in Egypt.
Incentives discussed include a new digital registration platform, tax exemptions, and an expedited imports process for qualifying companies as well as formally establishing a virtual company, without the need for a physical address.
Companies will be able to register their business through a “digital notification platform,” the statement read. Details on the platform were not released, but it will likely be an online portal for entrepreneurs to record company specifics. This decision will make it easier for single-person entities and virtual companies to register their startup ventures.
Such directives aim to boost interest and activity in the tech sector by encouraging entrepreneurs to launch in Egypt and attracting potential investors. Egypt has been witnessing a year of booming growth in the technology sector. This past year, the sector grew by 176% year-over-year and Egypt ranked second in the region for closing startup deals, according to Magnitt’s 2022 Egypt Venture Report.
As of September 2021, there were over 560 registered startup companies in Egypt, according to a report published by the IT Industry Development Agency (ITDA) and Disrupt Africa. Of these, nearly 94% are located in Cairo.
The option to establish companies as fully virtual entities will not only cut costs for small companies operating on thin margins but will also free space and encourage working from home and across many of Cairo’s collaborative co-working spaces. Most importantly, it is one less administrative box for founders to check when launching their startups.
Tarek Radwan, the co-founder of NearU, a startup that uses unique codes to locate lost items and quickly contact the owner, believes that he and other startup leaders can benefit from a de-regulated startup environment. His team currently operates entirely online from across Cairo.
“The decision to use a digital platform to establish a company further feeds into the direction of cutting red tape for e-commerce solutions,” Radwan said. “It lowers the barriers to entry for new small-sized startups and will encourage the entrepreneurial youth to take the next step with their ideas. I’m already in the process of incorporating the now-old way, but I’d have definitely used the platform if it had been available to me earlier.”
For years, investors have been discouraged by tales of battling red tape, corruption, excessive paperwork between government agencies and the lack of a digitized process to register a business.
“I’m glad that I won’t have to go through as much red tape when the time comes to register my company,” said Radwan, reflecting on the steps his team still needs to take. “We’re operating strictly as an e-commerce solution – as are many startups these days – so it’s a relief that we won’t need to worry about renting an office space, for example.”
Tax exemption, the development of “free investment technological zones” and an expedited import process for companies were among other operational incentives mentioned in Rady’s statement. Tech startups meeting unspecified requirements will be added to a “white list,” which will waive regulations and inspections on certain imported goods, in this case, electronics, the statement notes.
The combination of reduced barriers to entry and startup-friendly legislation means entrepreneurs will find a friendly economic environment in the early stages of their growth and be encouraged to start their businesses in Egypt. Looking forward, this formula will be beneficial from both entrepreneurial and financing perspectives, as the government hopes to attract more international VC funds in the coming years.
“There aren’t many details available yet on the relaxation of import and taxation laws, but the move follows in the footsteps of other tech-forward economies,” remarked Radwan. “We’ll have to see how these laws end up taking shape and if they’ll have retroactive action, but I’m optimistic that they will refresh the already blossoming startup scene.”


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Last week, BMW announced a new program to help bolster the sales of its electric vehicles: the ability to bundle carsharing access with the purchase of a vehicle. This was along with the unveiling of their first mass-production electric car, the i3.
Most drivers use their car for solo driving with limited range (less than 150 miles) most days of the year. However, they purchase vehicles based on their estimated “peak” usage: things like driving guests around, road trips to Tahoe, hauling furniture. These peak uses likely only occur a few times per year, the rest of the time their driving profile fits perfectly with what an electric vehicle supplies.
These peak uses give people range anxiety and space anxiety – however with the addition of easy-to-use carsharing vehicle owners can “right-size” their vehicles for most of the trips while still having access to higher capacity vehicles (SUVs) when they need them.
This program has the potential to introduce carsharing to many people who haven’t considered it in the past. Its possible that some of them may find carsharing so convenient that they give up on vehicle ownership entirely and switch to carsharing (plus transit, biking and walking) for 100% of their trips.
Its also possible that other car companies will start to offer carsharing options to compete with BMW. More carsharing options exposes more people to the ability to carshare, and will likely reduce vehicle ownership, VMT or at least allow people to “right size” their vehicle purchases. As the Atlantic pointed out, there is no reason why a car dealership or car company couldn’t start bundling Zipcar memberships right now in cities where carsharing options already exist.
BMW already has experience operating carsharing services. Their Drive Now carsharing services are available throughout Germany and expanded last year to San Francisco. The Drive Now service operates like Zipcar, but allows one-way trips and has airport locations as well, all while driving a BMW.
Pricing for BMW’s carsharing add-on has yet to be announced.


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Humans have been capturing and using geothermal heat from the earth for a very long time. Geothermal energy was being used in China back in the 3rd Century BC and the Ancient Romans, of course, used it to heat their baths and their buildings. Now, in the 21st Century, geothermal power comprises a significant portion of the energy grid in countries ranging from the Philippines to Nicaragua. This week on Sea Change Radio, host Alex Wise talks with Karl Gawell, Executive Director of the Geothermal Energy Association, an organization that advocates for the expansion of geothermal for electricity production. He explains how geothermal works, tells us who the major players are in the industry, and talks about what needs to happen to move the United States toward fully embracing this ancient but largely untapped resource.
Good Guide is a web-based index that scores products from food and beverage to apparel and appliances on their health, environmental and societal impacts, allowing consumers to be truly informed. Good Guide also has a mobile app, so you can literally scan the barcode of the product that interests you, see how it rates, and be directed to products in that category with the highest ratings. This week on Sea Change Radio, host Alex Wise speaks with Dara O’Rourke, co-founder and chief sustainability officer of Good Guide.
So many of us try to be responsible, eco-conscious consumers: we walk or bike to our local food co-op or natural foods store, our re-usable canvas shopping bags in tow. But try buying organic or green products that don’t come in petroleum-based plastic packaging and you’ll soon be presented with another slew of challenges. Those of us who’ve been frustrated by this reality will be happy to learn that there are some people and companies working to reduce the use of plastic packaging in the food industry. This week on Sea Change Radio, host Alex Wise speaks with the founder of a zero-waste grocery store opening soon in Austin, TX, a nut butter entrepreneur who hosted an industry-wide summit to come up with compostable squeeze packs and a snack chip executive whose company has introduced a greener bag for its products.


