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Blockchain-based streaming service Sator has developed a decentralized app that can allow customers to earn NFTs, tokens and “different rewards” by watching TV and enjoying video games.
Whereas particulars are sparse on the precise quantity of rewards customers can obtain, in line with the website, NFTs awarded can be immediately tied to quantity of reveals watched, and time spent partaking with puzzles and TV trivia on the app.
Sator CEO Isla Perfito mentioned the agency has created: “A straightforward and highly effective resolution for TV producers to turnkey ship a novel NFT expertise of their reveals whereas viewers are tuned in.”
He added that, “NFTs will carry plenty of exercise to the platform, a unbelievable leaping off level for a consumer seeking to dive in to blockchain know-how.”
Whereas it hasn’t been revealed what TV present rights the app is planning to accumulate, the corporate did introduced that it not too long ago closed a $2 million seed spherical which included funding from School Capital, Genesis Block Ventures, Digital Methods and PetRock Capital.
Jenny from the blockchain
The Jenny DAO has paid $1 million for a one off NFT observe produced by DJ’s Steve Aoki and 3LAU.
FIRST NFT FOR #JENNY DAO!
Visible artwork by @peiterhergert ✨
— Jenny Metaverse DAO (@JennyMetaverse) May 16, 2021
The one-of-one NFT is a tokenized tune named “Jenny” and was commissioned to rejoice the current launch of the Jenny Metaverse DAO, or Decentralized Autonomous Group, on Unicly. The NFT comprises an unreleased observe by Aoki and 3LAU, and is accompanied by visible artwork from Pieter Hergert.
The NFT was minted on OpenSea by 3LAU, also referred to as Justin Blau, after which transferred to vault managed by a wise contract on the Unicly Protocol which permits customers to mix, fractionalize and commerce their NFT collections.
At what stage do DAOs make up nearly all of financial exercise within the metaverse? https://t.co/K8ZOZMbuHw
— Andrew Steinwold (@AndrewSteinwold) May 17, 2021
The metaverse DAO not too long ago pulled collectively $7 million to fund NFT acquisition for shared possession between its governance token holders — with the Aoki and 3LAU NFT being the primary selection for its assortment after the neighborhood voted for it earlier this month.
The NFT is more likely to be locked up for a while. Based on Jenny, the NFTs saved within the Unicly vault can “solely be launched if consenting Jenny Token holders attain a sure threshold and instruct the sensible contract to unlock the vault.”
Comic Steve Harvey’s NFTs are not any joke
Whereas many celebrities have flocked to NFTs in hope of constructing a fast buck, comic Steve Havery seems to have entered the sport for extra selfless-purposes.
I’m all the time adapting, studying, and rising. Traditional Steve Harvey NFT Dropping TODAY, Friday 5/14 at 12pm est on @rariblecom. I’m donating all proceeds to @thesmhf. Hyperlink for more information: https://t.co/GgbDB9JNeR pic.twitter.com/v96MJzDBWQ
— Steve Harvey (@IAmSteveHarvey) May 14, 2021
The comic dropped a collection of NFTs through Rarible on Might 14 to lift funds for his non-profit “Steve and Marjorie Harvey Basis” that gives outreach companies for the deprived youth.
The collection contains an open version with 112 minted tokens depicting a GIF from Harvey’s get up comedy, and a restricted version of three minted tokens depicting an autograph portrait, and a one-of-one version. The one-of-one is a tokenized GIF that depicts Harvey’s confused response to listening to about NFTs for the primary time on his TV, and is on public sale till Might 21.
Bidding has been gradual nevertheless, the public sale began three days in the past and the present highest bid is 2.2 Wrapped ETH, or WETH, value round $6,770.
WAX pronounces extra partnerships for NFT drops
Decentralized entertainment network WAX has introduced extra partnerships with leisure manufacturers to launch licensed NFTs.
The brand new partnerships embrace cult-favorite anime franchise Robotech from Funimation and Concord Gold, the film 5 Nights at Freddy’s from ScottGames, the Bears vs Infants card sport from Exploding Kittens and The Princess Bride film from Act III.
The brand new partnerships add to an already spectacular checklist of companions comparable to Main League Baseball, Capcom, Atari, Reebok and DeadMau5.
In June this 12 months, the cult-favorite collectibles creator Funko Pops partnered up with WAX to drop packs tokenized Funk Pop collectibles.


