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It’s no secret that consumers are rapidly leaving their desktop and laptop devices behind, and accessing digital content through smartphones and tablets instead. But advertisers haven’t really followed.
According to data from eMarketer, U.S. adults now spend nearly 24% of their media consumption time with smartphones and tablets, but marketers only spend an average of around 10% of their ad budgets targeting those devices.
Marketers say that’s largely because of technical limitations related to targeting and measuring ads on phones and tablets. With desktop computers, online ad placements are typically targeted using small pieces of code placed on users’ machines called “cookies.” The problem is, cookies don’t work well on smartphones and tablets, and that makes it difficult for marketers to understand who their ads are reaching, and the effect they’re having on consumers.
Verizon thinks it has a way around that problem, by assigning unique identifiers to its subscribers. Through a product called PrecisionID, Verizon will pass these identifiers to advertisers when mobile users in its network load websites and apps, in order to help advertisers target messages to those users. Verizon says it doesn’t collect any information itself, and that the identifiers are anonymous.
For example, if a Verizon subscriber visits a shoe retailer’s site, the retailer might log that activity. Verizon’s PrecisionID could then help that retailer target ads to the same user’s mobile device within websites or applications.
Verizon’s Precision Market Insights division began collecting and selling data on its customers last year, WSJ reported, but that information was mostly being used for analytic purposes, such as to give stadiums and malls statistics and information about cellphone users in particular locations. The company is now shifting its focus away from analytics, and specifically towards the targeting and measurement of advertising. Verizon had 103 million subscribers in Q1, according to its earnings report.
“We went out and looked at the pain-points in the industry we might be in a position to help solve,” said Colson Hillier, vice president of Verizon’s Precision Market Insights group.
“In the mobile space delivering the right ad to right person is difficult because there is no common standard for identity and addressability. We think we’re in a position to solve that. The second piece is the measurement of mobile; there are a lot of problems with getting good attribution data,” Mr. Hillier added.
Marketers agree. Advertising agency Starcom MediaVest has already been trialing Verizon’s ad solution with clients including Kraft and 1-800-Flowers.
“Advertisers are very interested in this type of data. Consumers are heavily using mobile but it hasn’t developed much from an advertiser standpoint because it lacks a persistent identifier or a cookie. There’s no way to be precise,” said Tracey Scheppach, innovations director at Starcom MediaVest Group.
Verizon isn’t the only company hoping to capitalize on that opportunity. Facebook is now using its user data to help marketers target users across mobile apps, and online ad giant Google is evaluating non-desktop alternatives to cookies also.
Beyond just smartphones and tablets, Mr. Hillier said Verizon also plans to help marketers target its subscribers as they move across different devices. For example, if a user visits a golf site on a tablet, Verizon might help an advertiser target the same person with an ad for golf shoes on their smartphone later that day. Down the line, it could even monitor users’ TV viewing habits and serve ads to their other devices based on that information.
“We’ve started with mobile because it’s our core. But if you think of our market position across TV, broadband and wireless, it allows us to look at behaviors of individuals across different panes of glass,” Mr. Hillier said.
Verizon says users can opt out of PrecisionID, and that no personally-identifiable information is ever passed on to advertisers.
“We start with a privacy first mentality. We tread very carefully here,” Mr Hillier added.
So far Verizon has partnered with a handful of advertising technology companies to help bring its data and identification capabilities to market. Currently data management provider BlueKai, video ad company Brightroll, and demand-side platform providers Turn and RUN have integrated PrecisionID. (Verizon invested $1.5 million in RUN last year.)
Those deals aren’t exclusive, however. Verizon is exploring ways to make its data available to other partners, too.
“We’re new to this business and we recognize that commercializing and driving scale with this isn’t something were going to do ourselves. We’ve looked at how to employ PrecisionID across different parts of ad tech,” Mr. Hillier concluded.
UPDATE: A previous version of this article stated Verizon tracks and monitors its customers’ in-app and mobile web activity. Verizon says it doesn’t track or monitor users’ activity, and that it simply passes anonymous identifiers on to third-parties when they load apps and websites.


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Photo Credit: ABC News
Wisconsin resident and Fitbit Flex 2 owner Dina Mitchell was in for an ordeal, as she claims the wearable exploded without warning while wearing it on her arm. At the time of explosion, Mitchell was not doing any strenuous activity, and was just sitting on her bed reading a book.
ABC News reports that Mitchell's Fitbit Flex 2 caught fire without any warning giving her second-degree burns. "I was literally just sitting and reading when my Fitbit exploded. It was either defective or really mad I was sitting still so long. Either way, it burned the heck out of my arm," Mitchell told the publication.
Mitchell's Fitbit burst into flames while it was on her arm, and she had to remove it while in flames. Later on, the doctors had to remove plastic and rubber from her wound as well. Fitbit is aware about the matter, and in a statement to Engadget, it said, "We are extremely concerned about Ms. Mitchell's report regarding her Flex 2 and take it very seriously, as the health and safety of our customers is our top priority. Fitbit products are designed and produced in accordance with strict standards and undergo extensive internal and external testing to ensure the safety of our users. We have spoken with Ms. Mitchell and are actively investigating this issue. We are not aware of any other complaints of this nature and see no reason for people to stop wearing their Flex 2. We will share additional information as we are able."
This seems to be a standalone issue for now, as there are no other reports of exploding Fitbit Flex 2 reported just yet. The Fitbit Flex 2 was launched in India in August last year, and was priced at Rs. 9,499. Now, its available online for as low as Rs. 5,999.
Last year, Samsung was embroiled in a similar flaming controversy, when several users' Galaxy Note 7 units started exploding due to a battery defect. Last year, even the Basis Peak wearable was recalled after many exploding reports.

domain: news


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Far Cry developer Crytek released a “pre-release” demo of its upcoming title, Crysis, last Friday, dazzling gamers with its graphics but leaving many of them dismayed over performance woes even on the heftiest systems.
The demo features the first full level of the game, where the protagonist operates as part of a special unit dropped into a hostile territory patrolled by North Korean soldiers. The scenery and setting is almost identical to that of Far Cry, the company’s hit debut title released several years ago.
Gameplay options, however, are more varied, as the player has at his disposal a “nanosuit” capable of bursts of cloaked movement, extra strength or blazing speed. Weapons, too, come with available alternate options, such as silencers and sights.
The main and much-anticipated highlight of the demo though, of course, is the graphical beauty. Trees and foliage appear in unprecedented detail, and shader, shadow, blur and HDR effects are put to impressive use.
Much to their dismay, however, gamers on various gaming sites noted that they also found their frame rates anemic at high settings. An average of 20 to 30 frames per second was common even with a $500 part such as the Nvidio 8800 Ultra and dual and quad-core processors, users reported.
Additionally, Vista 64 owners in particular reported problems running the DX10 mode, which features extra graphics settings not available in DX9. Then again, some of the supposedly exclusive DX10 features have already been unlocked in DX9 by an enterprising user.
The game is due to be released in two weeks and will be patched for SLI support.
Source: Hardforum.com, Anandtech.com, Ars Technica Forums


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China High-Tech Fair 2020 (hereinafter referred to as the CHTF) was held at Shenzhen Convention & Exhibition Center from November 11 to 15, 2020. Qianxi Robotics Group, a subsidiary of Country Garden, made its debut with various types of self-developed robots, among which the same container clay pot robot that assisted Hubei was the most eye-catching. The self-developed container clay pot robot that assisted Hubei in the fight against the pandemic, “FOODOM” Chinese cuisine and hot pot cloud track system, burger robot, robot that makes soy milk featuring five kinds of cereal, marshmallow robot, ice cream robot, and many other intelligent catering robots made their appearances at CHTF, of which the star product: container clay pot robot, has become the highlight in the anti-pandemic science and technology exhibition area.
This February, medical workers in Wuhan used clay pot robots to take meals.
It is reported that at the height of the coronavirus pandemic in February, many restaurants closed, especially in areas around Hubei with urgent demands for meals. Qianxi Robotics Group and Country Garden Guoqiang Foundation donated two batches of self-developed container clay pot robots to Hubei when the pandemic first struck. Each device can make 120 meals per hour by automatic cooking with 24-hour contactless meal-heating services to strongly support the logistical needs of the medical staff, which contributes to winning the battle against the pandemic, and fully demonstrates the industrial achievements made by “black technology” in helping with the front-line efforts to combat the pandemic. Over 150 media covered such a move. CCTV’s “Work Together to Fight the Pandemic” live streaming has garnered 128 million views, and “Clay Pot Rice Cheers for Hot Dry Noodles” has become a sweet memory in the cold February.
Futuristic robotic dining hall
According to Qiu Mi, assistant president of Country Garden Holdings and general manager of Qianxi Robotics Group, at the beginning of 2019, Country Garden proposed a new positioning as the company moves towards the future: “a high-tech and comprehensive enterprise that makes products for everyone’s better life” and stepped on a new pathway of diversified overall arrangement and coordinated development. In May 2019, Country Garden founded Qianxi Robotics Group and realized fast development with R&D and manufacturing, system building, and overall operation from scratch.


