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The cryptocurrency industry in the Netherlands has won a small but significant battle. The country’s central bank has canceled some of the excessive screening procedures it placed on crypto service providers last fall. The move takes place after a local operator takes the matter to court.
DNB takes a step back in the event of illegal KYC requests
Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) has reversed some recently enforced regulations regarding the crypto industry. In November 2020, the regulator ordered crypto platforms to obtain additional information from users as part of their know-your-customer procedures. Cryptocurrency service providers were required to verify owners of Bitcoin addresses. As a result, customers have been asked to upload screenshots of their wallets and give reasons for their crypto purchases.
The controversial rules became the apple of the discord between the DNB and the Dutch crypto industry. In a letter to the bank, 25 service providers expressed concerns about the stricter regulations. Earlier this year, the Dutch exchange Bitonic requested to be exempted from the obligation to check the wallet, as it did not have a proper legal basis and was violating the privacy of its customers. The company eventually took the case to court.
In April, the provisional easing judge of the Rotterdam District Court obliged the central bank to respond to Bitonic’s objections. The exchange announced on Thursday that it had received the DNB’s new decision, with the regulatory authority confirming Bitonic’s view that the obligation to review is contrary to the law and should not have been set as a condition for registration. In correspondence with the trading platform, the central bank states:
The DNB declares the objection to be well founded and revokes its main decision of November 17, 2020.
Bitonic is dropping the wallet verification asap
In response to the DNB’s letter, Bitonic assures customers that “we will remove the wallet verification measures as soon as possible”. The trading platform states that it will no longer ask for screenshots of all transactions in its wallets and plans to look into other options to further simplify the user experience. The exchange also says:
We are pleased that this frees our customers from unlawful and onerous proceedings.
The crypto provider shares its concern that the central bank only responded to the industry’s complaints after the Dutch judiciary intervened and asks a rhetorical question: “What if Bitonic hadn’t gone to court?” The company notes that the entire country’s crypto sector has faced high costs and administrative burdens, and hopes that politicians will consider the case.
“The process we went through has affected innovation and the business climate in the Netherlands. This is in stark contrast to the claim that the Netherlands is promoting an innovative business climate, ”Bitonic promises follow-up after carefully examining the DNB’s recent decision, which it describes as a positive development for the country and the international community.
What is your opinion on this regulatory development in the Netherlands? Do share your thoughts on the matter in the comments section below.
Photo credit: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wiki Commons
Disclaimer of liability: This article is for informational purposes only. It is not a direct offer or an invitation to submit an offer to buy or sell, or a recommendation or approval of products, services or companies. Bitcoin.com does not provide investment, tax, legal, or accounting advice. Neither the company nor the author are directly or indirectly responsible for any damage or loss caused or allegedly caused by or in connection with the use or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in this article.


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Las Vegas -- Big Nerd Ranch CEO Aaron Hillegass kicked off Mobile Connections today by dispelling what he considers myths that seem to be taking an inordinate hold over mobile developers.
MYTH No. 1: Google is making Apple irrelevant
True, Google’s Android is selling in far more devices than Apple’s iOS (Unfiltered: Google’s mobile progress by the numbers), but those numbers can be deceiving, Hillegas said. iPhone users are the heaviest users of mobile data services, the biggest spenders on mobile data apps, and in general the most sophisticated and wealthiest users of smartphones in the market. That’s something that isn’t represented in simple market share pie charts, Hillegass said.
“You see that huge investment in Android, and you say iOS is over,” Hillegass said. Just a year ago a market share pie chart would have shown Nokia’s Symbian operating system the dominant platform, but that certainly gave no indication of Symbian’s meager mind share among app consumers and developers. “People who buy Nokia smartphones don’t use them like little computers,” Hillegass said. “People are using iPhones like little computers.”
Hillegass might be slightly biased considering he helped develop the NeXTstep operating system under Steve Jobs at NeXT Computer. When Apple bought NeXT, it turned that software into OSX, the platform on which Apple built iOS. Big Nerd Ranch does programming, design, consulting and training for companies launching their own mobile apps and is increasingly doing more work on the Android platform. But Hillegass said that he’d let the market speak for itself: 78% of paid app downloads have would up on iPhones and iPads, and more than half of all mobile Web traffic is directed to a Safari browser, though Apple has only shipped a fraction of the Web-enabled devices in the market.
Apple may not be able to match Android for sheer volume of handset shipments or variety of devices, but it will be on the vanguard of the smartphone market for quite some time Hillegass said. “I’m not saying the market is going to stay like this, but iPhone users will provide the indication of where the market is going,” he said.
MYTH No. 2: HTML5 will kill off native apps
HTML5 is being heralded as the answer to the developer’s platform fragmentation woes, by transferring the rich features of native applications to the mobile Web browser (Unfiltered: WAC launches as HTML5 heads for (2014) finish line). That’s true, Hillegass said, if you want to build a crappy app.
Hillegass said applications fall somewhere along a sliding scale between crappy and delightful, with usability at the middle. The most used and celebrated apps—the most delightful –invariably are developed natively for a specific OS. So while HTML5 may have its uses in inexpensive and functional development of apps across platforms, the more use an app gets—and often the more pleasure derived from it—will depend on how deeply integrated is with its host phone’s OS.
“Users want native applications,” Hillegass said. “They want to see them with pretty and intuitive interfaces. There are things I can do with a native interface that you just can’t do with HTML5.”
There will be plenty of work done in HTML5 to build no-nonsense functional apps that can work across platforms with no additional development costs, Hillegass said. There will also be a lot of cross-platform work intended to create a single app that can be ported natively to multiple operating systems, he added, but those apps will make plenty of compromises producing apps that are useable. But the delightful apps will require a developer to invest their resources into building each version of the app for each platform—or just focus on one platform. “Otherwise you’re just building to the least common denominator,” Hillegass said.
Hillegass did add one caveat. The problem of cross platform development hasn’t been solved but he does believe it is a problem with a solution. And surprisingly Hillegass thinks the mobile operators will be the one to solve it. As smartphones proliferate, operators are being cut out of the value chain, but if they develop a truly carrier-and device-agnostic platform that doesn’t sacrifice functionality or quality, then developers might flock to them Hillegass said. “They’re the ones that have the most invested in making it work,” Hillegass said.
Operator ostensibly are working on just such a platform, targeting both HTML5 and a common library of application programming interfaces, though differences between the operators ironically might wind up fragmenting what is supposed to be a common platform (CP: WAC leaving mobile app rev share up to the operators). As GetJar CEO Ilja Lars —who will deliver the Mobile Connections keynote on Wednesday—has described, however, getting 200 operators to agree on anything will be difficult (CP: GetJar: Operators have lost the consumer).
Hillegass doesn’t think WAC will be the answer to cross-platform development. In fact, he said he hasn’t yet seen any initiative or solution out there that has a reasonable chance of addressing the problem. But he said the stakes are too high for there not to be a massive cross platform effort out there. If a workable one does emerge, he said, Big Nerd Ranch will definitely buy it.

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China’s middle class is discovering consumption and is investing diligently in sporting goods. Sneakers are at the very top of the shopping list - the rarer the better. The hunt for the gems of the sneaker industry is a no holds barred fight.
The fitness app Runkeeper now belongs to the Japanese sports equipment manufacturer Asics. Asics is thereby following in the footsteps of its competitor Adidas who recently purchased the running app Runtastic.


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For years, the Subway chain has pushed special deals on its larger subs, touting them as “footlongs.”
Reports have recently surfaced the chain’s marquee sandwich falls an inch or so short of the length advertised. Now, at least three class actions — two in Illinois and one in New Jersey — have been filed against Subway accusing the Doctor’s Associates-owned chain of false advertising.
One of the plaintiffs is an Illinois man named Barry Gross. According to his complaint, Mr. Gross was “repeatedly exposed to and saw” Subway ads promoting the “footlong.”
On January 23, after viewing one of the ads, the plaintiff ….


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Revealed at Goodwood, it’s a Porsche 911 reimagined by Singer to be the world's most jaw-dropping period Porsche
It really is coming soon
Buy a Clio from £179 a month… with a £179 deposit
The new family model – geddit?
The Paul Stephens Le Mans Classic Clubsport is a bespoke Porsche 911 that pays homage to the legendary 1973 2.7 RS
New predictions indicate the rate of diesel decline is more severe than ever
The Spiaggina 58 is the latest special in a long run of bespoke 500s. The model's appeal clearly isn’t waning even in its eleventh year in production.
Audi wants the e-tron to be tomorrow’s car today, without the scary sci-fi unknowns. Is the e-tron the consumer’s key to the future of motoring?
LEVC TX electric taxi launched for the German cab market in Berlin
New Suzuki Jimny to be powered by a 1.5-litre petrol engine. Available from early 2019
Diesel cars now comprise barely a third of new car sales
It would cost the company £1.2 billion in profit a year – and risk 40,000 jobs
There aren’t many things that could surprise a mechanic but a live rabbit stowed in a car’s bodywork is likely one of them


