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'Hopefully you’ll put them on and take them off shortly thereafter!' 50 Cent launches new men's underwear line featuring just two items - including a pair of boxer-briefs for $150
- The 41-year-old has teamed up with the brand Frigo for a limited-edition two-piece collection called Frigo Crown
- It includes a blue T-shirt and pair of boxer briefs with a lion print which cost $150 each
- Only 900 pieces have been made and the rapper had a hands-on approach to creating them
- 50 Cent said no one was trying to 'evolve' men's underwear, so he did
If Kanye can sell outrageously pricey clothes, why not other rappers? That certainly seems to be the logic behind 50 Cent's latest venture.
The 41-year-old In Da Club star has released his first-ever collection of men's underwear with the brand Frigo, starting his own limited-edition luxury line called Frigo Crown.
But the collection only includes two pieces: a T-shirt and a pair of boxer briefs for $150 apiece.
Pricey! 50 Cent has launched his own limited-edition underwear collection including this pair of $150 boxer briefs
Filling a hole: The 41-year-old rapper saw a lack of options for men in the underwear market
Fiddy seems to have been inspired by a disappointment with men's underwear options already on the market. While women have a wide range of lingerie to choose from — and plenty of luxury items from brands like La Perla and Agent Provocateur — men simply don't.
'For a man, everything comes three in a pack. No one’s saying, "Let me figure out how to evolve men’s underwear,"' he told People. No one except 50 Cent, that is.
Both his boxer briefs and T-shirt come in blue, covered with a print featuring a lion in a crown.
Get the whole outfit for $300! There is also a matching $150 T-shirt in the collection
The rapper was reportedly very hands-on in creating the pieces, working with the company to choose the patented moisture-wicking fabric, come up with the logo, and design the 'customizable pouch' to secure a man's intimate parts.
'Once you adjust it that first time, it’ll stay that way, which is cool,' he added encouragingly.
He also recognizes that at $150 a pop, these undies are pretty special — and may need to be saved for special occasions.
'Wear them when you know some action is going to take place. Hopefully you’ll put them on and take them off shortly thereafter!' he said.
Following his lead? Kanye West also sells basics at outrageous prices, like this $325 sweater (left) and $495 bodysuit (right)
With only 900 pieces being made and sold exclusively at Neiman Marcus and on Frigo's website, interested customers may have to act fast.
And if they don't manage to get a pair, they can always turn to 50 Cent's old standby.
'A lot of times I stick to what my grandparents would say: "Wear white underwear [because] it will tell you when it’s time to be changed."'
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Paradox Interactive's space strategy title Stellaris is set to make its way from PC to consoles next week. Taking into account that not many grand strategy titles have made it to consoles, the Swedish publisher have released a trailer covering what we can expect. For the majority of the video — narrated by game director Daniel Moregård and producer Aziz Faghihinejad — we hear about what players will get up to in Stellaris before we hear and see how the game has been adapted to be the best it possibly can be on console. Check it out for yourselves below.
Console players will be able to take to the stars next week when Stellaris: Console Edition releases on February 26th.
We've got the full list of Stellaris: Console Edition achievements - check the list for guides to unlocking them.
Get the biggest Xbox news delivered straight to your inbox every week.

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Flare Finance, the primary DeFi platform on the Flare Community has efficiently accomplished the airdrop of $EXFI tokens. The $EXFI tokens have been airdropped to all of the holders of $SGB and $WSGB throughout supported exchanges and wallets. 40 million $EXFI have been efficiently airdropped to all of the holders.
Flare Finance has thus far Solely Launched simply Three of Seven Merchandise to be Launched on the ExFi Platform
The Experimental Finance (ExFi) platform was launched on the Songbird Community, the Canary Community for Flare. The ExFi platform obtained an enormous response from the neighborhood and achieved over $40 million in TVL inside 30 days of launch. In a brief span of some weeks, the ExFi platform has already seen 170K distinctive customers on the platform.
The snapshot for $EXFI tokens was accomplished on Dec. twelfth, 2021, at 1 PM EST. The entire provide of the token is 110 million out of which 40 million have been airdropped. The EXFI token could have a number of use instances on the platform. Will probably be used as a price substitute token on FlareX. Customers might additionally use it to farm $SFIN on FlareFarm and create $CAND to farm even increased quantities of $SFIN. $EXFI can be obtainable on FlareLoans within the early week of February.
Flare Finance has thus far solely launched simply three of seven merchandise to be launched on the ExFi platform. As soon as the opposite 4 merchandise are launched, much more utility can be obtainable. Customers will be capable to use $EXFI for buying NFTs on the FlareDrop platform. $EXFI holders will even have the chance to vote on Flare Governance and be in a singular place to affect adjustments on the platform.
The buying and selling of $EXFI token is predicted to start throughout numerous exchanges from Jan sixth, 2022. A few of the exchanges which have introduced assist for airdrop and alternate itemizing embrace Bitrue, CoinTiger, EXMO, Coinone, and CEX.io. Extra alternate listings are anticipated to be introduced within the coming days.
Customers would be capable to commerce $EXFI utilizing FlareX on the Experimental Finance platform within the coming days. Customers also can retailer their $EXFI on D’ Cent Pockets and Bifrost Pockets since each firms have already introduced assist for $EXFI tokens. Flare Finance will even launch a Halborn Audit within the subsequent few days together with inside audits from TrailOfBits and CertiK.
Flare Finance is institutional-grade decentralized finance harnessing the true potential of the Flare Community. Flare Finance will launch seven merchandise – FlareX, FlareWrap, FlareFarm, FlareMine, FlareLoans, FlareMutual, and FlareDrop on the ExFi platform and the Mainnet platform.
Flare Finance has already introduced assist for XRP, XLM, LTC, DOGE, as S-Belongings and XDC, LGCY, CSC, and PAC as X-Belongings on the Experimental Finance platform. Flare Finance has a powerful neighborhood with practically 100K followers on simply Twitter. As extra initiatives get added to the platform, the variety of distinctive customers is predicted to multiply exponentially.
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Hong Kong’s BC Technology Group Ltd. is exploring the sale of its crypto platform OSL, one of only two exchanges licensed under digital-asset rules the city introduced in June, people familiar with the matter said.
(Bloomberg) — Hong Kong’s BC Technology Group Ltd. is exploring the sale of its crypto platform OSL, one of only two exchanges licensed under digital-asset rules the city introduced in June, people familiar with the matter said.
BC Technology has gauged interest in OSL from possible buyers such as industry players and funds, and a HK$1 billion ($128 million) valuation has been mooted, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing private information.
OSL’s platform spans prime brokerage, exchange and custody services for crypto markets as well as a business providing infrastructure to financial institutions so that they can offer virtual-asset trading. BC Technology may decide to sell parts of OSL rather than the whole business, the people said. Deliberations are ongoing and there’s no guarantee they will result in a deal, they said.
The report that BC Technology is considering selling the OSL business is “factually inaccurate and highly misleading,” the company’s board said in an exchange statement on Tuesday. A representative for the company on Monday said “we do not comment on market rumors and speculations.”
Shares of BC Technology once slumped by a record 37% on Tuesday after the Bloomberg News report. The stock is still down 24% as of 3:11 p.m. in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong rolled out a digital-asset rulebook on June 1 that aims to foster a hub for the sector and allows retail investors to trade larger tokens on licensed exchanges. But crypto demand remains weak after last year’s market rout and ensuing bankruptcies, while the city’s strict framework may entail higher costs.
Hong Kong is also grappling with the fallout of the blowup at the unlicensed JPEX exchange, a scandal that further tarnished the digital-asset industry.
BC Technology’s net loss narrowed to HK$95 million in the six months ended June from over HK$300 million in the same period a year earlier, its interim report shows. OSL’s digital assets and blockchain platform business is the main income contributor for BC Technology, according to the report.
The interim report also said digital-asset trading volume on OSL nearly halved to HK$112.6 billion in the first six months of 2023 from same period a year ago.
BC Technology’s market value has more than doubled to nearly HK$1.7 billion from a low in August this year. The shares are still down more than 80% from the record high hit in June 2021, during the pandemic-era bubble in all things crypto.
OSL has withdrawn an application for a digital-asset license in Singapore and plans a revised submission. Some Singapore clients are being migrated to the exchange in Hong Kong, a person familiar with the matter said.
HashKey Exchange is the only other platform with a Hong Kong crypto permit. The exacting licensing process may become more challenging in the wake of JPEX, which authorities allege defrauded investors of HK$1.6 billion.
Read More: Hong Kong’s Crypto Push Gets Blunt Warning as Probe Erupts
–With assistance from Suvashree Ghosh.
(Updates with BC Technology’s statement in fourth paragraph.)
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
©2023 Bloomberg L.P.