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Currently, there are several major issues facing the newly regulated medical marijuana industry in Michigan. There have been issues in the past with local ordinances causing many businesses owners to close down shop, but the new regulations are putting a serious strain on the industry as a whole. Very few retail locations have been given a license by the state despite a massive amount of submitted applications. Now anyone without a license that continues to operate may face criminal charges and lose the chance of ever obtaining one in the future. Hundreds of these stores have been operating for years under the approval of their local government. Patients and dispensaries never had any issues existing in an unregulated environment. Marijuana has always been unregulated throughout history, like most things that naturally exist. The argument behind regulation is that patients will know where their medicine is coming from and that it’s not contaminated. Realistically, all the regulations are doing is making it harder for the dispensaries that have been approved to serve nearly 300,000 patients.
Testing for contaminations has been available for patients and dispensaries in Michigan for over 5 years now. PSI labs and Iron labs both offer testing when it comes to potency and the presence of mold or pesticides. One of the dispensaries that I had been using before it closed its doors already mandated all products to be tested by their vendors. So the real reason for regulation is so that the government can not only tax it but also control how and where provisioning centers operate. Not only are dispensary owners and their employees getting screwed while the state takes its time licensing, but patients are also affected. People are piling into the few remaining stores and wait times are becoming outrageous. It doesn’t even matter what day or time of day you decide to pick up some medicine. To make the problem even worse, the state is requiring that the approved dispensaries only obtain products from approved cultivators/processors. Word is spreading that shortages are coming very soon because there are nowhere near enough approved growers to supply the current demand. People who are dependent on these shops for access are probably in a panicked state right now. Judging by the number of people I have seen entering the dispensary, there are a lot of people who don’t have caregivers or any black market contacts.
Many patients including myself, strictly go to these stores for the processed forms of the plant that are harder to find at an affordable price. They always seem to have really great deals on edibles, cartridges, and concentrates. The top quality buds are priced higher than what most growers are offering it for. Plenty of low-mid quality buds can be purchased at a great price for the budget smokers who aren’t as interested in higher potency and stronger flavor. After my last few visits, I think I will simply go without the other concentrated forms of the plant for now as prices will likely rise as the available legal supply dwindles. Waiting for more than 30 minutes just to get in the bud room kinda turned me off as well. We will just have to hope the state starts handing out more licenses in a hurry, or the supply issues will continue to get worse.
Recreational cannabis has been legal for adults in Washington for nearly 6 years now. Sales of cannabis products including an enormous array of edible options began two years later, and always included various types of gummies and candies. Products containing cannabinoids had been previously required to be clearly marked as psychoactive in order to help avoid unintentional consumption. Rather unexpectedly, the Liquor and Cannabis Board has decided that previous steps do not go far enough to protect our children. The argument is that the candies and gummies are far too appealing for kids and assumes that parents and others will not be responsible enough to keep it out of the access of children. The new guidlines that the board established will pretty much disallow all candy-type edibles in stores. Banned products will include gummy type products, hard candy, tarts, fruit chews, colorful chocolates, and jellies. This will severely limit the available products available to adults and result in much more plain offerings. The state claims that edible products like baked goods, chocolate, and mints will still be produced and sold as long as they are not colored, molded into shapes, or covered in frosting. Regulations like these are simply unnecessary and will do nothing but hurt edible producers across Washington.
The only positive news that comes from these new regulations is the fact that they won’t take effect until next year. Dispensaries may sell all inventory that met previous regulations through April 3, 2019, or until it is sold. Candies have always been an extremely popular choice as an edible for cannabis consumers. Outside of that, producers that have purchased lots of their preparation and packaging equipment for candies that were once allowed. All of this equipment was purchased with the individual business owner’s own personal savings because loans cannot be giving to legal cannabis producers/stores. On top of all the other endless regulations and tax rates that they must comply with, these new guidelines are going to severely cut into many firm’s profitabilities. The barriers to entry in the cannabis industry added to the large number of risks that come with unpredictable new legislation keeps many potential entrepreneurs from getting involved in the growing industry. This move is not only scaring edible producers in Washington but across the nation. Many are afraid this will set a precedent and have a major effect on how edible cannabis is produced nationwide.