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If you speak with small businesses that sell products online, many will tell you that they chafe under the strong-arm tactics of Amazon and its seller policies.
On the other hand, what’s their alternative?
The reality is that it takes about the same amount of time and effort to run a Walmart or eBay store as it does to run a store at Amazon.
The difference? The sales revenue of a Walmart or eBay store is typically less than 10% of what businesses would generate on Amazon for that same amount of work. That interesting informational nugget comes from James Thompson, a partner at the Buy Box Experts e-tailing consultancy.
(And for small retailers attempting to run their own e-commerce sites, the revenue stream is even lower.)
But even with Amazon’s ascendancy in the world of online commerce, its retail platform remains a frustration to small sellers due to its level of responsiveness to questions and concerns (low) and its sudden, sometimes inexplicable policy changes.
Consumer advocates would counter-argue that Amazon’s seller policies are focused in the right place: looking out for the end-user customer. But others contend that Amazon’s actions aren’t even-handed, nor applied equally.
Take Amazon’s policies on dealing with product shipments and defects. When a seller’s defect order rate goes as high as 1%, Amazon deactivates the vendor’s account automatically. To be reinstated, a seller has to go through an arduous vetting process, during which time Amazon holds all monies due to the seller until every order is shipped and received – even orders that are in dispute.
To make matters even more onerous, the customer service phone number of the seller disappears, making it next-to-impossible for the vendor to clear up any misunderstandings with an end-customer other than by going through the Amazon portal.
Here’s another example: Without prior notification, last month Amazon instituted a new “Pay by Invoice” policy that allows corporate customers a pay period of 30 days.
While this is a great move from the customer’s point of view, most small businesses are used to being paid in two weeks. The new invoice payment policy squeezes the resources of smaller sellers, which often operate under tighter cashflow conditions than larger retailers.
It is true that bigger brands make up an increasing share of volume in the world of Amazon sellers. Those brands bring in the most money, but small businesses round out the portfolio and remain an important component of realizing Amazon’s aims of becoming the big behemoth with an “always and everywhere” presence in the world of retail.
Considering everything, it would seem that Amazon and its sellers should recognize each other’s worth and how much they mean to each other. Amidst everything, there has to be a win-win position that can be reached to the benefit of everyone.


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Otter Tail County businesses share varied fishing opener expectations
The Governor's Fishing Opener won't have the hoopla that the event has brought to host cities in years past. Only a few businesses representatives really expect to see a large increase of business with this year's more cautious approach.
Those involved with the upcoming Governor's Fishing Opener believe the event will boost Otter Tail County's economy , particularly in the hospitality industry, following the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, do businesses in and near Perham feel the same way?
The Governor's Fishing Opener won't have the hoopla that the event has brought to host cities in years past. In interviews, only a few businesses representatives really expect to see a large increase of business with this year's more cautious approach. If anything, several of these businesses see the fishing opener as a way to kick off what's expected to be a busy and successful tourist season for Otter Tail County.
The pandemic has affected a variety of industries in several different ways. For Perham's Landmark Liquors, their store has been thriving throughout the past year. According to Manager Robert Dreger, the liquor industry has had great sales throughout the pandemic.
Dreger said the fishing opener always causes a small bump in the liquor business because more people are in the area. He can always tell when it's arrived because sales are higher that weekend than in others.
Perham's Front 20 Outfitters, on the other hand, has experienced quite the opposite. Co-owner Roxanne Harthan said the pandemic affected their sales negatively. Though, while sales have been down for the past year, they're starting to increase again.
Harthan believes the fishing opener won't affect their sales very much but also said that it signifies the beginning of tourist season. She expects the next summer to be one of the best business-wise because many vacationing families are looking for ways to relax.
Owner of the Willow Bookstore Megan Wells said that, while her shop has needed to make a few adjustments over the past year due to the pandemic, sales have only been slightly below average. From what she's heard, everyone in Perham is preparing for a busy tourist season.
After the fishing opener and entering the summer, Wells said she believes the Willow Bookstore is getting closer sales-wise to where it was pre-pandemic.
Holly's Resort, a resort located near Battle Lake, hasn't experienced a large change throughout the pandemic. In spring 2020, they had fewer people than usual, however, by that June, business picked up quite a bit.
While the owners, Steve, Barb, Paul and Sarah Jensen, are expecting a busy and successful tourist season, they haven't noticed any differences with the upcoming fishing opener. They've only experienced two extra bookings at their resort.


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Global companies are beginning to announce large-scale layoff plans, which could imply an economic downturn is approaching, according to a new report.
U.S.-based companies announced 53,073 layoffs in November, an increase of more than 50 percent compared with the same period last year, global outplacement and executive coaching firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc. said Thursday.
The larger job cuts come amid a weeks-long brutal selloff in global stocks driven by concerns the U.S. economy could be headed for a recession. Nonetheless, the U.S. economy continued to add more jobs last month than it lost.
The jump in U.S. layoffs last month was led by General Motors, which announced it would cut 14,800 employees in the U.S. and Canada as it seeks to cut costs.
“Announcements like GM’s will not be the last, as companies adapt to shifting consumer behavior. We’ve already seen major plans in the U.S. from Verizon, Wells Fargo, and Toys”R”Us for exactly those reasons,” Andrew Challenger, vice president of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, said in a statement.
Overseas companies made big cuts last month as well. Japanese tech and energy firm Toshiba said it will cut roughly 7,000 employees, while German pharmaceutical producer Bayer announced it would eliminate 12,000 jobs following its merger with Monsanto.
Through the first 11 months of this year U.S.-based companies have announced nearly half a million job cuts, an increase of more than a quarter compared with the same period last year. The 11-month total is the highest since 2015, Challenger, Gray & Christmas said.
Retail continues to lead all sectors in job cut announcements this year with 96,504, according to the report. The retail sector has been shedding jobs for years as consumers shift to online shopping and industry behemoths like Amazon undercut smaller competitors.
Telecommunications and financial services filled out the top three industries with the most job losses this year. Telecommunications shed 59,518 jobs and financial firms 41,351. Similar to the retail industry, consumers are banking more online, reducing the need for tellers and other bank staff.
Despite the increase in layoff announcements, the U.S. job market continues to grow as small- and mid-sized companies hire more staff. The U.S. private sector added 179,000 jobs last month, according to a report Thursday by Automatic Data Processing Inc.


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Nationwide hit by £450m loan costs
Nationwide is spending £450m a year to subsidise consumers on its variable rate mortgages as well as being stung by a leap in bad debts.
Feeling the pinch: Nationwide is struggling in the economic conditions
Graham Beale, chief executive of Britain's third largest mortgage lender, warned: 'You can't over-emphasise how tough the market is.
'Against that background, we are just pleased that Nationwide has managed to get through.'
First-half profits slumped from £374m to £143m. Total impairment charges soared to £317m from £74m a year ago, although this was slightly down on the first half.
More than half of the provision was made against commercial property loans after landlords got into difficulties following the demise of retailers such as Woolworths and MFI.
Beale expects next year 'to present a very difficult trading environment' and forecasts that interest rates will remain at 0.5% until the fourth quarter of 2010.
Rock bottom rates make life tough for Nationwide, because it has promised existing borrowers that its Base Mortgage Rate won't exceed the BoE rate by more than 2%.
An estimated 300,000 of its borrowers are paying a rate of just 2.5% on their mortgages.
Nationwide says it is losing £450m a year on these home loans, because it is has to pay a higher interest rate to get the money in the first place - either from customer savings or by borrowing in the wholesale markets.
The building society is struggling to hold on to savers, having seen a £5.6bn reduction in retail balances in the six month period.
Beale argues government-owned deposit-takers such as National Savings & Investments, Lloyds and Northern Rock have been stealing customers by offering high rates he can't compete with.
He added: 'You have got to question whether it is right for an institution that is 100% guaranteed by the government to be offering rates that are tantamount to being subsidised by the taxpayer.'
He said the Rock has 'very aggressive pricing on mortgages and savings', as do 'certain brands' within Lloyds.
All major banks are in a dash to secure customer deposits as they try to rebuild their capital ratios - and state-backed banks are often favoured by nervous consumers.
This has forced Nationwide to borrow more cash on the wholesale markets. Wholesale funding now finances 30.4% of its loans, up from 28.6% in April.
Beale remains 'cautious' about the housing market, warning that rising unemployment throughout 2010 'will inevitably direct downward pressure on house prices'.
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Petco Well being and Wellness CEO Ron Coughlin stated the retailer is poised for progress because it sells unique pet provides, presents e-commerce providers like curbside pickup and expands its veterinary providers.
The corporate’s shares will begin buying and selling on Thursday beneath the ticker image WOOF. On Wednesday evening, it priced its preliminary public providing at $18 to boost about $816.5 million, higher than the $14 to $17 worth it was concentrating on.
In an interview on CNBC’s “Squawk on the Avenue” forward of the inventory’s preliminary commerce, Coughlin stated the corporate’s buyer base has grown throughout the pandemic as households undertake new pets. He stated 3.Three million new pets joined households final 12 months and he expects that pet increase will proceed into the primary half of 2021.
“Persons are at dwelling, they’re somewhat depressed they usually desire a bundle of pleasure of their life,” he stated. “So we’ll assist feed these pets, we’ll assist practice these pets, groom these pets and vaccinate these pets. I believe it is really good for America and our souls and it is good for Petco.”
Pet retailers have seen a surge in demand in recent times as People deal with their pets as relations and splurge extra on toys, equipment and natural or recent meals. But there’s additionally been extra competitors. On-line pet retailer Chewy has gained market share with a subscription-based service that delivers pet meals and different provides to clients’ doorways. Its shares have risen greater than 260% prior to now 12 months.
Coughlin stated Petco has property that its rivals do not have. It is grown its vet enterprise from 15 to 105 clinics within the final 18 months. About 70% of its pet merchandise are unique to its shops, similar to personal label meals manufacturers.
The previous HP govt stated the corporate has aggressively invested in digital choices prior to now 12 months and a half, together with in-store and curbside pickup of on-line purchases and same-day supply. He stated same-day supply now makes up 30% of its e-commerce orders.
“The extra know-how we have laid down, the quicker our digital enterprise has grown,” he stated.
Petco is owned by the Canada Pension Plan Funding Board and personal fairness agency CVC Capital Companions, and the IPO values the retailer at $four billion.