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Creative Technology’s founder and CEO Sim Wong Hoo has passed away, marking the end of an era he carved with his never-say-die entrepreneurship. A name long synonymous with Singapore-grown technology, Wong will be remembered not just for putting the country on the global map, but also for his undying passion and determination to push through amidst setbacks.
In a SGX filing Thursday, Creative said Sim died on January 4 and named its current president of Creative Labs Song Siow Hui as interim CEO. The company’s independent non-executive director Lee Kheng Nam has been appointed acting chairman.
Describing Sim’s passing as a “sad and sudden development”, Song said he “recently had extensive discussions” with Sim on Creative’s future direction, including one with the engineering team the night before his demise. They had slotted in a meeting with the online sales team the following day, revealed Song, who said he had worked with Sim for more than three decades.
He added that he would work to ensure Creative’s “continued smooth running” and to drive Sim’s vision and strategy the company.
According to the statement, details of Sim’s cessation will be released in a separate announcement, as required of public-listed companies under the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading.
Sim, who was 67, founded Creative in 1981 and had remained its chairman and CEO since then.
“Under his guidance, the company became famous for the Sound Blaster sound cards and a worldwide leader in digital entertainment products,” Creative said in the statement, adding that its product portfolio now spans wireless speakers and headphones, audiophile-grade amplifiers, and digital audio converters.
His passion was steadfast, tenacious
Since the news broke, feeds on my LinkedIn and Facebook pages have been flooded with tributes, mostly citing Sim’s inspiring work in the digital audio space and pioneering role in Singapore’s tech entrepreneur community. Ask anyone here (from a generation old enough to know) to name a homegrown tech brand, chances are they’ll point to the person behind Creative and the Sound Blaster.
So innovative was the technology back then that Apple copied it, at least, according to Sim who took the US company to court in 2006 for patent infringement. In fact, Sim credited Apple’s success to the Creative technology he said was replicated in Apple’s iPod, which then evolved to become the iPhone.
The two companies later settled their legal dispute when Apple agreed to pay $100 million for a patent licence to use Creative’s hierarchical user interface found in the latter’s Zen music players.
Eventually, it is Apple’s immense success with iPod alongside increasing market competition that eventually snuffed out Creative’s stronghold in the digital audio space. In the years that followed, the Singapore company persisted and continued to churn out new products, including its AI-powered Super X-Fi technology.
Creative, though, never reclaimed its early glory days. Net sales for its fiscal 2022 dipped 27% from the previous year, impacted by shipping disruptions, global chip shortages, pandemic-related market conditions, and the Ukraine conflict. The company saw its net sales drop by 23% in Asia-Pacific, 34% in Americas, and 27% in Europe.
In spite of the tough landscape, and probably to the surprise of some, Creative is still chugging away.
Sim, by his own admission, believed it was enough to just be able to survive in the market, having once described Singapore as an arduous environment for entrepreneurship. In spite of this, he was steadfast in his desire to remain focused on his home country and nurture local talent.
I didn’t have many opportunities to meet Sim since Creative played in a market I didn’t cover much in my beat, but I was a loyal user of the Zen products. Picky about audio quality, I chose to stick with the MP3 player through multiple generations even when the likes of iPod hit the market, because the sound clarity and richness Zen produced was unrivalled back then.
A diploma graduate in electrical and electronics engineering, Sim was known for his love of music, which might explain why he founded Creative. Described as an amiable boss, if not somewhat eccentric at times, he had a larger-than-life personality who was once spotted alongside his staff serving customers.
Over the years, I’ve heard numerous tales and personal anecdotes from others about the brains behind Creative. Amongst these was how he once instructed his engineering team to take apart a high-end digital piano built by a major manufacturer of musical instruments, so they could study the audio technology used in the product. Their efforts at “reverse engineering” apparently backfired spectacularly when his team couldn’t figure out how to put the components back in their rightful place and he had to call in the manufacturer for help to do so.
I heard that tale years ago and I can’t be certain of its authenticity, but it was befitting of a man with Sim’s tenacious passion.
In another media interview, he advised aspiring entrepreneurs against marrying because doing so meant they couldn’t afford to take risks. Himself a bachelor, he said having mortgages and a family would be a distraction, when entrepreneurs needed to be focused and committed to succeed.
Asked what motivated him, Sim said in a 2020 interview with CNBC: “The key thing is to make a difference to the world…From young, I always wanted to be like that. I always wanted to make the world a better place for all and that’s why I am being creative. If you look at back at Creative’s history, there are many times when a lot of people including my close siblings who would say that you would never get through this because it’s so onerous, it’s so difficult, you are going to fail, you’re going to fail. Somehow, we get through. Somehow, we get through.
“So, you are trying to bash through a wall, but you couldn’t bash through because this is a wall. So, I looked for cracks. So, there was a crack there, I squeezed through the crack and I managed it.”
Sim more than managed. He bashed through the wall and paved a way other Singapore entrepreneurs have aspired to follow. While Creative’s light may no longer shine as brightly as it once did, Sim will always remain one of the country’s most luminous tech pioneers.
#Singapore #tech #pioneer #Sound #Blaster #dies #marking #illustrious #era


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Uganda: ‘They Are for Dead White People,’ Museveni Warns Ugandans Against Second-Hand Clothes
President Museveni has warned Ugandans against buying and using imported second-hand clothes termed mivumba. According to President Museveni, such clothes are gathered from Europeans who have died.
“They are for dead people. When a white person dies, their clothes are dumped. I do not know which person gathers their clothes and sends them to Africa. We should stop wearing them,” Museveni said.
“We have people here who produce new clothes but they cannot infiltrate the market because the second-hand clothes are already all over.”
Museveni made the statements while commissioning 15 factories at Sino-Mbale Industrial Park in Mbale District yesterday. He also broke ground for 9 other factories at the same park.
“These investors have spectacles that enable them to detect where there’s money. It’s upon us to provide a conducive environment that enables whoever wants to invest to come. That is our role,” Museveni said.
“With a proper policy, everything does itself, that is why a person you least know about approaches you that they want to set up a textile factory. They do this because they know Ugandans must dress up and they have the required raw materials here needed to produce clothes. Then that’s how government comes in to catalyse the process by providing electricity, peace, roads and other needed infrastructure,” he added.
The President further thanked the NRM members who understand and support the vision and strategy of the party which has proved to be fruitful. He also commended the friends of Uganda especially the Chinese who have been working on mutual understanding and cooperation with the East African country and Africa since 1949.
The President also condemned some countries which are trying to curtail the market of Ugandan products. He assured the stakeholders that that move would be hard to achieve by the critics because “Our products are of good quality and at relatively low prices”.
He also assured industrialists that the challenge of electricity will soon be history since the government is currently solving the issue.
“Otherwise, electricity is enough and we are building more dams. We are also going to construct a water channel to deal with the problem of floods that affected us last time. We are also producing more fire brigade machinery for this industrial park and helping the industrial park with the infrastructure.


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Grain dealers in Sokoto State are experiencing a glut despite the commencement of the Holy month of Ramadan and they attribute it to delay in the payment of the state’s civil servants.
The demand for beans, commonly used for kosai or akara (bean cake), and millet, for kunun tsamiya (tamarind porridge) in the northern part of the country usually goes up during Ramadan and farmers usually flood the markets during the period.
“There is plenty in the rural areas and here in the urban areas,” said a grains seller, Alhaji Ahmadu, at the Sokoto Old Market.
Alhaji Ahmadu who has been in the grain business since 1980, said, “Millet price has remained at N10,000 to N11,500 per bag, the amount we bought it during harvest.
“For beans, we bought a bag at N20,000 and stored it. We bought storage facilities, yet the price is coming down to N18,000, N15,000, N17,000, depending on the variety.”
The grain dealers noted that with the commencement of Ramadan, the demand has been short of expectation.
Amadu who did not anticipate increase in the price of grains, urged people to fear Allah and desist from unnecessary increase of price which he said brought hardship to the common man.
At the Kara Grains Depot, a bag of millet costs between N10,000 and N11,000. For beans, the small variety costs N13,000 to N14,000 per bag, while the big variety costs N16,000 to N17,000, and there is a variety that goes for N19,000.
“We are facing serious glut this time around. Don’t you see me taking shelter under this tree, it is a sign of glut. I wouldn’t have had time to sleep at this time of the day,” he said.
The dealer attributed the abundance of foodstuff to mass agricultural revolution by the present administration which according to him had yielded dividend.
He recalled that the first 10 days of the previous Ramadan witnessed an increase in foodstuff prices, especially for beans and millet.
Another grains dealer, Nurudeen Sani, who trades at the Sokoto Central Market, said the prices of beans and millet had remained stable, adding that a bag of millet cost N12,000, while a measure stood at N320.
At the central market grains depot, Mallam Umaru Senior, spokesman of the Grains Sellers Association (GSA), said, “Before Ramadan, we recorded huge sales of both millet and beans. I could sell up to 10 bags in a day, amounting to about N100,000, but now that Ramadan is around again, we have not recorded the usual hustle and bustle at the market.”
He added that, “I have not sold a bag of beans today, but I managed to sell a bag yesterday. A bag of beans costs N20,000 and a measure costs N500, but now that Ramadan has commenced, the market has collapsed, forcing us to sell a bag at N16,000 while a measure at N450.
The spokesman, however, said, “We pray for good times for our commodities. Just recently, we got patronage from the Sokoto State Zakat Committee which purchased 100 bags each of rice, wheat and beans from one of our members.”
He said as an association with over 1,000 members, GSA ensured control of standard measures across the central and satellite markets in the metropolis and in the 23 local government areas of the state.
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The best PS4 Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2015 deals – mega-round-up of the cheapest prices
Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2015: The best Xbox One deals – retailers with cheapest prices
EA’s confirmed it will stream live its US summer showcase on Thursday evening.
EA Summer Showcase headlines
EA Summer Showcase Latest
EA to stream US summer showcase on Thursday


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Kellogg recalled about 28 million boxes of Apple Jacks, Corn Pops, Froot Loops, and Honey Smacks this afternoon. The recall is due to an unpleasant smell and flavor from the boxes' plastic packaging that may be the cause of nausea and diarrhea. The boxes in question have better-if-used by dates ranging from March 26, 2011, to June 22, 2011. Kellogg claims the potential for any serious health problems is low but about 20 people complained of the smell, including five who reported nausea and vomiting. Ƒor more information, visit the company's website.
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What You Thought You Knew About Green Gummy Bears Is All a LIE
Don't even get us started about the red ones either.
Kraft Expands Its Recall of American Cheese Slices by Tenfold
The company is now recalling 335,000 cases.