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At its annual Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple finally addressed one of the more glaring examples of its (self-admitted) diversity problem. Two female executives, Jennifer Bailey and Susan Prescott, took to the stage at Moscone West to introduce two of the company’s products that’ll be built into the latest versions of iOS and OS X. Apple fans and advocates of diversity in tech quickly took to Twitter to express their excitement at finally seeing Apple execs who weren’t your standard-issue white men at the event.
Bailey, who is Vice President of Apple’s online store, unveiled the future of Apple Pay, which basically turns your iPhone into a credit card. Prescott, Apple's VP of Product Management and Marketing, demonstrated Apple News, a new feature that works a lot like Flipboard, but is actually baked right into iOS.
Earlier this week, ahead of the conference, Apple CEO Tim Cook hinted that this year’s WWDC would feature a more diverse cast of voices. In an interview with Mashable, Cook explained that Silicon Valley’s problems with diversity couldn’t just be explained away by saying that minorities and women weren’t interested in tech.
"I think it's our fault—'our' meaning the whole tech community," Cook said. "I think in general we haven't done enough to reach out and show young women that it's cool to do it and how much fun it can be."
Prior to this year’s WWDC, Apple struggled to bring its female leadership into the spotlight, despite many women playing active roles in much of the company’s recent success. As Gizmodo points out, prior to Bailey and Prescott’s WWDC appearances, Apple had only managed to bring six female presenters to WWDC and major product launches since 2007. Six women total in eight years of conferences and launches. Google, on the other hand, featured three female voices at its own developer’s conference last week.
Though their presence at WWDC is new, both Bailey and Prescott have been key players at Apple for some time. Before helming Apple Pay, Bailey was responsible for the online Apple stores, one of the most crucial components to Apple’s strategic launch of its products. Prescott joined Apple in 2003 as a VP of one of its creative groups, opting to leave her position at Adobe, where she’d served as a VP Product Management and Marketing.
Conspicuously missing from the entire event were any speeches given by Apple employees of color, though there were guest appearances by the McKinsey Institute's James Manyika, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and a seemingly nervous Drake, who plans to release his next album using Apple's new Connect music streaming feature.


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The Dubai Mall’s latest AV attraction puts modesty to one side, claiming three world records. It’s a 50m-wide, curved OLED videowall that is wowing visitors to Dubai’s Aquarium & Underwater Zoo. Rob Lane finds out how it was created.
Bigger continues to be better in Dubai, especially when it comes to tech. The latest AV attraction at The Dubai Mall – the world’s most visited retail destination – is a huge, two-storey 700sqm (50m x 14m) curved, ‘waveform’ videowall above the Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo. Comprising 820 LG OLED screens, it boasts 1.7 billion pixels and is claimed as the world’s highest-resolution, largest hi-def and biggest OLED videowall.
Unveiled in August, overseen by leading entertainment and leisure providers and overseers Emaar Entertainment, and installed by Dubai-based systems integrator Digital Communication (DigiComm), the giant OLED videowall mimics the rolling waves of the ocean and complements the Emaar Entertainment-run Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo that it looms above. “This is by far the most exciting and large-scale videowall project we have ever worked on,” explains Abdul Bakhrani, CEO at DigiComm.
DigiComm supplied the technical specification, solution and installation expertise for the project, co-ordinating with Emaar Entertainment and key suppliers Dataton – which provided the media servers, content management software and custom show control – and OLED experts LG.
Dataton’s WATCHOUT multi-display production and playback system, WATCHNET manager software and compact WATCHPAX 4 servers deliver all of the high-resolution content for the wall. All functions and the bespoke user interface were tailored to meet the venue’s specific requirements.
“We worked with Dataton to create a cost-efficient media delivery system that would seamlessly deliver high-quality videos and images at the native resolution of 1.7 billion pixels,” says Bakhrani. “A total of 52 WATCHPAX 4 Media Engines have been networked to synchronise content across 820 OLED displays.”
Designed primarily to promote the aquarium, the wall also provides a visually stimulating canvas for additional content and sponsors.
“The biggest challenge was to work only five hours per day as allowed by the venue – 1:00am to 6:00am,” explains Bakhrani. “The main discussions were primarily based on the tests required to make sure that such a large synchronisation was possible. We had to innovate a format of creating videos in resolutions exceeding 80,000 x 20,000 pixels and then upload them to 52 WATCHPAX 4 players. It [the installation] taught us that we are prepared for even larger and more complicated projects.”
“With such a high-profile installation there are, of course, great demands on content quality and reliability,” says Trond Solvold, sales director at Dataton. “WATCHOUT with WATCHPAX 4 was likely the only system in the world that could pull off such a complex installation. The system needed to be flexible and scalable, and requests for future functionality left other systems far behind, making our solution the best choice for the installation.
“Besides high performance, the media servers needed to be robust to handle almost 24/7 use and have a compact form factor. Space is incredibly tight behind the videowall – virtually non-existent – and extensive cabling to a server room was never an option. That meant each server had to sit close to the screens. With quad 4K video outputs and a trim A4-size footprint, the WATCHPAX units were eminently suited to the task.”
The Dubai Mall videowall is part of owner Emaar Entertainment’s ongoing strategy to provide world-class ‘edutainment’ using innovative platforms.
“Emaar Entertainment continues to push the boundaries and achieve greater heights through innovative installations and attractions,” says Maitha Al Dossari, CEO of Emaar Entertainment. “We’re committed to delivering the best in the industry and are honoured that the new OLED screen at Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo has received three world record achievements [highest resolution, largest hi-def and biggest OLED], underpinning our commitment to pioneering innovative attractions, continued advancements in technology and digital attractions, and inspiring joy.”
Kevin Cha, president of LG Electronics, Middle East and Africa, comments: “LG has always pushed boundaries with innovative display technologies, especially with its pioneering OLED technology. In the heart of The Dubai Mall, we are proud to showcase to the world a global example of how LG digital signage products provide innovative solutions that B2B customers of today demand, creating a visitor experience unlike anything anyone has ever witnessed.”


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AT&T announced this week that its streaming TV service DirecTV Now has increased prices and reduced its offering of channels.
When the service launched in late 2016, it was seen as an affordable alternative to cable. For those who signed up for the service in its early days, a $35 monthly fee was good for nearly 100 channels.
But the service's launch was plagued by sluggish and inconsistent service.
But starting in April, the pricing and number of offerings will change.
The cheapest option for DirecTV Now will be the DirecTV Now Max package, which offers 40 channels for $50 a month. For $20 more, consumers get 10 added channels, which includes Cinemax and regional sports networks.
DirecTV Now's price increase is part of a trend of streaming services increasing prices.


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Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 is officially revealed, did it surprise anybody? [VIDEO]
Last Updated on Tuesday, 1 May 2012 08:49 Written by LoganDX Tuesday, 1 May 2012 08:46
*Shocker* Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 is coming this fall! The ninth (!) entry in the first person shooter franchise is jumping ahead in time, to the near future of 2025. The trailer shows that Woods is still alive, in the middle of a monologue about technology and the softness of humans. The video shows a hefty amount of future tech on display like the Quadcopter, wrist computers, walking tanks and tons of unmanned vehicles. Visually speaking, it is a stunning trailer but nothing really showing gameplay yet.
All the “hype” generated by Activision, the pretend secrecy and still everyone knew the annual Call of Duty game was going to be Black Ops 2. This is Activision and they like to milk everything for what they can after all. As everyone assumed, Treyarch is handling the developer reigns again and it will be released this November, the 13th to be precise. Maybe some one living under a rock, under a prison might be flabbergasted that BlOps 2 is coming. Thankfully some of us didn’t have to sit through basketball to catch the trailer.
Hit the break geeks and watch it, I think you’ll be impressed, even if you’re sick of COD. While you’re there, let us know what you think!
- Black Ops 2 to be the next COD revealed on May 1?(donthatethegeek.com)
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 Revealed(godisageek.com)


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National Geographic Study: U.S. Consumers Least Green
Consumers in India, Brazil and China exhibit the most “green” consumption habits, according to a recent survey by National Geographic and Globescan.
Because of the overall amount of energy and items consumed, those in the United States, Canada and Japan scored the lowest, according to the Greendex survey. The survey also considers consumers’ active choices, such as whether to repair or replace an item, using cold water to wash clothes and choosing green proucts over environmentally unfriendly ones.
Consumers in Brazil, Russia and Mexico increased their Greendex score the most, when compared to last year’s results.
Here are some more charts from the study.
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The long-awaited Las Vegas foodie favorite Flock & Fowl has arrived in Downtown Las Vegas.
The restaurant is holding a pop-up preview on the ground floor of The Ogden this weekend. According to chef-owner Sheridan Su, the restaurant will remain open through Saturday, with a soft opening slated for December 15. While Flock & Fowl is known for its signature Hainanese chicken rice (poached chicken with rice cooked in chicken stock and served with an assortment of house-made condiments), chef-owner Sheridan Su will be testing out new dishes, such as a soft shell crab mee goreng—a noodle dish popular in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. They’ll also be testing out craft cocktails.
Flock & Fowl’s Downtown location will be open from 6 to 10 p.m. through Saturday.
Stop by Flock & Fowl Downtown this Thursday – Saturday for our preview nights. We're playing with new dishes, craft…
In need of a quick bite instead? Naked City Pizza will soft-open at El Cortez Friday night, just in time for First Friday. It will serve pizza, salads and sandwiches with a full menu to come, according to a rep for the casino.