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Once a bastion of inspiration and imagination, the action/adventure genre in video games has become complacent over the years. I won’t lie and tell you the annual “Assassin’s Creed” releases are bad or that the dramatic set pieces of the “Uncharted” series aren’t impressive. But even avid fans of the genre will admit the games have become formulaic.
The International Olympic Committee and local organizers have already said another postponement is impossible, leaving cancellation – or opening on July 23 – as the only options.
BUDAPEST, Hungary – For Agnes Keleti, the oldest living Olympic champion, the fondest memory of her remarkable 100 years is simply that she has lived through it all.
The most consumerist time of the year is behind us, but that doesn’t mean anyone’s lost interest in picking up a fancy, new PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X/S. The hype is a bit of a mystery to me – over the years, I’ve watched the launch lineups of new game consoles grow consistently weaker.
COLUMBUS, Ohio – In late May, Andre Hill and his roommate Donyell Bryant watched in shock, along with the nation, the video of a Minneapolis police officer pressing his knee on George Floyd’s neck for minutes, even as Floyd pleaded that he couldn’t breathe.
For its many miseries, 2020 delivered some extremely memorable video games. And now, with the arrival of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, there’s more reason than usual to get excited for the offerings of the year ahead.
The beginning of a new year is often the perfect time to reflect. In general, 2020 has been a year of highs and lows for me and countless others, but lockdowns, fewer and shorter commutes and remote work gave me extra time to play a greater variety of video games than any previous year.
We streamed, we Zoomed, we ordered groceries and houseplants online, we created virtual villages while navigating laptop shortages to work and learn from home. When it comes to technology, 2020 was a year like no other.
I was so excited about the arrival of 2020 that I almost purchased a pair of those goofy New Year's Eve glasses with the upcoming digits that celebrants sport in Times Square when the ball drops during "Dick Clark's Rockin' Eve." I was looking forward to 2020 ever since my son Eddie, who graduated from high school in June, entered kindergarten.
I pay little mind to award shows regardless of the medium, but the Gaming Awards livestreamed Dec. 10 also served as a platform for developers to announce upcoming video games. It was a breath of fresh air after a veritable drought of information on new games caused by the industrywide shift in workflow amid COVID-19 lockdowns.
Pigs will fly before we see an Olympics without doping. Fantastic as that sounds, it’s practically a guarantee.
After three delays dating back to April, the long-awaited “Cyberpunk 2077” was unleashed upon the gaming world on Dec. 10. It’s the latest effort by CD Projekt Red, the Polish development team best-known for “The Witcher” series that catapulted a little-known book series into stardom. This time, the team exercised its open-world, role-playing game muscles.
For generations, the IOC knew exactly where to look for key support of its ban against protests at the Olympics.
Ghosts of Tsushima did that rare thing that great games do, which is to make me rethink what, truly, makes a title great.
Two Spokane Valley brothers are hoping a new dice game called Smirkle they created with their father will be a holiday gift hit. The fast-paced game developed amid COVID-19 shutdowns is something families can do together, say Gideon Noble, 16, and Gabe Noble, 13. They're selling Smirkle through the NoBull Game Co., a new family business.
After being postponed from a September release, the “Beyond Light” expansion to “Destiny 2” was launched on Nov. 10. The 2017 game has seen many updates, but this one brought it over to the new Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 and added a slew of new content.
Trevor Funseth, "The Mop," and his teammates, Brayden Ginnaty, and Kyler Lawhon, are dominating Barstool Sports' first-ever collegiate Call of Duty Tournament. They beat the University of Arizona on Wednesday evening to advance to the Fatal Four, which will be played next week.
With the second wave of COVID-19 upon us, my morbid mind realized now was perhaps a better time than ever to try out the video game adaptation of “Pandemic,” a highly successful board game where players assume the role of scientists managing a global virus outbreak. Life imitates art and all that.
Although there are still a number of weeks until 2020 finally(!) sinks into the annals of history, I’d wager that “Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales” will be remembered as the year’s most ingratiating family-friendly video game. It is a feel-good, unabashed spectacle that controls well, looks great and has a hyper-efficient story line.


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Customers with Electronic Benefits Transfer cards cleared shelves at Walmart stores in two Louisiana cities on Saturday night, when the cards were not showing limits, KSLA News 12 in Shreveport, La., reported.
The influx of shoppers in Springhill and Mansfield led to empty shelves in the stores. The glitch-inspired shopping spree ended after a few hours—the EBT cards started showing the limits again around 9 p.m. and customers left their carts mounted with food before the check out, according to the report.
EBT cards deliver government benefits electronically with a set spending limit.
Local police arrived to prevent theft and shoplifting. Springhill Police Chief Will Lynd said that the craze was worse than any Black Friday, the channel reported.
(Read more: Slash or save? Close food-stamp vote looms in House)
To read the full story at the KSLA News 12 website, click here.


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Doom, Pong and Tetris are among the first group of games to be inducted into the Video Game Hall of Fame.
The project by US museum The Strong is seeking to build a lasting record of games that "span multiple decades, countries of origin, and gaming platforms" but of each of which has "significantly affected the video game industry, popular culture, and society in general".
In total six games were entered into the Hall of Fame this year: Pong, Pac-Man, Tetris, Super Mario Bros., Doom and World of Warcraft.
The games were selected from a field of 15 titles, originally announced in January. The losing games were Angry Birds, FIFA, The Legend of Zelda, Minecraft, The Oregon Trail, Pokémon, The Sims, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Space Invaders.
The winning games will now be on permanent view at the museum in Rochester, New York's eGameRevolution exhibit. The museum is now accepting nominations for next year's class, with the closing date for entrants falling on March 31.
Gallery: Doom, Pong and Pac-Man enter US Video Game 'Hall of Fame'
The museum (and its selection panel of journalists, critics and industry figures) said that Pong stood out as having essentially "launched the video game industry" on its release in 1972. "Although it was not the first electronic game, and the Magnavox Odyssey home console already featured a similar tennis game, Pong was the first game to grab wide-scale public attention," the museum said.
Pac-Man (1980) "pushed video games forward as a mass cultural phenomenon" the museum said. "The game launched the first massive video game licensing craze, spurring the sale of home consoles, handheld devices, toys, clothing, and even housewares."
Similarly Tetris (1984) was chosen because of the unique way in which it travelled the world, from its origins within the Soviet Union to Japan and eventually the US after being included as a pack-in game on the original Game Boy.
Super Mario Bros (1985) created one of the "most recognisable" games characters ever, the museum said. "Mario’s infectious, upbeat personality helped reinvigorate the struggling video game market. Since his introduction, the character of Mario has appeared in more than 200 games and on every Nintendo console ever created."
Doom (1993) is arguably the most controversial inclusion, since its innovations in actual mechanics were slight. But the museum noted, rightly, that the game's impact on the FPS genre that followed -- influencing everything from Call of Duty to Halo -- was massive. "DOOM also became a highly visible symbol of the widespread debate over the role of games and violence in society that emerged in the 1990s," it said.
As the "largest and best-selling MMORPG ever created" the museum said World of Warcraft (2004) represented a new breed of online game. "As of February 2015, the game boasted more than 10 million subscribers -- only slightly reduced from its peak of 12 million in October 2010 -- with 100 million accounts created since the game’s release."
Jon-Paul C. Dyson, director of the International Centre for the History of Electronic Games, said "all of these games stand out because in addition to being great games, they have transcended the world of gaming to impact our wider culture... These six games have influenced not only people’s play but also the broader society."
Of course The Strong's Hall of Fame is far from the first attempt to codify or whittle down the history of games into a single-digits list. Several other Hall of Fames have been launched at various times, and the UK has a museum dedicated to collecting and showcasing the history of the medium. Most such attempts often seem intended to create debate -- or controversy -- as much as settle it. But as individual games it's hard to argue with any of these titles' inclusion.


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33. Yoyo Wallet
The mobile-first loyalty, payments and rewards marketing platform
Founders: Alain Falys and Michael Rolph
Founded: May 2013 (Launched January 2014)
Returning for the second year in a row is Startups 100 2015 company Yoyo Wallet. Founders Alain Falys and Michael Rolph are aiming to finally realise the full potential of mobile as a means of payment – a format that has seen a rocky road to mass market use.
To achieve this they’ve created a platform that’s more than just payments, Yoyo is a mobile-first personalised market integrating payment, loyalty rewards and marketing for retailers, brands and consumers. The service’s tools help businesses target their customers with tailored rewards, offers and incentives based on their profile and purchase history. Consumers can pay, receive digital receipts, collect points and pre-order all from their phone, negating the need to stuff their wallet full of loyalty cards.
Since launch, Yoyo has secured more than 100 clients including universities, caterers, corporates and retailers, totaling 600 individual outlets, and has gone from processing 150,000 transactions this time last year to around 400,000 a month at present. In February, the company acquired fellow Startups 100-featured Q App, an app that helps people avoid queues by pre-ordering from their phones.
Backed by $10m in Series A funding, Yoyo plans to embark on a campaign of expansion across the UK and the US, as well as focus on getting its platform into a number of high street retail chains.