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How many Subway locations are there in the USA?
Global quick service restaurant (QSR) Subway operated and franchised a total of 22,005 restaurants in the United States in 2020, down from 23,801 the previous year.
How many stores does Subway have?
44,758Subway / Number of locations
How many subway’s are there in the US 2021?
The United States was the country with the most Subway restaurants in North America in 2021 with 21,240 restaurants.
How many Subway locations are there 2022?
Global quick service restaurant brand Subway accounted for 36,840 stores worldwide as of May 9, 2022. At that time, the restaurant chain was one of the largest in the world in terms of number of restaurants worldwide. .
Is Subway The biggest chain?
Each company possesses a strong brand and is an established name in the casual eating restaurant industry. With 40,953 locations worldwide, Subway beats out McDonald’s as the largest global chain.
Does Subway have the most locations?
Despite the seeming ubiquity of McDonald’s Golden Arches and the Starbucks’ twin-tailed mermaid, sandwich chain Subway actually has the most locations of any restaurant worldwide. In 2017, Subway had 43,912 stores around the world, beating second-place McDonald’s at 37,241 and third-place Starbucks at 27,339 locations.
What state has the most Subway stations?
There are 21,139 Subway locations in the United States as of May 02, 2022. The state with the most number of Subway locations in the US is California, with 2,082 locations, which is 9% of all Subway locations in America.
What city has the most Subway stops?
The New York City Subway has the greatest number of stations with 472.
Is Subway still struggling?
After hitting a peak of 27,129 US locations on Jan. 1, 2016, the chain has since shrunk by a whopping 22 percent. In New York, there has been a 22 percent decline over the past three years alone, federal filings said.
Is Mcdonalds or Subway bigger?
With 40,953 locations worldwide, Subway beats out McDonald’s as the largest global chain. McDonald’s currently has 37,855 locations globally.
Which restaurant chain has the most locations in the US?
Despite the ubiquity of popular fast-food chains such as Burger King, McDonald’s, and Starbucks, the most numerous restaurant chain in both the United States—and in the entire world—is Subway.
Is Subway a bigger chain than Mcdonalds?
How many Burger Kings are there in the US?
7,237 Burger Kings
According to the data company ScrapeHero, as of July 29, 2019, there were 7,237 Burger Kings across the United States.
How many Wendy’s are there in the US?
There are more than 6,500 Wendy’s® restaurants currently in operation in the United States and 29 countries and U.S. territories worldwide.
How many locations does subway have in US?
How many locations does subway have in us? 23,801 restaurants Number of Subway restaurants in the U.S. 2015-2019 Global quick service restaurant (QSR) Subway operated and franchised a total of 23,801 restaurants in the United States in 2019, down from 24,798 the previous year.
What is the nearest subway station?
The victim, 40-year-old Upper West Side resident Michelle Alyssa Go, was shoved onto the tracks in a Times Square subway station near 42nd Street and Broadway and was struck by a southbound R train around 9:30 a.m. Saturday, NBC News reported, citing a
How many Subways are in the US?
website indicates that Subway has about 24,000 locations in the United States. It has about 42,000 locations around the world. How Many Subway’S Are There In The World 2020? Fast-food giant Subway operates more than 42,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries, making it the largest chain on the planet.
What is the number of Subway locations?
The Ministry of Health said the low number of Covid-19 cases is welcome news. Video / Dean Purcell / Michael Craig / Alex Burton People who visited Subway in Feilding are being told to isolate and immediately get tested after the location was visited by a


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MIAMI (AP) - A sleek outer space looking solar powered catamaran is heading for Miami.
Swiss engineer Raphael Domjan says the 102-foot-long Turanor PlanetSolar is the world's largest solar powered boat.
The vessel docked in Miami this weekend.
Turanor's deck is covered in 5,700 square feet of photovoltaic
panels of thin glass that charge a gigantic lithium ion battery.
The vessel can last on battery for three to four days if there's no
Domjan is planning a eco-adventure around the world on the
The Turanor costs about $20 million.
Information from: The Miami Herald, http://www.herald.com
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)


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- OnePlus will start working on the Always-on Display (AOD) feature by June
- The feature could be introduced with the next major OxygenOS software version
OnePlus will finally brings the Always-On Display (AOD) feature to its smartphones. It’s a highly requested feature from OnePlus owners that lets you glance at the date, time, battery, notifications, and more on the lock screen without having to touch the device. OnePlus first confirmed the arrival of AOD back in March, and it was speculated to arrive on the OnePlus 8 series, but that didn’t happen. Now, OnePlus has revealed the timeline for the implementation of the Always-On Display and a few other highly requested features.
The company has shared a detailed recap of its IDEAS beta program on OnePlus Community forum, which reveals that the development of AOD feature will begin in June, while the closed and open beta testing has been scheduled for August/ September. With that timeline, we can expect the AOD feature to roll out on a stable build in the last quarter of this year. It wouldn’t come as a surprise if OnePlus introduces the feature with its upcoming Oxygen OS version based on Android 11.
The OnePlus phones that are eligible for the Always-On Display feature are vague at the moment. But, we’re expecting the feature to arrive on OnePlus 6 and newer smartphones, since OnePlus 5 and 5T are nearing the end of their software support.
Apart from this, OnePlus has also confirmed a handful of other feature that we may see on OnePlus phones soon. The list includes fingerprint lock for hidden pictures in Gallery, battery full notification, folders in App Drawer, and improved Zen Mode. The company added that it has picked these ideas from over 5,000 suggestions, with 25,000 likes and 2,000 comments, made on its community forum.


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ZF Friedreichshafen AG posted record sales in 2017 and announced increases in research and development investments.
The company had 36.4 billion euros in 2017 sales, nearly $45.2 billion, with increased earnings before interest and taxes of 2.3 billion euros ($2.85 billion) despite increases in R&D spending.
When adjusted for exchange rate effects and M&A activities, ZF elicited organic growth of 6 percent.
ZF will increase its research and development spending again and work even faster to produce technologies for the future of mobility, said CEO Wolf-Henning Scheider at the company’s annual press conference.
Scheider, who has been ZF CEO since Feb. 1, added that he believes start-up culture could also be fostered by large companies.
“The world of mobility is spinning at high speed,” said Scheider in a statement. “We plan to provide our customers with pioneering solutions in all fields under our motto ‘See – Think – Act’, which is why we will further increase our research and development spending.”
In 2017, ZF spent 2.2 billion euros ($2.7 billion) on research and development, an increase of almost 15 percent compared to 2016.
This year, significantly more than two billion is set to be channeled into development work around the world, with the aim of advancing electric drives and the hybridization of transmission technology as well as vehicle safety systems and automated driving.
This means that the share of the budget allocated to R&D will be raised from 6.1 percent to around 6.5 percent this year.
Equally, ZF wishes to continue investing in property, plant and equipment, having spent 1.4 billion euros ($1.7 billion) in 2017.
Two new plants for the production of electric drive components are planned, among other things.
“We are reinforcing the implementation of cross-divisional teams with a high level of autonomy in decision-making and cooperation,” said Scheider. “They are better able to adapt to the requirements in the new fields of technology, which are changing so quickly. We work even more closely with our customers for these projects and at an earlier stage so that attractive products can be brought into volume production much more quickly. However, this also means that a project can be abandoned swiftly if the expectations cannot be met. With this approach, a start-up culture can be present in a big group.”