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Export NZ's monthly newsletter, The Exporter
7 Nov 2016 | BusinessNZ
The big news this month is a major shift happening in the make up of NZ's exports with game-changing growth in New Zealand’s technology export sector, as it breaks through the $1 billion growth mark for the first time.
25 Oct 2016 | BusinessNZ
As we enter into Spring, exporters have good reason to be in a buoyant mood.
One of the hot topics of late is of course the UK voting to leave the EU - and what will this mean for Kiwi exporters?!
3 Aug 2016 | BusinessNZ
How to stay internationally competitive, toolkits, trade missions and more...
15 Jun 2016 | BusinessNZ
Hear about market opportunities from New Zealand Ambassadors. Discover ways to create market cut-through with clever marketing, innovation and traceability, in our break-out sessions.
In this month's Trade Update I look at what's going on with the China FTA upgrade.
GS1 is commonly known as the 'bar code' organisation; but they do far more than this through the use of quality data, global standardization and a dash of technology. The Bay of Plenty ExportNZ Awards 2016 are taking place on Friday 24 June.
The big news this month is that the TPPA has finally been signed! In this month's Trade Update I look at what happens next in the TPP process. The Asia New Zealand Foundation is offering five young New Zealand food and beverage entrepreneurs the chance to visit Indonesia.
Go Global 2016 is over - what now? Trade Mission: Thailand & Malaysia 15-19 August. Asia Pacific Food Integrity Conference, 13-14 July 2016
19 Jan 2016 | BusinessNZ
Maximizing export returns, Asia-Pacific Energy Leaders' Summit and more...


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A Recently Closed Corridor Restaurant is Opening Back Up!
It seems like a lot of area restaurants have been closing their doors lately, but one of them has some good news to share!
I was scrolling through Facebook this morning, just minding my own business, when I saw a post that made me look twice. Back in January, a restaurant in Robins called Lebowski's announced that they would be closing their doors.
I was super bummed because Lebowski's was one of my favorite local restaurants. The food was really good AND I loved the theme! I even bought one of their shirts!
Well, if you loved Lebowski's as much as I did, or you were disappointed that you never got the chance to try it, there is good news on the horizon! The restaurant will be opening back up! This is the post I saw on Facebook this morning:
Their official Facebook page also commented that there are new owners and management, and they hope to reopen by April 15th. According to CBS 2, the new owners say that most of the menu will stay exactly the same, with the possibility for some gluten-free items and a Sunday brunch.
Here are a couple of photos that I took at the restaurant before they closed down:
We will be sure to update you on Lebowski's as soon as we know more!


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Flurry: iPad Users More Engaged with Apps Than iPhone Users
According to the latest report from Flurry, mobile apps are a lot more engaging on the iPad than the iPhone.
“Overall,” Flurry reveals in a blog post published Friday, “iPad owners in our sample spent 42% more time in apps on their devices than iPhone owners during May, but that time varied significantly by category.”
When compared to iPad owners, for example, iPhone owners spent more than 13 times us much time using Navigation apps. They also spent more than five times as much time using Health and Fitness apps, Flurry adds, pointing to more iPhone-friendly activities like tracking walks, runs, and bike rides.
Although the iPhone retains some app engagement advantages over the iPad (at least with regard to the nature of some apps), Apple’s tablet remains the biggest driver of total app engagement.
“The app categories for which average time spent on iPad exceeds that for iPhone are Education, Newsstand, Games, and Reference. Again, more home-oriented activities,” Flurry continues, sharing the infographic posted below.
To review the Flurry report in its entirety, click here


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NORTHBROOK, ILL. (Aug. 3, 12:15 p.m. ET) — Underwriters Laboratories Inc. will offer more services that help medical device manufacturers produce safer devices and products, as a result of its acquisition of Ochsenhausen, Germany-based MDT Medical Device Testing GmbH and MD Registration Support Ltd.
Northbrook-based UL announced the acquisitions Aug. 3, terms were not disclosed.
Founded in 1988, MDT offers clinical and non-clinical testing services for medical device manufacturers. It employs about 40.
Founded in 2005, MD Registration helps medical device manufacturers comply with global regulations and requirements to obtain CE-marking of their devices.


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Nokia is going all out to get people to buy its newly announced Lumia smartphones when they launch in the UK and other markets later in November. That includes the use of some rather odd marketing stunts. Business Insider reports that during the Nokia World keynote today in London, the company's marketing VP Steven Overman described some of these over-the-top marketing plans.
They include setting up fake saunas over at local bus stops, hiring DJs to play sets on sidewalks, and even having having people dressed up to look like Windows Live tiles to go run through the streets. Overman says that these kinds of events are targeting the young consumer, around 25 years old or so.
So how do all of these stunts get people to actually buy the Windows Phone 7-based Lumia devices? Overman said that the hope is people will take pictures of the living Windows Live tiles and the saunas and the sidewalk DJs and then share and talk about them with their friends. Overman said, "These amazing everyday experiences will form a path, a journey, to the moment of truth. And that's the store."
Assuming people actually go to stores to check out the Lumia 710 and Lumia 800 devices after seeing these odd stunts, Nokia promises that there will be plenty of these phones to try out for themselves. Indeed, Nokia's CEO Stephan Elop claims that the company will have, " ... more seeding devices in the hands of retail professionals than we've ever done in our history."


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After years of growth, the global market for mobile handsets will contract by about 8 percent this year although smartphones will remain a growth area, according to a new forecast from IDC.
Microsoft on Wednesday revealed it will pay developers 70 percent of sales for applications they develop and sell on a Windows Mobile application marketplace introduced at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona last month.
Sales of smartphones increased by 3.7 percent during the fourth quarter last year, compared to the same period in 2007, according to Gartner.
Google will block an iPhone application that harnesses its Google Talk chat program to provide a free text-message service after too many users flocked to download it.
We're already a quarter of the way into 2009 and the gadgets are coming thick and fast despite the recession that is gripping many countries. This month it was time for new digital cameras with the PMA show in the U.S. and a couple of follow-ups from...
Motorola Monday announced the smallest and lightest versions in its MC55 series of ruggedized enterprise digital assistants, offering two models and multiple configurations to help customers keep down their upfront costs.
After first announcing the service last year, Vodafone Australia is now accepting customers for its Vodafone Business One unified communications services aimed at small and medium businesses.
Under pressure from popular phones from Apple and Research In Motion, Microsoft hopes it has put in place changes that will help it meet that mobile competition faster, said CEO Steve Ballmer on Wednesday.
Acer wants to bring the wholesale cost of smartphones down so far that mobile network operators can afford to give them away. It aims to release two such phones by October, said Aymar de Lencquesaing, the head of Acer's Smart Handheld Business Group.
Mobile operators O2 and Orange may refuse to offer Nokia's N97 handset unless the phone manufacturer removes the preinstalled Skype software.
Amazon's release Wednesday of an e-book reader for Apple's iPhone and iPod Touch is a "huge" move and a "win-win" for everyone concerned, analysts said.
The DEMO 09 conference launched 39 promising new technologies for consumers and businesses, with each presenter being given a scant six minutes to make their pitch to 500 attendees. Here are highlights from five notable presentations.
Smartphone users around the world generally download about five software applications each, even iPhone users, according to market researcher InStat.
Research In Motion on Friday confirmed that NTT DoCoMo has halted sales of the BlackBerry Bold smartphone in Japan due to overheating, but said that the battery wasn't the source of the problem.
People who bought an unlocked version of the Android G1 phone are no longer allowed to download new paid applications from the Market, after a change Google made late last week.
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Good Girls Go Badposted by MR WAVETHEORY at 10/19/2006 03:58:00 PM
“It’s a night when even a nice girl can dress like a dominatrix and still hold her head up the next morning,” said Linda M. Scott, the author of “Fresh Lipstick: Redressing Fashion and Feminism” (Palgrave Macmillan) and a professor of marketing at the University of Oxford in England.
This is a great quote:
Rebecca Colby, 28, a library clerk in Milwaukee, said the appeal of sexy costumes lies in escaping the workaday, ho-hum dress code.
“I’m not normally going to wear a corset to go out,” said Ms. Colby, who has masqueraded as a Gothic witch with a low-cut bodice, a minidress-wearing bumblebee, a flapper and, this year, most likely, a “vixen pirate.”