According to 502 Data, in 2017 there were $927 million in retail marijuana sales. The Liquor and Cannabis Board in Washington claims that edible marijuana accounts for roughly 9% of these sales or $83.4 million/yr. While the state is not going to disallow all cannabis edibles, a large percent of the edible market will disappear and form into a more basic unappealing array of products. Marketing companies use colors and unique shapes to create a personal identity and brand that consumers can recognize. It shouldn’t be any different in the cannabis industry. These products are being marketed to adults, not children. No sensible person wants a child to have access to cannabis, so regulators shouldn’t be playing the same “protect our kids” card they used to run anti-legalization ads. They’re simply adding unneeded regulations that limit options for consumers, and make it hard for companies to maximize profitability.
The list of negative consequences from cannabis being illegal at the federal level seems to keep growing longer and longer. The government is now stating that if Canadians legally work in their medical marijuana industry they can be denied entry into the United States and could even receive a lifetime ban. The Customs and Border Patrol Agency has made it clear that they do not recognize these marijuana businesses as legal entities whether they are operating legally in their home country or not. Law enforcement has far too much power if it has the authority to ban someone from a country forever for doing nothing wrong. Preventing a substance that you consider illegal is one thing, but preventing family members and visitors from ever seeing the great United States again is a crime. Especially when the federal government is allowing its own states to pass laws that directly contradict their own criminal code.
Canadians have to be aware of this so they can take preventative steps and avoid being denied entry. This applies to anybody that has ever used illegal drugs in the past, not just workers in the marijuana industry. It will likely apply to an even larger number of people once recreational marijuana legalization takes effect on October 17th. It is unclear exactly how Homeland Security will evaluate whether someone is associated with the cannabis industry. The best bet for those visiting the country would be to never admit to any past marijuana use or involvement in the legal marijuana industry. It is unlikely that the officer will be asking those type of questions without a solid reason to believe you are involved with cannabis, but it is definitely a possibility. Open admission is a guaranteed way to get yourself denied entry. You will be treated as a potential harm to society without a second thought.
These types of questions will probably become more popular among border patrol agents come October so they can exercise their power with more results. Luckily a democratic representative from California, Lou Correa, is questioning this policy as well as asking for clarification on how it will be enforced. The letter addressed to the Secretary of Homeland Security asked for a response by the beginning of October. It seems the letter will have little effect on the enforcement of banning Canadians but the response should help clarify what to expect when crossing the border. Hopefully it will be crystal clear for travelers what questions to expect and what type of answers could land them in trouble. There will likely be a large number of people who suffer because they weren’t aware that their legal activities can still have serious consequences.
Classifying psychoactive drugs into different categories is usually a pretty straightforward process. The consistently documented effects of a substance are compared to one of the three main drug categories: stimulants, depressants, and hallucinogens. Some drugs have many properties that make it possible for them to fit into more than one of these groups. Determining how drugs affect the central nervous system is the key to differentiating between stimulants and depressants. Stimulants are known for increasing the activity in the CNS, leading to feelings of energy and alertness. Depressants do the opposite, while hallucinogens interact mostly with the chemical serotonin. With drugs like alcohol or cocaine, it is extremely easy to figure out where to classify them. That’s because alcohol will always slow users down mentally(reaction times) and physically when it comes to heart rate and breathing. There aren’t different strains or types of alcohol or cocaine that allow users to have a different experience. The only difference will lie in how potent those depressing or stimulating effects will be from batch to batch. Cannabis is much more difficult to throw into one category.
Everyone has heard the phrase that drugs affect everyone differently. This is true in a sense, but it’s also true that drugs have basic effects that will happen to the vast majority or all of its users. For example, cannabis will make users feel very euphoric and more sensitive to sounds and taste. I’ve never come across someone who has argued food doesn’t taste better while high. The same goes for listening to music. It just sounds so new and full of detail. There are so many strains available now that users can customize their high by selecting a strain that was bred for a specific effect or medical condition. This is the main reason why its difficult to categorize marijuana. If someone were to get their hands on an extremely powerful indica such as Gorilla Cookie or Banana Kush, there would be no stimulant properties to be found. If you manage to stay awake after using one of these strains, the strong feeling of relaxation will make it very tempting to just kick back. On the opposite side of the spectrum, sativas can make people so alert and sensitive to their surroundings that paranoia kicks in. However, no strain will ever cause visuals or make users see things that are not really there.