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The specifications of the Moto E4 smartphone has been leaked via the P3DN listing. Touted as a budget smartphone tagged with model number XT1755, Motorola is expected to unveil the handset within the next few months.
With certificate number 102/ILMATE/TKDN/4/2017, the listing carries a reference number TKDN-1700043. The listing also provides the detailed specifications of the rumored handset.
Based on the information available on the listing, the Moto E4 features a 5-inch FWVGA display, MediaTek MT6737m processor, 4GB RAM, 16GB expandable internal storage, 5MP rear camera, 2MP front-facing snapper loaded with Android 7.0 Nougat.
With a display resolution of 854×480 pixels, the upcoming Moto E4 will be available in 1GB, 2GB and 3GB RAM variants as well including 4GB. The handset will ship with a 2300mAh removable battery. The Nilai TKDN has been mentioned as 31.20 percent.
To recall, the specifications of the Moto E4 Plus (XT1723) surfaced on the web with a massive 5000mAh battery. However, you should note that the feature and specs will change depending upon the region and markets. It is also possible that the P3DN listing is not a final source of credible information.
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Engineer working for crash victim's family cracked GM ignition flaw
Somewhere inside the 2-inch ignition switch from the 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt was the clue that Mark Hood was seeking.
Hood, an engineer in Florida, had photographed, X-rayed and disassembled the device in fall 2012, focusing on the tiny plastic and metal switch that controlled the ignition. But even after hours of testing, Hood was at a loss to explain why the engine in Brooke Melton's Cobalt had suddenly shut off, causing her fatal accident in 2010 in Georgia.
It was no small matter to her family, which had hired Hood for their lawsuit against General Motors.
Then he bought a replacement for $30 from a local GM dealership, and the mystery quickly unraveled. For the first time, someone outside GM, even by the company's own account, had figured out a problem it had known about for a decade, and is now linked to 12 deaths.
The discovery was at once subtle and significant: Even though the new switch had the same identification number — 10392423 — Hood found big differences. A tiny metal plunger in the switch was longer in the replacement part. And the switch's spring was more compressed. And most important, the force needed to turn the ignition on and off was greater.
“There was a substantial increase in the torque of the switch,” Hood said. “We took measurements. And they were very different.”
So began the discovery that would set in motion GM's worldwide recall of 2.6 million Cobalts and other cars, and one of the gravest safety crises in the company's history.
Hood came to realize that GM, and the supplier that made the part, Delphi, had quietly changed the switch sometime in 2006 or early 2007, making it less likely that an unsuspecting driver could bump the ignition key and cause the car to cut off engine power and deactivate its air bags. The change was made so quietly that GM hired outside consultants last year to help identify which Cobalt model years contained the original switch.
Now, the details behind the change have become critical issues in determining whether the automaker intentionally concealed a safety defect. Next week, GM's chief executive, Mary T. Barra, and the nation's top auto safety regulator, David Friedman, will testify before the House and Senate about events leading up to the wide-ranging recall.
Hood's work in the Melton case was a turning point in solving the mystery of the faulty switches, and led to the first depositions by GM engineers that confirmed years of internal studies of ignition problems in the Cobalt. GM settled the wrongful-death suit brought by the Melton family last year.
“It was obvious they changed the switch, and we showed GM that,” said Lance Cooper, the Georgia lawyer who represented the Melton family.
It was hardly a straight path to Hood's finding. After taking the case in 2011, Cooper first hired a mechanic to see if the crash was related to a power steering problem that was the subject of a GM recall at the time.
But data taken from the car's black box pointed to ignition failure — and Hood, a veteran investigator of the engineering of airplanes, cars, trains and medical devices, was given the task of analyzing it.
Hood zeroed in on how the switch functioned. He learned that the small plastic-and-metal component at one end controlled whether the car's engine was in the on, off, or accessory position. The accessory position allows certain electronics, like the radio, to run.
Once he determined that the original part from Melton's car differed from the store-bought replacement, Hood began combing junkyards, acquiring more switches from Cobalts — 18 in all.
By the time Cooper started taking depositions from GM engineers in April 2013, Hood had documented the change in the part so thoroughly that the company could not escape the facts.
In one deposition, Cooper confronted Raymond DeGiorgio, the head switch engineer on the Cobalt, with the differences between the original switch and the replacement. While DeGiorgio said he saw the differences, he could not explain why the part had been changed without a corresponding change in its identification number.
“I was not aware of a detent plunger switch change,” he said. “We certainly did not approve a detent plunger switch change.”
But in federal filings for the recall in February, GM said that an unnamed engineer had in fact signed a document in April 2006 approving design changes in the switch suggested by Delphi.
In the same filing, the automaker also acknowledged that Hood's detective work on the switch changes was the first time an outsider had “observed and documented” the switch change.
Government investigators have requested that GM provide any documents chronicling the switch change and who within the company approved it.
The change of a basic part on a high-volume vehicle like the Cobalt is unusual, and correspondence between GM and Delphi on the switch could be seen as evidence that the automaker knew the original part was defective.
It was not just the Cobalt that contained the switch. In addition to the 2005-07 Cobalt, GM also recalled the 2007 Pontiac G5, the 2003-07 Saturn Ion; the 2006-07 Chevrolet HHR and Pontiac Solstice; and the 2007 Saturn Sky. On Friday, GM added 971,000 later model Cobalts and other cars to the recall.
Hood's research could also play a part in class action suits filed against GM covering all owners of Cobalts and other vehicles in the recall.
He said his investigation was nothing extraordinary in scope, just a meticulous breakdown of a commodity auto part found in millions of vehicles.
The newer, improved switch has now gone back into production at a Delphi plant in Mexico. Barra said two shifts of workers were making the switch, with a goal of having initial shipments ready for dealers by early April.
GM has said it will replace the old switch with the new one, at no charge to vehicle owners. In the interim, Barra told customers in a video on a company website that the recalled cars were safe to drive, as long as there were no objects attached to the ignition key.
The moment that will linger for Hood is when he removed the switch from the ignition assembly salvaged from Melton's car. He then replaced it with the store-bought part, and realized how much better the entire part worked.
“It's satisfying to me because I'm working on behalf of the Meltons,” he said. “It won't bring their daughter back, but if it goes toward a better understanding of the problem, it might save someone else.”


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The Atlantic points out another consequence of the digital revolution: books now come in multiple formats at dozens of price points. A symptom of publisher panic? A boon for readers?
Could “cozy literary fiction” ever be a thing? Mallory Ortberg at The Toast has penned a passionate defense of the unintentionally hilarious “cozy mystery” genre. Sate your mystery fix with this essay from The Millions’ own Matt Seidel on the four ways to wrap up a mystery tale.
Haruki Murakami’s latest book – the title of which translates to Colourless Tsukuru Tazaki and the Year of His Pilgrimage – went on sale in Japan last month, and in that time it’s been selling over a million copies a week. You can catch a glimpse of the book’s first and earliest reviews over at the NY Daily News. (By the way, did you know Murakami translated The Great Gatsby into Japanese?)


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Elio Motors, a small startup automaker operating out of an old GM plant, introduced the key suppliers for its three-wheeled, two-seat car while revealing a few more details about the vehicle and one of the prototypes yesterday.
The 800-pound three-wheeler will sell for $6,800 and the company already has 13,000 orders. There are two markets for the car, according to Paul Elio, the company’s founder and CEO, first-time car buyers and someone with a larger vehicle, like a Cadillac Escalade, who is looking for an inexpensive commuter vehicle.
The company took over a portion of GM’s former plant in Shreveport, La. earlier this year and expects to begin production of the car, which they say will get 49 mpg city and 84 mpg highway and get a five-star crash rating, next June.


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As the crisis of the Covid-19 pandemic grew, so did conversations on the recovery plan for the African continent which had relatively been spared the intensity of health challenges but hit hard by the economic challenges which arose as a result of the effects of lockdowns across the world.
With several African countries, including South Africa and Nigeria, unable to cope with strict lock down measures and beginning the fall into recession, it was evident that stressed seams, were strained further by dwindling resources and supply chains.
On one of such panels organised by the New York Institute, with a number of leaders including Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director of the World Trade Organisation at the time, the Founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundaton, Tony Elumelu who was present at the event called for a reset to what has been business as usual on the continent.
“Disruption has come to stay,” he said. “2020 started with disruptions and it is just, in my viewpoint, the beginning. We would continue to have economic disruptions and the point for every one of us is how do we reset Africa so that when the disruptions come, because they will definitely come, how are we able to withstand it?”
Most of the world has pretty much adapted to the new normal, as more organisations and countries continue to embrace new methods of doing things, but the question of Africa’s reset still lingers.
Africa’s economy is driven by the informal sector, majority of whom start and carry out businesses out of necessity and for most of these, finance continue to be one of the greatest needs.
Now, more than ever, majority of African businesses need suitable financial support that might include loans, debt forgiveness, low interest rates, in order to navigate the challenges and risks posed by the pandemic.
Despite the absence of these in most parts, Africa’s entrepreneurs rose to the challenge, most pivoting their businesses to fill in the gap left by dwindling supply chains with the production of Covid-19 overall kits, masks and focus on delivery services.
Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, currently the director general of WTO, had said that “the only way we are going to fight this pandemic is through unity of purpose and unity of action.
Referring to our Founder, Tony Elumelu’s comment on resetting Africa she continued, “we can see this crisis as an opportunity for the continent. Many countries scrambling because most of the supply chains were outside the continent and we have to make the continental free trade agreement real. And this means we have to rely on ourselves and have a plan where we specialise our countries in manufacturing and some of the things that we need so we can trade with other countries.”
In addition to just trying to formalise the informal sector, MSMEs also need the bold campaigns and attractive packages that could spur on their growth and development.
With almost everything calling for attention, there is also the added consideration of deciding what sectors to focus on. The need for data-driven approaches is now more evident than ever, in order to track and forecast the social and political changes that will inevitably result from the changes brought about by the effects of the pandemic and the measures put in place to reset Africa.
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Friends of Williamson County Animal Center (FOWCAC) is pleased to announce the Paw Pantry, a new initiative for neighbors in need of pet food. The Paw Pantry will be open once a month at the Williamson County Animal Center (WCAC), 106 Claude Yates Dr. in Franklin, TN for dog and cat food distribution.
The Paw Pantry is designed to ensure that no pet owner is forced to give up their dog or cat due to lack of food. Shelter director Ondrea Johnson is eager to provide this service.
“We know that there are people in our community that can’t afford pet food right now,” she stated, “and we are pleased to be able to be a local resource for them.”
The initial Paw Pantry distribution will be Friday, January 15, 2021 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. To kick off the new program, Red Collar Pet Foods, Inc. of Franklin has generously donated 2,000 pounds of cat and dog food to be distributed during the two-hour event. The next distribution date will be Friday, February 19, 2021.
Touchless, drive-through delivery will be provided in the parking lot of the shelter, and recipients must show proof of Williamson County residency. There is no pre-registration required, and food will be distributed for two hours or as the supply allows.
Williamson County Animal Center is located at 106 Claude Yates Dr., next to Franklin High School. Adoptable animals can be viewed at www.adoptwcac.org or on Facebook.
Red Collar Pet Foods, Inc., located in Franklin, TN, is a leading manufacturer of premium and mainstream private label and contract pet food and treat products. For more info, go to www.redcollarpet.com.


