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How are you connected on the street where you live, the street where you do business, the street you share with neighbors? But how could a smarter street improve your life?
Video timeline:00:00 Building Smarter Cities 00:14 Next Evolution 00:36 ERC Partners
Could technology help guide disabled pedestrians, eliminate traffic bottlenecks, enhance trash collection and pest control, improve emergency services, protect people from environmental and health threats. “Smart Streetscapes,” a new National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center, aims to create livable, safe, and inclusive communities. Learn more on NSF’s “The Discovery Files.”
Amazon ships more U.S. smart home devices than any other company and says Alexa is now compatible with 140,000 devices, far beyond the Echo and Fire TV. But privacy advocates are concerned by all the data these devices collect, and are calling on the Federal Trade Commission to block Amazon’s latest smart home expansion.
Chapters:1:41 First to market 4:27 Acquiring iRobot 7:41 How it uses the data 9:45 Privacy concerns 11:33 Ambient home of the future
After acquiring video doorbell maker Ring in 2018 and mesh WiFi system Eero a year later, Amazon’s now looking to buy Roomba smart vacuum maker iRobot. In a rare move, the FTC is asking for more information before approving the $1.7 billion deal. Ahead of Amazon’s annual smart home event, we talked to Amazon’s VP of privacy to find out what really happens to all the data collected by its devices – and sat down with the head of smart home to hear the strategy behind Amazon’s race to dominate the internet of things.
Airtags: The size of Mentos or a Lifesaver? A redesigned super-slim iMac? Lost-item trackers called AirTags? An Apple TV remote that doesn’t suck? New iPad Pros with M1 chips? Apple announced a hodgepodge of updates at a spring event. WSJ’s Joanna Stern has the rundown. Photo Illustration: Adele Morgan
Science Staff Writer Kelly Servick discusses how physicians have sifted through torrents of scientific results to arrive at treatments for SARS-CoV-2.
Sarah also talks with Wesley Reinhart, of Pennsylvania State University’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering and Institute for Computational and Data Science, about why we should be building smart cities from smart materials, such as metamaterials that help solar panels chase the Sun, and living materials like self-healing concrete that keep buildings in good shape.
Currently, smartwatches provide information such as heart rate, sleep time and activity patterns. In the future, this could be augmented with new classes of wearable devices that monitor, for example, concentrations of cortisol for tracking stress (using electronic epidermal tattoos), biomarkers of inflammation and levels of blood O2 (microneedle patches), skin temperature (electronic textiles), blood pressure (smart rings), concentration of ions (wristbands), intraocular pressure (smart contact lenses), the presence of airborne pathogens and breathing anomalies (face masks), and the concentration of therapeutic drugs (on-teeth sensors)2,10,12,13,14,15,16. Such emerging low-cost wearable sensing technologies, monitoring both physical parameters and biochemical markers, could be used to identify symptomatic and pre-symptomatic cases in future pandemics. The devices could also be used to remotely monitor the recovery of individuals undergoing treatment or self-isolating at home.
At this year’s virtual tech megashow, gadgets to protect you from Covid-19 are all the rage. But do you need a connected mask and a personal air purifier? What about a doorbell that takes your temperature? WSJ’s Joanna Stern checks out this new gear—from her basement. Photo illustration: Preston Jessee for The Wall Street Journal
Jeff Bakalar speaks with BioLite, a company that has invented a smart firepit that actually lets you adjust the intensity of the flame and reduces smoke. The camping-focused device also has a full line of cooking accessories and can burn charcoal or wood. And yeah, it can charge your phone too.
FirePit plus all its accessories in one awesome bundle. The BioLite FirePit is an award-winning smokeless firepit that burns standard firewood or charcoal depending on your needs. Patented airflow system injects oxygen to burn off smoke before it has a chance to escape the fire while the X-Ray Mesh body gives you a full view into your flames. Included grill grate works with charcoal to transform your pit into a hibachi-style grill.


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Cop: Driver hit pedestrian pushing shopping cart, arrested
MILFORD - A 33-year-old Monroe driver has been arrested after allegedly striking a pedestrian pushing a shopping cart and fleeing from the scene.
Inside the shopping cart was the victim’s 3-year-old child.
The incident happened around 4:30 p.m. on June 27 in the Shop Rite parking lot.
Police said after hitting the pedestrian and cart, the driver fled from the Boston Post Road parking lot.
On Thursday, police arrested Seemal Chaudry, of Windsor Road, on the charge of evading responsibility.
Chaudry will appear in Milford Superior Court on Oct. 25 to answer the charge.

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text: SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Palm Harbor Homes Inc. phhm after Tuesday's closing bell said its first-quarter earnings rose 35% to $3.55 million, or 16 cents a share, compared with $2.63 million, or 12 cents a share, in the same period last year. The Addison, Texas-based maker of factory-built homes said its revenues rose 17% to $194.5 million vs. $166.2 million. The company sold 2,171 factory-built homes in the quarter, compared with 2,115 last year. Additionally, Palm Harbor said it plans to spend $3 million to $3.5 million in the second quarter to close nine retail stores and one factory in Alabama. The company expects cost reductions from the closings of around $5 million a year beginning in the third quarter.


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Japan's largest companies are likely to paint a bleak picture for this year's profits when they start announcing earnings this week, if they offer any guidance at all.
More than a month after Japan's devastating earthquake and tsunami on March 11, firms are still struggling with unraveled supply chains and sluggish consumer demand, making predicting future profits difficult if not impossible.
Investors in Japan, used to companies providing guidance for a full year ahead, will be forced to rely increasingly on the number crunching of equity analysts, who themselves are struggling to form a clear picture of future demand.
Earnings season is here and we want to focus on outlooks for the current year, but it may be only a minority of companies that can provide one, Daiwa Securities Group chief executive Takashi Hibino told Reuters in a recent interview, predicting the uncertainty would last through the summer.
Among blue-chip firms announcing earnings this week for the business year ended in March are video game giant Nintendo on Monday and Honda Motor on Thursday.
Office equipment and camera maker Canon Inc, which has a business year running from January to December, reports its earnings on Tuesday.
Barclays Capital projects that the average net profit at all firms listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange's first section, which includes Japan's biggest firms, will fall 12 percent this financial year, with the slide led by export-related industries such as auto and electronics firms.
Data from Thomson Reuters Starmine shows that analysts have on average revised down their profit estimates across all sectors by 6 percent in the past 30 days.
The biggest drop was for utilities at 37 percent due mainly to sharp downward revisions for crisis-hit Tokyo Electric Power. That was followed by automobiles and components at minus 24.6 percent and the semiconductor sector down 11 percent.
Much of that gloom may already be factored in to share prices. Tokyo's transportation equipment and electrical machinery subindexes are both down about 6 percent since March 11, although that outperforms the TOPIX's 8 percent decline.
The auto and electronics sectors are expected to either announce conservative outlooks for this fiscal year or postpone the release of outlooks, said Yoshinori Nagano, a senior strategist at Daiwa Asset Management. But negative sentiment on these sectors is somewhat priced in.
Some firms have already declined to estimate profits this year. Yaskawa Electric Corp, the world's largest maker of industrial robots used by automakers and chip producers did not give a forecast when it released results on April 20, citing worries about whether it can get enough parts.
Nowhere has the disruption to supply chains been more severe than in the auto sector.
Toyota, Nissan Motor Co and Honda all suspended production for a good part of the first month following the earthquake, and have slashed production by half of their intended output since then.
The impact has even spread to factories in North America, Europe and Asia as they too run out of parts.
For Toyota, which said on Friday that it could take until December for output to return to pre-quake levels, projections from 11 analysts who revised their forecasts after the earthquake yielded an average operating profit of 281.9 billion yen for the year to March 2012.
That is down 65 percent from the consensus of 804 billion yen from 21 analysts before the quake, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. When the world's No. 1 carmaker announces its results on May 11, the company may opt not to provide its own forecast.
Assessing the outlook for Japan's electronic conglomerates may also tax the divining skills of analysts this earnings season. The consensus for Sony Corp's profit has fallen only 14.5 percent to 270.1 billion yen in the past 30 days, despite plant stoppages.
One source of concern is that analysts have not cut their estimates for the current year by very much, said Koji Toda, chief fund manager at Resona Bank in Tokyo. I think many are leaving their figures unchanged because they don't have enough information to decide how far to cut them.
Overseas investors who do not follow Japanese equities closely may get a shock when forecasts finally emerge, possibly about the time of first quarter earnings in June, Toda said.
The effect of that, he added, could weigh on share prices for some time.
Japan's Nikkei stock index is down about 5 percent since March 11 and is one of the worst performing developed, major equity markets so far this year.
Not all the uncertainty may result in negative surprises. Some investors are encouraged by the speed at which power generation capacity has recovered since the quake, and initial plans to force large users to cut back by a quarter may be eased.
Some investors and business executives see supply woes fading in the second half of the financial year, while consumption is likely to rise as spending kicks in to revive the stricken northeast.
(Additional reporting by Chang-ran Kim and Ayai Tomisawa; Editing by Tim Kelly and Nathan Layne)