This doesn’t mean that high-grade cannabis can’t be too powerful or overwhelming to new users. High doses of this new substance can cause distortions in time and cause some people to panic. I don’t believe that this means it should be classified as a hallucinogen. That is because these type of effects will not continue after using the substance several times and they will not happen at all if the dosages are proper. Another reason why it shouldn’t be classified with other psychedelic drugs is that cannabis will never take the user into the deep depths of their mind like LSD or psilocybin mushrooms do. Even the most potent of edibles will not have you rethinking the meaning of life in the way a trip can. The potential for a negative experience is also much higher when dealing with these stronger drugs.
I don’t believe weed should be placed in just one of these categories, it qualifies as both a stimulant and a depressant based on the strain and the user. I know friends who say that weed makes them tired every time they try it, regardless of the strain or grower. Then there are people who are obsessed with figuring out what their ideal strain is, and acquiring it regardless what the cost may be. The stoner stereotype would make it seem that weed is a 100% depressant substance that destroys productivity. At the same time, the successful stoners in our society have modeled that it can stimulate the best of our creativity. Cannabis really is a one of a kind drug.
The long existing problem of opioid abuse and addiction is receiving a valuable response from a group of researchers at UCLA. They’re determined to figure out the optimal combination of cannabinoids when it comes to treating pain. Almost everyone knows someone who has been negatively affected by the opioid epidemic, and it’s encouraging to see this team prove/disprove this commonly substituted solution. Pain patients have been sharing their success with making the switch to cannabis for years, but medical science has remained far behind. Today, there are still many people that are unconvinced cannabis can provide relief similar to hard narcotics when it comes to severe or chronic pain. This is much-needed scientific data that can lead to a serious change in opioid usage rates. Opioid painkillers have been the go-to drug doctors have been prescribing for pain since the late 1800s. No other options have really been considered as medically prescribed substitutes for all this time.
Natural alternatives such as cannabis or even the Kratom plant will clearly have far less negative side effects for pain patients. Not to mention the excruciating physical withdrawal symptoms that can develop after short periods of use. However, the real test is how effective they stand against the notorious synthetic drugs originating from the poppy plant. The other limited sources of research available involving opioid use and cannabis have shown some positive results. One 5 year-long study in the JAMA(Journal of the American Medical Association) pointed to the fact that states that have medical marijuana laws in effect saw 6% fewer opioid prescriptions among Medicaid patients than states without laws in effect. 6% is a significant number of prescriptions. However, the fact that the study was unable to determine whether the people in the medical marijuana states were making the switch over to marijuana led to some uncertainty. It could be attributed to other factors outside of substituting it with cannabis although it’s unlikely.
This study will not be taking place until it is able to secure more funding along with approval from two major governmental agencies. The DEA and FDA must both give the go-ahead allowing the university to study a schedule one substance. This study is by no means guaranteed to happen. It simply is the goal of the cannabis initiative team. Those that have a financial incentive in marijuana will be prohibited from giving donations in order to establish an environment of “fair research”. This could also become a hurdle for the researches, but it is a good policy by the university to help strengthen any future findings that they are able to make. It would be beyond frustrating to see something so beneficial and promising to the cannabis industry stopped in its tracks by the government, although it certainly wouldn’t be the first time. The constitutionality of marijuana’s schedule one status has been unsuccessfully challenged several times in court over the years despite it’s well known medical uses and safety profile. So don’t be surprised if officials pull something similar in an effort to further delay federal legalization here in the U.S.
There seems to be one common similarity among the different states and countries that have moved to legalize marijuana. Each law mentions the issue of public consumption and explains that it is still illegal. Even though the punishment for consuming in public is minor in most jurisdictions, the only legal place the law allows consumption without penalty is your own private property. If you look at any other recreational substance that is popular in our society, it’s clear that it is not a reasonable expectation for people to never consume marijuana outside of their own private property. The local city council in Calgary is concerned with this issue and wants to address it before legalization even takes effect in Canada.