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POTTERS BAR, England—As April comes to a close, neither Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. nor Mylan N.V. are seeing any progress with their respective acquisition proposals (Teva for Mylan, and Mylan for Perrigo). Mylan announced on April 27 that its board of directors unanimously rejected Teva's unsolicited expression of interest, concluding after a review of the proposal that “the approach did not meet any of the key criteria that would cause the Mylan Board to depart from the Company's successful and longstanding standalone strategy and consider engaging in discussions to sell the Company.”
"Our board has a very important fiduciary obligation to protect the best interests of the company's shareholders and other stakeholders, and has always been open to considering all paths forward in that regard, and this situation is no different. However, that does not mean we will entertain offers that grossly undervalue the company and leave our shareholders and other stakeholders exposed to serious risk,” Robert J. Coury, executive chairman at Mylan, noted in a statement. “After thorough consideration, Mylan's board unanimously determined that Teva's proposal grossly undervalues Mylan, and would require Mylan's shareholders to accept what we believe are low-quality Teva shares in exchange for their high-quality Mylan shares in a transaction that lacks industrial logic and carries significant global antitrust risk. In addition, we also believe that the proposal does not address the serious challenges of integrating two fundamentally different and conflicting cultures under a Teva board and leadership team with a poor record of delivering sustainable shareholder value. We believe that these challenges would make it very difficult to generate value from this combination for Mylan shareholders.”
"Furthermore, the proposal contains nothing meaningful indicating why a combination with Teva would be in the best interest of Mylan's employees, patients, customers, communities and other stakeholders,” Coury added. “In summary, the Board determined that Teva's expression of interest is not in the best interests of Mylan, its shareholders or other stakeholders, and we believe that this is only a mere attempt by Teva to frustrate and distract Mylan from its business plan and strategy.”
In a letter to Teva, Coury emphasized that Mylan is not for sale, but noted that the company's board wanted to pass along an explanation of what it would take for them to consider selling the company and the issues with a possible merger with Teva. Coury noted that Mylan's board “will certainly not consider engaging in discussions to sell the Company unless the starting point of the discussions is significantly in excess of $100 per share,” adding that “There is simply no ultimate benefit in the three core areas that we believe are essential to any transaction in our industry: geographic reach, portfolio diversification and capability expansion.” The letter also cited “the persistent turnover and turmoil amongst the Teva leadership and board and the resulting strategic confusion,” as well as the regulatory risk associated with the proposal, namely the significant overlap geographically and in terms of capabilities.
In response, Teva issued a press release reiterating its commitment to the combination at the stated proposal price, with Erez Vigodman, president and CEO of Teva, saying that “While we are disappointed that Mylan has formally rejected our proposal, the Teva Board and management team are fully committed to completing the combination of Teva and Mylan, and we stand ready to quickly complete a transaction that is compelling for both Teva and Mylan stockholders. We are eager to work with Mylan and its advisors to complete a transaction that will allow us to deliver the value inherent in the proposed combination to our respective stockholders, employees, patients, customers, communities and other stakeholders.”
For its part, Mylan is increasing its efforts in the wake of Perrigo Co. plc's dismissal of its first offer by upping the stakes. The company announced today that it had increased its offer to $75 in cash and 2.3 Mylan shares for each share of Perrigo stock, for a value of $232.23 per Perrigo share and a total deal value of roughly $32.7 billion. The increased offer would result in Mylan shareholders owning roughly 60.7 percent of outstanding Myland shares after the completion of the deal, with former Perrigo shareholders owning roughly 39.3 percent on a fully diluted basis.
Coury noted that, "With this enhanced offer, I look forward to meeting with Joe Papa and his team to finalize the implementation of this truly compelling combination, which is a win-win for both Mylan and Perrigo shareholders and all other stakeholders. Previously, Mylan filed for U.S. anti-trust clearance, made a "hell or high water" commitment with respect to obtaining this clearance and committed to a timetable for closing. We have also secured firm committed financing for our offer. All of this, together with today's action, will result in a transaction that provides compelling value and maximum speed and certainty to Perrigo and its shareholders. Further, this is a transaction that can, and will, be completed and create a powerhouse company that will be an engine for growing shareholder and stakeholder value as Mylan has done consistently for many years.”
Perrigo's leadership isn't convinced, apparently, as it issued a second rejection the same day, noting that “The Board previously concluded that Mylan's unsolicited proposal of April 8 of $205.00 per share significantly undervalued the company and its future growth prospects and was not in the best interests of Perrigo's shareholders. Today's announcement from Mylan continues to propose a price lower than the previously rejected proposal. Based on Mylan's unaffected price of $55.31 per share on March 10, 2015, the last day of trading prior to widespread public speculation that Teva was considering an offer for Mylan, the value of the revised Offer is $202.20 per Perrigo share.” The company advised its shareholders not to take any action in relation to Mylan's offer.