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Linode has just unveiled its latest data center in Mumbai, India’s financial capital and one of its largest cities. This is the company’s tenth data center in the world and as it aims to target the country’s growing cloud computing market. Linode is known for providing an affordable alternative for local and regional developers and startups to scale their operations. The decision to build a data center in India’s commercial hub was arrived at in an effort to tap into the vast upcoming market that India has to offer, especially in light of the country’s gargantuan population of over 1.3 billion people.
The country has seen numerous internet-based service providers spring up, offering a wide range of services like doorstep delivery of groceries, ride-sharing, scooters, bicycles on rent, and so on. Linode aims to provide a cheaper way for developers to develop their offerings and move into the market. India and China together are Asia largest markets for any type of services, but since China is mostly a protectionist market; corporations across numerous sectors from around the world have India firmly in their sights. The country’s cloud services market is currently pegged at almost $2 billion, and it is set to double in the next couple of years.
Linode’s data center is built using its Next Generation Network and would go a long way in democratizing cloud computing in the developing nation.
Copyright © 2020 Swiftnlift. All rights reserved.


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LMAX Digital Hits New Peak
Posted by Colin Lambert. Last updated: February 25, 2021
LMAX Digital reported a new daily volume high on February 23 with just under $4.4 billion worth of cryptocurrency trading on the exchange. The previous high was just over $3.7 billion on January 8, 2021.
The new high came as bitcoin led cryptocurrencies lower, the main crypto dropping from the $55,000 mark to under $45,000 at one stage on February 23.
The new high has capped a strong February for the cryptocurrency platform, the first 23 trading days saw average daily value of $1.73 billion per day. Even accounting for the dramatic rise in the value of bitcoin over the sale period, this represents serious growth from $247 million per day for the first 23 trading days of February 2020.


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Schnell, who co-founded organic green tea brand Steaz and the I AM brand of liquid supplements and aromatherapy mists, has worked with scores of innovative brands in recent years as founder of the MetaBrand consultancy (which he launched in 2010 and left in late 2015).
In early 2016, Schnell and his wife Marci Zaroff - also a serial entrepreneur - launched BeyondBrands, a full-service consultancy designed to help entrepreneurial brands in food, beverage, fashion, beauty, supplements/nutraceuticals, and cannabis realize their potential.
Speaking to FoodNavigator-USA after welcoming three former Whole Foods Market executives - Derek Sarno, Chad Sarno and Errol Schweizer – to the BeyondBrands team, Schnell said that consumers want to buy from brands that truly live their values, so they can feel good about their purchases and enact social change via the choices they make as consumers (click HERE).
And being ‘natural’ is just one small part of that, he said: “We all still talk about the natural products industry, but it’s not really about ‘natural,’ anymore, it’s organic, it’s fair trade, it’s gluten-free, it’s s many things.”
And with large food companies increasingly ditching ‘artificial ingredients’ and adopting more sustainable sourcing practices, the ‘natural foods’ industry has to move into new territory, he said.
“To me the future of the natural products industry is about conscious products. Natural is almost so yesterday it’s embarrassing, today brands have to think about being a quadruple bottom-liner, or a B-corp, or a good corporate steward, a good corporate citizen, you’ve got to be all these things beside just offering ‘clean’ ingredients. And our job is about helping the young brands of today market themselves with all that in mind.”
New BeyondBrands team members include Derek Sarno, Chad Sarno and Errol Schweizer, who will co-chair its food, beverage and conscious cannabis verticals.
Schweizer was formerly VP Grocery at Whole Foods Market, while Chad Sarno held leadership positions from 2009-2013 including Global Healthy Eating Coordinator, Senior Culinary Educator and Global Media Spokesperson for Healthy Eating.
His brother Derek – formerly Whole Foods’ Global Executive Chef of R&D - is now working with Chad on the launch of the ‘Wicked Healthy Cookbook’ and preparing to unveil a new brand called Wicked Healthy.
Not everyone can source their ingredients from indigenous tribes and save the rainforest...
Now some brands very clearly embody a ‘conscious capitalism’ approach – such as guayusa leaf fueled beverage RUNA, where the mission and brand are intertwined (the more bottles RUNA sells, the more it helps guayusa growers in Ecuador), while rivals cannot easily copy what they are doing because the founders spent years building a supply chain around a core ingredient.
Other mission-driven brands such as This Bar Saves Lives (strapline: Buy a bar, feed a child) also come to mind.
But what if you don’t give starving children access to life-saving nutrition or source your ingredients from Amazonian farmers?
“We talk about five boxes or five P’s – passion, purpose, people, planet and prosperity – and a brand like RUNA obviously ticks each one,” explained Schnell.
“RUNA was ‘authentic’ from day one. But not everyone can source their ingredients from indigenous tribes and save the rainforest, so our goal of conscious products to help us identify how many of the P’s can you be authentically.”
Baobab… Over hyped or worthy of all the attention?
Businesses/entrepreneurs BeyondBrands is working with include Bonga (chews and powders utilizing the African superfood baobab); chaga mushroom RTD tea brand ChugaChaga; Yogi Cameron, who selected BeyondBrands to help conceive and commercialize a new line of ayruvedic consumer products as well as consult on fund raising; and sparkling, cannabinoid-fueled botanical tea brand Loft, added Schnell.
“Bonga [which means gratitude in Zulu] is a really exciting brand founded by Nancy Nehoray and Mary Grace that have created a supply chain that gives back to women in Africa [10% of profits go to a foundation they set up to support baobab harvesters and to protect baobab trees]. I’ve been watching baobab for five years now and the reason why the category has not taken off is that people have just been putting it in products as another ingredient, instead of building a whole brand around it with easy to access products, which is what Bonga is all about.
"You typically need three leading brands to create a new category and I think Bonga is going to be one of them.”
Novel vegan meat alternatives
Schnell is also very focused on plant-based foods and beverages, particularly vegan meat alternatives, and is collaborating with one private equity fund on “a very disruptive vegan plant-based meat alternative brand.”
He added: “It’s extremely exciting as it’s a white space, it’s a category that the other chicken and beef alternatives aren’t addressing yet, so we’re talking about a completely new category.”
He is also looking at innovative ingredients suppliers in the animal product alternatives space as well as finished products brands: “We are interested in innovative processing and technologies.”
And cultured meat is also on the menu, he said: “If it gets people off factory farming and it’s more humane, I’m totally interested, while sustainability is also a huge push for us.”
Meal kit category is ‘on fire’
Finally, direct-to-consumer meal kit and fresh prepared meal delivery services are also an area of interest, says Schnell, who acknowledges that the costs - and risks - are high, but says the explosive growth in the market just demonstrates how many consumers want to prepare meals with fresh ingredients but lack the time and energy to do what it takes to make this happen on a regular basis.
“This category is on fire. I’ve got a friend down in Florida that runs DeliverLean and I’ve watched them grow 1000% in the last six years delivering fresh prepared meals to people homes. It’s on fire, on the go fresh prepared, gourmet, and I love this category.”
BeyondBrands: There are 14 co-founders at New York-based Beyond Brands, each of whom has an equity stake, but the business can also tap into a ‘collective’ of 70+ entrepreneurs, consultants and industry experts to assist clients.
While BeyondBrands can put clients in touch with a series of angel and institutional investors, it has also taken equity stakes in several early stage brands directly, says Eric Schnell, who launched the business in early 2016 with his wife Marci Zaroff, who co-founded the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York, followed by Under the Canopy, a sustainable apparel, home and spa products brand, and MetaWear, an organic, sustainable fashion manufacturer. She is also a board member of the Organic Trade Association.
While there are lots of consultancies – and an increasing number of incubators – targeting early stage food companies these days, BeyondBrands stands out because it is run by people that have created, grown and exited successful consumer brands, and because it offers a one-stop-shop service for clients spanning everything from business development, branding, packaging, and design to product R&D, in-house lab formulation, operations and management, marketing, sales, and distribution, says Schnell.


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Menlo Park-based YogiPlay, the educational-focused recommendation service for children’s apps, is today announcing its “Parent Center” app is available across all major mobile platforms, including iOS, Google Play, Kindle and Nook. The company, backed by $1 million in venture funding, introduced its app rating system called “YogiMeter” earlier this summer, with plans to further integrate those ratings into its online and mobile offerings at a later date. However, its parent-facing iOS app had been held up in Apple’s approval queue until now.
The non-iOS versions of the YogiPlay Parent Center were already available, to be clear, but during the five and half months the app was in review with Apple, many changes to the user interface and experience have been introduced. Essentially, all the apps are different versions from what the company first revealed.
The holdup, in case you’re curious, had to do with Apple’s new policy on apps that recommend other apps. Apple had to be assured that what YogiPlay was offering was more than a simple recommendation service – that is, Apple needed to see that it provided a real value to iOS users. For what it’s worth, it seems Apple is convinced of that now.
For those unfamiliar, YogiPlay was started by husband-and-wife team Cedric and Michal Selling, both Stanford-trained engineers – and concerned parents. Cedric previously worked at Aruba Wireless and Michal was an early Google employee. The founders wanted to offer a system that could help parents find the appropriate, quality educational apps for children in today’s mobile apps stores, specifically apps for children aged 3 to 8. In June of this year, the company brought in Dr. Jim Gray, who previously served as the Director of Learning at LeapFrog, where he was in charge of all curricula for the last seven or so years. At YogiPlay, he led the development of the YogiMeter ratings system, which ranks apps in both engagement and educational quality.
In the new Parent Center app, parents can browse a mini app store of sorts which features age-appropriate apps in categories like art and music, literacy, math, learning-for-life, and more. The “YogiMeter” rating lets parents view the engagement and learning value scores for each app, as well as read an educational overview about the app and details of the app’s learning category. In another section, parents can view the progress and skill reports for their children when the kids play apps that use YogiPlay’s SDK, which offers these features as well as analytics and reporting for developers.
Despite the quality content and educational value of YogiPlay’s platform, the app itself needs polish. Some parts of it load slower than expected, as if HTML-based instead of native (the entire screen even refreshes when navigating between sections!), and overall the app’s design feels like an afterthought. (Note: app tested on iPhone). That’s really too bad because parents need a resource like this, and YogiPlay has the right underpinnings to be a success in the kids’ app industry.
YogiPlay is not the first to attempt to rank and rate the increasingly unwieldy selection of apps available on mobile platforms. Other companies, in particular, KinderTown, do this, too. (And with a significantly better user interface.) Plus, startups like FingerPrint Digital and Kidaptive among others, are also focused on merging child development and educational concepts with kid-friendly mobile entertainment. However, there are few companies focused on looking at the app ecosystem as a whole, and attempting to analyze the subset of children’s apps it contains, as YogiPlay is working towards now.
In August, the company had rated over 600 apps using YogiMeter, which bases app ratings on things like the app’s ability to teach, whether the app will actually engage the child in learning, whether that learning is deep, authentic, personalized, differentiated, and whether or not parents can track the child’s progress throughout. Today, the company has rated around 700 apps.
Despite its user interface shortcomings, it’s clear the service is addressing a real need. At the time of its ratings system debut, 45,000 parents had registered on the site, event though they couldn’t yet see the YogiMeter ratings within YogiPlay’s online app catalog. Today, that user base has grown to 78,000 parents with over 125,000 children, and is serving up more than 10,000 app downloads per day. The company reports it’s on track for 3 million downloads by year-end, and is starting to get the attention of bigger brands, including that of kid TV host Jeff Corwin and others which they can’t yet disclose. The startup is now beginning talks of a Series A round of financing, following this iOS debut.