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Fast food giant McDonald's has announced fans of Big Mac sauce will be able to buy it for the first time ever from its restuarants.
Launching on Wednesday, February 12 and running for a limited time, Big Mac sauce will be available as dips, although they're expected to sell out quick.
The last time customers were able to get their hands on the McDonald's sauce was back in 2016, when it appeared on eBay and bids reached over £65,000.
So, it's understandable why the new sauce dipping pots are expected to sell out.
Priced at 50p for each 50ml pot, they will be available 24 hours a day and have a seven day shelf life.
Despite only being announced today, the news has already got fans excited. On Twitter user @_Shanboo12_ said: "Typical when I go on a diet McDonald's release the Big Mac sauce as a dip you can buy."
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Last month, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation completed a series of reports on climate change with a strong message. Don’t just reduce emissions; restructure the economy as well, from a once-through wasteful economy to a circular economy. Or else, industry and agriculture will continue to emit a lot of greenhouse gases, because of their sheer size and lack of adapted procedures.
We need to speed up
Addressing emissions in industry and the food system presents a particularly complex challenge, writes the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. In industry, there is a growing demand for materials. By 2050, global demand for energy intensive industrial materials such as steel, cement, aluminium and plastics will probably increase by a factor of two to four. Compare that to the slow adoption rate of renewable electricity and process improvements – and it becomes clear that meeting climate targets will be very difficult. Global food demand is thought to increase by almost half. Both consumers and producers will have to change their habits significantly. Success in these sectors will be critical. And we need to speed up. Meeting the 1.5oC climate target requires an annual decarbonisation rate of the energy system of 11.3% – seven times the current rate.
Here is where the circular economy comes in. It is based on three principles. Design out waste and pollution. Keep products and materials in use. And regenerate natural systems. This adds up to a redesign of the entire value chain. First of all, reuse and/or recycling should be part and parcel of product design. Often, materials that emit less CO2 can substitute materials now in production and use. For instance, some biobased plastics can absorb CO2 instead of emitting it when produced. And the Ellen MacArthur foundation itself has delved deep into the area of finding alternatives for Portland cement; the production of which is responsible for some 5% of global CO2 emissions.
The contribution of the circular economy
Production of new materials is the main source of CO2 emissions by industry. But we can change this. By reusing products, we save the energy embedded in them and also prevent new emissions from the production of new products. A particularly wasteful industry now is fashion. The lifetime of clothing products gets shorter all the time; and a substantial proportion of clothes is thrown away even without being sold. And recycling materials requires much less energy than producing them anew.
We need to complement this renewed industry with ‘regenerative agriculture’. With this term, the Ellen MacArthur Foundations means an cultural practice that sequesters CO2 in the soil. This can be done by a variety of techniques, like ‘using organic fertilisers, planting cover crops, employing crop rotation, reducing tillage, and cultivating more crop varieties to promote agro-biodiversity.’ Such a regenerative agriculture will give benefits like ‘improving soil structure to enable better water storage and promoting more biologically active soils that generate their own soil fertility without the need for synthetic inputs.’
Resilience in climate strategies
In this way, the circular economy will form an indispensable component of a climate-friendly economy. Moreover, it will lend resilience to climate strategies. In an industry that keeps materials in use, businesses reduce their dependence on raw materials vulnerable to climate risks. In a system of regenerative agriculture, soils will have a greater capacity to absorb and retain water, increasing resilience against both intense rainfall and drought.
Creating a circular economy is a fundamental step towards achieving climate targets, says the report. It offers a systematic response to the crisis by both reducing emissions and increasing resilience to its effects. The benefits encompass meeting other goals such as creating more liveable cities, distributing value more widely in the economy, and spurring innovation. ‘These attributes make the circular economy a potent contributor to achieving zero-carbon prosperity.’


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Samsung TecTile tags are not a terribly expensive item, however it looks like those who are using the tags and also upgrading from a Galaxy S III to a GALAXY S 4 will need to buy some updated tags. Basically, the GALAXY S 4 is not compatible with the currently available NFC TecTile tags. This comes due to the bit about Samsung using a different NFC chipset in the GALAXY S 4.
Tagged: NFC Near Field Communication
aside from mobile payments, however that is often where the topic seems to come back to. There are several solutions such as Google Wallet and ISIS, however neither are widespread in use. Some had thought that Google would have been able to convince people that they needed to be buying things with the swipe of a smartphone, however that doesn't seem to have happened. Enter the next possibility, Samsung and Visa. These two companies have announced a new partnership in hopes to accelerate NFC-based mobile payments.
NFC business cards way back in September 2012. Coming more recently however, they have released an app for Android users. The app is called NFC by MOO and can be found in the Google Play Store. In short, the app will allow you to program NFC cards (or tags). The catch is, the release of the app would probably have made much more sense if the NFC equipped business cards were actually available.
Verizon isn't playing nicely so that sort of rules that option out. Truthfully though, NFC is about much more than mobile payments. In fact, I would argue that even if I had Google Wallet on my Galaxy S III, that would probably be the least used NFC related feature.
originally announced the Galaxy S III Mini back in October. As of today, Samsung has returned with another Galaxy S III Mini announcement -- they are releasing another variant of the handset, one with NFC. As of now, Samsung has confirmed the release for the UK market and mentioned that the handset will arrive later this month.
Google Play. TecTile is Samsung's app that works with its programmable NFC sticker tags. It was first announced in June, and now it's time for an update. The new version of the app is free, and the tags are available for $14.99 for a pack of five.
just announced that they will be the exclusive carrier for Sony's new Xperia TL mobile phone featuring Android version 4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich). They also announced that this new device can be upgraded to Android 4.1 (Jellybean). This new phone will also be featured in the latest James Bond film, so you know it has all the gadgets.
Samsung Nexus S 4G, you'll be seeing a notification right away immediately if not soon.
ew phone exclusively in China which would allow for mobile payments via NFC. That same device, the PH85110, has been brought to the FCC recently. On top of its already impressive array of radios were several GSM frequencies that may indicate its the PH85110 is going to be heading state-side after all.


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By Siobhan O’Leary
When Bloomsbury announced a substantial restructuring of its global operations about three weeks ago, it wasn’t immediately clear how the changes would impact Germany’s Berlin Verlag, which was acquired by Bloomsbury in 2003. Berlin Verlag has now announced that Elisabeth Ruge, co-founder of the press and managing director since 2005, will be stepping down as of March 15th.
According to Buchreport, the announcement came as a particular surprise given that the German house had expressed an air of “business as usual” in the immediate aftermath of the reorg.
As reported in Publishers Weekly and elsewhere, Bloomsbury will be forming “four worldwide divisions organized along categories rather than structuring the company along geographic lines. The change was announced as a response to the “overall globalization of publishing, including the worldwide presence of some of Bloombury’s biggest customers — Amazon, Apple and Google.”
Berlin Verlag was founded in 1994 and sold to Bloomsbury following a five-year stint under the helm of Random House. Its authors include Ingo Schulze, Jonathan Littell and Péter Esterházy. The publisher’s latest venture is Berlin Academic, an academic publishing house founded in 2010 with a special focus on digital developments and Open Access.


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As of a couple of days ago, restaurants in California were ableto resume outdoor dining! 🎉 Due to COVID-19 there has been a lot of uncertainty in regards to the rules and regulations of restaurant operations. For nearly a year, restaurants here have gone back and forth from takeout options only, to outdoor seating only. There have been many mixed feelings towards these rules, and some restaurants have even started disobeying them. I feel for restaurant owners, employees, and everyone else affected by COVID-19, hopefully things will get better and safer soon! ♥
Here are some pictures of some of the most delicious food and drinks I’ve eaten within the past two years😊
How is the restaurant situation in your country?
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So VR support should arrive Fall 2020.
Minecraft is using OpenXR for its desktop VR support.
It offers one of the best resolutions of any VR headset.
Johnson arrives at a very turbulent time for the company.
It's scheduled to launch later this year.
Good news for UE4 developers.
Currently, this is merely a tease with no specs revealed.
Any VR implementation is likely years away.
That casual stroll could get a lot more interesting.
A possible VR gaming mat for the next Xbox?