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View of Canada Day fireworks from the top of the Westin Ottawa should be breath-taking again this year, especially as the hotel kicks off celebrations to mark its 30th anniversary.
JUN 23 13 – 12:30 PM — The official anniversary isn’t until Oct. 12, but organizers at the iconic 496-room Westin Ottawa plan their most memorable Canada Day soirée as 400+ guests are expected to toast the nation’s birthday, as well as kick off celebrations to mark 30 years that have made the downtown hotel an award-winning innkeeper among over 1,000 Starwood Hotels & Resorts properties world-wide.
Of course, Canada Day has always been special at the Westin since the towering landmark, conceived in the early 1980s as part of the new Rideau Centre and Ottawa Congress Centre complex, opened three decades ago. Air Canada is sponsoring the hotel’s Canada Day event this year, when invited guests will be eligible to win a trip with accommodation to any city the airline serves in North America.
Above, lobby of the Westin Ottawa and view from outside. The hotel celebrates 30 years in October.
Each July 1 invited friends, family, patrons and well-wishers mingle, drink and munch their way through what is undoubtedly the finest food and drink in the nation’s capital — much of it prepared à la minute by chefs at different serving stations. It is a time for Westin chefs to shine and, well, show off a little.
Then, after almost three hours of partying in the fourth-floor Confederation Ballroom, guests at dusk are whisked to the 23rd and 24th floor suites and outdoor terraces for more seafood (supplied by the posh Shore Club downstairs) and a spectacular view of the fireworks over Parliament Hill. (Only once has the weather been so bad that fireworks had to be cancelled. I’ve happily attended many times, although couldn’t last year due to an out-of-town commitment. My most recent blog of the event is here, posted in July 2011.)
John Jarvis (photo right), hotel general manager and “chief experience officer,” along with key executive staff and chefs, invited a handful of media folk Thursday to the 23rd-floor Bonaventure Suite to sample fabulous (and healthy) nibbles — called superfoods — in advance of the much-anticipated 30th anniversary celebrations (although organizers made deliberate effort to stress different foods will be served on July 1 — wait for the surprise).
Superfoods fit with the corporate philosophy as Westin has made it a chain-wide mission to promote healthy and sustainable lifestyles. In fact, Westin Ottawa was the first in 2002 to go completely “smoke-free,” now the norm across the service industry.
Superfoods — everything from blueberries to whole grains, lean fish, nuts and legumes — were popularized in such books as Fourteen Foods That Will Change Your Life, Superfoods Rx by Dr. Steven Pratt and Kathy Matthews, and by pop-TV idols like Oprah Winfrey. They’re naturally rich in antioxidants and phytonutrients, are identified by a green leaf logo on the hotel menu, and represent one of six Westin pillars of well-being for guests: sleep well, eat well, move well, feel well, work well and play well.
Top, “superfoods” served on Thursday included quinoa, grilled asparagus and dried cranberry salad. Bottom, cider and thyme glazed turkey with ‘forbidden’ rice, edamame and walnut salad, citrus vinaigrette. As beautiful to behold as they were tasty — and nutritious. ‘Forbidden’ black rice is exceptionally nutritious, long considered the finest and was only served to the emperor in ancient China.
An evolving, more thoughtful focus on health represents a dramatic shift over two decades where emphasis in the hospitality industry used to be on quantity over quality. Long gone are the carefree days of, say, 20 years ago when the high-tech industry was on fire in Ottawa and Nortel alone accounted for 20,000 room nights in the Westin a year. “We were the biggest supplier of guest rooms,” Jarvis told me, in a 2010 interview.
Well, the high-tech bloom has since faded and there was no other company poised to take its place. So the hotel reinvented itself to better accommodate national conferences and conventions, while focusing more on healthy options.
“Our brand now is all about wellness,” Jarvis says today.
Left, among the “wellness” food samples prepared by Westin chefs: tomato, purple basil and avocado salad using tomato and herbs grown on the hotel’s sixth floor. With a refreshing citrus vinaigrette, the avocado salad popped with its presentation and taste of rich avocado and tangy fruit. Right, more “superfoods” with sweet potato, pumpkin seed and blueberry salad.
Top, lean roast Angus beef tenderloin, caramelized shallot and tomato jam with crumbled blue cheese from Quebec. Bottom, soy, ginger and maple glazed wild salmon with crispy Asian slaw.
“We’re trying to make you feel better while you’re here than you did before you came, or after you leave,” Jarvis says.
“Serving superfoods is just one aspect where the food doesn’t just look good and taste good, but it’s good for you too. We’re also promoting the Westin workout gym, squash court, saltwater pool, and we’ve got a new partnership with New Balance athletic gear where anything from socks to running shoes, tights to women’s sports bras, are available clean and ready to use,” Jarvis says.
Left, strawberry sabayon with chocolate tuile. Right, executive chef Kenton Leier and sous chef David Brasset.
Kenton Leier, executive chef of three years at the Westin, says optional superfoods appear on all Westin menus, from banquets to catering. “They’re nutrient-rich and delicious,” he says. “And they’re accepted very well.
“We had a group of 400 to 500 naturopathic doctors here for three days last week where every meal was totally gluten- and dairy-free and it went over incredibly well … I’ve tried to reduce gluten in my diet at home for a couple of months now and I find I feel more energetic, and just more healthy,” Leier says.
Adds sous chef David Brasset: “We’ve never had so many people stop us and give us positive comments on the food.”
Jarvis has been general manager now 15 years, the hotel’s sixth when he arrived, and I’m thinking he’s not inclined to leave anytime soon. Some significant footnotes about the Westin Ottawa:
• Named the Westin Hotel of the Year in 2012, the Ottawa property commanded first place out of 132 Westin hotels across North America;
• Westin Ottawa was recognized two consecutive years by Meetings + Incentive Travel magazine with the Readers Choice for hotels with conference space in the nation’s capital;
• In 2012, Jarvis was cited as Chief Sales Officer of the Year from Starwood Hotels & Resorts;
• Westin Ottawa now grows a selection of its own herbs and vegetables on the sixth floor;
• A new hotel organic waste program helped divert 128 metric tons of organic waste from landfill in 2012 — equal to the weight of two Boeing 747 aircraft;
• Westin is the only hotel in Ottawa to offer guided running tours to guests.
Check out this 30th anniversary video romp-down-memory-lane by the folks at Westin Ottawa:

westin_anniversary by roneade


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Added as a new feature for Skrill’s digital wallet, users will be able to withdraw funds and transfer them directly to their preferred cryptocurrency address.
This is the first time that Skrill customers have been able to instantly convert their fiat balance in such a way. Customers can access the feature simply by selecting ‘Crypto Wallet’ from their account when they withdraw funds.
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Users have the option of selecting either a Bitcoin address or Ethereum wallet destination after keying in the required balance amount. Skrill plans to add other additional cryptocurrencies for withdrawals in the near future. The new feature is already available within the European Economic Area (EEA), with the UK being tipped for inclusion in the scheme shortly.
Skrill has been growing in popularity since launching back in 2018. Its cryptocurrency service allows customers to convert 40 fiat currencies, which include the Euro, British Pound and US dollar into a raft of crypto options. These include Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Dash, Ethereum, Ethereum Classic, Kyber, Litecoin, Tezos, Stellar, XLM and Ox.
“More people than ever are buying cryptocurrency as a long-term investment, particularly in light of recent institutional backing from the likes of Tesla, which has driven Bitcoin to fresh all-time highs,” said Lorenzo Pellegrino, CEO of Skrill, NETELLER, and Income Access at Paysafe.
“Our customers have been enjoying the ability to interact with both fiat currencies and digital assets through Skrill for some time. Expanding a crypto portfolio is incredibly simple with Skrill, thanks to our fiat on-ramp. The new withdraw feature further enhances our service by enabling users to quickly and conveniently move their existing fiat balance to a crypto address of their choosing, saving them both time and money on fees. ”
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Rob Clymo has been a tech journalist for more years than he can actually remember, having started out in the wacky world of print magazines before discovering the power of the internet. Since he's been all-digital he has run the Innovation channel during a few years at Microsoft as well as turning out regular news, reviews, features and other content for the likes of TechRadar, TechRadar Pro, Tom's Guide, Fit&Well, Gizmodo, Shortlist, Automotive Interiors World, Automotive Testing Technology International, Future of Transportation and Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Technology International. In the rare moments he's not working he's usually out and about on one of numerous e-bikes in his collection.


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A Burger King campaign titled Backyard Burger King has won a place on the prestigious WARC 100 list which measures and awards the 100 most effective advertisements in the world each year.
The campaign was based on insights uncovered by Perceptive Research Auckland which led to the strategy and creative campaign by Colenso BDDO, aimed at growing the Burger King brand in the New Zealand market.
The marketing campaign was judged the 19th most effective campaign in the world for 2018.
Perceptive ceo Chris Pescott told trade media: “It is a great honour to have Backyard Burger King win a spot on the WARC 100. Backyard Burger King is a brilliant example of how creative campaigns that use insight to inform their strategy get exceptional, tangible results and often a dramatic increase in sales and profitability.”
“Perceptive uncovered a pathway for Burger King to advertise beyond their core market.”
The WARC 100 is a global index of effectiveness in advertising, and tracks the performance of campaigns, brands and agencies in more than 80 marketing effectiveness competitions around the world.
Perceptive uncovered a pathway for Burger King to advertise beyond their core market. The research also highlighted the misconception that Kiwis did not realise Burger King actually cooked its burgers over flames.
Armed with this insight, Colenso set out to speak to a much broader audience, and emphasise Burger King’s unique flame-grilled flavour, fresh ingredients and great taste.
The campaign was promoted through TV, digital, in-store and on social media and directed people to a website where they could apply for a kit to be delivered to their own backyard.
The campaign changed public perceptions and saw Burger King achieve its best sales record in New Zealand in 22 years. Burger King was also rated the WARC 100 number one top brand for 2018.
Client: Burger King NZ
Agency: Colenso BBDO, Auckland
Director: Andy Morton
Creative Chairman: Nick Worthington
Executive Creative Director: Steve Cochran
Producer: Scott Chapman
Senior Art Director: Simon Vicars
Senior Art Director: Brett Coliver
Business Director: Abbi Barker
Planner: Neville Doyle
TV Producer: Jen Storey
Agency Producer: Jen Storey
Retoucher: Reks Kok
Designer: Brent Courtney
Production Manager: Tim Freeman
Designer: Brent Courtney
Account manager: Taylor Holland
Account manager: Helen Darwin
Group Business Director: Ahmad Salim
Digital Developer: David Arcus
Digital Designer: Tom Addison
Executive Digital Producer: Dov Tombs
PR & Activation: Nick Harvey
PR & Activation: Kate Boekhorst
PR & Activation: Paul Gunn
Burger King GM of Marketing: James Woodbridge
Marketing Manager: Chet Patel
Media Agency: Y&R
Photographer: Steven Boniface
Production Company: Sprout TV
Production Company Producer: Peter Clews
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The hotel chain behind brands Holiday Inn, Intercontinental and Crowne Plaza, IHG, is considering opening a hotel in Mallorca. It will either be one of its Intercontinental or Crowne Plaza hotels. The area that IHG is looking at is between Santa Ponsa and Andratx or in Palma.
This hotel would add to the list of major hotels that have opened on the island in recent years, including the Hilton Sa Torre and the seven-star Jumeirah hotel in Soller. IHG believes that Mallorca is a high-end tourist destination.
Hotel La Residencia in Deia, reportedly has the highest average room rate in Spain. The British hotel group will rely on its brand recognition in Germany to enter the Mallorca market, in which the hotel reservations are made mostly through major tour operators including Tui and Thomas Cook.
“We are a big name in Germany, which is our strategic market, and where we have grown the most,” IHG development director in Spain and Portugal, Hylko Versteeg, told Spanish newspaper Mallorca Diario.
IHG, which has 32 establishments in Spain, is also looking into the possibility of opening the Intercontinental brand in Barcelona.


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Oompah Loompahs to lap up funds
Tasking themselves with delivering the goods for a really good cause is being taken literally by the Oompa Loompah’s Relay for Life team.
Their energetic efforts to raise funds for the Cancer Council will soon kick into high gear when they begin delivery of 11,000 copies of the latest Kalgoorlie-Boulder Business and Community Directory.
From August 1-29 team members will deliver copies of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s annual publication to businesses and households across the city.
Team captain Millie Pearson said it was a fabulous opportunity to make much-needed funds, with 50 cents paid for each directory delivered.
There will be 10 cars and 30 to 40 people involved in the delivery blitz which will cover every street in Kalgoorlie-Boulder.
The initiative will be bitter sweet for many of the team members, whose long-time friend and relative, Annie Dingle, succumbed to cancer earlier this week.
“We’ve got the numbers to do the job and we’ve got the reasons too – supporting the Cancer Council to help the many cancer sufferers,” Ms Pearson said.
Kalgoorlie-Boulder Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Hugh Gallagher said the initiative was a “brilliant fit”.
“It’s a real win-win situation, our directory is called the Business and Community Directory and in its delivery and distribution the business and community sector will be benefiting,” he said.
Relay for Life is the Cancer Council’s major annual fundraiser.
The main event will be held at Digger Daws Oval on November 12-13 when 35 Goldfields Relay for Life teams will be passing the baton, not the buck, to raise funds for cancer research and patient support.
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United States are closing their individual financial deficits by allowing patients to legally purchase marijuana. Snoop Dogg has been a weed head for years- all while topping charts, starring in movies,and managing a youth football league. Willie Nelson is 83 years young, and he’s been fighting for the legalization of marijuana before Snoop was born! Snoop has his own Adidas shoe line, but Willie just signed a ground-breaking deal that will surely feed his Grand Ole Opry ancestors.
Country music legend Willie Nelson has teamed up with private equity investors looking to cash in on the latest celebrity-endorsed venture in the burgeoning marijuana industry.
New York-based private equity firm Tuatara Capital this week announced its partnership with Nelson, the 81-year-old musician known for songs such as “Always On My Mind” and “On the Road Again,” as well as his well-documented marijuana habit. The partnership will see Tuatara lead a group of investors financing the development of a legal recreational marijuana brand featuring Nelson’s name.
The “premium cannabis lifestyle brand,” called “Willie’s Reserve,” will market pot bearing Nelson’s name and image to recreational marijuana users in states where it is legal, starting with the states that currently have legal recreational pot markets: Colorado and Washington. Local businesses in those states will grow, distribute, and sell Willie’s Reserve-branded marijuana based on the brand’s own specifications and “quality standards,” according to a joint press release from Tuatara and Nelson. – Fortune