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It's been a rough month for Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG -1.50%) investors. The stock has surrendered nearly 7% of its value in March through Monday's close, taking a big bite out of February's rally when the shares rose 12%. That was the biggest monthly gain in Chipotle stock since last July, but that's probably not saying much since the stock has closed lower in six of the eight months following its summertime pop.
March isn't over, and that's more bad news for investors in the struggling burrito roller that until last year was the market darling in the fast casual dining niche. Chipotle stock opened lower this morning after its latest analyst downgrade.
Wedbush Securities is going from ho-hum to hell no as analyst Nick Setyan is slashing his rating on the stock from neutral to underperform. It's at least the third major analyst to talk down Chipotle's near-term prospects. Jefferies and Maxim Group downgraded the stock earlier this month after the quick-service chain put out a gloomy sales update on its traffic trends through mid-March.
Setyan feels that sales are unlikely to recover until 2018, and he feels that Chipotle stock is overvalued in that scenario. To be fair, Setyan had been neutral for more than two years given the stock's lofty valuation until this morning's downgrade. He switched from outperform to neutral on Jan. 24, 2014, meaning he missed out on most of the stock's 28% surge in 2014. He was right not to be bullish during the latter half of last year, of course, when E. coli and norovirus outbreaks weighed on customer zeal, but is now really the time to turn bearish on the stock?
It's true that Setyan hasn't been a bull on the stock for some time, but he wasn't this downbeat on the shares before. As recently as last month he was telling Investors Business Daily that he was targeting 2017 as the earliest that sales would return to their pre-food crisis level. Now, a few weeks later, 2018 is the new 2017.
The one material incident that has happened since then is that we learned that sales didn't rebound following February's heavy couponing and chainwide closure for a single lunch shift to train its staff on new food safety measures. Even the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ending its probe early last month didn't get folks to queue up at the burrito assembly line again.
Chipotle warned that year-over-year sales growth declined 28.7% in February if we back out the extra day this time around. The deficit narrowed to 21.5% during the first week of March and 27.3% during the second week, but this still means that we're eyeing Chipotle's fifth consecutive month of double-digit declines in comparable-restaurant sales.
Things should get better from here. Barring any new health scares, Chipotle will be able to discount less aggressively. We're already seeing that as it goes from handing out free bowls and burritos in February to a side of chips with guacamole now. The chain has dug itself into a big hole this quarter, and that's not going to reverse itself entirely during the first quarter of next year. However, with trends likely to improve as 2016 plays out the bar will be that much easier to clear as we dive deeper into 2017. A rough February and disappointing March -- all culminating in what will be Chipotle's first quarterly loss as a public company -- doesn't change that. When Chipotle does recover it will be with a much larger base of restaurants with a greater chance of profitability. Both customers and investors are unlikely to have to wait two years to see that scenario materialize.


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When rumours regarding Microsoft's acquisition of Yahoo first surfaced in 2006, they were dismissed as simple gossip. However, Microsoft was deadly serious about the takeover bid. We chart the highs and lows of this battle which rocked the IT world.
No-one really expected the rumours regarding Microsoft's acquisition of Yahoo to ever come to fruition when they first surfaced in 2006.
We first realised that Microsoft was serious about the acquisition on February 1 this year, when it announced its $44.6bn offer for Yahoo. A highly emotional exchange of accusations, veiled insults and threats followed and we all thought the partnership was over when Microsoft withdrew its offer on May 3.
That wasn't the end, however. The companies engaged in a fresh round of conflicting accounts as to why the talks collapsed, and Yahoo's CEO Jerry Yang found his actions being publicly second-guessed by vocal shareholders and financial and industry analysts. Now in the latest twist, the billionaire investor Carl Icahn has reportedly bought 50 million shares of Yahoo stock and is considering a proxy fight to replace its board members and rekindle the talks with Microsoft.
Here is a timeline of the major milestones of Microsoft's pursuit of Yahoo:
Some of the earliest rumours that Microsoft is considering an offer to buy Yahoo appear in the New York Post and The Wall Street Journal; at the time such a deal is considered far-fetched and the rumours are dismissed fairly quickly.
Microsoft-Yahoo rumours surface from time to time but disappear soon after, as there is nothing to substantiate them.
February 1, 2008
In the shot heard round the internet, Microsoft makes a formal purchase offer of $44.6bn (£22.3bn) based on Yahoo's stock price of $19.18 (£9.09); Yahoo's stock price starts rising.
Yahoo rejects Microsoft's offer as too low; Yahoo's stock price closes at $29.87 (£14.93). According to the rumour mill, Yahoo is now looking for closer to $40 (£20) a share because the value of the company has risen since the offer.
Microsoft for the first time publicly hints in a letter to Yahoo that it is willing to get hostile in its takeover, saying it "reserves the right to pursue all necessary steps to ensure that Yahoo's shareholders are provided with the opportunity to realise the value inherent in our proposal".
Reports emerge that Yahoo is stepping up negotiations with Time Warner for some kind of tie-up with AOL. Meanwhile, reports make the rounds that Microsoft will mount a proxy fight if Yahoo won't play ball.
NEXT PAGE: News Corp says it won't join the fight
- The shot heard around the internet
- News Corp says it won't join the fight
- Microsoft withdraws its bid


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“For over two years, Virgil valiantly battled a rare, aggressive form of cancer, cardiac angiosarcoma. He chose to endure his battle privately since his diagnosis in 2019, undergoing numerous challenging treatments, all while helming several significant institutions that span fashion, art, and culture,” said the statement.
Abloh was an artist, architect, engineer, creative director, and designer born in Rockford, Illinois, in 1980. He earned a degree in civil engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and then went on to complete his master’s degree in architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology in a curriculum founded by Mies van der Rohe.
In 2012, Abloh launched the brand Off-White c/o Virgil Abloh™ as an artwork titled “PYREX VISION.” The following year, the brand premiered a seasonal men’s and women’s collection during the Paris Fashion Week. And in 2015, Off-White c/o Virgil Abloh™ became one of the finalists of the LVMH Prize. Earlier this year, LVMH acquired a majority stake in Off-White LLC.
LVMH and Abloh also announced the expansion of their relationship to launch new brands and partner with existing ones in a variety of sectors beyond the realm of fashion.
“We are all shocked after this terrible news. Virgil was not only a genius designer, a visionary, he was also a man with a beautiful soul and great wisdom. The LVMH family joins me in this moment of great sorrow, and we are all thinking of his loved ones after the passing of their husband, their father, their brother or their friend,” said Bernard Arnault, LVMH chairman and chief executive officer.
Abloh is survived by his wife Shannon Abloh, his children Lowe Abloh and Grey Abloh, his sister Edwina Abloh, his parents Nee and Eunice Abloh and numerous dear friends and colleagues.


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RANCHO CUCAMONGA – Earth Day is still 11 days away, but people throughout San Bernardino County were treated to a jump start on conservation Saturday.
The three-hour Earth Day celebration was sponsored by the San Bernardino County and the Cucamonga Valley Water District.
“We’re hoping people educate themselves with environmental issues, from gardening to solar panels,” said Shelley Cirrito, a public affairs representative for CVWD.
About 70 environmental vendors set up in the CVWD parking lot, offering information about products, technology and services, as well as tips and advice.
There was also demonstrations and workshops, like how residents in condos and small homes can create container gardens and in irrigation systems, a shredding center for confidential documents and a recycling center for tennis shoes.
For children, there was an entertainment magician, and face painting. For adults, there was free food and free gifts.
Ellie Ridenour, 69, walked around the event with a bag full of fabric, reusable bags. She collects the environmental bags and uses them at the grocery store.
“I think it’s good if everybody got them,” she said.
Ridenour, and her 63-year-old husband Joe, walked to the event from their nearby Rancho Cucamonga home.
The couple wanted to see what was new in conservation.
“We came over to see what they’ve done new,” Joe Ridenour said.
At home, the Ridenours do their part to conserve energy and save the environment.
“We try to save water… use (fabric) bags for the store… use LED lightbulbs… recycle,” Ellie Ridenour said.
SoCal Solar Store, one of the vendors at the event, was quite popular on Saturday. Its booth showcased a composting toilet and working solar panel.
Michael Ponce, owner of the Upland-based store, gave information about energy-efficient products and tips about conservation to interested passers-by.
He also offered quotes for products and gave free literature and educational materials.
“Earth Day, I think, is going to become one of the biggest days of the year,” Ponce said. “People are really being conscientious of what they need to do to save Mother Earth.”