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Our firm has received Acquisition International’s 2013 M&A Award for Entity Selection Law Firm of the Year.
You can read more about it in the press release here.
Jul 30, 2013
Jul 31, 2012
Our firm has been named the USA Leading Dealmaker for the McCoy Sales Corp./Fluid Connector Products, Inc. merger in Acquisition International’s 2012 M&A Awards.
You can read more about it in their press release here: AI MA Press Release


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Why would you want TV on a cell phone or portable device, especially when you have that 42-inch or larger flat-screen at home, beckoning you every night?
This month, AT&T began its subscription Mobile TV service, and Microsoft started selling TV shows for its Zune digital media player. (Msnbc.com is a joint venture of Microsoft and NBC Universal.)
Last week, Orb Networks announced its software for streaming live TV to the iPhone and iPod Touch for owners of the devices willing to “jailbreak,” or unlock them (something Apple does not condone).
Verizon Wireless launched its V Cast Mobile TV subscription service, similar to AT&T’s, a year ago, and Apple has been selling TV shows for iPods from its iTunes Store since late 2005. On Tuesday, HBO started selling some of its shows through the iTunes Store.
There’s no way a 2- to 3.5-inch screen, such as those on most mobile devices like phones and portable players, can compete with the larger screen.
But when it comes to mobile TV, it’s not about competition as much as it is about choices. And it seems there is some momentum toward TV on the small screen.
“It’s more what we call ‘video snacking,’ and consumers say they’re interested in watching TV shows on their phones and on their iPods,” said Michael Gartenberg, JupiterResearch vice president and research director.
“It’s diversionary. Maybe you’re killing time, in a line at the airport, so you tune into an episode of a TV show, or turn on a news short or sports. The idea of episodic shows is that I’m watching it where I don’t have access to a TV show or to a TiVo.”
Adam Sohn, Zune’s director of marketing, said the success of digital video recorder devices, such as TiVo, “has really put us in a frame of mind where people want to watch what they want and when they want.
“They want to be a bit more in control of the experience, rather than having to sit down in front of a particular device at a particular time to consume a piece of content,” he said.
Such “short-form content,” he said, “becomes a lot more compelling for a bus ride or while you’re sitting on the exercise bike.”
As far as screen size, well, like so many other things, it’s relative, some believe.
“We’re seeing much larger mobile and portable screens coming onto the market,” said Gartenberg.
“Plus, even on a small screen, when you’re holding it relatively close to your eye, it has the same impact on you as a large screen that’s across the room.”
Another firm, ABI Research, echoed that finding in a report earlier this year. Consumers “are being increasingly enticed” to mobile TV because of “better experiences through more powerful and larger (cell phone) screens, as well as a widening array of subscription options,” the company said.
Currently, there are around 3 million mobile TV subscribers in the U.S., said Michelle Abraham, principal analyst for In-Stat market research firm.
“In the U.S., with these multiple methods of getting video, we expect by the end of 2012, there will be more than 25 million subscribers to mobile video services,” she said.
The per-episode route
Both Apple and Microsoft are charging about $1.99 per episode for TV downloads, which "does seem to be the sweet spot" on price for consumers, Gartenberg said. "They're not significantly willing to go above that per episode of a TV show."
Among this week’s “Top TV Shows” at the iTunes Store: Episodes from “Lost,” “Gossip Girl,” “Desperate Housewives,” “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Family Guy.”
TV shows available at the Zune Marketplace include NBC episodes from “The Office,” “30 Rock” and “Heroes,” as well as “South Park” from Comedy Central and other offerings from the Sci-Fi Channel and MTV.
HBO episodes of “The Sopranos,” “Deadwood” and “Rome” will be priced at $2.99 per episode at the iTunes Store, while other HBO shows, such as “Sex and the City” and “The Wire” will be $1.99 an episode.
“It’s almost a little surprising consumers are willing to pay that much, because typically, a TV show is something you watch once,” said Gartenberg.
“You might buy a song for $1, and listen to that song 10,000 times over the course of your life. An episode of a TV show — you might watch it once, twice, maybe three times. It’s not something that gets watched over and over and over again.”
AT&T’s TV service, using Qualcomm’s MediaFLO technology, costs $15 a month for 10 channels, including CBS Mobile, Comedy Central, NBC 2Go and ESPN Mobile TV. They are some of the same channels offered at the same cost by Verizon Wireless, which is also using MediaFLO.
Verizon Wireless also has a $13-a-month “Mobile TV Limited” subscription that provides Fox Mobile, NBC, NBC News and CBS Mobile.
So far, MediaFLO TV service is limited to more than 50 markets and only to certain phones by both AT&T and Verizon Wireless.
The $15-a-month subscription service is only offered right now on two phones from AT&T: LG’s Vu, which has a 3-inch touchscreen, and Samsung’s Access, with a 2.3-inch screen.
Verizon Wireless provides V Cast Mobile TV on four phones including the LG Voyager, with a 2.81-inch touchscreen.
Sprint Nextel offers TV on some of its phones via the MobiTV service, for $9.99 a month. MobiTV, with 60 channels, streams TV to phones using the cellular network.
MobiTV also provides service to Alltel, US Cellular and other phone networks, as well as to AT&T for phones such as Motorola’s RAZR V3.
“The most popular mobile TV broadcast services are those that are offered without a subscription, as in Japan and South Korea,” In-Stat market research firm said in a report last month.
“However, mobile TV broadcast services are viewed by many as a way to generate revenue, so many of the mobile TV broadcast services will be subscription-based.”
While MediaFLO is one avenue for mobile TV to be delivered, there are others being tested in the United States, and used, especially in Europe.
The Advanced Television Systems Committee, a nonprofit organization in the U.S. that develops voluntary standards for digital TV, is working to establish a mobile handheld standard, Abraham said.
“There are standards going into trials this year that are expected to be commercially deployed next year,” said Abraham of In-Stat. “The ATSC has several technology proposals that they’re evaluating.”
Behind those proposals are more than 420 local commercial and 350 public television stations, which have formed the Open Mobile Video Coalition. The group wants an open mobile TV standard that will allow them to transmit their broadcasts directly to mobile devices, including MP3 players, portable game and DVD players, as well as cell phones.
“What we’re seeing is more and more overlapping functions among these different device categories, and a sense of overlapping functionality, allowing the user to pick the device they need, based on the context they’re in,” said Gartenberg of JupiterResearch.


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A comprehensive travel survey recognizes this historic day
World Tourism Day takes place each year on September 27. It was established by the United Nations in 1980 to commemorate the same day in 1970 when the UNWTO (United Nations World Tourism Organization) Statues were adopted.
The annual day of recognition seeks to celebrate the tourism industry’s ability to drive economic growth. It is a day to highlight the need for investment in funding gaps to build a more sustainable and resilient tourism sector. It also seeks to promote innovative solutions to bolster economic growth and productivity.
This year, the UN celebrates World Tourism Day under the theme of “tourism and green investment.” They released three ways the tourism industry can contribute to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The industry can anticipate the need for investment in education and skills as their workforce looks towards welcoming millions of graduates and adding 800,000 jobs requiring vocational training by 2030. They can also look to investing in sustainable infrastructure. Reducing emissions brings a $24.7 trillion investment opportunity in the green buildings sector by 2030. Finally, innovation, technology and entrepreneurship are vital to upskill the tourism workforce, especially for young people and women. Programs to support and incentivize entrepreneurship to create opportunities for innovation in tourism are well on their way.
According to the UN, tourism employs 10% of the world’s population. The industry can be particularly beneficial for historically disadvantaged groups, such as women, who make up 54% of the tourism workforce.
The Survey Says…
The results showed that only 28% of Americans take a week-long vacation each year—most opt for long weekend trips instead. Americans vacation 2.27 times per year on average. Washington, D.C., sees the least vacations, with citizens taking only 0.5 vacations per year. This means that some D.C. citizens don’t vacation even once per year. On the alternative, Mississippi citizens take 4.7 vacations per year.
The survey found that millennials, on average, stay in all-inclusive resorts 23% more than any other generation. However, 23% of millennials also reported that they either never travel or travel less than one time per year.
Many respondents said they opt for other forms of lodging. They express concerns about excess waste, a desire to be more engaged with the local culture of the destination they visit, and the feeling that all-inclusive resorts are too expensive.
However, 35% of respondents stated they would choose to stay at all-inclusive resorts to receive quality hospitality for the price they pay. 25% of respondents also stated that they prefer all-inclusive resorts when traveling with family or groups.
The survey found Baby Boomers to be the largest generation to travel alone, making up 16% of solo travelers. They also take long vacations 46% more than any other generation combined.
Read More: Go. Just Go.
Tourism Makes the World Go Round
Meeting planners are no stranger to tourism and the positive benefits it can have on the economies of the destinations we visit. The COVID-19 pandemic hit the tourism industry hard, but as it’s eased in recent years, the industry has seen a healthy resurgence. According to the International Trade Association, in 2023, the U.S. travel and tourism industry generated $1.9 million in economic output. It accounted for 2.9% of U.S. GDP and supported 9.5 million American jobs.
Tourism is a key part of our lives and work. It’s also an uncontested way to get a taste of out-of-the-ordinary experiences as we step away from our day-to-day activities.
The tourism industry is one of the world’s most important economic sectors, providing livelihood to millions. Meeting planners play a special role in this, as they work to bring attendees to the very best destinations for top-of-the-line meetings and events where they experience all a destination has to offer—and support the local economy along the way.
Read More: The Power of Meetings