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Toyota Takes U-Turn On Indian Expansion Plans, To Invest Over Rs 2,000 crore
Vikram Kirloskar, VC of Toyota Kirloskar Motors has cleared the air around controversy.
A day after the statement of Toyota Kirloskar Motor’s Vice-Chairman Shekar Viswanathan stirred up widespread controversy in India, another Vice-Chairman, Vikram Kirloskar has cleared the air on the topic. Countering the former’s statement that India’s high tax regime has halted Toyota’s expansion plans in the country, the latter has said that over Rs 2,000 will, in fact, be invested in the Indian market by the company. This puts to rest fears of the company’s exit from India.
In a tweet, Kirloskar said, “Toyota’s focus is on technology expansion, localization and is investing 2000+ crs for the same. I believe that a GST readjustment is required in the future to encourage green mobility. Carbon-based tax will also make the Indian industry more competitive.” Earlier, Viswanathan had said about the Indian tax regime, “The message we are getting after we have come here and invested money, is that we don’t want you.”
Get the latest trending news only on ZEE5.


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At this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES), which is running in Las Vegas through Sunday, Sony announced a wide array of gadgets and gizmos to entice attendees, from a satellite camera anyone can tap into to take photos of Earth to a metaverse version of Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium.
The most consequential announcement, however, was Afeela, the tech company’s new electric vehicle brand it’s creating with Honda. After teasing its own EV concepts in the last few years (the Vision-S 01 sedan followed by the Vision-S 02 SUV), Sony joined forces with its Japanese cohort to create the joint venture Sony Honda Mobility in 2022, and now they’ve unveiled the Afeela prototype (styled “AFEELA”) with plans to offer pre-orders for the car in the first half of 2025 and begin deliveries in North America in spring 2026 (with Japan and European availability coming later, per The Verge).
Wait just a second…Afeela? This is supposed to be the car of the future, a project dreamt up not by an automotive mainstay stuck in its ways but a global technology and media powerhouse that could push boundaries in ways no one else could even imagine (we, for one, have been dying to hear more!) — and the name they’ve decided on is “Afeela”?
The name isn’t derived from a Japanese word, which you may expect considering the country of origin for the partner companies. Instead, as the news release states, the moniker is simply meant to invoke the word “feel,” “which is at the center of the mobility experience.”
“AFEELA expresses an interactive relationship where people ‘FEEL’ mobility as an intelligent entity, and mobility ‘FEELs’ people and society using sensing and network IT technologies,” the company writes. Okay, okay, we get it, it’s all about feel. (And maybe about siphoning off some good brand vibes from Alexa?)
If you’re also scratching your head about the name, don’t let that deter you from being excited about the EV itself. There’s a lot to love about the goals Afeela has in mind. As Reuters reports, Sony and Honda are also partnering with Qualcomm on some next-generation processor chips that can “[handle] both assisted driving and cockpit functions, including entertainment.” They’ve also tapped Epic Games and its Unreal Engine software, something we’ve seen before with the Hummer EV. And as The Verge notes, “Over 40 sensors, including cameras, radar, ultrasonic, and lidar, will be embedded all over the exterior of vehicle [sic], enhancing its ability to detect objects and drive autonomously.”
Sony Honda Mobility is less focused on beating the competition in performance (horsepower, top speed, acceleration) than on trouncing them in entertainment, driver-assistance tech and the overall “in-car experience.”
While many EV startups are having a tough time competing with the automotive heavyweights in today’s landscape thanks to problems sourcing battery materials and manufacturing the power packs, Afeela is one brand-new EV worth betting on. I can feel it.
Thanks for reading InsideHook. Sign up for our daily newsletter and be in the know.