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Factory Slump Puts China on Verge of 'Recession'
Anyone who was looking for China somehow miraculously to save the world economy is going to be terribly discouraged by the latest signs of a economic slowdown in the Middle Kingdom. The CLSA China Manufacturers Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) showed that factory activity contracted sharply during October, with the index falling to its lowest level since the surveys began in June 2004.
Based on monthly questionnaires sent to 400 Chinese manufacturers asked to give month-on-month comparisons, the survey is widely considered one of the most robust leading indicators in China, where economic data are often suspect. The PMI is also important because manufacturing accounts for about 42% of China's gross domestic product. A rating of 50 is the cutoff for expansion/contraction. In October it registered 45.2, down from 47.7 in September. "Chinese manufacturers are seeing their order books cut, both at home and abroad, as the world economy falls into recession," Eric Fishwick, head of economic research at Hong Kong-based CLSA said with the release of the report. "The coming 12 months will be difficult for manufacturers, China included."
The growing signs of slowdown (BusinessWeek.com, 10/29/08) are manifold. In Guangdong province, traditionally the center of China's light industry, nearly half the toy manufacturers have gone out of business. Some have moved to cheaper locations inland, but others have disappeared altogether, often leaving workers with several weeks of unpaid wages. On Oct. 16, Hong Kong-owned Smart Union Toy left 6,000 workers in the southern city of Dongguan in the lurch after it closed without warning. The government may now have to compensate workers from Smart Union, which produced toys for Mattel (MAT) and Walt Disney (DIS), for unpaid wages.
The deterioration in China's economic outlook has been relatively recent. In mid-summer, only pessimists expected China's GDP growth to slow next year to 8%, a level necessary to ensure the absorption of new labor entrants into the work force. Anything below this could by Chinese economic standards be considered a recession. Now economists are following one another with economic downgrades. On Oct. 31, UBS issued a new growth forecast for next year of 7.5% (down from 8%), warning things could be even worse if the government does not come up with a speedy and effective program of monetary loosening and pump-priming.
Any effective program will also need to address China's property problems. Real estate accounts for 25% of all fixed investment in China, and Credit Suisse (CS) economist Dong Tao says China's single biggest challenge is to save the property market from spiraling into a (vicious downward circle. Beijing introduced countrywide measures to boost the housing market by cutting required downpayments from 30% to 20% and reducing fees related to home purchase. The government has also cut interest rates three times in two months and lifted loan quotas on banks.
These measures, however, are insufficient to lure buyers back into the market. Indeed, China is just entering the down cycle of its property market after years of heady growth and inflated prices. Transaction volume has slowed to a trickle, putting the squeeze on thousands of developers who are desperate for cash. This, in turn, makes banks highly vulnerable to defaults. "If there is continued stagnation, there will be all kinds of complications for consumer confidence," Dong Tao said last week.
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Here are the analysts' actions and comments on TI's stock:
* Avian Securities analysts downgraded TI shares from a “positive” rating to “neutral” and lowered the price target from $30 to $26.
* Oppenheimer analysts downgraded the stock from an "outperform" rating to a "perform" rating.
* RBC Capital Markets maintained a “sector perform” rating, with a price target of $28 per share.
“Our estimates for OMAP [applications processors] and connectivity revenue may prove too aggressive given the lower growth trajectory implied by” TI, RBC analyst Doug Freedman wrote today in a research note.
* Stifel Nicolaus & Co. maintained a “buy” rating on the stock and a target price of $35.
TI’s new strategy will drive “higher quality revenue” in embedded processing to fuel growth and expand market share, Stifel analyst Tore Svanberg wrote today in a research report. TI’s OMAP and connectivity businesses have “struggled to become profitable and operated at a significant loss last quarter (and likely getting worse in the September quarter) and prospects for profitability remain challenged in the highly competitive and capital intensive smartphone and tablet markets,” he said.
Svanberg noted that TI isn’t giving up entirely on wireless: It will continue to develop OMAP and connectivity solutions for the embedded market. Wireless connectivity is gaining momentum in the embedded market in smart appliances, automotive applications and mobile devices, he said.
TI over the years has expanded its reach into embedded processing, which accounts for about 15 percent of total revenue (or about $2 billion). TI controls 12 percent of the $18 billion global market, holding the No. 2 spot.
“TI has made significant progress over the years to expand its product portfolio and we have confidence that TI can utilize its sales force and applications engineers (three to four times larger than its closest competitor), large product portfolio and unmatched customer base (90,000 existing customers and 60,000 untapped by embedded processing) to drive share gains and further customer engagements,” Svanberg said.


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Apple might be working on smart watch with Intel
Apple has already taken over you phone, your computer, and your tablet. Now it reportedly wants to colonize your wrist.
That's according to rumors reported by the chinese site TGBus, which suggest Apple is working on a Bluetooth enabled "smart watch" with Intel for release sometime in 2013.
Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) already has a smart watch product, kind of -- the iPod Nano. Although it's intended as an MP3 player, it is tiny and light enough that many users strap it to their arms to use it as a watch, and there are even third party hacks to add functionality to it. But one thing the Nano lacks is Bluetooth.
That's a problem, because one of the more compelling use cases for a smart watch is to act as a second display for a connected cell phone, allowing you to quickly glance at your wrist whenever you get a text message or alert instead of having to dig around in your pocket.
A smart watch also might be a more natural platform for Apple's digital assistant Siri, and a Bluetooth-enabled watch could take phone calls for the full Dick Tracy communicator watch experience.
Other smart watch concepts are coming on to the market that allow this, such as Sony's SmartWatch and Pebble, a smart watch concept with an e-paper display that raised a record $8 million on Kickstarter.
Jon Xavier is the technology reporter at the Silicon Valley Business Journal.
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- Google won Moffett Field lease, but here's who else was in the running
- Campbell sees 11 buildings change hands in two deals worth $109M
- Alibaba earnings fall short of revenue expectations, shares wobble
- Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg paid $200M for Kauai oceanfront property
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Posted on Thursday, October 30th, 2008 and is filed under Mobile, Phone. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Apparently, Asus is going to launch its first Android phone in the first half of next year. ASUS has a history of making Windows Mobile phones and we can only guess that they will continue to do so, at least for the time being. Some speculate that after launching its own Android phone, Asus will produce “white label” phones for other brands. The ASUS P552w touch-phone or something like it could be the hardware platform for an Android phone.