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Alcon criticizes Novartis’ acquisition offer
HUNENBERG, Switzerland Alcon has seen Novartis’ acquisition offer, and it is not impressed.
Novartis announced Jan. 4 that it would acquire a 77% stake in the Swiss eye-care company for $38.5 billion, but an Alcon independent director committee called that amount “grossly inadequate” and said Novartis’ tactics were “coercive” and “offensive.” The Novartis proposal would distribute much of Alcon’s value to its two largest shareholders, though many of Alcon’s minority shareholders have been long-term investors in the company since its 2002 initial public offering or are employees of the company.
“Advocates of sound corporate governance and well-established principles of fairness and equity in both Switzerland and the U.S. are rightly offended by Novartis’ coercive attempts to take advantage of the Alcon minority shareholders,” committee chairman Thomas Plaskett said in a statement. “The committee will evaluate and take all appropriate and available steps to ensure that the rights of Alcon’s minority shareholders are not trampled on in the manner proposed by Novartis.”
UPDATE: A Novartis spokesman told Drug Store News Friday that the company declined to comment on the matter.
Inverness sells vitamins, supplements business
WALTHAM, Mass. Inverness Medical Innovations on Tuesday announced the sale of its vitamin and nutritional supplements business to International Vitamin Corp. for an approximate $63.4 million.
The sale includes Inverness Medical Nutritionals and IVC Industries and constitutes Inverness’ entire vitamin and nutritional supplements business segment. Inverness sold the assets of the business, which include manufacturing facilities N.J.
Through the first nine months of 2009, the business generated net revenues of $63.6 million and contributed an operating loss of $2.4 million.
As a result of the sale, Inverness’ vitamin and nutritional supplements business segment will be presented as a discontinued operation in its financial statements for the fiscal year ended Dec. 31, 2009.
FDA warns consumers about counterfeit Alli
ROCKVILLE, Md. The Food and Drug Administration on Monday issued a warning to consumers about a counterfeit and potentially harmful version of the over-the-counter weight-loss medicine Alli 60-mg capsules.
Preliminary laboratory tests conducted by GlaxoSmithKline — maker of Alli — revealed that the counterfeit version did not contain orlistat, the active ingredient in its product. Instead, the counterfeit product contained the controlled substance sibutramine. Sibutramine is a drug that should not be used in certain patient populations or without physician oversight.
Sibutramine also can interact in a harmful way with other medications the consumer may be taking.
Consumers began reporting suspected counterfeit Alli to GSK in early December 2009. GSK has determined that the counterfeit product has been sold over the Internet. If a retailer has only purchased product from GSK there should be no cause for concern, GSK stated. “There is no evidence that counterfeit Alli products have penetrated other distribution channels [outside of Internet sites],” GSK added. However, there is no evidence at this time that the counterfeit Alli product has been sold through other such channels as retail stores.
The counterfeit Alli product looks similar to the authentic product, with a few notable differences. The counterfeit Alli has:
- Outer cardboard packaging missing a “Lot” code;
- Expiration date that includes the month, day and year (e.g., 06162010) — authentic Alli expiration date includes only the month and year (e.g., 05/12);
- Packaging in a plastic bottle that has a slightly taller and wider cap with coarser ribbing than the genuine product;
- Plain foil inner safety seal under the plastic cap without any printed words — the authentic product seal is printed with “SEALED for YOUR PROTECTION;” and
- Contains larger capsules with a white powder, instead of small white pellets.


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Ranger Design has begun producing van equipment components for the first time this month at its new Rochester, NY, facility.
The expansion is a result of the growing demand for Ranger products, and will help maintain Ranger’s delivery times.
All orders will be processed centrally. Orders should be sent to:
Email: [email protected]


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The Greek port’s box volumes declined in 2016 from a year prior amid increased volumes at the car terminal, while revenues ticked up 3.6 percent.
While A.P. Moller-Maersk plans to narrow its focus to transportation and logistics, the foundation that owns a controlling stake in the company will move in its own direction, Ane Maersk Mc-Kinney Uggla said.
Activist investor Paul Hilal’s hedge fund was looking for a swift and amicable transition for outgoing Canadian Pacific President and CEO E. Hunter Harrison to join U.S. Class I railroad CSX, but negotiations have taken a decidedly hostile turn this week.
Registration takes less than 1 minute.
The outbound cross-border eCommerce distribution center is scheduled to be built by April 2017 in Narita, Japan.
Marilee McInnis, director of international corporate affairs at Walmart, said although the retailer no longer does business with Hanjin due to the carrier’s bankruptcy, it is currently speaking with another Korean carrier regarding its shipping needs.
The contract freight rate benchmarking company warned, however, that stability will be hard to come by, and if just one or two carriers begin to drop rates and chase market share again, prices will likely fall across the board.


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|Key People||Alexander Ivanov, Founder|
|Products||Smart Contract Platform; Cryptowallets|
Waves is the name for both the company (Waves Platform) as well as for the token which is associated with its operation (WAVES). In December 2018 Waves was the 26th most actively traded cryptocurrency according to CoinMarketCap, an industry data aggregator.
Russian press reported in July 2017 that the Moscow Exchange's central depository was partnering with Waves Platform to design a blockchain for digital assets. The proposed platform would enable the depository to provide cryptocurrency support services.
On September 13, 2018, a state-owned Russian conglomerate, Rostec, announced that it would use the Waves Platform to manage data from its 700-company holdings.
- Monthly Volume Rankings (Currency). CoinMarketCap.
- Russia Signals Willingness To Professionalize Crypto Currency Trading On Exchange. Forbes.
- Manufacturing Giant Rostec to Manage Data on Waves Blockchain Platform. Coindesk.
- New addition to Waves econsystem, Vostok, secures $120 million in investment. CryptoNinjas.
- Waves Platform Raises $120 Million for Private Blockchain. Bloomberg.


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Ford is recalling more than 38,000 newer Mustangs in North America because the brake pedal could break away from the bracket that holds it in place.
The recall specifically covers 38,005 Mustangs from the 2020 model year equipped with the 10-speed automatic transmission.
The bracket where the brake pedal arm pivots could fracture under hard braking, making the car extremely hard to stop, says the U.S.’ National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
The defect can be attributed to the Canadian supplier of the bracket, KSR International, Autoblog quotes Ford, and that company’s “decision to replace nylon with polypropylene in the manufacturing process.”
Recall notices will be sent out to affected owners mid-November. The automaker first took notice of the defect after three reports of bracket failure; that total has gone up to six reports, two in North America and four in Europe. No injuries have been tied to the defect.


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Are we addicted to our smartphones?
Transport for London is talking to communications companies so mobile phone coverage can be extended throughout London Underground.
Families and individuals are encouraged to take a break from technology on 28 June 2015.
Infographic showing how to keep children safe when they use a smartphone
Smartphone shoppers do a lot of browsing, but hardly buy anything
Parents Cite Peer Pressure as the Number 1 Reason for Buying
Nude pictures leaked from iCloud are only the tip of the online security issues facing website owners.
Smartphone uptake driving ‘impulse purchases’ according to a Europe-wide study of mobile money habits
Responsive web design is necessary for mobile devices. But very little business activity happens on mobiles. You could be time wasting.
The UK and the US are divided by attitudes to mobile marketing
iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users who are looking for an incredibly useful — and extremely secure — solution that helps them easily save and share what they see and think everyday, can now download SecureKeep from iDeskCentric Inc.
Will people use the new security measures in the new iPhone to help them have extra-marital affairs?


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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — In less than two weeks, at an event that celebrates the iconic Westminster Kennel Club’s annual All Breed Dog Show, a shelter dog will model doggie bling designed and handcrafted by Mona Straub of Boca Raton, Fla.
Straub is one of 30 exclusive participating vendors in the New York Pet Fashion Show on Friday, Feb. 8, that launches a weekend of events leading to the famous annual dog show the following Monday.
It’s a coup for Just Fur Fun, the online start-up Straub launched two years ago to sell her handcrafted beaded leashes and collars for pets. “I’ve gotten as far as I have because I make connections and utilize resources,” said Straub. “As a small business, if you become an island and don’t reach out, you’ll get lost.”
The pet fashion show receives hundreds of booth requests every year from pet-related start-ups to established companies, says Richard Cordero, marketing director for the show and vice president at Oehler Media and ad director for Cesar’s Way Magazine, a major sponsor of the show.
The event is a massive showcase for those in the pet industry, from food and fashions to wellness products, toys and every other creature comfort one could invent for beloved pets. “We look for that fit, products that are practical, durable and fashionable,” said Cordero. “And vendors have to be confident about their products.”
The show, however, has a twofold purpose: Featuring shelter dogs on its runways is one example of its charity outreach, and a huge draw, attracting more than 1,000 attendees, says Cordero.
For an investment of more than $1,300, including table, shipping and product samples for VIP bags, Straub will showcase her collars and leashes, including on a shelter dog during its appearance in one of three runway shows featured that evening.
Last year, the event produced over $10,000 in money and product donations to Animal Care & Control of NYC. This year’s beneficiary is The Animal Haven shelter, also in Manhattan.
Straub launched her second career several years ago after leaving her corporate marketing job because she wanted to be creative in a meaningful way and give back to the community, she says.
Straub herself has three rescue dachshunds, five cats, a 22-year-old Swedish Warmblood mare and a mustang, which is also a rescue.
She buys made-in-America materials, such as the leather that forms the base for her products, from United States-based vendors. She manufactures locally, employing about six bead artisans who fulfill her pattern designs for the pet bling, including special made-to-order collars with a wider profile for bigger dogs. Pet owners can partake with matching belts.
Straub has the right entrepreneurial focus and dogged determination, says Sharon Geltner, a counselor at the Small Business Development Center at Palm Beach State College who has assisted Straub with her strategies. “Mona has grown to look at everything as an opportunity, from attending trade shows to expos,” said Geltner.
“Her thirst for knowledge has been her biggest asset,” added Geltner.