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08/11/2014, 12:08 pm
As Apple gears up to defend itself against another lawsuit from patent holding firm VirnetX, the iPhone maker was dealt a blow late last week after the presiding judge issued a series of pre-trial rulings denying Apple's motion to preemptively invalidate some of VirnetX's patent claims and preventing the use of invalidity as a defense against others.
08/09/2014, 07:08 pm
A new feature discovered in Apple's latest iOS 8 beta release automatically populates the Phone app's Recents list with information about points of interest when dialing out from Maps, applying correct name, addresses and even Yelp data to recent-dialed numbers.
08/07/2014, 11:08 pm
Apple on Thursday kicked off a limited time only promotion for select iOS productivity apps, taking at least 50 percent off popular titles like Scanner Pro, Fantastical 2 and Writer Pro.
08/07/2014, 06:08 pm
It was announced on Thursday that popular iOS and Mac password management app 1Password is on sale for a limited time, and that a future built-for-iOS 8 version with Touch ID support will be available as a free update for existing users.
08/07/2014, 03:08 pm
For iTunes Store customers who purchase content via discount season passes, Apple has begun sending native push notifications in the latest beta of iOS 8 when new content is available -- a change from its previous email alerts.
08/07/2014, 02:08 pm
iPhone and iPad owners can now use Apple's mobile devices to play God with the release of Peter Molyneux's Godus, read business reviews in different languages with Yelp's new built-in Bing translate capabilities, and receive personalized recommendations with Foursquare.
08/07/2014, 11:08 am
Invented by former Apple and Google employees, with the aid of pediatric specialists and Ph.D scientists, Sproutling is the first baby monitor to sense, learn, and predict a baby's behavior, and its creators believe it will make the lives of new parents less stressful.
08/07/2014, 09:08 am
The National Football League on Thursday officially unleashed NFL Now, its new digital content network, bringing football fans personalized video updates from around the league as well as highlights and select live broadcasts -- though games will remain television-only affairs.
08/05/2014, 02:08 pm
Nearly three months after first protecting the "HealthKit" moniker in the small island nation of Trinidad and Tobago, Apple has officially filed paperwork to expand that protection to the U.S. and the European Union.
08/05/2014, 01:08 pm
Apple on Tuesday revealed that the month of July was the best ever for its digital software downloads, as the App Store generated more revenue and had more customers make purchases than ever before.
08/04/2014, 01:08 pm
Apple on Monday made iOS 8 beta 5 and OS X Yosemite Developer Preview 5 available to registered developers, bringing bug fixes and stability improvements to the company's next-generation operating systems.
08/04/2014, 10:08 am
The first installment of blockbuster first-person shooter franchise BioShock will make its way to iOS this summer, publisher 2K Games announced on Monday, the latest high-profile console title to reach Apple's mobile platform.
08/04/2014, 03:08 am
In the face of dubious market research portraying Apple's iPad (and perhaps the entire tablet market) as troubled and teetering on the brink of collapse, Apple's chief executive Tim Cook expressed a sincere lack of concern while addressing analysts, alluding to long term strategies for outliving tablet rivals focused on volume shipments and short term market share gains.
08/03/2014, 06:08 pm
As the name suggests, DJI's Phantom 2 Vision+ isn't much different than its predecessor, with the same exceptional flying capabilities as the last model. But the newfound "plus" for this drone is mostly found in its vastly improved camera and gimbal, which offers super-smooth recording capabilities from a bird's eye view.
08/02/2014, 11:08 pm
Apple's iOS has taken majority market share in education, government and the enterprise, but Google's Android has become the favored mobile platform among Al-Qaeda operatives.
07/31/2014, 08:07 pm
Facebook on Thursday pushed out an update to its Slingshot photo messaging service and app, allowing users to bypass the "reply-to-unlock" mechanic by replying to "reactions" with photos, video or text.
07/31/2014, 01:07 pm
Crowdfunding site Indiegogo on Thursday unveiled an iOS app that allows users to back projects on the go, while internet encyclopedia Wikipedia launched a ground-up rewrite of its own native app and crowdsourced traffic information app Waze issued an update featuring improvements to its voice guidance system.
07/31/2014, 02:07 am
Readdle, developer of popular iOS apps like Scanner Pro and PDF Expert 5, is having a 48-hour sale on its iOS app offerings in celebration of its birthday, cutting up to 70 percent off select titles.
07/30/2014, 11:07 am
Russia's Ministry of Communications and Mass Media has suggested that Apple should open its source code for government inspection to ensure that the iPhone maker is not complicit in enabling U.S. intelligence services to spy on the world's largest country.
07/30/2014, 02:07 am
Microsoft on Tuesday rolled out a major update to its Apple-centric OneNote product line, adding new features like access to notes stored in OneDrive for Business or SharePoint Online, inserting files and note reorganization and sharing.


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Burberry, the investor’s coveted sweet
Posted On August 3, 2012
The quintessential luxury team has been within the spotlight for weeks, beneath speculations of being focused through the luxury conglomerate PPR which currently very own the 9 fashions collected inside the Gucci Team (Gucci, Bottega Veneta, Yves Saint Laurent, Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Bedat & Co., Boucheron, Sergio Rossi and Stella McCartney).”There have been reports that PPR was close to an agreement with Steinhoff to sell Conforama,” summed up for Business week Peter Farren, an analyst at Bryan Garnier. “That would fuel speculation on Burberry.” PPR is in talks with “various” investors about the sale of its unit, including Steinhoff International Holdings Ltd., Africa’s largest furniture maker, PPR said early this month. Conforama, France’s second-largest furniture retailer is valued by Sanford C. Bernstein analysts at about 1.3 billion euros ($1.72 billion).
Modified pretax profit advanced 26 percent to 161.six million lbs ($257 million), Burberry stated these days inside an assertion. That was greater compared to 159 million-pound typical, five analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg. The dividend for the 6 months ended Sept. thirty was improved to 7 pence a share. Burberry fell 36 pence, or two.5 percent, to 1,385 pence at 8:04 a.m. in London buying and selling, after increasing 3.2 pc yesterday. The shares have gained 23 % this yr. However, the first-half gross margin widened to 66.7pc from 64.3 percent a yr earlier, whilst operating margin improved to 14.9 % from 14.8 pc, Burberry mentioned. The maker of 2,195-pound “graphic matelasse” trench coats verified that it expects a “modest” advancement in full-year working margin as it boosts richest spending to as much as 200 million lbs.
As published in international trade media, the PPR have been mentioned as predators but PPR denied it is interested through an official statement last Friday: “Burberry is a very beautiful brand, but it does not match the selection criteria for our luxurious portfolio…” made clear PPR spokeswoman Charlotte Judet. Burberry’s shares closed down at ￡11.08 on Friday.
Overlooking Royal Albert Hall and also the Royal University of Art, the Burberry Prorsum catwalk show will be the first LFW show to become hosted at Kensington Gardens. The AW11 assortment is ready to be introduced at 4pm. Burberry to expose document profits: Burberry is expected to expose a double-digit boost in revenue when it updates the market on third quarter investing on Tuesday. Analysts count on the London fashion house to post third quarter revenues, excluding Spanish functions, of ￡434m – up from ￡380m inside the same time period the previous 12 months. As the wealthy regain the boldness to devote and customers in rising markets build a taste for luxurious merchandise, Burberry has seen product sales and profits spike above the previous 12 months. Several other luxurious items houses have noticed similar increases.
John Guy, analyst at Royal Bank of Scotland, said to Financial Times that Burberry is one of the few luxurious goods groups free from family control or a blocking stake. “It is the only 100 per cent free-float listed company out there, with real size and scale, and with the opportunity still to grow further,” he said. “From a luxury goods perspective, if someone wants the growth from a fast-moving brand, Burberry is in that camp,” conclude Kate Calvert, analyst at Seymour Pierce, in an article for Financial Times.
Read more about Burberry bags on burberry-outlet-au.com, and choose your favorite Burberry bags from Burberry Bags On Sale, please click here for checking.