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News tagged ‘Nokia’
According to the data, published recently by
Nokia has released a new ad for its most recent tablet running Windows 8 - Lumia 2520. To be honest, the gadget looks pretty much the same as Windows Surface, but, unlike the Microsoft’s creation, features a separate physical keyboard equipped with a powerful battery that lets the tablet work for as many as 16 hours on a single charge. Impressive, don’t you think so?
Judge Paul S. Grewal has ordered Samsung to explain why it should not be sanctioned for leaking Apple’s secret documents. Earlier this month, South-Korean company executives somehow discovered the details of the confidential Nokia-Apple patent license. It goes without saying that Apple appealed to the court in order to request sanctions against Samsung.
Nokia will show us its new Windows RT tablet very soon. The device will be thinner and lighter than the current iPad, apart from that, it will look similar to the Nokia’s Lumia smartphones. On top of that, it may get a bunch of new useful features, The Verge reports.
Microsoft has posted a new video on its Windows Phone
Here’s the description of the clip:
A kids's play is one of those times when you want to get the perfect shot. But most phones aren't capable of capturing quality photos at a distance. Even if it's just a few rows back. With the Windows Phone Nokia Lumia 1020 you get 41 megapixels so every seat is the best seat in the house.
You may watch the ad below. What do you think about it?
It is also stated in the report that in the year 2013 20% of iPhone customers switched from Android, while the figure of those who forsook iPhone for Samsung is only 7%.
The key figures of the report:
● 42% of Apple's U.S. customers between July 2012 and June 2013 were upgrading from another iPhone
● 43% of Samsung's customers had previously owned an Android phone, but not necessarily one made by Samsung
● 37% of Samsung buyers were upgrading from so-called feature phones, the figure for Apple is only 26%
● Among brand-switchers, Samsung took from Apple 11%, while Apple gained three times as many(33%)
● Among these switchers, Samsung drew customers from HTC, Motorola (GOOG), and Nokia (NOK), while Apple took mostly from Blackberry (BBRY)
Have a look at the charts to find out some new figures.
A few days ago, Nokia released a video, where claimed that the Lumia 925’s camera is a lot better than the iPhone 5’s photo sensor. What we have here today is the comparison gallery of photos taken using the Nokia Lumia 1020 and, of course, the iPhone 5. Let’s take a look.
*iPhone 5 is on the left, Lumia 1020 - on the right
WhatsApp will get a Voice Messages feature. This is the official information from the application developers. On the video below you may see the instructions on how to send and receive the voice messages from your friends and acquaintances.
This day can be called the day of ads since such tech giants as Apple (see the article below) and Nokia released new ads. And if the company from Cupertino simply advertises its FaceTime app, the guys from Finland mock the iPhone 5 camera and compare it to the Nokia Lumia 925’s photo sensor.
According to The Wall Street Journal, patent holding company Intertrust has filed a lawsuit against Apple, alleging that Cupertino-based company infringes on 15 of its patents. Intertrust licenses and invents technologies for digital rights management and currently holds more than 150 patents.
Based on the reported issues, coming from a database of around 30 million users, FixYa gave a dependability score to each smartphone. According to its rankings, iPhones were the most reliable smartphones with the fewest reported issues.
Analytics company StatCounter today
Lala's music was streamed over the Internet instead of stored locally. The service allowed users to listen to a collection of more than 7 million titles as a stream over the Internet – much like Spotify and Pandora today. Users could also buy and download songs usually for a lower price than Apple’s iTunes was offering.


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Renault Kadjar and Captur production could move to Nissan’s Sunderland plant
Production of the Renault Kadjar and Captur could move to Nissan’s Sunderland plant, it has been reported.
Nissan and Renault – which have a strategic partnership with each other as well as Mitsubishi – are thought to be in talks around moving production of the two Renault SUV models from Spain to the UK.
This move, according to the report in the Financial Times, would be made with the aim of increasing output from the Sunderland plant, which is set to resume production in early June. The factory has the capacity to produce 500,000 vehicles a year, but only built 350,000 in 2019.
Transferring production of the Kadjar and Captur from Spain to the UK would represent a show of faith in post-Brexit Britain from Nissan, with the company recently having invested £400 million in the plant.
The Renault Kadjar and Captur sit on the same model platforms as the Nissan Qashqai and Juke, both of which are already built at Sunderland, so the move would make sense. That said, it has yet to be confirmed.
If the move goes ahead, it is expected to be announced later this month, along with a number of other measures for restructuring Nissan’s European operations. The firm’s Barcelona van plant could be closed, with Navara pick-up production moving to South Africa and the e-NV200 van replacement potentially being built at the Renault plant in Maubeuge, France.
Around 3,000 of Nissan’s 5,000 employees in Spain have already been temporarily laid off due to the coronavirus crisis.
What do you think about the move? Tell us in the comments…
Production of the Mercedes-AMG One – Merc’s hugely complex F1 engine-powered car [..]
The new Alfa Romeo Tonale is now on sale in the UK, [..]
Car company bosses come in all shapes and sizes. Elon Musk is [..]
Porsche has won countless races around the Nurburgring in its history, and [..]
The A-Class was the fourth best-selling vehicle in Britain last year and [..]


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Gen Con, North America’s largest and longest-running gaming convention, will feature a record-breaking number of exhibitors for its 2016 convention. Gen Con 2016’s 518 exhibitors represent a 26% increase from the prior convention year. According to a 2015 estimate by Visit Indy, Gen Con drives more than $67 million in annual economic activity to the city of Indianapolis. Given the substantial increase in exhibitors, Gen Con believes this economic activity will grow substantially in 2016.
“Gen Con’s expansion to Lucas Oil Stadium and throughout downtown Indianapolis has created an opportunity to give more qualified companies an opportunity to exhibit in 2016,” said Scott Elliott, Gen Con’s Vice President of Business Development. “With a growing wait list to exhibit, this opportunity is balanced with also offering another record number of gaming events for attendees. Each Gen Con is its own unique, unforgettable experience, and this year will have more new faces and convention partners than ever before.”
Coinciding with this release, Gen Con has posted its current 2016 Exhibit Hall map at gencon.com. In the coming weeks, Gen Con will announce its plans for 2016 Georgia St. activities including the Sun King Brewery Beer Garden, Hot Box Pizza area, food trucks, outdoor entertainment, and more.
Gen Con 2016 returns to Indianapolis Thursday, August 4 through Sunday, August 7 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis. Last year, Gen Con set an attendance record with more than 61,000 unique attendees. With attendees from all 50 states, every Canadian province, and more than 54 countries, Gen Con is an international destination for gaming. Badges currently are available at gencon.com.


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Apple AirPlay 2 comes to the TVs of CES, Nvidia and AMD announce new GPUs, and the smartphone slump hits the stock market.
Please SUBSCRIBE HERE.
A special thanks to all our supporters–without you, none of this would be possible.
Big thanks to Dan Lueders for the theme music.
Big thanks to Mustafa A. from thepolarcat.com for the logo!
Thanks to our mods, Kylde, Jack_Shid, KAPT_Kipper, and scottierowland on the subreddit
Send us email to [email protected]
To read the show notes in a separate page click here!