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Containers Slump to 50-Year Low as Sales Slow
The container-shipping industry is contending with the longest stretch of near-zero rates in its half-century history on the Asia-to-Europe route, as a capacity glut combines with the slowest growth in trade since 2009.
Commerce on the world’s second-busiest container route rose 4.2 percent in the second quarter, the weakest since the end of 2009, Woking, England-based Container Trade Statistics Ltd. estimates. Rates excluding fuel surcharges were “practically” zero in July and little changed this month, the worst run ever, said Menno Sanderse, an analyst at Morgan Stanley in London.
While growth in container volumes has slowed for four consecutive quarters, it’s still nowhere near the 22 percent contractions seen in the first half of 2009. Europe normally imports more goods this quarter as shops begin stockpiling for the December holidays. That gain may be curbed this year as retailers anticipate mounting concern about economies and jobs will hurt consumer spending.
“If you’re a large retailer and you have this turmoil, you’re going to be worried,” said Lars Jensen, chief executive officer of Copenhagen-based SeaIntel Maritime Analysis, which advises shipping companies and ports. “Will people shop or not for Christmas or will they shop more or less than usual? The more uncertain you are, the more you are likely to err on the side of caution on the procuring side.”
Container trade on the Asia-Europe route will expand by an average of 4 percent to 6 percent this year, compared with 15 percent growth in fleet capacity, according to Morgan Stanley. The cost including surcharges of hauling a 20-foot box from Shanghai to north-west Europe was last at $839, 61 percent down from the peak of $2,165 reached in March 2010, said Mels Boer, a freight derivatives broker with ACM/GFI in London. He cited a weekly index produced by the Shanghai Shipping Exchange.
Equity analysts are increasingly bearish on what slowing trade growth means for company earnings. A.P. Moeller-Maersk A/S, the world’s biggest container-shipping line, will report a 25 percent slump in net income to 19.71 billion kroner ($3.8 billion) this year, the mean of 16 estimates compiled by Bloomberg shows.
While the median estimate fell 21 percent since the start of the year and shares of the Copenhagen-based company tumbled 31 percent, just four of 24 analysts tracked by Bloomberg rate the stock a “sell.”
The industry may lose $2.5 billion to $3 billion this year, said Philip Damas, director of liner shipping and supply chains at Drewry Shipping Consultants Ltd. in London. Owners and operators lost $20 billion in 2009, when the global container trade contracted for the first time ever, he said.
The Asia-to-Europe container route is exceeded only by trade from Asia to the U.S. West Coast and accounts for about 9 percent of annual global shipments of 139.9 million 20-foot equivalent units, the benchmark container size, according to London-based Clarkson Plc, the world’s biggest shipbroker.
There are 355 ships working the route, Containerisation International, a London-based provider of data and analysis, estimates. Westbound trade is more than double the volume of goods going east.
Carriers are cutting services and idling more ships to trim capacity and bolster rates, Paris-based BRS-Alphaliner, a data provider for the industry, said in a report Aug. 2.
The equivalent of four vessels, each capable of hauling 8,000 20-foot containers, joined the route each week in 2011, boosting fleet supply by 12 percent from a year ago, Alphaliner estimates. That spurred more idling, with a combined 210,000 20- foot containers of capacity being suspended from trading by Aug. 29, compared with 150,000 units as of Aug. 15, said Yann Le Gouard, a consultant at the company.
The global fleet of container vessels expanded 17 percent to 4,767 since the end of 2007 and orders at shipyards are equal to almost 28 percent of existing capacity, data from Redhill, England-based IHS Fairplay show.
That’s less than the glut in carriers hauling dry bulk commodities including coal and iron ore, where orders are equal to 36 percent of current capacity. The Baltic Dry Index of rates for such ships plunged 41 percent in the past 12 months, according to the Baltic Exchange, which publishes daily assessments for more than 50 maritime routes.
Oil-tanker owners are losing money, with returns on the benchmark Saudi-Arabia-to-Japan route going negative this month, data from the London-based bourse shows. That means owners were effectively paying customers to charter their vessels, agreeing to do so because it would cover some fuel costs while ships move to more profitable regions.
About 90 percent of global trade moves by sea, according to the Round Table of International Shipping Associations.
Container lines responded by slowing ships down to reduce fuel costs and prolong journeys. Maersk vessels are averaging about 18 knots for shipments to Europe from Asia, compared with 21 knots before the 2008 financial crisis, said Morten Engelstoft, the chief operating officer of Maersk Line, the container unit of A.P. Moeller-Maersk.
That decline in speed adds more than three days to a journey to Rotterdam, Europe’s biggest port, from Shanghai, according to SeaRates.com, an online freight exchange.
Owners may respond to the plunge in returns by suspending more ships from service, potentially bolstering rates in the fourth quarter and into the first half of next year, Morgan Stanley’s Sanderse said in a report Aug. 3.
“We do expect a peak season in coming months even though it is likely that it will be shorter than we’ve seen in earlier years,” said Engelstoft at Maersk, which has about 100 ships on the Asia-Europe route.
Fleet growth is having a bigger effect on the industry’s profitability than slowing growth in trade, he said. Container shipping accounted for about 58 percent of the company’s net income last year, data compiled by Bloomberg show.
The U.S. economy expanded at a 1 percent annual rate in the second quarter, capping the weakest six months of the recovery that began in 2009, the Commerce Department reported Aug. 26. European second-quarter growth rose 0.2 percent from the previous three months, the slowest since late 2009, the European Union said Aug. 16.
Trade on the Asia-Europe route will expand 5.1 percent this year, Clarkson said this month, reducing its previous forecast of 6.2 percent. Container freight derivatives, used to bet or hedge on future costs, were priced at $938 per 20-foot container on the Shanghai-to-Northwest Europe route from October to December by 9:03 a.m. today, according to Clarkson Securities, a unit of Clarkson. That’s down 6.25 percent from a week ago.
While shipments from Asia to Europe and the U.S. expanded faster than other routes over the last decade, that ranking will likely reverse over the next three to five years, said Jensen of SeaIntel Maritime Analysis.
A U.K. retail-sales index fell to the lowest level since May 2010 in August, the Confederation of British Industry said Aug. 25. Peter Marks, chief executive officer of Co-operative Group Ltd., the U.K.’s largest mutual retailer, said the same day that trading conditions were the worst he’d seen in more than four decades. European retail sales fell for a fourth month in August, London-based Markit Economics reported yesterday, with a reading of 48 on its gauge indicating a contraction.
European consumer spending related to the Christmas holidays will probably be “subdued” this year outside of Germany, said Boris Planer, the research director of market data for Frankfurt, Germany-based Planet Retail GmbH. It’s unlikely to reach the depths seen during the global recession, he said.
Maritime Transport Ltd., a Southampton, England-based company that trucks containers from ports to depots, would normally see daily deliveries rise to 2,000 from about 1,700 during the peak season for retailers stocking up for the year- end holidays. That’s unlikely this year as families trim spending, said John Williams, managing director.
“If you’re involved in food distribution you might not be delivering fillet steaks,” Williams said. “You might be delivering pork pies instead.”
To contact the reporter on this story: Michelle Wiese Bockmann in London at firstname.lastname@example.org.
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Ford Starts 2015 Transit Van Production
Supported by 2,000 new employees and a $1.1 billion investment, the all-new Ford Transit van rolled off the line at Kansas City Assembly Plant on April 30, as Ford aims to strengthen its leadership in the commercial vehicle segment.
On sale this summer, Ford’s next-generation full-size van family will provide tradespeople and businesses with increased capability and innovative new configurations in the growing commercial vehicle market.
It is another example of the company’s One Ford strategy to serve customers with world-class vehicles leveraging global assets, including common platforms. The move results in bringing new jobs to the greater Kansas City area.
In North America, the Transit eventually will replace America’s best-selling van for 35 years, the E-Series van, first sold in 1961 as Ford Econoline. E-Series vans and wagons still will be available and sold side-by-side with Transit into the 2014 calendar year, providing a seamless transition for Ford customers. Additionally, the E-Series cutaway and stripped chassis will continue to be built and sold through most of the rest of the decade.
The Transit was introduced in Europe in 1965 and has been the best-selling commercial van in the UK for 49 years. Transit is currently sold in 118 markets on 6 continents.
The Transit will be available in 3 body lengths, 2 wheelbases on van and wagon and 3 roof heights; in van, wagon, chassis cab and cutaway body styles; and in XL and XLT trim levels, offering more choices than ever from a Ford commercial van vehicle.
The new Transit van offers as much as 13,7 m3 of cargo volume and 2,100 kg of maximum payload capacity – more than competing vans from General Motors and Chrysler. The Transit van delivers a maximum towing capacity of 3,445 kg.
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Flipkart to move to app-only format within a year, says a top executive
As the rate of transactions mirrored that of traffic increase on the app, Flipkart’s move to app-only platform makes sense, the executive added.
“Last year, we had more on the app, but still did our Web and desktop. In the next year or so, we’re going to be only mobile,” said Michael Adnani, vice-president, retail and head of brand alliances, Flipkart. “A year ago, 6% of our traffic was coming from mobile. In less than 18 months, that traffic is 10-fold. That shows the significance of what a mobile phone is doing for the consumers and consequently doing for us,” he said.
As the rate of transactions mirrored that of traffic increase on the app, Flipkart’s move to app-only platform makes sense, Adnani added. Flipkart has more than 40 million registered users and has about 30,000 merchants selling over 20 million products on the platform.
India is the third-largest Internet market in the world with more than 243 million users, trailing China and the US in that order. Boston Consulting Group expects more than 580 million people in India to use the Internet by 2018, 70-80% of them accessing the Web on mobile phones.
Smartphones have also become far more affordable, compared with a couple of years ago, and 6-7 million of them being brought into India for local sale. Going by the numbers, an app’s consumer reach will be larger than the mobile version of a website or the website itself.
Flipkart does about 8 million shipments a month, and two-thirds of its online traffic comes from users in small cities and towns. Flipkart’s apponly direction assumes larger significance in these places where most people don’t own desktop computers and have limited access to broadband.
Adnani said Myntra’s growth on the app was higher than that of Flipkart, which led the online fashion retailer to decide to shut down its website and move all operations to its app starting May 1. Flipkart had acquired Myntra last year for Rs 2,000 crore.