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“The very structure of the industry challenged” – AEA
The Association of European Airlines has released traffic and capacity data for Sep-08 containing “the weakest [data] our industry has seen for 25 years”, according to Secretary General, Ulrich Schulte-Strathaus”. He explained the 1.1% decrease in passenger traffic was the first traffic loss since the early 1980s that was attributable essentially to economic factors.
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The House of Representatives passed a resolution overturning a previous FCC rule that required internet providers to get customers’ permission before sharing their browser history. The rules also required internet providers to protect that data from hackers and inform customers of any breaches.
Not anymore. Soon that will all end.
It’s hard to see this as anything but a major loss for consumers. Remember the Republican party of old that fought for privacy and wanted government out of your pockets? Well, now government will have the ability to buy your browsing history, what apps you use, what banks you use, your location data, where you like to visit, etc. Your Internet Service Provider will now hold more data about you than Facebook and Google and they don’t even need to ask your permission to sell it for profit.
This is an increasingly important issue as Americans spend more time online and we’re buying more devices that connect to the internet.
The especially troubling part to me. Republicans sold out our privacy for such a small donation from the telecoms. Look at the document here.
This is why more people are now turning to using a VPN to not show your internet traffic to your ISP.
My VPN of choice. Private Internet Access (PIA)


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Interviews with famous entrepreneurs & businesspeople
What do businesses need to make Britain an economic powerhouse?
Will the media have “blood on its hands” as Kids Company closes its doors?
The tech sector has never seemed more welcoming for would-be entrepreneurs, says Powa Technologies founder Dan Wagner
Take a look at British assets owned by bollygarchs
Interviews with fast-growing London businesses
This article appears in partnership with British Library
Best on building a business in the recession and why he’s proud of his Gypsy roots
Can the crowdfunding model work in London? We speak to Anastasia Emmanuel, director of UK Hardware, technology and design, Indiegogo
An e-commerce start-up that helps online retailers increase sales has become the third business to receive investment from Google’s investment arm Google Ventures Europe.
Interviews with young entrepreneurs
Entrepreneur Oliver Tress on how retail has transformed and why university can be a waste of time


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Dark side of Black Friday: Amazon workers protest “inhumane conditions” on shopping holiday
Monday, November 26, 2018/
The increasing prevalence of shopping holidays such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday has delivered more sales for retailers across the world as well as hot deals for consumers.
But all those packages have to be processed, and the workers getting the job done in e-commerce giant Amazon’s European fulfilment centres are fed up.
Last week, amid the Black Friday rush, workers in warehouses in Italy, Germany, Spain and the UK walked off the job to protest low wages and what they say are unsafe working conditions.
Reuters reported more than 600 workers protested in Germany, where Amazon pays a starting salary of about $12 an hour.
In the UK, where workers have recently been given a pay rise, union GMB said conditions in British warehouses were “inhumane”.
“The conditions our members at Amazon are working under are frankly inhuman. They are breaking bones, being knocked unconscious and being taken away in ambulances,” GMB general secretary Tim Roache said in a statement posted on GMB’s website.
“Jeff Bezos is the richest bloke on the planet; he can afford to sort this out.”
Fantastic night of protests at #Amazon????#Rugely by our @GMBWestMidlands Region. This is #GMBUnion4Amazon brilliant women in action , mobilising and organising ✊ #AmazonAreNotRobots #BlackFriday2018 pic.twitter.com/5IUu2erTSU
The protests are the latest instance of tensions boiling to the surface between warehouse workers and Amazon, as scrutiny over the underbelly of online shopping grows.
In Australia, where Amazon uses labour-hire companies to staff its warehouse in Melbourne, there has been criticism over workplace conditions.
In September the e-commerce giant shot down claims its Australian warehouses were a “hellscape”, which surfaced in a Fairfax Media investigation.
In the company’s home market, sustained pressure from politicians such as Senator Bernie Sanders prompted it to improve pay and conditions for warehouse workers earlier this year.
An Amazon spokesperson said its European DCs were fully operational during Black Friday and that it respects the rights of groups and invidiauls to have a voice.
“Amazon is a fair and responsible employer. We believe in continuous improvement across our network and maintain an open and direct dialogue with our associates. Amazon has invested over 27 billion EUR and created over 75,000 permanent jobs across Europe since 2010,” the spokesperson said.
“We provide safe and positive working conditions, and encourage anyone to come see for themselves by taking a tour at one of our fulfilment centres.”
This story was updated on November 30 at 9:07 AM AEDT to include comment from Amazon.
LinkedIn engagement pods: Silver bullet or desperate ploy? Sue Parker DARE Group founder
Own it: The 10 things you need to do to manage your personal brand Lisa Stephenson Who Am I Projects founder
How to call your team into action with a winning presentation Emma Bannister Presentation Studio founder
The link between diet and mental health — and how to eat your way to wellbeing Kate Save Be Fit Food co-founder
From interactive videos to AI: The five marketing trends that will dominate 2019 Warwick Boulter Collaboro co-founder
Australia is leading the legaltech revolution, but what does this mean for lawyers, firms and clients? Jodie Baker Xakia founder
Why a video news release needs to be part of your PR strategy Leisa Goddard Adoni Media managing director
Want to catch more customers? Here's how to create a super sales funnel Jovana Vujnic Bumper Leads founder