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As college students put together themselves for the beginning of the varsity 12 months, TikTok has launched a brand new cyber security consciousness marketing campaign to assist educate kids on the risks of on-line interplay, whereas it’s additionally expanded its work to assist promote cybersecurity careers amongst under-represented communities.
First off, on its new cybersecurity push – TikTok has partnered with the International Cyber Alliance (GCA) to develop a brand new interactive Cybersecurity Toolkit for People.
The toolkit contains hyperlinks to a variety of apps and training assets on key cybersecurity considerations, which could possibly be an effective way to encourage individuals to be extra proactive in monitoring for potential threats.
The apps, specifically, could possibly be useful, with the GCA highlighting some essential safety instruments that may assist in your course of.
TikTok has additionally printed a brand new one-page overview on how individuals can enhance their on-line safety course of.
As an extension of this, TikTok can be seeking to increase consciousness of cybersecurity jobs – and specifically, the necessity for extra various illustration within the cybersecurity business.
As defined by TikTok:
“We imagine it is essential to assist deliver illustration into the cybersecurity business by means of packages designed to diversify, educate, and empower. With over 3.5 million cybersecurity jobs unfilled throughout the fast-growing cybersecurity sector, TikTok is championing a brand new #SeeYourselfinCyber initiative from the Nationwide Cybersecurity Alliance (NCA).”
This system goals to attach extra individuals from under-represented communities to jobs in cybersecurity, with a view to maximizing illustration and resonance with all totally different consumer teams.
TikTok has been working to construct stronger ties with the cybersecurity sector, with the platform additionally changing into a founding sponsor of the US Cyber Video games final 12 months. TikTok additionally promotes numerous cybersecurity profession pushes and initiatives, with these mixed efforts seemingly a part of a broader push to higher ingratiate itself with US safety officers, and alleviate considerations round its information gathering processes.
Certainly, TikTok has additionally vowed to offer extra open entry to its algorithms and moderation processes, amid ongoing allegations that its techniques are topic to manipulation by the Chinese language Authorities. TikTok has repeatedly said that this isn’t the case, however lingering considerations stay, and can doubtless proceed as long as the CCP continues to butt heads with different regional authorities.
By pushing its personal cybersecurity initiatives, that could possibly be a approach to soften this component, whereas additionally serving to to advertise cybersecurity jobs and encourage better participation.


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The boss of Xiaomi asked on the social network Weibo if the brand’s customers would be ready to buy a smartphone from the manufacturer at more than 10,000 yuan, or 1,300 euros.
In recent years, the price of very high-end smartphones has soared and models from Samsung, Huawei, Apple or Oppo now exceed 1000 euros. On the Xiaomi side, this move upmarket to ultra premium smartphones is also questioning and the manufacturer is starting to test the waters with its community.
On the Chinese social network Weibo, Lei Jun, the boss of Xiaomi, spoke on Wednesday. He asked people following him if they were ready to buy a Xiaomi smartphone worth 10,000 yuan, or 1,300 euros. “If you wanted to make a high-end phone with a price of over 10,000 yuan, what should it look like? “ he asks elsewhere.
So far, Xiaomi has never exceeded the symbolic 1000 euros mark on its high-end smartphones. Last year, however, the Mi 10 Pro had seen a significant increase in its price compared to the Mi 9. While its predecessor was launched at 499 euros, the Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro was launched in France at 999 euros. With its Xiaomi Mi 11, whose European launch is expected on February 8, Xiaomi should remain in the same price range, at less than 1000 euros.
Several original projects in Xiaomi’s boxes
The question then remains as to which range of smartphones Lei Jun intends to launch at more than 1000 euros. It could be an upcoming Mi Mix, Xiaomi’s more experimental smartphones. The latest consumer model, the Mi Mix 3, was already marketed at a higher price than the classic Mi. However, the latest model, the Mi Mix Alpha, was a simple prototype that ultimately did not hit the market on a large scale. Another hypothesis concerns the manufacturer’s foldable smartphones. We know that Xiaomi has been working on a phone of this type for two years. The manufacturer had even demonstrated a smartphone with a screen that can be folded twice.
For now, we will have to wait to find out what Xiaomi has in the pipeline when it comes to a very high-end smartphone. The manufacturer’s next launch, the Xiaomi Mi 11, is expected for next Monday.


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Blackpool Pleasure Beach is one of the most famous tourist attractions in the world and this year is celebrating its 125th anniversary.
The amusement park also has shows, events, restaurants, bars and cafes and unique attractions plus two hotels – the Boulevard and the Big Blue.
With coronavirus restrictions continuing to be lifted, the attraction has slowly but surely opened up its indoor and outdoor areas to welcome guests at a safe capacity, reports Lancs Live.
This means a wide range of vacancies are available in a massive new recruitment drive launched this week, with a diverse range of job roles.
As the attraction gears up for the busy summer season, everything from gardeners to electricians and from receptionists to baristas are needed.
A spokesperson for Blackpool Pleasure Beach said: "Whether you want to work inside or outside, interacting with guests or behind the scenes, there is a world of opportunities for everyone at Blackpool Pleasure Beach.
"Whether you are looking for a new career or simply a seasonal position, there is something for everyone, full or part time, seasonal or permanent.
"All staff members receive a number of benefits including a season pass for Blackpool Pleasure Beach during employment, free and discounted eTickets for family and friends, and discounts on retail and food and drink at Blackpool Pleasure Beach."
The park is also home to an incredible ten rollercoasters including the UK’s first double-launch coaster ICON, Nickelodeon Land loaded with 12 rides and attractions, the world’s first Wallace & Gromit ride, Thill-O-Matic and home to the world’s only Red Arrows Sky Force ride.
All job vacancies at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, and the on park hotels, are listed on the amusement park’s website. To view and apply, click here.


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Some people spend a ton of time trying to cut down on calories. But what if we tried to minimize our calories per bite, instead?
The SEC proposed a series of new rules on Wednesday related to CEO pay and corporate performance, implementing requirements under Dodd-Frank.
Millennials—once poor savers—are perking up, especially when it comes to their retirement savings.
At least $750 million worth of vehicles were stolen between 2012 and 2014 because motorists left the keys inside, according to the NICB.
So-called pending home sales are now 11.1 percent higher than they were one year ago and are running at the highest level since June, 2013.
CNBC Pro screened for the ETFs that are expected to rise based on their underlying assets.
"If they truly are [data dependent], they have to be as dovish as they can be," CNBC's Jim Cramer said.
Bud Light is backpedaling after upsetting people with a label saying the beer was perfect for removing the word "no" from the drinker's vocabulary.
Former NYPD chief Bernard Kerik says going to prison is like "dying with your eyes open" and the criminal-justice system is in urgent need of reform.
BlackRock bond guru Jeff Rosenberg blames this year's weak economic growth on the collapse in oil.
Ex-con Walt Pavlo created Prisonology.com to give new convicts a crash course in the dos, don'ts, rules and realities of federal prison.
Can Sirius XM survive Apple and Google's in-car media play? The company's mixed track record is concerning, but the stock's holding up.
The research arm of the Defense Department has created a bullet that can change course in mid-air.
U.S. economic growth braked more sharply than expected in the first quarter, but there are signs activity is picking up.
Lowe's Orchard Supply Hardware store will debut 3-D printing and scanning services that let shoppers customize their home accents and fixtures.
The issue of race surrounding Baltimore is just the latest example of what confounds President Obama as he enters the fourth quarter of his presidency.
Video of a mother in Baltimore who is none too pleased with her son's participation in the riots on the streets of Baltimore yesterday.
Sterling has boomed since mid-April and some analysts say the rally could run way beyond next month’s national election.
The Nasdaq said Wednesday that Shareholder.com "inadvertently" released Twitter's quarterly earnings results ahead of schedule.
A pending Supreme Court case on Obamacare could seriously affect small business workers, self-employed people and their families.