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philips says new led light bulb is more efficient, greener than fluorescent lighs
The Royal Philips Company (Philips NV) will release a new lamp on Thursday, claiming it will replace the fluorescent lamps that are common in many offices around the world.
In an interview with The Associated Press ahead of the unveiling of the new light on Thursday, the company\'s executive, René van Schoten, said that the LED Light module could not only reduce pollution, energy and money can also be saved. (
AP Photo/Philips, HOSource: APIF you have worked in the office and you may be familiar with the soft glow from fluorescent tubes drifting from the ceiling.
If Philips is right, these lights will soon become history.
Royal Philips NV, the Dutch consumer electronics giant, said it has developed an LED light that will soon be much more efficient than the best fluorescent lamps on the market.
It should also make it cheaper and greener.
According to the global lighting sales leader, this combination will inevitably help LED to dominate the market in the lighting World workplace.
In an interview with The Associated Press ahead of the New release, an executive said that the prototype LED will be mass-produced and will be available on 2015.
Rene van Schooten, CEO of Philips light source, said that in 10 years, led will replace at least half of the fluorescent bulbs in the world, a major source of workplace lighting shortly after World War II.
\"This is an important step forward for the lighting World,\" said Mr. Van Schooten . \".
\"This will bring huge energy savings.
Experts outside Philips said they had long expected led to surpass fluorescent lamps.
However, if Philips\'s prediction is correct, the arrival of the LED in the office will be faster than expected.
The potential impact on energy and cost savings and pollution reduction is significant --
Although toxic materials are used in the manufacture of fluorescent lamps and LEDs.
Of all the energy produced worldwide, electric lights consume more than half of the lighting market.
According to Philips estimates, in the United States alone, about 200 watts of fluorescent lamps are consumed each year.
Cutting that number in half will save 12 billion dollars ($11. 4 billion)
The company said electricity costs and carbon dioxide emissions fell by 60 million tons per year.
Dr. Eugenia Ellis, professor of engineering and architecture at Drexel University, who works with LED devices, said Philips\'s predicted efficiency gains will be impressive.
The cost savings with LEDs may already be significant: Dr. Ellis gave an example of a recent hospital saving $75 000 per year energy bills by switching.
Energy in recent years-
High efficiency lamps manufactured by Philips, Siemens, General Electric, Corey and others using led or lamps
LEDs have made significant progress in the domestic market, replacing many incandescent and halogen lamps.
But because of the high efficiency of the fluorescent bulb itself, so far, LED lights have only achieved a very small foothold in business and industry.
Led is competitive in a heavily used environment where they have a longer life span and a smaller energy advantage.
The new lights will change everything, Philips says.
The technology milestone the company claims to achieve is the ability to produce 200 lumens of light per watt.
Lumens are the standard for measuring the amount of light the lamp throws out within a given area.
According to Mark Hand, technical expert at Philips competitor Acuity Brands, this is about twice the output per Watt of the best fluorescent tubes on the market at present;
He estimated that the best LED lights could be up to 120 lumens per watt.
Corey has released an advertisement for an LED light, saying that in some cases, the lumen power of the LED light reaches 200 lumens.
Mr. Van Schooten said the Philips lights were different.
This will be the first in the market to reach this level of efficiency and function within the normal temperature range, and will be able to continuously produce the same amount of warm white light as comparable fluorescent tubes.
Basically, Mr Van Schoten said, \"you won\'t say, \'If you walk into the room, \'what an interesting light.
\"Projections released by the US Department of Energy in April 2012 showed that the government had predicted that by 2015, the industry\'s LED light efficiency was only 160 lumens per watt.
Mr Van Schooten of Philips said initially the price of LED tubes would still be higher than that of fluorescent lamps.
But given the cost of electricity, increased efficiency in 2015 will make them cheaper in one year than in the current three years.
With the development of each generation of technology, LED lights will further save manufacturing costs and improve efficiency.
\"This case is quite notable, but it will certainly take some time to replace the existing infrastructure,\" Mr Van Schooten said . \".
Philips Lighting sales reached 8 in 2012.
4 billion euros ($10. 4 billion)
In the global market, McKinsey, a consulting firm, has invested 70 billion euros.
Mr. Acuity brands said that Philips\'s 10-
It may even be a pessimistic year.
Although led currently accounts for only a fraction of the company\'s $ us1.
He expects annual sales to grow by 9 billion.
\"The led will definitely take over in 10 years,\" he said . \".
He predicts that led will account for more than half of new sales in 5 years, perhaps 3 years.
\"Ironically, Philips will lose and reap from this change: it is not only the largest manufacturer of LEDs, but also the manufacturer of fluorescent tubes.
\"It is clear that we have to phase out,\" Mr. Van Schooten said . \".
But \"we know it\'s been a while now.
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The government of Ghana has justified the decision to ban the importation of salvaged vehicles, also known as accident cars, as well as second-hand vehicles that are more than 10 years old.
The proposal is part of the Customs Amendment Bill 2020, which was passed on Tuesday, March 3, 2020, at the second reading stage in Parliament.
The Bill will be fully passed after the amendments are debated as the government has predicted an estimated revenue loss of GHS802 million over the next three years after the review of the policy.
The Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah defended government’s decision to impose the ban on Eyewitness News on Tuesday.
He said it will among other things make roads in the country safe and make the acquisition of cars affordable.
“What we want to do is to make cars in Ghana very cheap so the person who is tempted to bring in an over-aged vehicle because it is cheaper never minding the fact that it leads to a lot of emissions or someone who will buy a condemned vehicle and assemble can now buy one of the new cheap vehicles manufactured in Ghana. How do we do that? In the investment plan that we will bring and approve, we will negotiate with them [assembly plants] on the sale parameters and prices so that we ensure that we are not pricing out the Ghanaian who wanted to use condemned vehicles which are not safe,” he said.
“Those who are dealers in condemned and over-aged vehicles will again through this investment policy get the opportunity to engage these manufacturers to find ways of on-boarding them to become the new dealers of these vehicles. So in the end, we are able to develop a local market for cars manufactured here in Ghana, create more jobs and income and bring more safety on our roads,” he added.
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Big Strike 1 For Uber Drivers? Thousands of Uber drivers for the transportation network company service nationwide plan to strike come mid-October.
DISGRUNTLED DRIVER: Aria Vadafari is one of thousands of Uber drivers for the ride-sharing service across the country that plan to strike come mid-October. (Photo: KHOU)
They’re demanding fewer drivers, higher rates and an option to tip. KHOU-TV.com article here
Uber Faces Massive Crackdown In London: Transport for London is preparing to launch a crackdown on Uber, proposing a series of new rules that will hit the popular minicab-hailing app in one of its most popular cities. London Telegraph article here
Europe Proves To Be A Bad Zone For Uber: The ride-hailing app's offices in Amsterdam were raided by the Dutch authorities, two of its top executives appeared in court in Paris on Tuesday and proposals that Uber is unhappy about were published on Wednesday by London's transport rule-setting body. CNBC article and video here
Ohio Legislators Seek State Rules On Uber: Not even a week after Uber announced a plan to expand its service in Ohio by 10,000 drivers, legislators in the state House made the case for expanded regulation of the popular app-based ride service. Columbus Dispatch article here


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This Dealer Will Pay Customers’ Mortgage for Two Months If They Buy a New Car in April
And that’s on top of the manufacturers’ existing car payment assistance plans.
As the coronavirus pandemic and related economic crisis continue to deepen, millions of people have lost their jobs and struggled to gather a paycheck. That obviously makes it hard to pay bills and the problem has dealt a devastating blow to the auto industry, among others. It's not all bad, though, because there have been a few bright spots in all of the madness. We’ve seen car dealers and businesses of all types stepping up to the plate to help their customers during this trying time, but one Washington D.C.-area dealer is taking the concept to a new level.
Koons Silver Spring Ford recently announced its new purchase program, which goes above and beyond helping with car payments and extends to covering customers' mortgage, rent, or lease for up to two months.
Koons says anyone who purchases a new Ford, Lincoln, or Mazda in the month of April qualifies to receive up to $1,500 per month for their home payment.
That’s a screaming deal, but it’s made even sweeter by the fact that Ford's incentives still apply. The automaker's current programs include up to six months of payment relief for new vehicle buyers, which covers three months of deferred payments and three additional months of payments covered by the company. Additionally, Ford is offering zero-percent financing on loans as long as 84 months. Current owners that financed through Ford Credit can also contact their lender for help with payments.
Lincoln’s assistance programs include payment extensions, zero-percent financing, a deferred first payment, and a variety of pickup and dropoff options for maintenance needs.
Mazda offers no payments for 90 days, 0.9 percent financing for 60 months, and a $1,500 loyalty reward for returning buyers.
It will likely be some time before the world gets back to normal—and who knows what "normal" will look like then—but it’s uplifting to see others go the extra mile, especially for those who need a helping hand.
Got a tip? Send us a note: email@example.com


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With the new tax law limiting deductions for business meals and entertainment, many companies are cutting back on beloved perks like season sports tickets.
- U.S. stocks open lower as China data underscore worries about global growth
- U.S. industrial production rises 0.6% in November despite manufacturing decline
- Times Insider: Were You Shocked By The Times’s Investigation Into How Much Location Data Your Cellphone Is Tracking? We Were, Too.
- E-commerce leads way as U.S. retail sales get off to strong holiday-season start


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Who Will Meet Consumer Demand?
|March 4, 2007||Posted by Staff under Progress Report, The Progress Report|
Who Will Meet Consumer Demand?
Stuck in Reverse on Fuel Economy
This article combines excerpts from multiple sources, including MSNBC.
by Roland Jones and others
While Congress and the Bush administration debate how to improve fuel economy in automobiles, a new study says the United States is stuck in reverse when it comes to offering consumers a wide selection of fuel-efficient vehicles.
The research from the Civil Society Institute, a not-for-profit think tank that focuses on energy and ecological issues, shows a growing fuel-efficient car gap.
CSI found that the number of vehicle models sold in the United States that achieve combined gas mileage of at least 40 miles per gallon actually has dropped from five in 2005 to just two in 2007 the Honda Civic hybrid and the Toyota Prius hybrid.
Overseas, primarily in Europe, there are 113 vehicles for sale that get a combined 40 mpg, up from 86 in 2005. Combined gas mileage is the average of a vehicles city and highway mpg numbers.
Adding insult to injury is the fact that nearly two-thirds of the 113 highly fuel-efficient models that are unavailable to American consumers are either made by U.S.-based automobile manufacturers or by foreign manufacturers with substantial U.S. sales operations, such as Nissan and Toyota.
These cars sold in Europe meet or exceed U.S. safety standards, so there is no reason why they shouldnt be made available to U.S. consumers, said CSI President Pam Solo.
We have to face the unpleasant facts here: America is needlessly losing the race to develop the best fuel-efficient technology and then deliver it to the American consumer, Solo said. U.S. consumers say they are willing to buy these cars, so the big U.S. automakers are actually going backwards at a time when its possible to make cars that are more fuel efficient.
A national poll conducted for CSI shows that millions of Americans would welcome the introduction of the fuel-efficient cars now being sold overseas. Nearly nine out of 10 respondents to the survey thought U.S. consumers should have access to these vehicles.
The poll also found that Americans want Congress to boost fuel efficiency standards. Over four out of five respondents, including 86 percent of Democrats and even 76 percent of Republicans, said that they would support Congress taking the lead to achieve the highest possible fuel efficiency as quickly as possible by raising the fuel-efficiency requirements for U.S. vehicles to achieve the goal of 40 mpg.
Fuel efficiency standards for passenger cars have remained unchanged for two decades at 27.5 miles per gallon. The Bush administration recently revamped the rules for light trucks, creating a sliding mileage scale that is based on a vehicles size. Now Bush wants to assign a similar measure to passenger cars.
Bushs fuel economy plan is questioned
While the U.S. automotive industry and Republicans have long opposed higher gas mileage, Bush announced in his State of the Union message a reduction of U.S. fuel consumption by 20% over the next decade.
However, as Bush’s announced legislation does not cover greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles, more and more U.S. States try to tackle this issue at the State level.
On 13 February, both the New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine and the Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich called for a GHG emissions reduction to 1990 levels by 2020. Following the example of California, the two States will now work on specific recommendations and the introduction of legislation to address major industry sectors, including transport.
“In the absence of leadership on the federal level the burden has now fallen upon state executives,” said Corzine, while Blagojevich added that “we can’t wait for the federal government to act.”
In general, cars are far more fuel-efficient in Europe, where gas is much more expensive. In Europe, cars on average get 40 mpg, compared with 20.4 mpg for U.S. cars.
Why Are U.S. Automakers Paralyzed?
Americans, But Not Politicians, Turn Serious About Energy Policy
Even Some Republicans Want Oil Independence for America
What are your views? Share your opinions with The Progress Report!