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This is particularly noticeable through innovations that are transforming the sector into a key driver of economic development and job creation.
For example, by the close of December 2015, Ghana’s teledensity had risen to 129.63 percent, comprising 35,283,957 telephone subscribers, with mobile data subscribers reaching 18,031,188 or 65.74 percent of the 27 million population, according to the Ministry of Communications.
All these contribute to the sterling performance of Information and Communications Technology under the services sector.
The country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew from 4.1 percent in 2007 to 13.4 percent in 2015. At constant market price, the value of the performance moved from 483 million Ghana cedis (125.13 million dollars) in 2007 to 2.51 billion cedis in (650.27 million dollars) in 2015.
Acknowledging the potential of ICT and telecommunications for job creation and economic development, the government, with support from its stakeholders, has been putting some critical investments into the sector.
Opening the three-day Third Annual Africa Mobile Expo (MOBEX -2016) here on Tuesday, President John Dramani Mahama said 10,000 new jobs would be created with the commissioning of the new Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) Center near Kwame Nkrumah Circle in the heart of the capital.
“One of government’s initiatives and infrastructural investments that would create opportunity for sustainable business and entrepreneurial employment for 10,000 of our young people in the digital eco system is the development of the BPO center near the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange,“ Mahama announced.
With support from world leading ICT firm, Huawei of China, the country has also built a state-of-the art National Data Center that will be able to host data racks for both commercial and non-commercial entities.
This is in addition to the M-Labs, I-hubs, the Kumasi Business Incubator, regional innovation centers and the ICT Park in Tema to boost the innovation digital system.
The Eastern Corridor Fiber Optic network, which was commissioned in 2015, is complementing the inland fiber stock in the country to improve communications services.
The government also seeks to create a conducive environment for talented, creative and IT conscious youth in Ghana to develop applications and softwares that can solve problems.
“The availability of broadband connectivity is expanding significantly. The opportunities this offers in creating new businesses are numerous. With massive development by software developers, relevant local content will drive demand and more businesses would soon begin to transform the ideas into value in the market,” the president stressed.
The Ministry of Communications is also constructing 120 LTE (Long Term Evolution) sites across the country to enhance public service delivery, according to sector Minister, Dr. Edward Omane Boamah.
To improve further universal access and bridge the digital divide, the minister said 21 enhanced Community Information Centers had been constructed across the 10 regions of Ghana.
Notable names in Ghana’s ICT industry include Herman Chienery Hesse of Soft Tribe, with products such as ‘Hey julor’ for security, and ‘Akatua’, a payroll software, as well as Bright Simons of mPedigree who has developed softwares for detecting counterfeited drugs, textile prints and fertilizer tracking.
Hatua Solutions Ltd, set up by Nehemiah Attigah, a Ghanaian software engineer, provides business intelligence and data solutions , system audit , digital media strategy and process analysis in Ghana , Gambia, Nigeria , South Africa , Kenya, Sierra Leone and USA.
Furthermore, Esoko, an ICT service company set up in Ghana for agricultural markets in Africa, uses cellular phone tools to provide advice to farmers on market prices and weather forecasts, among many other services.
Some of these companies which were among the hundreds of exhibitors at the just ended MOBEX 2016 have very vibrant youth as their ICT experts, threby strengthening the hope of the country in ICT to provide jobs for the youth.
George Spencer Quaye, Chief Executive Officer of Coasters Company Limited, organizers of MOBEX, observed that technology and innovation were being powered by the internet all over the world as the most potent tools for accelerating global economic growth and human development in the 21stCentury.
“Economies are bracing themselves today for a wave of disruptions presenting multiple opportunities for new growth and development
“This is an ongoing transformation of the global economy powered by the new economic phenomenon which is changing how we interact, affecting human relations and disrupting businesses,” Quaye noted, warning that businesses that shy away from innovation risked going under. Enditem.


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Waitrose & Partners has exclusively launched a reusable tampon applicator, made by innovative British personal care brand DAME, with the items going on sale at both Guernsey branches.
The reusable applicator, named ‘D’, gives tampon users a more environmentally friendly choice away from single use applicators made from plastic or non-recyclable materials.
The applicator is made from medical grade Mediprene® with active antimicrobial technology to keep it hygienic. It works with all brands and absorbencies of tampon and is designed to last for years. After use, it can be rinsed and dried and put back into its pouch to be used again.
Paula Protheroe, branch manager at Waitrose & Partners Admiral Park, said: “Tampons aren't usually top on our list of conversations, but as more shoppers become concerned about their impact on the environment we are giving our customers the choice to not use single use tampon applicators and reduce the amount of plastic waste.”
DAME founders, Celia Pool and Alec Mills, started developing the applicator two years ago. Together they launched a campaign for their applicator on Kickstarter.com, a crowdfunding platform. They trended globally on Twitter and hit their target in just four days, receiving international attention.
Celia Pool said: “So far, women have been forced to choose between applicators or the environment, despite half of them being concerned about the impact their menstrual products have on the planet. We want to change that with our reusable tampon applicator. Each time a woman switches to using this new product, she could save up to 12,000 pieces of single-use plastic from entering our oceans."
Pictured top: The reusable applicator.
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While Bitcoin’s price has stumbled once again, a Bitcoin whale has moved 51,511 Bitcoin (BTC) worth nearly 445 million dollars at a trade fee of only 0.25 dollars.
Bitcoin whales on the move once again
While people say Bitcoin is too expensive for the public, the moves by Bitcoin whales show that it is still more than affordable. A whale is an investor who is holding a large amount of the asset.
While Bitcoin may be host to such large transactions, it is worth noting the fees being collected. The fee of the network shows just how cheap and affordable the network is. This also confirms that the asset is suitable for use in the retail sector. Also, note that the transaction was conducted on SegWit and was 30 percent cheaper than normal trades. If the trade was conducted on SegWit-Bech32, the fee would have been 16 percent cheaper. Regardless, paying 0.25 dollars for transferring nearly half a billion dollars is like conducting the transaction for free when compared to traditional banking.
Naturally, the trade will not affect the price of Bitcoin as it was not directed to or from an exchange but was a transaction between addresses. The price of Bitcoin is currently 8,674 and has started rising again.
While everybody knows that Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have a very low trade fee, the movement of large sums at a low fee still manages to stun everybody. Previously, Bitfinex moved its hot wallet to a new address, moving over 1.1 billion dollars in Bitcoin at a fee of just 80 dollars.
Featured image by pixabay.


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Energy drinks maker Champion Energy drinks firm will make $1 billion in revenue as part of its bankruptcy filing.
The company will also acquire a large stake in a beverage manufacturer.
The company, founded in the early 1990s, is one of the largest producers of energy drinks in the world.
Champion Energy is the largest producer of energy-based beverages in the United States.
It also manufactures energy-free drinks such as the Energy Star, Energy X, and the Energy One.
In 2012, the company’s stock soared more than 2,000 percent.
In February, the New York state attorney general’s office announced that it had launched a criminal investigation into the company.
That investigation found that the company misled consumers about the safety and efficacy of its products and that it misled investors.
The New York attorney general said in a statement that the investigation was based on more than three years of data gathered by the Attorney General’s Office.
It was the first criminal investigation of a major energy drink company.
Champions Energy CEO and chairman Chris Leong is the former CEO of the company that now goes by the brand name Energy Star.


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Taking a break from our rumor reports on a full Apple TV, or the next iPad, iPhone or some other flavor of iDevice is a new article over at the New York Times which says that in its labs, Apple is experimenting with a watch.
What the what?!?
As usual, Apple declined to comment on its plans, and the article notes that just because something is being worked on in a lab setting doesn't mean that we'll ever see it out in the wild. Here's the report though, and try not to get too exciting. "In its headquarters in Cupertino, Calif., Apple is experimenting with wristwatch-like devices made of curved glass, according to people familiar with the company's explorations, who spoke on the condition that they not be named because they are not allowed to publicly discuss unreleased products. Such a watch would operate Apple's iOS platform, two people said, and stand apart from competitors based on the company's understanding of how such glass can curve around the human body."
iOS based could mean anything from a glorified iPod Nano to a device with multiple capabilities, or something like the recently released Pebble Watch.
More to come...
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Found that on Slashdot.
Then I found a clarification.
Dec. 30 (Bloomberg) -- Intel Corp., whose marketing made its computer chips a household name, is changing its logo for the first time in 37 years.
The dropped ``e'' in Intel will be shed in favor of a swoop around the company's name with the tag line ``Leap Ahead.'' The ``Intel Inside'' phrase, a fixture since 1991, will be dropped, Santa Clara, California-based Intel said yesterday.
The change in Intel's brand is the first step in a $2.5 billion marketing campaign, BusinessWeek reported...
$2.5 Billion to drop a letter?? Wow.
Why would a company known for a product that isn't going to stop selling or go away ty to distance themselves from the image related to that product? I guess it is time to invest in AMD.
And don't think for a moment that AMD is a lesser company. I always wondered why a slower clock rate chip would out perform a higher rate chip?