One of the issues that are brought up by opponents of public consumption areas is that there will be a rise in impaired driving rates in cities that allow these type of businesses to run. The truth is that if lawmakers were truly that concerned about the dangers of impaired driving, alcohol wouldn’t be served at nearly every restaurant and corner store. Alcohol has been proven through numerous studies to have a much larger impact on motor skills and leads to more aggressive driving behaviors then marijuana. Not to mention drunk driving is responsible for more than 10,000 deaths a year Anybody that has used both will tell you the same thing. However, the availability of more dangerous substances for public consumption by itself doesn’t justify allowing these places to operate. The fact that there are enormous amounts of people who visit/live in Calgary without owning any property means legally they can’t use marijuana at all. Why make it legal in the first place if only property owners have the right to consume? This essentially keeps prohibition in place for the rest of the local population. People will of course not abide by these rules and smoke in public places regardless, so it’s only sensible they establish designated areas to help regulate where it is used.
Canada’s legalization measure not only banned public consumption of marijuana but it also prohibited its use in apartment buildings, condominiums, and hotels. It seems counterintuitive that the country wanted to eliminate smoking in these locations but did not offer any alternative in order to make this law reasonable. This is why the city council is taking matters into its own hands. It is proposing that there be four separate locations that were selected in relation to their distance from schools and areas frequented by children. All of these locations would be located in Ward 9 and within a relative proximity of one another. Even though the public is most likely going to be in agreement and support the availability of cannabis clubs, the government wants to reach out and receive feedback before the 9th of September. The committee will be holding a meeting on the 9th of October where the public can also make comments in person about the important issue. Calgary should have a clear decision made by the time the new law goes into effect so consumers won’t have to worry about being prosecuted for consuming a legal product.
Medical marijuana legislation in the United States currently provides essential protection from prosecution to approximately 2.3 million patients. These patients are allowed to take their medicine almost everywhere, but when it comes to a federally funded college campus, those protections can vanish. Medical marijuana use is viewed as narcotics use thanks to the controlled substance act that still lists marijuana as a dangerous drug. Colleges are continuing to enforce a complete prohibition of the plant, and I’m afraid some people are not aware that bringing their medicine on campus can have serious consequences. Not only have some students faced criminal prosecution, but they have also suffered additional penalties from the school administration.
One of the best ways to eliminate running into any trouble would be to seek off-campus housing. It simply isn’t a viable solution to live in a dorm and hardly ever be able to find relief. There would be nowhere safe to store it and even the idea of smoking off campus would mean getting a new small supply each time. Edibles would be effective and stealthy, but many people prefer smoking/vaporization because the effects are immediate and much more predictable. Storing edibles may be harder to detect but I would still not recommend keeping it anywhere on school grounds. It wouldn’t surprise me if university police decided to weigh the whole edible and charge as if it were normal cannabis. Having your medicine at housing near campus guarantees no legal trouble and allows you to use it as needed. Patient possession limits are often set high enough to be considered intent to sell by police/universities. In Michigan, patients are allowed to have 2.5 ounces in their possession which would easily land non-patients a felony charge for intent to distribute. Always remember you’re subject to different laws on school grounds, regardless if it’s a college, high school, elementary etc.
I’m uncertain how long this type of prosecution will continue but I would expect to see some legislation taking effect before federal law officially changes. Arizona has already made headlines this year when the supreme court ruled that banning medical marijuana on public colleges violated the protections of the voter-approved law. Students in Arizona who have medical marijuana cards will not face criminal prosecutions but they have faced administrative penalties. The possession, use, and sale are all still prohibited on college grounds due to the federal funding provided by the U.S. government. That funding would not be threatened based on whether students are criminally prosecuted, but instead would be based on whether schools still prohibit the substance. This is definitely a step in the right direction as students will likely be willing to risk administrative action in order to have their medicine easily accessible. While other states have yet to enact similar policies, colleges across the country are removing the requirement that first-year students need to live on campus. Universities are doing this so patients can continue using their medicine and pursue an education without the risk of endangering their future. We still have a long way to go to ensure protection in the educational environment is not limited to those who treat their illnesses with pharmaceutical drugs.

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The Business of Fashion
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
This article appeared first in The State of Fashion 2021, an in-depth report on the global fashion industry, co-published by BoF and McKinsey & Company. To learn more and download a copy of the report, click here.