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Supplier of iGaming and betting software NuxGame has signed a new partnership with Platipus Gaming, a dedicated developer of content for the industry. Through this new partnership, NuxGame partners will have access to Platipus’ series of innovative content and titles.
Platipus Gaming Now Part of NuxGame’s Offer
Platipus Gaming has specialized in the development of crypto-friendly games along with standard iGaming propositions. The studio has been around since 2014 and operates out of the United Kingdom. It develops and crafts beautifully-animated and mobile-friendly games on HTMl5.
The company has been able to expand into other parts of the experience as well, including table games, over the last years. As a result, the studio offers more than 80 slot and table games, translated into 18 languages, and works with a number of FIAT and mainstream cryptocurrencies.
Thanks to this new partnership, NuxGame will be able to continue building up a portfolio of content partners that can be implemented immediately with any partner operator. NuxGame has been working hard to ensure that its offer is stronger each month.
The company previously arranged a similar partnership with Ezugi and it joined QTech Games, to give its offer a further boost. NuxGame also has a partnership with Smartico.ai enabling the company to deploy an intuitive CRM automation platform for added efficiency and reliability.
Platipus Confident to Reach New Audiences with NuxGame
Commenting on the latest partnership with Platipus Gaming, NuxGame head of sales Bar Konson added:
We are delighted to be given the opportunity to offer Platipus Gaming’s renowned products to our respected partners and their players. Forming these agreements with other distinguished brands is a core pillar of our growth strategy, and we couldn’t be more excited to see where this collaboration will take us.
NuxGame head of sales Bar Konson
Platipus Gaming CMO Garanko Vladyslav welcomed the opportunity to be teaming up with NuxGame with a similar tone and argued that the company appreciated the opportunity to have its business exposed and strike home with a broader audience, which should bolster the studio’s profile further.


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Low mobile communication tariffs were a result of sharp competition, which historically formed after operators divided the market. Development of new technologies have made those tariffs irrelevant, Girts Rungainis, a Latvian investment banker and serial entrepreneur in banking and finance told Baltic News Network.
In addition, Rungainis also mentioned that tariff changes were dictated by two significant trends: rapid technological development and cancellation of roaming allowance in the EU after officials in Brussels confirmed roaming surcharges will be abolished as of 15 June 2017.
Rungainis added that until now it was possible to collect part of the money from tourists travelling to Latvia and using roaming services.
The banker believes it was one of the reasons why EU agreed to cancel roaming fees. “Domestic tariffs and consumption models are very different when you travel from country to country. For example, clients in Ireland pay nearly ten times as much as we do. In addition, the fee for roaming services forms nearly 5% of mobile operators’ revenue in the EU. This makes tariff equalization very complicated and painful for some consumers.”
Mobile operators in all of Europe warned that cancellation of roaming fees would create major pressure on domestic tariffs. Not only in Latvia, but in Scandinavia too there had been concerns about the future of cheap and generous domestic service packages.
Since 2007, roaming prices have decreased by more than 90%. Prices fell for the final time in April 2016, to 5 cents per minute of voice call, 2 cents per SMS, and 5 cents per MB of data on top of national rates. In 2015, and based on a proposal of the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council agreed to end roaming charges for people travelling periodically in the EU. The Commission adopted technical measures needed to make this happen, including a fair use policy and sustainability mechanism in December 2016. In parallel, the Telecoms Single Market Regulation entrusted the Commission with the task of reviewing the wholesale roaming markets and making appropriate proposals before 15 June 2016, in order to enable the abolition of retail roaming charges from 15 June 2017.
According to the EU Commission, travelers are meant to be able to “call, text and surf on their mobile devices when abroad in the EU for no extra charge on top of the price they pay at home”.