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Have you ever eaten at a restaurant with some friends and been stuck with the bill because they bailed? Well it looks like Nvidia is standing in the restaurant with the check, except their check is 300,000 GPU units that were created with the intent to sell to Bitcoin Miners. Nvidia CEO Jen-Sun Huang announced this data at COMPUTEX 2018. He also stated that the company would not be launching any new GPUs for “a long time”. It is a bit disturbing that we have been stuck with the Geforce 10 series of cards for two years now, but we have finally figured out why. The overestimation of how many GPUs would be required by Bitcoin Miners is very, very large indeed. It also appears based on reports from other sources that Nvidia also heavily bought GDDR5 which also now has an excess in lower-end GPUs that need to be turn into boards.
In a quote from Seeking Alpha, “Nvidia has overestimated pent-up gaming demand and underestimated the impact of declining mining demand,” before going into details on the state of GPU supply from Nvidia.
“How badly have they miscalculated? Enough to have to agree to take back 300,000 GPUs from a ‘top 3’ Taiwan OEM. This is quite notable news as Nvidia usually exerts massive influence over its partners and can be quite ruthless with allocations of new GPUs if partners step out of line. The fact that this partner returned these GPUs says a lot about the current state of supply in the channel.”
With this news in the here and now, don’t be surprised if Nvidia does launch something this year, because they do still need to stay relevant in the new GPU market. There is proof of something coming because of a deal signed between Nvidia and SK Hynix, and could include GDDR6 memory supplies.
Also, cooling fan manufacturer Power Logic has stated that it expects shipments to increase in the 3rd quarter. This company makes fans used by graphics cards brands all over the world and they probably have some idea about Nvidia’s current roadmap for 2018, especially with rumors of the Geforce GTX 1170 and 1180 GPUs.
Power Logic Chairman Hsu Wen-feng also pointed to Asian Games 2018 as a spot where they may have cause for a greater demand in newer GPUs. Heres hoping that the price won’t be as bad as the 10 series GPUs are currently.


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The Mall of America released more information on its highly anticipated ice castle attraction expected just in time for Christmas.
The Business Journal says Utah-based Ice Castles, LLC will begin building the frozen structures next month. Construction takes about four to six weeks.
According to the company's website, the Mall of America's ice structure will be one of the largest ever. Fifty ice towers organically grown from 4 million gallons of water will be connected to create a series of tunnels and caverns.
The illuminated fortress will be open to the public from late December through February. Tickets will cost $5 for children ages 3-12 and $10 for adults, according to the Journal.
This video shows ice castles similar to what will debut at Mall of America this winter:


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Cushion, a fintech company that uses A.I to make the process of paying bills quick, easy, and reliable, announced it raised $12 million in a Series A financing. The funds will support its plans to transition from its current operation as an automated bank and credit card fee negotiation firm, to a one-stop resource for tracking, paying, and financing bills, helping customers avoid bank overdraft and late fees. The $12 million will also be used to expand personnel in product development, engineering, data analytics, and marketing, as the company prepares to launch its bill payment system, which is now in beta. Cushion’s round was led by Rose Park Advisors with additional participation from Flourish Ventures, Vestigo Ventures, The Social Entrepreneurs’ Fund, Green Cow Venture Capital, and Discovery Fund. Customers can connect their banks and credit cards to Cushion’s where its machine learning models can then identify all of the user’s regular bills, including leases and subscriptions.
Bill Pay Fintech Cushion Gets $12M Series A Financing


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Amazon expected to announce new Kindle Fire today
Aiming to bolster its presence in the tablet computer market and boost sales of digital goodies such as e-books and movies, Amazon is expected to unveil a brand new Kindle Fire today.
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is expected to make the announcement in a former airplane hangar in Santa Monica, CA.
The first Kindle Fire, announced about 9 months ago in the very same airplane hangar, has managed to capture 22% of the tablet market in spite of competition from Barnes and Noble’s Nook, Google’s Nexus, and many Windows based tablets from Samsung and Asus, to name a few. Not technically a direct competitor to iPad (yet), which is larger, faster and has a more robust set of features and apps, the Kindle is the cornerstone in Amazon’s strategy of selling much lower priced tablets at very small margins to boost sales of digital items from its own online store.
The original Kindle Fire is half the price of the cheapest iPad, which retails for $399, but the 7 inch device has a smaller screen than the iPad, lacks a camera and only connects to the Internet over Wi-Fi. Thus, its position as a cheap, less robust, entry level tablet could be knocked down a few rungs if the rumor mill proves true and Apple announces a smaller, cheaper version of its market ruling iPad in October.


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Ghostface Killah, a founding member of the legendary Wu-Tang Clan, is launching a collection of music-themed Ordinal Inscriptions on the Bitcoin blockchain, the hip-hop icon announced on Twitter on Monday.
Born as Dennis David Coles in New York City, Ghostface Killah partnered with Nakamotos on BTC—creators of the NakaPepes Collection—Rare Scrilla, and Ordinals inscription platform OrdinalsBot to add the tracks to the Bitcoin network.
“We Bitcoin OGs. When everyone in the industry was on Opensea, I was rocking with the Rare Pepe fam on Counterparty and FakeRares,” Ghostface Killah continued, tagging the old-school digital collectible projects on Twitter. “My guy [Jason Williams] put us on to the culture, and the rest was history. I got more grails coming with Nakamotos On BTC.”
While Ghostface Killah did not say when the drop would happen or how to get on the waitlist, posts on the Ordistorians Telegram channel linked from the Nakamotos on BTC Twitter account suggested that buying a NakaPepe v2 inscription was the easiest way.
The NakaPepes collection will consist of 10,000 Ordinal inscriptions that can be minted for free, with each NFT tagged with a Creative Commons license. The inscriptions have a floor price of 0.000898 BTC on Magic Eden, or around $60.
“We are really excited to be working together with Wu-Tang Clan’s Ghostface Killah, in partnership with the NakaPepes collection to bring more art and music to the Bitcoin blockchain,” OrdinalsBot head of Strategy Toby Lewis told Decrypt.
Thanks to features like recursive inscriptions in the Ordinals protocol launched last year, Lewis said, its now possible to inscribe high-quality audio on Bitcoin. recursive inscriptions were introduced as part of the BRC-69 standard launched in July. They are a mechanism that allows users to extract data from existing inscriptions and use them to create new ones, making it possible to include software, smart contracts, video games, music, or even movies on the Bitcoin blockchain.
Earlier this month OrdinalsBot collaborated with Bitcoin mining firm Marathon Digital to mint the largest Ordinals inscription to date, the Runestone. The hefty collectible weighed in at 3.97MB and used two full blocks to complete.
“We see milestones like this as key to a future where bitcoin is not just about finance, but rather the blockchain is able to act as a platform to create music, art, and all of the data necessary for identity, business settlement, and ownership,” Lewis concluded.
Representatives for Ghostface Killah did not immediately respond to Decrypt’s request for comment.
Edited by Ryan Ozawa.