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Rising fuel-economy performance will “fundamentally change” the way cars and trucks are made in the U.S., according to a new survey of automotive parts suppliers and carmakers.
Much of that change will include materials used in vehicle production, with plastics and carbon-fiber composites running just behind aluminum in rising use, suppliers said. The survey, sponsored by Ward's AutoWorld and DuPont, was released Aug. 2 during the auto industry's Management Briefing Seminars in Traverse City.
More than 1,000 executives responded to the survey, which asked what they thought the effect would be of a higher corporate average fuel-economy requirement. The survey asked about a potential 56.2-mpg CAFE requirement. The federal government now is proposing a 54.5-mpg requirement for cars by 2025.
Seventy-seven percent said a 56.2-mpg requirement would change the way carmakers make their products, but only 29 percent said they believe consumers will understand what that requirement will mean in terms of the types of cars they will drive in the future.
And few of the engineers and executives surveyed — 5 percent — said they are confident that the industry has the materials needed to hit requirements of more than 50 mpg by 2025.
Of those they are familiar with, aluminum will be the “most helpful” in meeting new standards, according to the survey, which asked respondents to rank the materials in order of importance.
However, they also favored both plastics and carbon-fiber composites — listed separately in the survey — putting the two resin systems in a tie for second place as most helpful material. “Elastomers and fiber reinforcement,” also listed separately, came next, ahead of two metals more familiar to the auto industry: high-strength steel and magnesium.
More than half, 52 percent, said reaching higher requirements will mean relying on electric and hybrid-electric engines, while 49 percent said they expect that the powertrain system will see the biggest impact in terms of new materials being used.


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Aliens are the perfect video game enemy: numerous, terrifying, dangerous and satisfying to kill. After releasing a teaser trailer last week, Sega have finally revealed a few more details and some screenshots of the upcoming Aliens: Colonial Marines.
I remember hearing about the game a few years ago, and was disappointed to learn later that had been cancelled. Now thankfully it’s back on track, and it’s due on the Playstation 3, Xbox 360 and PC in spring (March/April/May) 2012. It also featured heavily in Nintendo’s third-party lineup for their new console, but publisher Sega and developer Gearbox are yet to confirm.
Sega released a statement that says the game is “being prototyped and considered for the Nintendo Wii U,” so its appearance isn’t a sure thing just yet. But surely, if Nintendo were confident enough to give it so much airtime during their press conference, talks must be leaning towards a Wii U release.
Randy Pitchford, President of Gearbox, said they were “honored to be a part of the earliest efforts for research and development on the platform, with the Aliens: Colonial Marines project that is so perfectly matched with the platform’s unique and exciting new capabilities.” It would be interesting to see what changes would be made to the game to take advantage of these capabilities.
Regardless, more details for the game on existing platforms have been announced. Colonial Marines will feature four-player co-op, allowing players to drop in and out, and appears to have a survival-horror slant. I’m picturing Left 4 Dead style gameplay, with aliens, and I’m excited.
The game is being likened to a sequel of the second film, with weapons, locations and themes reminiscent of that. Classic weapons like the pulse rifle and flamethrower will return, as will the iconic motion detector, with that rising beeping sound that strikes terror into your heart. The game will take place on LV-426, Hadley’s Hope and the USS Sulaco, from the first and second films.
The images are beautiful, the environments and objects are straight out of the films, and the aliens look more terrifying and powerful than ever.
Have a look at the screenshots below, and the teaser trailer released last week here.


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Reddit launches NFT avatar feature and marketplace
Popular social networking platform Reddit just announced and launched a ‘Collectible Avatars’ storefront. Users can purchase blockchain-backed NFT profiles at fixed rates.
Collectible Avatars are a set of 90 limited- edition avatars designed by independent artists from some of its most celebrated communities. According to Reddit, the initiative aims to ‘empower artists to create and sell their work’ on their platform as the artists are entitled to payment from selling their NFTs on Reddit and will receive royalties from secondary sales of their NFTs.
For interested users, they do not need a crypto wallet to buy the NFTs so credit or debit cards will do the trick. Users can then store them in Reddit’s own Vault wallet, showcase them on their profiles and trade them on secondary markets such as OpenSea or SuperRare.
According to Reddit’s July 7 blog post, Collectible Avatars would ‘provide owners with unique benefits on the Reddit platform.’ Holders can dress up and mix-and-match wearables for their avatars and their profile pictures will have a ‘glow-like effect’.
The NFTs are minted and stored on Polygon, an Ethereum-compatible blockchain, and can be stored in Reddit’s native wallet Vault to support Reddit’s ‘sustainability commitments’.
‘In the future, we see blockchain as one way to bring more empowerment and independence to communities on Reddit. Reddit has always been a model for what decentralization could look like online; our communities are self-built and run, and as part of our mission to better empower our communities, we are exploring tools to help them be even more self-sustaining and self-governed.’ according to Reddit.
Blockchain-backed Collectible Avatars is the platform’s first step into realizing the sustainability commitments and to empower artists on their platform.
This is not Reddit’s first move into the NFT space. In January 2022, the platform ran tests to allow users to set any NFTs as their profile pictures and last year, they released a limited number of CryptoSnoo NFTs that they described as ‘presenting a special and somewhat ridiculous opportunity to be a part of Reddit history’ to users.


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Rippleshot, a fraud protection company, is excited to announce its partnership with St. Louis-based FinTech accelerator, SixThirty in its Spring 2015 Cohort.
Rippleshot’s award winning technology monitors financial transactions across the entire payment network to identify the subtle patterns that often lead to the early warning signs of a data breach. Rippleshot provides card issuers the ability to detect fraud trends across the payment network, leveraging the consortium data set of Rippleshot partners, while enabling merchants to monitor their point of sale terminals and protect their brand reputation. Rippleshot will join SixThirty's Spring2015 cohort along with Bandura and FinLocker, two St. Louis-based companies.
“Our principal focus is on business development, and the SixThirty directors saw an opportunity to continue to help these three startups build and deepen client relationships,” said SixThirty’s new Managing Partner Atul Kamra.
Launched in 2013, SixThirty’s FinTech accelerator provides startups with hands-on training, mentorship, networking opportunities and up to $100,000 in funding. Backed by the St. Louis Regional Chamber and venture capital firm, Cultivation Capital has strong ties to St. Louis’ financial services hub with such companies as Edward Jones, Scotttrade, US Bankcorp CDC and Wells Fargo Advisors.
Rippleshot monitors millions of merchants and their transactions to detect data breaches and help stop card fraud sooner. Rippleshot’s award-winning technology complements existing fraud solutions to slash fraud losses, protect card owners, and preserve merchant brand reputation.
Learn more here: http://www.rippleshot.com
SixThirty was launched in 2013 as the first accelerator program specializing in financial technology companies. It invests $100,000 in each company it selects and brings the founders together for four months of mentoring and introductions to St. Louis financial-services companies.
Learn more here: http://www.sixthirty.co


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All major automakers except Bajaj Auto expected to register growth in January say brokerages
- Brokerages expect most India auto makers to record both year on year and sequential growth in sales in January.
- The end of the ‘inauspicious period’ in the first half of January is expected to provide a boost to auto sales.
- Weak macroeconomic conditions in international markets are dragging down Bajaj Auto since it is more reliant on exports than its peers.
An ‘inauspicious period’ that makes people stall vehicle purchases started in the second half of December 2022 extended through the first half of January. But analysts say that the demand picked up in the second half of the month, helping auto companies ring in the new year on a positive note.
“While the first half of January 2023 was dull due to the inauspicious period, which ended on January 15 (Kharmas/Sankranti), demand picked-up in the second half,” said a report by Motilal Oswal.
The low-base effect of the previous year is likely to reflect in the year-on-year growth number. But analysts expect most auto companies to report sequential growth, too.
|Company||YoY change||MoM change|
Source: Brokerages / Change in sales volumes
The commercial vehicle segment, consisting of players like Ashok Leyland and VE Commercial Vehicles, a subsidiary of Eicher Motors, are expected to report a sequential decline this month due to the high base effect.
“CV segment is expected to register muted growth on a sequential basis due to high base effect, though the basic growth drivers are intact,” said a report by Sharekhan.
Bajaj Auto’s struggles continue to mount
The broad consensus amongst analysts remains that Bajaj Auto will be the only auto company to report a decline in its sales in January due to declining exports.
Exports accounted for nearly 52% of Bajaj Auto’s sales in January 2022. Fast forward one year, the share of exports in the company’s total sales is projected to fall to 40%.
In December 2022, exports accounted for 43% of its total sales.
“Bajaj Auto is expected to register a 14.7% y-o-y decline in volumes due to weak performance in the export segment. Management is indicating that export volumes would face headwinds in the near term and export volumes may reach normalcy by May-June 2023,” said the Sharekhan report.
Demand for premium cars and two-wheelers to remain strong, say analysts
Cars and two-wheelers in the premium segment are expected to remain strong in January, too, according to analysts.
While supplies of semiconductor chips are improving, analysts say supplies of automatic variants of passenger vehicles which utilise more advanced electronic components still remain weak.
“Despite high waiting periods for premium variants, we haven’t come across major cancellations across industry,” said a report by Yes Securities.
Eicher Motors’ subsidiary, Royal Enfield, is expected to report 25% YoY growth, with customers riding high on the Hunter, while newer products like the Super Meteor 650 are also seeing good enquiries from customers, according to the brokerage.
The brokerage also added that the waiting periods for the Hunter have increased from 1 month to 1-2 months now, indicating an increase in customer demand.
Entry-level car and two-wheeler sales still in the slow lane
On the other hand, entry-level cars and two-wheelers are still struggling, according to analysts. One of the reasons behind it is weak rural recovery, analysts say.
“Demand for SUVs continues to be better while the entry level segment is on weak footings as rural recovery is weak,” said Yes Securities.
The brokerage added that on the two-wheeler side, too, the sentiments remained mixed since rural recovery has not kicked in yet.
Overall, the consensus remains that weakness in rural areas is impacting sales of affordable cars and two-wheelers, while premium segment sales are to remain consistent.
$NIFTY50.NSE and $NIFTYAUTO.NSE are showing Inter market Divergence again.Last time Divergence occurred in June 2022 when Nifty gave reversal. Will the Divergence work again.Chances are High. We need to wait for follow up Buying though.— (@TrendonomicsHD) January 30, 2023
Indian economy projected to grow between 6-6.8% in FY24; private capex necessary for job creation: Economic Survey 2023
Adani Enterprises’ ₹20,000 crore FPO fully subscribed on the last day
Tata Motors In Top Gear: Reports net profit of ₹2,958 crore in Q3, its first after seven quarters
- Not hard, not soft, the earliest dino eggs may have been of a 'leathery' texture to protect against damage: study
- Don't need to go big to go home: Australia is turning to sustainable 'tiny houses' to fix their housing crisis!
- Affordability levels to buy homes hit in last 2 years; to improve in 2024 on likely repo rate cut: JLL
- Carbon tax turns into climate fight at COP28
- Market to focus on macro data, global trends: Analysts