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David Hamod, president of the U.S./Arab Chamber of Commerce, said "everyone needs to cool down," and that this disagreement has been blown out of proportion.
These sorts of data security issues, he said, are not unique to the Arab world, and are coming up everywhere RIM does business.
UAE authorities have told him that they view this as a regulatory issue; RIM agreed to place a proxy server in the country as a condition of beginning to operate there in 2007. A local proxy server would store messages, giving the government a way to track communication.
There are some unique aspects to the way RIMs email works. Unlike other email services, BlackBerry email travels from the device to the local carrier and then onto RIMs private global network, making it more secure.
That structure has led to dustups between RIM and other governments. Russia, India and China have all pressured RIM to give them more access to BlackBerry data for security purposes, and they seem to have worked out compromises with the company. For example, in November 2007, Russian authorities announced that RIM would be able to operate in the country. Anonymously sourced news reports said RIM agreed to give government security services access to a proxy server.
It's a sensitive issue for RIM, which is known for its high security standards. The company released a statement this morning that implies that it expects to resolve the disagreements and continue operating within countries like the UAE and Saudi Arabia, without unduly compromising its security standards.
The statement reads:
RIM operates in over 175 countries today and provides a security architecture that is widely accepted by security conscious customers and governments around the world. RIM respects both the regulatory requirements of government and the security and privacy needs of corporations and consumers. RIM does not disclose confidential regulatory discussions that take place with any government however RIM assures its customers that it is committed to continue delivering highly secure and innovative products that satisfy the needs of both customers and governments.
Questions? Comments? TechCheck@cnbc.com


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Another day, another prestigious tech list loaded with LA-based startups. Hot on the heels of last week's CB Insights’ Fintech 250, which named four local startups as some of the most innovative fintech startups operating now, comes Forbes' Cloud 100 — and four more Southern California-based companies were named to the list.
Procore Technologies, one of a number of Southern California tech unicorns, develops a construction management software platform used on job sites all around the world. Headquartered in Carpinteria, the company boasts one of the coolest offices in California.
When it comes to prestigious lists involving LA-based tech companies, the odds are that ZipRecruiter is at least mentioned. Founded in 2010, the startup represents a class of (now) well-known tech companies who ushered in the era of growth in the sector we see today. Born in a coworking space in Santa Monica, the startup bootstrapped itself until eventually landing a $63 million round of funding in August 2014.
Another startup that seemingly makes every list published is Irvine-based cybersecurity startup Cylance. In fact, after pulling in $100 million in funding last year, Built In LA named the company as one of the top 100 digital companies in LA and a startup to watch in 2017.
Joining Procore and Cylance as the unicorns on this list is another Irvine-based startup, security firm CrowdStrike. Founded in 2011, the company reached the peak recently with its $100 million Series D.
Images via social media.


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High-tech hot topics: Skype outage, net neutrality, Windows for tablets
Friday 24 December 2010
Hot topics in the tech blogs for the week ending December 24 include VoIP phone service Skype suffers major outage, US introduces net neutrality regulations (and everyone complains), rumors suggest Microsoft is working on new version of its Windows software for low-power devices, Microsoft sells 1.5 million Windows Phone 7 handsets - to retailers, and new tablet rumors.
Global Skype Outage
VoIP phone service Skype suffered their first major outage this week disrupting calls around the globe. Bloggers commended Skype on its social media crisis management skills while others questioned "what did we do before Skype?" and "How much will outage hurt skype?"
Net neutrality regulations
Sentiments about America's newly introduced net neutrality regulations (rules that state that network and ISP providers should treat all internet traffic equally and not charge consumers more for faster internet access) were clear in the blogs; "everyone hates new net neutrality rules-even NN supporters."
Microsoft working on new version of windows
The Wall Street Journal reported that Microsoft is getting ready to demonstrate a new version of its Windows software that will be specifically tailored for low-power devices (like tablets and netbooks). The software will go on show at CES in January says the Wall Street Journal, however, it wont be available for another two years.
Windows Phone 7 sales
Microsoft announced that it has sold 1.5 million Windows Phone 7 handsets in the six weeks since launch however, journalists pointed out that the sales were made to carriers and retailers, not to customers. "Real Windows Phone 7 Numbers Still A Question Mark," "Shame that Microsoft and Tech Press doesn't know what a "sale" is" and "Windows Phone 7 Sales: Who Said Numbers Never Lie?" read headlines in the blogs.
Next generation iPad, PalmPad in the works
Tablet rumours flared up again this week. Reports detailed some of the changes Apple might make to the next version of its iPad and news leaked that Palm is putting the final touches on three "PalmPad" tablets. If rumors are to be believed, the next generation iPad will have an iPod touch-like back, thinner bezel and a bigger speaker while the PalmPad will run on WebOS, have a mini HDMI port and front and rear facing cameras.
Life & Style blogs
International Kissing Day: Why it feels good
People all over the world are getting semicolon tattoos to draw attention to mental health
The biggest first date turnoff has been revealed
What do the emojis on Snapchat mean?
Duchess of Cambridge wears Alexander McQueen (again) for Princess Charlotte’s Christening
More Britons believe that multiculturalism makes the country worse - not better, says poll
Osborne to cap family benefits at £23,000 – announced ahead of his post-election Budget
Nathan Collier: Montana man inspired by same-sex marriage ruling requests right to wed two wives
Forget little green men – aliens will look like humans, says Cambridge University evolution expert
Girl, 7, stares down hate preacher at Ohio festival with pro-LGBT rainbow flag gesture
Sickness and disability benefits could be reduced by £30 a week as part of £12bn welfare cuts
- 1 Autistic teenager beaten up by bullies makes them watch 20-minute video about autism
- 2 Nathan Collier: Montana man inspired by same-sex marriage ruling requests right to wed two wives
- 3 Isis flag: What do the words mean and what are its origins?
- 4 Saudi preacher who 'raped and tortured' his five -year-old daughter to death is released after paying 'blood money'
- 5 Chris Moyles reportedly set to make radio comeback with new breakfast show on XFM
iJobs Gadgets & Tech
£25000 - £40000 per annum: Recruitment Genius: A Project Coordinator is requir...
£35,000 - £40,000 based on experience : Metail Ltd: As a Business Development ...
£15000 - £20000 per annum: Recruitment Genius: This company is a well establis...
£30 - 40k (DOE) + Bonus & Benefits: Guru Careers: A Product Manager / Product ...


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BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--GasBuddy, the only smartphone app connecting nearly 70 million drivers with their Perfect Pit Stop, today announced the industry’s first mobile media solutions specifically tailored for state lotteries and architected to drive consumers into convenience stores – where, on average, more than 55 percent of lottery tickets are sold – during key selling times like the holidays, large jackpots and important ticket releases.
Integrating Lottery into the User Experience
The GasBuddy app now seamlessly embeds each state’s lottery directly into its app experience. Among the features:
- Users can automatically filter gas stations for locations where lottery tickets are sold with a “Lottery” button on the list screen.
- Each lottery location in the app has a clickable badge with a custom profile page that provides users with winning numbers, jackpot news, and call-to-action options such as play now, download app and save to home screen.
- Once saved to the home screen of the app, users can opt-in to receive targeted, relevant push notifications that create demand at key-selling moments such as holidays, large jackpot numbers and geo-targeted events such as entering the point-of-sale location, keeping them coming back for additional plays.
“GasBuddy has relationships with more than 150,000 c-stores across the country and our technology can provide lotteries with the ability to reach customers when they are feet from the point of purchase,” said Walt Doyle, CEO of GasBuddy. “We know that one store has the potential to get more than 1,000 lottery customers per day. The GasBuddy app provides even more resources for state lotteries to drive revenue and continually engage with nearly 70 million drivers on and off the point of sale locations.”
In addition to integrated app capabilities, state lotteries can easily track their campaigns and measure performance with third-party tracking, including the click through to Location Page, listing click-through-rate (CTR), and walk-through-rate (WTR) from overall engagement.
Acton Joins GasBuddy to Accelerate Go-to-Market in Lottery
GasBuddy has also hired lottery veteran Jim Acton as Senior Director of Advertising Partnerships to oversee partnerships with companies and lotteries that can utilize the reach of the company’s app to promote their services and products.
With more than 15 years’ experience in the lottery and gaming industries, Acton previously worked at lottery vendor Scientific Games in the interactive services and licensed brands divisions. Prior to joining Scientific Games in 2010, Acton served as Director of Gaming and Lottery Licensing at Hasbro. He began his Lottery career at the Massachusetts Lottery where he served as Chief of Staff. In that role, he oversaw many of the lottery’s most important departments, including the industry’s most successful instant ticket program.
At GasBuddy, Acton will utilize the data and analytics available through the GasBuddy app to help lotteries and gaming companies better understand the purchasing patterns of their players and create programs to reach them based on this information.
“I’ve used the GasBuddy app for many years, and I am excited to communicate the opportunities available to lotteries and other companies,” said Acton. “Technology allows GasBuddy to advertise to app users at the pump and then measure if they go into the c-store. This is powerful to lotteries and other companies that want to reach GasBuddy users within feet of the point of product purchase.”
GasBuddy is a smartphone app connecting drivers with their Perfect Pit Stop™. With nearly 70 million downloads, GasBuddy is the leader in crowdsourced information to help drivers find the best gas prices, closest stations, friendliest service, cleanest restrooms, tastiest coffee and much more. GasBuddy is the leading source for the most accurate, real-time fuel prices at more than 140,000 gas stations in the U.S., Canada, and Australia. The Company’s B2B Retailer Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), known as GasBuddy Business Pages, provide Fuel Marketers and Retailers their best opportunity to maintain their station information, manage their brand, and promote to their target consumer audience. For more information, visit www.gasbuddy.com or email firstname.lastname@example.org.