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Author: MAXGE Publish Time: 2019-01-15 Origin: Site
The 72nd HANNOVER MESSE will be held on April 1st at the Hanover Exhibition Center.
HANNOVER MESSE is not only the largest scale exhibition in the world, but also with high technology items on display. It is recognized as one of the important platforms for global industrial design, manufacturing, technology application and international trade. In terms of the last exhibition, there are more than 5,000 exhibitors from 75 countries and regions including China, Italy, Switzerland, Mexico, Turkey, France, India, Sweden, Poland, Spain, Singapore, Chile, Indonesia, Philippines, Hong Kong and Taiwan, attracting more than 200,000 people to visit.
At this exhibition, MAXGE Electric will display the latest products independently developed for the Hannover market, such as MCB, MCCB, AFDD and Smart Home Solutions. Our booth number is H12, G65-6.
a. Control electric circuits.
b. Protect people against indirect contacts and additional
c. protection against direct contac
d. Protect installations against fire hazard due to insulation faults.
e. Residual current circuit breakers are used in housing, tertiary
f. sector and industry.
With the advent of the era of Industry 4.0, intelligence and big data have become a new outlet. Enterprises have sought efficient and energy-saving production methods through technological reforms. The two concepts of "smart manufacturing" and "smart factory" came into being. Under such a comprehens
" The Belt and Road " is the abbreviation of “the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road”. September and October 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the cooperation initiatives to build the "New Silk Road Economic Belt" and the "21st Century Maritime Silk Road" respe
On the afternoon of April 7, Wang Hao, deputy secretary of Zhejiang provincial Party committee and governor of Zhejiang Province, and his party visited MAXGE electric to investigate the development and operation of the company during the epidemic. Wang Gang, Secretary of Huzhou municipal Party commi
China Import and Export FairThe China Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Fair, was founded in the spring of 1957 and is held in Guangzhou every spring and autumn. It is a comprehensive international trade event with the longest history, the highest level, the largest scale, the most co
MAXGE will participate in “MEE 2022”MAXGE will participate in the 2022 Middle East Energy Dubai Exhibition from March 7th to 9th, 2022. “Middle East Energy Dubai” is the largest international exhibition of power and energy industry in the world. it has a grand scale and the reputation of “one of the


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CHITRAL, April 6: Habitual of buying cheap new vehicles and drive them without paying any tax, public transporters here have opposed the government’s recent move to legalize the non-customs paid vehicles on the payment of a certain amount.
The representatives of Terichmir Driver Union while opposing the customs duty told a press conference that Chitral is a backward area most of drivers earned a living running the NCP vehicles as taxis. Those who spoke to the local reporters were Syed Nasir Hussain, Haji Mohammad Yousuf, Mir Ajab Khan and Amir Ali Khan.
They said the government wants to impose customs duty on these vehicles at the rate of 35% on 88 model vehicles and 45% on new model vehicles which is out of the reach of the poor drivers and transporters. They said the government remitted loan of billion of rupees to its citizens and the drivers should also be given some relief.
They said that they already paid renewal fee for these NCP vehicles and the additional charges would break their back. They appealed to the concerned authorities to exempt these NCP vehicles from customs duty in Malakand division particularly in Chitral.–Gul Hamaad Farooqi


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Colombo, Sri Lanka, 6 July 2010 – Container shipping line APL has begun training cadets at sea in an effort to tap into the strong pool of graduates from Sri Lanka’s top maritime training academies.
The world’s fourth-largest container carrier said today that three navigational cadets from Mercantile Marine Management are already sailing on APL ships, and will soon be joined by six more. Nine engineering cadets from Colombo International Nautical & Engineering College are currently in the final phase of class room-based training before taking up onboard posts.
“We are pleased to support the Sri Lankan maritime industry and the communities we operate in through this program,” said APL Sri Lanka Managing Director, Elias Abraham. “It will allow APL to have top-quality Sri Lankan seafarers serving in our global ship fleet for years to come.”
In addition to taking graduates from leading private colleges, APL is, exploring opportunities with top government establishments such as the Mahopola Training Institute said Mr Elias.
According to statistics provided by the Director of Merchant Shipping, Sri Lanka has more than 300 cadets graduating from its institutions ever year. However, opportunities for essential onboard training have until now been limited.
“This initiative clearly demonstrates APL’s long-term approach to developing seafarers. While a ship can be built less than a year, it can take up to 10 years to train a top captain,” said Captain Lee Chee Seong, APL’s Director of Fleet Personnel.
APL has been operating in Sri Lanka since the 1980s. Today, it offers five weekly services touching global trade lanes and a wide range of value add logistics services.
APL is a global container shipping business offering more than 60 weekly services and nearly 300 calls at more than 90 ports in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the Americas. It combines world-class intermodal operations with leading-edge IT and e-commerce. APL is a unit of Singapore-based Neptune Orient Lines (NOL), a global shipping, logistics and marine terminals company. APL Web site: www.apl.com
Telephone: (65) 6371 7959


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If you're looking for investing ideas to begin the new year, Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway portfolio isn't a bad place to start. After all, he's one of the world's greatest investors, having amassed a net worth estimated at $89 billion. He's also made a fortune for long-term investors in Berkshire Hathaway.
When Buffett buys shares of a company, he looks for well-known brands that have established a competitive advantage. Then he plans to hold those shares indefinitely, watching them grow.
Right now, there are about 50 securities in Berkshire's portfolio. Let's take a look at three -- Apple (AAPL 0.30%), Amazon (AMZN 0.91%), and Mastercard (MA -0.88%). All have competitive advantages, all have promising growth prospects, and all are worth buying and holding for the long term.
Apple: It's not just iPhones
Apple is by far Berkshire's largest stock position, accounting for roughly 25% of the Berkshire Hathaway portfolio. And it crushed the market in 2019, rising 85% compared to the S&P 500's 29% increase (through Dec. 30).
Apple shares have surged even while iPhone sales have slowed. That's because the company is growing other revenue streams. Apple's services -- things like the App Store, Apple Music, and Apple Pay -- are becoming a bigger part of overall revenue. In fiscal year 2019, which ended Sept. 28, services accounted for $46.3 billion in revenue. That was 18% of the company's total revenue, up from 15% the previous year. That growth is important, because services have much higher gross margins than Apple products -- 63.7% compared to 32.2% in 2019.
The prospect of services growing even larger and driving greater profitability has helped fuel the stock's rise. So has the "wearables, Home and accessories" segment. It has nearly doubled revenue in two years, from $12.8 billion in 2017 to $24.5 billion in 2019. Growth accelerated from 36% in 2018 to 41% in 2019.
Services and wearables have helped offset a decline in iPhone revenue, but iPhone sales remain critical. They accounted for $142 billion in FY2019. Although that's a 14% year-over-year decline, it was still 55% of the company's revenue. iPhone sales help fund share buybacks and boost quarterly dividend payments, which have risen 35% since early 2017 and are now $0.77 per share, for a yield around 1%.
Given Apple's customer loyalty, the growth prospects in services and wearables, and the attractiveness of rising dividend payments, Apple remains a compelling buy.
Amazon: Investing in its future
Unlike Apple, Amazon lagged the S&P 500 in 2019. Shares were up 23% as of this writing, nearly 6 percentage points behind the market and the company remains about 10% below its all-time high, set in September 2018.
One issue that's concerning Wall Street: Rising expenses associated with Amazon's move to one-day delivery have crimped profits. In Amazon's most recent earnings report, revenue grew 24% year over year, but a 46% increase in shipping costs meant net income was down 28% from 2018's third quarter.
Investing in growth isn't a new strategy for Amazon, which has been willing to sacrifice short-term profits to better position itself for the future. Here's why the current strategy makes sense:
- One-day delivery should attract more Prime subscribers, who pay $119 per year in the U.S. With the number of U.S. Prime subscribers estimated to be 101 million, it's a huge source of recurring revenue. The company reported on Dec. 26 that more people had tried Prime than in any previous holiday season, and it noted that more than 5 million customers started free trials or joined as paid subscribers in just one week.
- Amazon gains more than subscription dollars from Prime subscribers. The average Prime customer spends about $1,400 per year on Amazon.com, according to a Consumer Intelligence Research Partners survey. That's more than twice the $600 average spending for non-Prime members. Management says one-day delivery has led to increased orders and increased spending.
- Some of Amazon's investments are temporary as it builds out its one-day delivery logistics, and the company will get more efficient.
- E-commerce sales overall keep growing. They were up 18.8% (excluding autos) this holiday season compared to a year ago, according to one estimate, and still accounted for only 14.6% of all holiday retail sales.
Amazon is the undisputed leader in e-commerce, but the company isn't taking that for granted. For long-term investors, a rare year in which Amazon has trailed the market could be an opportunity.
Mastercard: A powerful network with a strong tailwind
Mastercard is known as a credit card company, but describes itself as a technology company in the global payments industry. That's a more accurate description, because Mastercard uses its technology to complete various types of digital transactions. The company makes money by taking tiny fees from transactions. Those fees add up to billions of dollars and have driven huge stock gains. Mastercard is up 58% in 2019 as of this writing, doubling the S&P 500's gain. It's risen nearly 240% in the last five years, compared to the S&P 500's 54% increase.
The company does business in 210 countries and territories, and continues to expand partnerships with financial institutions. For example, Apple launched its Apple Pay credit card in August. Goldman Sachs is the financial institution, while Mastercard is the payments network. The more transactions that occur, the more fees Mastercard will receive.
Mastercard also is benefiting from a global trend termed the war on cash. As people steadily move away from cash payments to digital payments, Mastercard stands to benefit. Through the first nine months of 2019, revenue was up 15% year over year. That's steady growth, but the more impressive numbers were below the top line. The company's adjusted operating margin was an impressive 58.3% -- a 1-percentage-point improvement; and adjusted earnings per share grew 21%.
The company has authorized more share buybacks, which will help improve earnings per share. And income investors should like this: Mastercard announced in December that it would be hiking its quarterly dividend 21%, to $0.40 per share. The stock currently yields less than 1%.
The combination of a rising dividend and continued growth prospects makes Mastercard a strong choice.


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Verizon Communications will launch ‘Verizon 5G Home’, which it claims is the world’s first commercial 5G broadband internet service, on 1 October. The service – which is built on the telco’s ‘Ultra Wideband 5G’ network – will initially be available in parts of Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles and Sacramento, and is available for pre-order from 13 September. It is understood that the network leverages the operator’s significant millimetre wave (mmWave) spectrum holdings in the 28GHz and 39GHz bands.
Meanwhile, in mobile-centric news, Verizon Wireless has teamed up with Ericsson and Qualcomm Technologies to complete what it claims is the first end-to-end call with a smartphone form factor test device on a commercial 3GPP 5G New Radio (NR) network in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Verizon expects to stage a commercial 5G mobile launch in 2019.