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George A. Zimmer, the founder and face behind the Men’s Wearhouse chain, has been fired.
The board of directors of the Fremont, Calif.-based company made the announcement on its corporate website on June 19 — under the headline, “Annual Meeting Postponed.”
There was no reason given for the termination of Zimmer, who also starred in the commercials for Men’s Wearhouse (NYSE: MW). His famous tagline at the end of those commercials, “You’re going to like the way you look. I guarantee it.”
The New York Times reports that a disagreement between Zimmer and the board appeared to be the reason for the dismissal.
Meanwhile, the founder himself has wasted little time firing back on those who fired him. In a statement to CNBC, Zimmer stated that “over the past several months I have expressed my concerns to the Board about the direction the company is currently heading.”
In response to those concerns, the board “has inappropriately chosen to silence my concerns through termination as an executive officer,” Zimmer added.
The Men’s Wearhouse has five locations in the San Antonio area — including shopping centers La Plaza Del Norte, Huebner Oaks, Legacy and The Forum at Olympia Parkway.
Men’s Wearhouse stock was trading at $36.35 a share as of mid-day trading. The 52-week high of the stock is $38.59; the 52-week low is $25.97.


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The first spy shots from the facelifted Jiangling Yuesheng SUV, the updated car will be launched on the China auto market in March next year. The facelifted Yuesheng will also be available with an automatic gearbox for the first time, the current Yuesheng is manual only.
The current Jiangling Yusheng is a big bad SUV, it hit the market in December 2010, price starts at 118.800 and ends at 117.800 yuan. Power comes from a Mitsubishi-sourced 2.4 turbo or a Ford-sourced 2.4 Duratec diesel. Both engines will continue and the new automatic will drive price up to some 125.000 yuan. Facelift includes a new grille, new bumper, new head lights. On the back the bumper and lights change as well. The head lights look a lot meaner compared with current car.


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Web giant Squarespace has launched eight new updates to its portfolio in an effort to help customers improve the performance of their ecommerce platform.
New additions include physical products, digital content, courses, appointments and reservations as Squarespace strengthens its roster once again.
With a primary focus on small businesses, the website creator said the updates were inspired by the changing landscape and the challenges SMEs face after the pandemic.
“With more and more people thinking about creative ways to sell the things they are passionate about, and in the context of building new businesses over the past 18 months, we are striving to empower today’s entrepreneurs. that’s all they need to thrive in a seamless, integrated platform, ”Squarespace said in a blog post announcing the news.
What’s new with Squarespace
New features also include a video studio app for content creators to run videos to promote their business. This includes different models, an AI-powered voiceover feature, or the ability to record original voiceovers.
Squarespace is also launching video courses that were created to allow content creators to monetize their knowledge by creating a space for them to sell video courses in its membership areas.
Elsewhere, Etsy integration and Squarespace planning allow sellers to build their brand and create their own e-commerce store through the former, the latter allowing businesses to share availability directly on their sites.
There have also been new updates to Squarespace’s Unfold app focused on social media optimization, and a new web design tool to help businesses design their websites, including features like l background, automatic layouts, stylized headers and additional templates.
To top it off, Squarespace has also released a new brand consistency tool to promote consistency across brand websites.


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NEW YORK (CBS.MW) -- Microsoft kicked off its $200 million marketing campaign Thursday to whip up demand for its next-generation Windows XP operating system.
Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates appeared on stage in Manhattan's Times Square with New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and television celebrity Regis Philbin, calling XP one of the biggest product launches in company history.
While U.S. consumer confidence slumps and personal computer sales sag, Microsoft executives hope XP will give the personal computer industry a lift.
"The whole PC industry has come together around this launch," Gates said on stage. "This is a version of Windows that will take the PC industry to new heights. We can improve the way people they do their work, we can improve the way they get information and they way they entertain themselves at home."
Gates touted the software's new level of reliability, its ability to make computer lovers more productive.
So far, analysts are having a hard time figuring out how Microsoft will find sales success with XP. Many say that consumers will be slow to adopt a new software package that adds a few bells and whistles consumers can find elsewhere. To many, Windows XP's best feature is that it crashes less than Microsoft's past offerings.
"Of the people we talk to, they can't define what's good about it," said Michael Kelly, chairman, of Emeryville, Calif.-based market research firm Techtel Corp. "They say it's full of things the software should have had five years ago."
Despite claims by Kelly and other critics that XP stands for "X-tra Profit", Microsoft home version of XP is $199 for the full version, or about $99 for the upgrade - the same as Windows Me. The Professional Edition costs $299 for the full version, and $199 for the upgrade.
Kelly says that based on his research, there won't be a mad rush for Windows XP, even if the price drops lower than Microsoft's list price at retail stores. Only 16 percent of 674 companies surveyed by Techtel say they'd consider buying Windows XP, according to a sample that's statistically accurate within 3 percent.
Microsoft executives report an "overwhelming response" for the software so far, noting that customers waited in line at Comp USA and Gateway stores early Thursday to get their hands on the new software.
Selling points for the software include improvements in CD-burning technology, online photo processing, instant messaging and streaming media.
"This is the most user-friendly operating system Microsoft's brought to market to-date," said Tim Bajarin, analyst with Creative Strategies Inc., in Campbell, Calif. He says he expects a group of tech-loving consumers will buy XP immediately, which could give the company a minimal fourth-quarter sales boost.
Dell Computer CEO Michael Dell said he expects XP to drive sales of personal computers in the fourth quarter. Dell also said his company is on track to meet analysts' sales and earnings expectations for the period ended Nov. 2.
Most analysts, however, say the computer industry will have a slow ramp to success with its new software. Any immediate sales boost from XP could be small. And in Microsoft's case, the company's financial statements will continue to be dominated by sales results of Microsoft's enterprise software for businesses, including Windows 2000 and SQL Server.
Microsoft saw weakening sales of its consumer software across all sales regions in its fiscal-first quarter, reported last week. John Connors, Microsoft's chief financial officer, said he expects PC sales to decline for the rest of the company's fiscal year.
Sales of the company's desktop applications stayed nearly flat, with sales of $2.19 billion. Sales of all desktop computer software rose only 5 percent.
"It's a good operating system, but we're in a lousy economic environment," said John Puricelli, analyst with A.G. Edwards & Sons. "The XP sales will be PC driven, and people are not going to line up in stores the way they did with Windows 95."
Several companies may get a bigger lift from the software than Microsoft, says Bruce Kasrel, analyst with Forrester Research in Cambridge, Mass. He says CD-burning software company Roxio ROXI which beat analysts' expectations with earnings of 12 cents a share Wednesday, could see an XP-related sales increase. Roxio provided the technology for the CD-recording software in XP.
"Roxio is definitely going to get a big boost," Kasrel said. "Any time you're a small company, it's great to get the attention for doing cool things."
Another company that could see more sales, Kasrel says, is antivirus services company McAfee.com. The company's executives are expected to be on stage with Microsoft touting new antivirus features that integrate with XP.
In an interview Wednesday, McAfee.com MCAF CEO Srivats Sampath said consumers can get virus alerts from the companies via a tiny toaster that will pop up on any screen. The companies also devised McAfee.com's services to work closely with Microsoft's new-and-improved messaging software features.
"There's more to come," Sampath said. "Microsoft is dedicated to our kind of service model. You're going to see a lot of cool technology solutions emerge."
While PC makers and software companies use XP to tout their own wares, part of Microsoft's agenda with XP will be to promote consumer services that are expected to become important to the company's future offerings. Microsoft will heavily advertise its Passport identification technology within XP. Passport encourages consumers to enter personal facts, in exchange for more control over how Web sites and services use such information.
In the future, Microsoft hopes to introduce more software and services that make use of its Passport technology.
Microsoft also will be advertising its MSN Internet access services along with XP. Sales associated with MSN rose 22 percent in the most recently reported quarter. Microsoft now claims 7 million subscribers take its MSN service, which competes with AOL Time Warner's America Online.
To be sure, much of the early success of XP will depend on the company's message - especially in the days following the product release, says Techtel Corp.'s Kelly.
"If they exceed expectations with XP, which will be hard to do, it's up to the ad campaign to get the stampede going."