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A few months back, an executive in the software industry received an unexpected E-mail — a message from a former classmate whom he hadn’t heard from in years. It was easy for the ex-classmate to track him down: a Google search on almost any senior executive (or anyone residing in the troposphere, for that matter) tends to produce a match. In fact, the ex-classmate located not only the businessman’s E-mail address but also a recent photograph. “She dropped a note to say hello,” says the bemused executive. “She also commented that I’d put on some weight since college.”
That’s hardly the most egregious example of the Law of Unintended Consequences. Still, it will ring true for anyone who has ever been Googled, paged, beeped, spammed, or otherwise confronted by the dark side of the Information Age. Microchips, global networks, and other technologies have made life vastly more convenient, productive, and safe. But at the same time, technology has created new risks, unforeseen costs, additional responsibilities, and at times, just plain annoyance. We’ve all sat next to a cell phone user who apparently doesn’t know that his handset contains a microphone, spent the Monday after a vacation deleting huge numbers of unwanted E-mail messages, and prowled the aisles of the local electronics superstore in search of antivirus software, memory add-ons, and other paraphernalia that will help us squeeze a little more life from our flagging home computers.
Sometimes it seems that Newton’s Third Law should be tweaked for the Digital Age: “For every convenience there is an equal and opposite inconvenience.”
Move from the consumer side to the corporate side, and it gets worse — at least as a consumer you don’t have to sit through 12 meetings before you decide on a course of action. And a dozen more to reverse that course.
Indeed, it’s not surprising that a look back at the technology coverage in CFO during the past 20 years reveals stories about not only scientific breakthroughs, visionary leaders, and dot-com fortunes, but also technological headaches, missteps, and outright failures. How misleading the sense of steady progress.
The Old Acoustic-Coupler Trick
The very first article on IT ever to grace these pages, in fact, perfectly encapsulates the ensuing two decades. It reviewed several “personal productivity software” packages, priced from $50 to $200, which could potentially replace a CFO’s Filofax organizer (at less cost!) by allowing the user to load contact information, meeting schedules, and the like onto a “microcomputer.” Epson offered a package (proprietary, of course) that allowed certain functions to be executed with the single stroke of a dedicated key. To make that possible, however, the manufacturer had to supply a new, extended keyboard, further impinging upon whatever desk space wasn’t occupied by the gigantic monitor. That meant you pretty much had to computerize your Filofax and Rolodex, because there was no longer any place to put them.
Even back then, ROI analysis loomed large. We pointed out that, at an average cost of $125, these software programs cost less than a deluxe Filofax (then $150) and could do things a Filofax could not (autodial your telephone, for example, or provide stationery templates). Of course, by the time we finished explaining how the programs worked (“think of three transparency masters laid one on top of the other on an overhead projector”), the Filofax was sounding better and better. Then as now, the computer scored points for its ability to integrate a number of disparate capabilities, but in retrospect we should have acknowledged that the Filofax had a distinct edge in the portability department.
And yet as early as 1985, computer makers were keenly interested in satisfying the needs of mobile workers. Our inaugural issue also treated readers to an exhaustive comparison of the new “lap portable” computers, priced as high as $4,995 (or $8,500 in today’s dollars) and weighing as much as 10 pounds. With as little as 5K of RAM and tiny displays measured in lines of text rather than inches, these machines were more like typewriters than desktop computers. Their lack of processing power did offer one big advantage, though: a battery charge could last as long as 20 hours. Today the Websites of computer and chip makers, not to mention technology magazines, are full of tips for extending the battery life of notebook computers (anything that lasts more than 4 hours is considered outstanding). And every finance manager has an anecdote about the machine that ran out of juice at exactly the wrong moment.
Already the issue of compatibility demanded attention, and we pointed out that “[i]n transferring data from a lap computer to either a desktop or another computer it’s essential that the machines use the same operating system and, ideally, the same applications software.” We went on to point out that MS-DOS had the market lead in apps that ran on a single platform (the “MS” in MS-DOS was as close as we’d come to mentioning Microsoft in that issue; later in 1985 Microsoft would get plenty of coverage when it began shipping the first version of Microsoft Windows).
Still, we may have been a bit too blasé in saying that “[i]f compatibility poses no problems, proprietary software may be perfectly satisfactory.” For most of the next 20 years, corporate buyers of IT would grapple mightily with the issue of proprietary versus interoperable systems. In fact, the saying “Nobody ever got fired for buying IBM” (with its implication that getting hardware and software from one vendor was the easiest way to make sure everything worked together) would become synonymous with playing it safe.
While we helpfully explained how to use an acoustic coupler from a phone booth to send data from your lap portable back to HQ, we neglected to mention any of the risks that greater mobility entailed. Today hundreds of thousands of laptops are stolen in the United States each year, and the cost of replacing them is of much less concern than what will become of the data they contain.
We did, however, point out that you could use lap portables to “log on to an information utility such as The Source or Dow Jones News/Retrieval, call up information from on-line databases such as ABI/Inform or Dialog, [and] send electronic mail and telexes with Western Union’s EasyLink.” By 1995 those “information utilities” had given rise to the Internet, Netscape went public and saw its share price double, Amazon.com began accepting orders, and our 10th anniversary issue featured an article that explained how to navigate something called the World Wide Web.
At the time, one big corporate concern was how to get potential customers to actually find the company home page. “We haven’t gotten even one [online] inquiry,” complained a bank executive we spoke to. “One of our guys, who is almost a computer genius, had a hard time even finding our site.”
No surprise there, we said, given that there were a stunning 22,000 commercial domains in existence. A decade later, there would be 34 million active domains (and millions more registered but inactive), with 25,000 new sites added each day.
Things have come full circle: corporate managers no longer worry about not being found, but lose plenty of sleep at the prospect of being found by the wrong sorts of people. Hackers pose a very real external threat, and the astounding usability of the Web (not to mention those millions of Websites) presents a potentially limitless distraction for employees — as, for example, when a Web search leads to a corporate Website and then to an unsolicited E-mail that provides a perhaps unwelcome reminder that waistlines, like technology, advance.
Scott Leibs is editor of CFO IT.