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Aetna said it will reduce its individual public exchange participation from 778 to 242 U.S. counties for 2017.
Federal officials reacted to Aetna’s announcement with a statement from Markeptlace CEO Kevin Counihan:
"Aetna's decision to alter its Marketplace participation does not change the fundamental fact that the Health Insurance Marketplace will continue to bring quality coverage to millions of Americans next year and every year after that. It's no surprise that companies are adapting at different rates to a market where they compete for business on cost and quality rather than by denying coverage to people with preexisting conditions. But the ACA Marketplace is serving more than 11 million people and has helped America reach the lowest uninsured rate on record. With high consumer satisfaction, more people getting care, and an improving risk pool, incoming data continue to show that the future of the Marketplace is strong."
Until recently, federal officials noted, Aetna emphasized that it found marketplace business worthwhile. Bertolini said in April, for example, that in order to enroll the number of consumers Aetna has on the marketplace, it would expect to spend up to $1.2 billion, so "we see this as a good investment."
Opponents of Obamacare saw it as another indication of the unraveling of the health law.
"Aetna's withdrawal from nearly a dozen exchanges is another sign that ObamaCare is unsustainable," FreedomWorks CEO Adam Brandon said. "Premiums are rising as a result of diminished competition and unbalanced risk pools that have led to a higher than expected utilization of health care. Unfortunately, absent from the national policy discussion are the failures of ObamaCare."
Read more here.


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Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL Unveiled with Dual Front-Facing Camera, AI-Assisted Rear Camera, Wireless Charging, More
Google today unveiled the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL. Despite trying its best to suggest that it had something else up its sleeve through its social media profiles, the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL have turned out to be exactly what we saw in numerous leaks.
While Android may not have taken off in the tablet market, Google’s other effort, ChromeOS, seems to be what the company needed to get things going.
Google’s Home lineup continues to expand, with the company unveiling its newest effort, a smart display that doesn’t feature a built-in camera.
The festive season in India is about to start Amazon is kicking it off with its Great Indian Festival sales. The sales run through October 10th-15th, with Prime members getting access to deals a day earlier along with additional discounts on some products.
The Google Pixel 3 XL represents the best of what Google has to offer in terms of hardware and software. If you are interested in knowing the detailed specs of the Pixel 3 XL with all the nitty-gritty details, you have come to the right place.
OnePlus today announced that it will be launching the OnePlus 6T on October 30th at an event in New York City. There were rumors of the handset being unveiled on October 17th but the official announcement from OnePlus puts those rumors to rest.
In just over 24 hours from now, Google will be unveiling the Pixel 3, Pixel 3 XL, third-generation Chromecast, and a barrage of other hardware products at its ‘Made by Google’ event. The Pixel 3 XL has leaked numerous times over the last few months so there’s little left to know about the device. But Google still has plenty of other hardware products to announce which is why you should live tune to its event tomorrow.
The Redmi 6 and Redmi 6 Pro feature a fingerprint scanner at their rear which can be used to unlock the devices. That’s not all though, you can also use the fingerprint scanner on the Redmi 6 or Redmi 6 Pro to unlock your locked apps. Wondering how to do so? Read this guide.
Some smartphone elements tend to catch on faster than others, and it appears that devices with three rear cameras is quickly becoming what some might call “a thing” before 2018 wraps up.
In less than a week from now, Google is holding its Pixel 3 event in New York where it will be unveiling its third generation Pixel 3, a new Chromecast, and more. If you are wondering when Google’s Pixel 3 event will start as per your local time, read this post.


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Go-Jek to Launch Ride-Hailing Beta App in Singapore to Take on Grab
(Bloomberg) -- Go-Jek is counting on the many disaffected customers of Grab’s ride-hailing service in Singapore to help its battle to win users in the city-state.
Go-Jek’s beta app will become available on Android and Apple devices to a limited number of consumers in Singapore as it gets its ride-hailing business running in the country, the company said in a statement Thursday. The Jakarta-based startup asked for feedback from users during the early days so that it can improve quality with a full service expected in the first quarter of 2019.
Many consumers and drivers have looked forward to a new competitor in Singapore since Grab took control of its home market by acquiring the Southeast Asian business of Uber Technologies Inc. That deal eliminated its primary competition in the region and was followed by rising complaints from users about higher prices, delays and lapses in customer service as drivers expressed frustration about reduced income.
While Go-Jek began as a mobile app offering motorcycle taxi and logistics in 2015, it’s now expanded to have 100 million customers and 300,000 merchants for everything from beauticians to food delivery. The Singapore business will start with ride-hailing and then add more options in the future, a similar strategy to its entry to Vietnam. Payments and food delivery services are likely offerings after the initial launch.
“Since 2015, we started out as a platform and all our product features gear toward creating different experience for consumers, merchants and drivers,” Go-Jek President Andre Soelistyo said at a media briefing in the city-state. “We’ve done it before. It’s not a lip service. That gives us confidence.”
After Singapore, Go-Jek plans to enter Thailand, and then more countries in Southeast Asia, according to Soelistyo.
“For Singapore, another ride-hailing competitor cannot come soon enough,” said Benjamin Roberts, a Singapore resident unhappy with Grab’s cancellations and surcharges.
Go-Jek, with backers including Tencent Holdings Ltd., Temasek Holdings Pte and Google, is keen to tap into that sentiment.
“When there is only one dominant player in the market, the service level goes down and they stop hearing about customer complaints,” Soelistyo said. “That’s a big starting point, to provide another choice.”
©2018 Bloomberg L.P.