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22 Aug, 2017
Momo Inc. (NASDAQ: MOMO) reported its second quarter earnings and beat estimates, but despite strong results, shares plummeted down over 19 percent during Tuesday’s trading hours.The Chinese social media company posted revenues for the second ..
The Chinese government is all set to put a full stop to acquisitions outside the country by domestic businesses. The move is being touted as a means to ensure that Chinese businesses do not take on excessive debt. A document has been released by the..
Stock manipulations in Hong Kong are on the rise, say, short sellers, who are determined to bring these to the light despite the many challenges they face in doing so. The number of complaints from their brethren against Chinese companies listed in ..
Chinese companies are increasingly sourcing funds through Malaysian Islamic bonds or Sukuk in Malaysia. The last two weeks of July witnessed a number of such financial arrangements, including the shoring up of Tadau Energy, a solar energy unit from ..
Jia Yueting, Chinese Entrepreneur from Faraday Future, an electric car start-up, has hired BMW veteran Ulrich Kranz as chief technology officer, as it pushes to accelerate production of its FF91 luxury electric SUV despite its parent’s financi..
China’s biggest e-commerce platform TaoBao is used by millions of Chinese consumers to purchase a range of everything from food to electronics and markets more than 1 billion yuan of assets a day. Owned by e-retailing giant Alibaba Group Holdi..
Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (NYSE: BABA), a Chinese e-commerce company decided to invest $1 billion in a Southeast Asian online retailer called Lazada which would boost their stake by almost a third to 83 percent. This decision was based on the expand..
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Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) continues to build on this year’s events industry momentum as the final two months of the year bring a packed Q4 calendar to a close.
The Gitex Global entered its second day on Tuesday. Exhibitors are upbeat about this year show after the worst pandemic.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, on Tuesday toured Gitex Global 2022,
Global and regional tech organisations have announced new partnerships and alliances during the third day of Gitex Global 2022. Different companies have also unveiled new plans and products during the event to enhance their business growth. The Ministry of State for Federal National Council Affairs (MFNCA) is presenting its innovative
Sheikh Mansoor Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum on Wednesday toured Gitex Global 2022, the world’s largest technology show being held at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC). Sheikh Mansoor said that Dubai’s comprehensive development journey and its adoption of the latest technologies reflect the vision
Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, said the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum,
Hub71, Abu Dhabi’s global tech ecosystem, has launched an expansive partnership with GetFundedAfrica, a tech-enabled marketplace that matches startups, investors (VCs & Angels),
Gitex Global 2022, the world’s largest tech and start-up event, shone a spotlight on some of the world’s most innovative female tech entrepreneurs.
Gitex Global 2022 concluded on a strong note as global and local tech companies have signed new deals and partnerships during the 5-day exhibition.


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Discovery Communications CEO David Zaslav said that pay-TV operators in the U.S. are missing an opportunity by not offering an $8 skinny bundle that’s priced competitively with Netflix.
Speaking today at a Bernstein investor conference, Zaslav said pay-TV operators will eventually need to offer a skinny bundle to meet consumer demand. He said the bundle will have no sports, a few networks, and will cost $8 to $10. Zaslav said that a new skinny bundle priced at that point wouldn't necessarily compete against or replicate what Netflix is offering, but it would offer another programming option for around $8.
“That’s what’s worked everywhere else in the world,” Zaslav said, adding that channel bundles without sports are accelerators for the pay-TV market everywhere in the world.
Discovery has recently been tied to other programmers including Viacom and AMC Networks in reports that suggest those networks are working on launching an entertainment-only bundle.
Speaking earlier this month at a J.P. Morgan investor conference, Viacom CEO Bob Bakish said that a $10 to $20 skinny bundle without sports would be launching within the calendar year. Bakish reiterated that Viacom is in deep talks with at least one MVPD about a channel bundle that can help bring in new customers at a lower price point and also help keep existing customers in the pay-TV ecosystem.
Outside of traditional pay TV, Discovery also has a lot of irons in the fire in terms of OTT and direct-to-consumer, although Zaslav warned that his company is still working on the whole monetization thing.
“We’re not making much money with direct-to-consumer,” he said.
Zaslav said the Eurosport Player, which he again referred to as “sports Netflix,” has drawn in a couple of hundred thousand subscribers so far. In the U.S., he said Discovery’s authenticated GO apps could soon see 2% advertising growth, adding that the CPMs for those apps are higher than traditional linear because people are watching longer.
Zaslav said Discovery’s authenticated apps are almost all additive and they are not cannibalizing Discovery’s traditional linear business.
This article has been update to clarify David Zaslav's comments about Netflix.


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We are attending the Impact Fintech conference in Lodz, Poland on 28-29th November.
Impact brings leaders at the forefront of innovation from many sectors together to explore the opportunities for creating global digital future. A variety of tracks is available, including artificial intelligence, big data, blockchain, P2P lending and security solutions.
In our presentation we will announce our newest product, the My Wealth mobile app in the CEE region. Our Sales Director CEE, Stanislaw Markowski and our Director of Business Development, Imre Rokob will hold together a presentation and a live demo.
Check out the post event video of the last year’s edition or join the Facebook event.


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In a significant shift, Amazon has announced the introduction of advertisements on its Prime Video streaming service, starting today. Subscribers, who already shell out $139 annually for Amazon Prime, will now experience limited ads during their movie and TV show binges. To maintain an ad-free experience, users now have to pay an additional $3 per month, on top of their existing $139 yearly Prime membership.
The move comes as a departure from the era of ad-free streaming, with Amazon following in the footsteps of major players like Netflix, Disney+, Max, and Paramount+, all of which have embraced ads in recent years. In an email to Prime members last month, Amazon informed users that starting January 29, Prime Video content would include limited advertisements.
While Apple TV+ remains an exception with its ad-free model, it’s also one of the smallest players in the streaming arena, boasting just 25 million subscribers compared to Prime Video’s massive 200 million user base. Apple TV+ benefits from being bundled with Apple TV, allowing it to function as a perk rather than a standalone profit-driven service.
The streaming landscape, once hailed as a cable alternative with low-cost subscriptions for premium, ad-free content, is undergoing a transformation. As prices rise and advertisements become commonplace, streaming services are slowing down their investment in new content. Netflix, for instance, produced 130 fewer shows in 2023 compared to the previous year.
Will you be paying the extra $3 per month to keep your Amazon Prime Video service ad-free? Let us know in the comments!


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We’ve already seen the new 2012 Kia Ray, the Korean market’s Honey-I-shrunk-the-Soul micro car.
Read This Article
Admit it, you start tapping your foot every time a Kia Soul commercial comes on, featuring those so-cool-it-hurts, beat-boxing hamsters.
We've seen the commercials with the dancing hamsters, but it may be time for the new 2014 Kia Soul to dance across the international stage, possibly making its debut at the 2013 New York Auto Show.
Korean manufactures Kia and Hyundai turned in solid August sales numbers.