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Market leader gives insights into the sweets category
PEOPLE’S expectations of desserts are continually being lifted. Consumers are now increasingly looking for more sophisticated and indulgent creations, writes Anand Surujpal, general manager of marketing and innovation at Patties Foods.
When choosing to indulge in desserts, consumers are looking for offers that are ‘worth it’, to justify the extra treat.
With changing family dynamics and lifestyles, Australians are having fewer sit down family meal times, which means fewer traditional dessert occasions.
This has meant that there’s more opportunity for sweet consumption during the day and less reliance on an after-dinner sweet ‘fix’.
When entertaining, dessert is often a challenge to get right for guests, so Australians look for dinner party worthy solutions to make their life easier in the kitchen.
What’s working with Nanna’s (Patties Foods Ltd.)
Retailers are telling food makers to re-invigorate a category that hasn’t been active in some time. Nanna’s Indulgent Collection Mini Crèmes is Patties Foods response to these requests.
Based on consumer insights over the last 12 months, we have found that portioned, frozen sweets and desserts are providing the convenience and permissibility that consumers desire. Frozen products that are convenient to store, prepare and serve have been performing well due to the low-time commitment and ease of preparation.
What’s the next trend innovation?
Another insight that is important to Nanna’s right now is tapping into current flavour trends locally and globally and incorporating such influences into the supermarket freezer for consumers.
How Nanna’s Indulgent Collection Crèmes deliver for the category
Nanna’s Indulgent Collection Mini Bites is filling a gap for people looking to indulge at home, including, the dinner party host, the romantics and the lover of desserts.
Nanna’s Indulgent Collection Mini Crèmes are perfect bite size pieces, suitable for entertaining or a personal indulgence, easy to prepare and offer a range of flavours that provide variety and suit different tastes.
The premium range includes 16-packs of Strawberry Crème, Caramel Crème and Chocolate Crème. Each bite has a flaky pastry base topped with an indulgent crème with Belgian chocolate shavings on top.
Nanna’s Indulgent Collection Mini Bites rolled out in Woolworths & Independents retailers nationally in October.
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If you thought the year 2013 was great with the release of the KTM 390 Duke – an insane single cylinder with unbeatable power-to-weight ratio, KTM is all set to rock 2014 with its RC line. [Read more…]
Bikers all around the country await with bated breath the third week of January 2014, as it will be India Bike Week (IBW) 2014 time! 17-18 January is when hordes of bikers will set the sunny beaches of Goa alight with their glorious wheels, with lots of fun and frolic too.
Celebrations though begin nearly two months in advance with the popular “Chai and Pakoda Breakfast Run” coming to the City of Joy – Kolkata – this Sunday. Riders will converge at the Azad Hind Dhaba on the Delhi Road (NH2) in Kolkata at 8:30 a.m. for a fantastic opportunity to mingle with other bikers as well as the people working behind the scenes of IBM 2014 over breakfast. Organisers will also share details of the events to look forward to at Goa, and will sell discounted tickets for IBM 2014 too – just Rs 2,700/- for men and Rs 2,500/- for women (cash only).
Bike India is a partner for IBW 2014 and we urge our followers and other enthusiasts to be there at Kolkata and later at Goa too – it will be epic!
Japanese motoring mammoths Yamaha have stamped their mark on this year’s EICMA, or the Milan Motorcycle Show as it’s also called, as they showed off 3 new bikes to the rest of the world. Or at least two and a half new ones.
First off is the MT-09 Street Rally, this bike isn’t really brand new (hence the half), as it’s pretty much the same old MT-09 that launched in June this year, with a few visual upgrades bolted on. This motard avatar is the result of cosmetic additions such as fork boots, a couple of additional fairings and number plates running down the sides, a ‘beak’ located below the front headlamp, a protective guard running along the handle, and a cover spanning across the air intakes and flanking the fuel tank.
The bike also has a higher,flatter seat and a higher resting position for the feet, keeping in tune with the required posture for a rally bike. Here’s a video created by Yamaha of the bike in action, featuring Valentino Rossi, epic power-slides, and a pack of wolves for added measure.
Yamaha’s next bike feels a lot like Déjà vu. The forerunner in Yamaha’s new ‘sports classic’ sector, the SR400 is based on the original model of the same name which was first launched in 1978. With its old-school looks, 400cc fuel-injected engine, and steel tubed semi-double cradle frame, this bike combines the styling of a classic with the technology of the modern age.
In an interesting quirk that will immediately transport you back in time, Yamaha have designed this bike without an electric start, so using the kick start is only way to get it going, just like in the old days. Yamaha have also kept things simple in terms of the bike’s architecture so that it can be used as a platform for some tinkering by the customisation community out there.
Rounding up the launch is the MT-07, the baby brother to the previously mentioned MT-09. Driven by a 689cc parallel-twin mill, this naked racer produces 75 PS and 68 Nm of torque. The monorail chassis with asymmetrical swingarm are made of steel, giving the bike a frugal 179 kg weight. Everything about this bike, from its feral looks, to its attractive price of € 6000 (Rs.5,04,400 approx.), and futuristic styling and electronic display, make it an absolute eye-grabber.
Yamaha also commemorated the release of this bike with a video of its own. This one is an Anime inspired by the bike, and while it doesn’t actually feature the bike in physical form, the animated rendering looks just as accurate, and makes for a fun watch.
All three bikes will hit the showrooms across Europe within the first quarter of 2014, and Yamaha will hope that they go on to fulfill the promise they displayed at EICMA.
Story: Harket Suchde
It’s been a saga that has lasted for the better part of 20 years, and with more than 270,000 owners in its fold, the story continues for the Ducati Monster with the company presenting the new 2014 Monster 1200 and 1200 S at EICMA 2013. [Read more…]
Kawasaki unveiled their latest maniac machine with the tag line – ‘Sugomi! The call of the wild” at EICMA 2013. [Read more…]
Legendary British brand Brough Superior are back from a long hiatus reappearing at the 2013 EICMA show. [Read more…]
The Milan Motorcycle Show, EICMA has started off with a bang, and the Triumph stall has been one of its leading lights. With Triumph’s arrival on Indian shores imminent, we’ve been paying special attention to their actions of late. We have already covered the announcement of the Tiger 800 XC SE, and there’s more where that came from. Triumph have also used EICMA as a platform to springboard a couple of other models for their 2014 catalogue, namely the Thunderbird Commander and Thunderbird LT (Light Touring).
The Commander is built along the lines of a big, bad roadster. Boasting of a 1699cc parallel twin engine producing 94 PS at 5400 RPM and 151 Nm of torque at 2550 RPM, 17 inch tyres, striking twin headlamps, and lots of chrome, the Commander is as conspicuous as they come, and bound to catch the eye with its dominant presence.
The LT on the other hand is, as the name suggests, more of a tourer, and through its design, a throwback to the classic low-riders of the years gone by. Everything from the massive wind-shield to the big tank badges, the white-wall tyres, and the retro style rear indicators are all straight out of the old-school book of styling, but don’t let the classic looks fool you, this bike is chock full of modern technology. The LT too comes equipped with the same 1699 cc engine, which produces 92 PS @5400 RPM and 150 Nm of Torque at 3550 rpm, with an ABS system as standard fitting.
Triumph is targeting the summer of 2014 as the projected time frame for these bikes being made available for sale, as for whether or not we will see them in India, there’s no official word yet, and even though they will most likely make their way over here, we wouldn’t hold our breaths over this happening any time soon.
Story: Harket Suchde
Triumph have revealed a new offering for the global market – the 2014 Tiger 800 XC SE. The UK-based motorcycle giant’s press event at the ongoing 2013 EICMA show had quite a few surprises, with talk about the company’s future growth and plans for emerging markets. [Read more…]
Mahindra have teased India’s automotive sector for a while now with the will they, won’t they game when it comes to the launch of the 300cc Mojo. However, they’ve finally confirmed the launch of the Mojo, and it will be during the 2014 Delhi auto Expo.
The expo, slated to be held in February will see the who’s who of the Indian and international automobile sphere in presence, and is a great platform for just such a launch. The timing of the launch is significant, as it comes off the back of a particularly successful year for Mahindra, who chalked up an astounding 155% growth in sales, leaving their previous year’s figures far behind. As of October 2013, Mahindra had sold 29,696 units in total, with 28,604 of them being sold in India.
The leader of the Mahindra pack, and the bike that has had a huge say in its drastic growth figures is undoubtedly the Centuro, and Mahindra appear to be making an attempt at striking while the iron is hot and will be hoping that the current, popular status of the Centuro is transferred to the Mojo as well. It is being reported that the single cylinder 300cc bike will be priced at an amazing Rs.1.5 lakh only, which will throw the cat among the pigeons when it comes to the 200cc and above segment. Expect the bike to take on the likes of the upcoming Honda CBR 300R, the KTM Duke 200 and even the CBR 250R when it finally does enter the fray.
Story: Harket Suchde
The upcoming Tokyo Motor Show will flag off on the 20th of November, and judging by the concepts that are already confirmed as part of the line up there, this, the 43rd edition of the show is all set to be an absolutely cracker for the automobile enthusiast!
Amid all the hoopla, one of the most eagerly anticipated unveils will definitely be the new Suzuki concept, and with good reason too. This concept, christened ‘Recursion’ will be driven by a 588cc turbocharged engine. This is intriguing, because even though turbo-charging bike engines has been attempted in the past, the effect has been far from ideal, and the few such bikes that have actually gone into mass production have quickly fallen by the wayside. Suzuki claim however, that they’ve cracked the code, and got this new turbocharged engine performing at optimal levels.
The Recursion gets its power from a water-cooled two cylinder 588cc mill with intercooler turbo, and it reportedly produces 100 PS at 8000 rpm, and a 100 Nm of torque at 4500 rpm. This bike is expected to marry the power of a superbike with the economy of a turbocharged engine, and usher in a new era of 2-wheeler engine technology if it does actually live up to the billing. More information wil lbe forthcoming after its unveil next month, so watch this space.
Story: Harket Suchde
Images Courtesy: Suzuki


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House Votes to Update Vehicle Weight Laws (HB271)
Advances in technology and vehicle design outpaced state’s class restrictions
Friday, March 2, 2012, Juneau, Alaska – Small businesses and truckers across Alaska stand to benefit from a bill passed by the Alaska House today.
House Bill 271, sponsored by Rep. Wes Keller, R-Wasilla, raises the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating from 10,000 pounds to 14,000 pounds. That change is necessary, said Keller, after modern engineering and design have made light trucks and commercial vehicles much safer.
“When the current law was written vehicles were much smaller and less advanced than they are today,” Keller said. “The rules currently restrict many smaller vehicles used by businesses like lawn care companies, plumbers and builders. We’re opening up opportunities for businesses by stripping burdensome regulations. That’s a good thing. The old restrictions aren’t necessary anymore.”
HB 271 now moves to the Alaska Senate for consideration.


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Two mothers ended up in jail Sunday after they allegedly used their young children to steal nearly $2,000 worth of merchandise from a Yuba City Walmart, police say.
Two years ago the Call Kurtis team exposed how some customers nationwide were shorted when returning items using gift receipts at Walmart. Walmart insists its policy is to give you the full price the gift-giver paid, but this past holiday season, we checked to see if their stores are following their own policy.
According to news reports, the allure of building a Wal-Mart near ancient pyramids in Mexico, and thus gaining access to global tourists nearby, was so strong that Wal-Mart circumvented democratic institutions and bribed the right people to get their way.
The curse of brain dead Republicans is not limited to Washington, DC. It turns out that GOP leaders in state capitols have also been unable to digest the results of November’s elections.
A man suspected of shoplifting at a West Sacramento Walmart store tried to make his escape through the CBS13 property and instead was caught on camera as police arrested him.
After all the hype regarding Walmart employees’ discontent with their employer and the threat of a strike on Black Friday, the long holiday weekend was saw banner sales and virtually no protest at Walmarts.
Walmart workers Friday staged a nationwide walk-out on one of the biggest shopping days of the year including stores in the Sacramento-area.
This year’s Black Friday comes early as some stores will open Thanksgiving Day for eager shoppers, but not everyone is excited for the even earlier sales.
The big Black Friday fights won’t just be happening inside the stores. Some Walmart workers say they’re taking a stand and walking off the job during one of the biggest shopping days of the year.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is being slapped with a lawsuit that claims that the world’s largest retailer and its staffing agencies broke federal minimum wage and overtime laws by requiring temporary workers to appear early for work, stay late to complete work and work through lunches and breaks without compensation.
A Roseville mom says her car broke down minutes after getting a Walmart oil change. When she realized they put oil in the transmission, she called Kurtis.
Five new Walmart stores opened their doors early Wednesday morning in and around the Sacramento area bringing in hundreds of jobs.


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The Obama Administration is planning a greater focus on Internet privacy that will involve new laws and the creation of a new position to guide efforts in this area, The Wall Street Journal reports. More details will be unveiled in a Department of Commerce report expected to be released in the coming weeks. While previous administrations have avoided regulation of the Internet, "the increasingly central role of personal information in the Internet economy has sparked government action," the WSJ report states. Some are welcoming the plans, but others are less enthusiastic; an online ad industry group executive said that in terms of potential new legislation, "We believe we are living up to consumer-privacy expectations..." But Commerce's draft report says that self-regulation is lacking, according to the WSJ. (Registration may be required to access this story.)
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