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As 2020 rolls on, we are very excited to announce the grand opening of our new office in Las Vegas, Nevada. This will be the first office in the State of Nevada, marking a new milestone in the global development and expansion of our company.
As Aleksandar Sasha Jovicic, the global Chief Executive Officer, said: “We found that enterprise companies in Nevada were extremely underserved in various advanced digital marketing strategies and we decided that an enterprise approach to business development online was sorely needed in Vegas and beyond.”
Israel Zenou, the company’s Vice President of Business Development tasked with growing the Vegas region expressed his opinion about the current state of digital marketing for companies in Nevada: “I am truly ready to bring solutions to the table for all Nevada companies. Las Vegas has needed a company like Executive Digital for a long time, bringing forth its incredible SEO, webdev, social media and paid media strategies. Vegas is ready!”
Charles Kim noted: “2020 has been such a tumultuous year for many businesses in Las Vegas, and as such, we are extremely prepared to lend a hand in digital marketing strategies for all Vegas-based businesses. Las Vegas has been on our radar for many years, as we saw a lack of professional SEO firms ready to assist at scale. We are very much ready to help all enterprise-level companies in Vegas grow, using our methodologies. Viva Las Vegas!”
The new Executive Digital office is located at:
10845 Griffith Peak Dr Suite 2A
Las Vegas, NV 89135


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Beverage giant PepsiCo (NASDAQ: PEP) on Tuesday reported second-quarter earnings and revenues that topped earnings estimates. Revenues grew 2.2% to $16.45 billion, edging past analysts’ estimate for $16.42 billion. On an organic basis, revenue grew 4.5%.
The snack business continued to outperform in Q2, with organic revenue growth of 5%. The segment was also returned 4.5% higher adjusted constant currency profits. Meanwhile, the Quaker Foods North America, despite seeing a 3% organic revenue growth, saw its profits plunge double-digits.
Core earnings fell 4.3% year-over-year to $1.54 per share, beating the street estimate of $1.50 per share.
PEP shares were up 0.5% during pre-market trading on Tuesday. The stock has gained 22% so far this year.
Ramon Laguarta, who took charge as PepsiCo CEO in October last year, expressed confidence of meeting the full-year targets set by the beverage company.
PepsiCo reiterated its guidance of full-year organic revenue growth of 4%. For this period, core EPS is projected to fall 3% to $5.50 per share.
PepsiCo continues to boost its strong product portfolio through innovation and strategic partnerships. The company recently teamed up with Lavazza to launch iced coffee in the UK. PepsiCo’s diversification efforts through various acquisitions and partnerships are likely to pay off in driving growth going forward.
Pepsi’s primary competitor The Coca Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is slated to report financial results two weeks later.
BlackBerry Limited (NYSE: BB) is slated to report its fourth-quarter 2020 earnings results on Tuesday, March 31, after the market closes. The top line will be benefited by BlackBerry Cylance
The coronavirus pandemic continues to plague the world with over 500,000 cases reported globally and over 82,000 cases in the US alone. As the world grapples with the outbreak, several
Altimmune Inc. (NASDAQ: ALT) reported its earnings results for fiscal-year 2019. Revenues totaled $5.8 million compared to $10.3 million last year. The drop in revenues was caused by lower billings


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Digital transformation confers high double-digit growth on Q_PERIOR
The business and IT consultancy firm Q_PERIOR publishes its figures for the fiscal year 2016: With sales totaling €131 million, the Q_PERIOR Group reports a strong expansion of 26 percent. Projects in the context of digital transformation have proven to be the key driver of growth.
Having passed the €100 million threshold in 2015, Q_PERIOR has seen a leap in the growth of existing and new customer business over the past year.
“Our customers trust us to implement their digital transformation projects – from updating their application environment right through to developing innovative business models. For instance, we are currently providing support for one of the largest digitalization projects in the financial sector,” explains Klaus Leitner, CFO of Q_PERIOR AG. “This is also reflected in the positive development of our sales.”
Expansion has a positive effect on recruiting new staff
In order to achieve the Group’s declared sales target of €140 million in 2017, the consultancy firm will continue to recruit new junior staff, as well as to develop our employees and invest in new areas of business. Q_PERIOR is planning on hiring 120 new employees in this year alone. Alongside consultants with SAP know-how, experts in the sectors of banking, tourism, transport and logistics are in special demand.


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The Recreation Vehicle Industry Association commissioned an Economic Impact Study on the RV industry, released on June 7, 2016. The study found that the RV industry contributes about $49.7 billion in economic output or 0.28 percent of the Gross Domestic Product. Through its production and distribution linkages, the industry impacts firms in 426 of the 440 sectors of the United States economy.
Nationwide, the industry is responsible for 216,170 jobs, both directly and inderectly, creating an economic impact of $37.5 billion. The full study results, along with each individual state and congressional district's economic impact is available on the website by clicking here .
Thu Aug 25, 2016
Flexsteel Industries Inc. Director Jeffrey Bertsch sold 25,657 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Aug. 22. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.57, for a total transaction of about $1.12 million.
Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 212,756 shares of the company’s stock, valued at about $9.27 million. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission.
Flexsteel Industries Inc. opened at 43.96 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $41.98 and a 200-day moving average of $41.55. The company has a market capitalization of $337.52 million and a PE ratio of 14.09. Flexsteel Industries Inc. has a 1-year low of $27.77 and a 1-year high of $48.67.