The pandemic has had a destructive impact on the global economy. It is now certain that there will be an exceptional slowdown in economic growth in 2020, with the International Monetary Fund predicting that global GDP will be 6.5 percent lower than its pre-pandemic projection, with variability across regions. At the same time, governments are accumulating huge debts. In just one year, global public debt stocks are projected to jump by an astonishing 13 percent to 96 percent of gross world product, with longer-term effects likely to be tax rises, restricted spending and slower growth. Furthermore, few economists predict a recovery to pre-crisis levels before the third quarter of 2022, and even that prediction is riddled with uncertainty.
Recovery will likely fall somewhere between bullish and bearish scenarios for 2021, based on McKinsey Global Institute analysis in partnership with Oxford Economics (based on information available September 2020). In a more optimistic future scenario, the global economy could return to 2019 levels of activity by the third or last quarter of 2021, with differentiated growth trajectories across regions. In more pessimistic future scenarios, recovery will take longer and businesses will face continued volatility in supply and demand for multiple years.
More than 80 percent of leaders at consumer and retail companies report they are now making and implementing major decisions faster than before.
One segment hit particularly hard by the crisis has been international travel, which has almost ground to a halt in some geographies. The severity of the impact was summed up by Procter & Gamble (P&G) Vice Chairman Jon Moeller, when he told investors on an earnings call in April 2020 that the travel retail business in Asia — which underpins P&G brands like SK-II — was simply “gone.” For fashion and beauty players that are reliant on the travelling consumer, there will continue to be concern next year. International tourist arrivals are expected to contract by 60 to 80 percent in 2020 and McKinsey forecasts that international tourism will remain subdued until 2023 or 2024.
Cross-border trade also continued to slow significantly in 2020, with port and airport closures disrupting flows, which adds to challenges caused by ongoing trade tensions and tariff disputes, including the deteriorating relationship between China and the US and the unknown impact of Brexit on UK-EU flows.
In the wake of these crosscurrents, the fashion industry will continue to face a period of unprecedented challenges. With that in mind, resilience should be at the top of executives’ agendas. History reveals just how important it is during times of crisis.
In the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, companies that were able to foster resilience through operational and financial flexibility generated higher total returns to shareholders. According to McKinsey analysis, this manifested across four key levers. The first was investment in top-line growth as early as possible, which accelerated the rebound and led to revenue increases of up to 30 percent compared with those of non-resilient players. Second, companies that addressed key structural costs were able to achieve higher productivity — resilient players reduced operating costs by as much as threefold. Third, a methodical approach to acquisitions and disposals led to better performance: specifically, divesting and investing early in the recovery paid dividends. Finally, deleveraging was a consistently productive strategy, with less indebted companies faring better than their peers.
The four levers can also be seen through the twin rubrics of agility and discipline. Fashion companies that adopt these overarching principles and turn them into concrete strategies are likely to emerge from the crisis in better shape. Indeed, many are already doing so. More than 80 percent of leaders at consumer and retail companies report they are now making and implementing major decisions faster than before. In March 2020, US jewellery brand Kendra Scott rapidly transformed its 108 US stores into fulfilment centres — a response to strains on existing centres due to social distancing measures. British retailer John Lewis announced in the summer it would open concessions with fast-growing indoor spinning brand Peloton, rapidly responding to the at-home fitness trend that boomed during the pandemic.
As the crisis continues to unfold, brands must shape their strategies by quickly grasping which trends will remain after recovery and which will dissipate. In any event, investment in data and analytics is likely to reap benefits. Armed with customer insights, companies can reset their long-term strategies and redirect investment into opportunities that will outlast the pandemic.
According to our BoF-McKinsey State of Fashion 2021 Survey, the most fertile ground for these opportunities will be in the areas of digital and sustainability, which were chosen by 30 percent and 10 percent of executives respectively.
The emphasis on sustainability is also reflected in consumer sentiment. More than three in five consumers in a McKinsey survey ran in May 2020 said brands’ promotion of sustainability was an important factor in their purchasing decisions. In response, numerous companies are stepping up their sustainability efforts. Timberland is aiming to source all of its natural materials from regenerative agriculture by 2030, while British department store Selfridges has unveiled bold new sustainability goals, promising to stop stocking products that are not compliant with its new sourcing standards by 2025, and Allbirds has started labelling the carbon footprint of each of its products.
In 2021, we expect winning brands to be those that can define clear, long-term ambitions, while demonstrating enough flexibility, speed and agility to navigate an uncertain short-term future. Brands should reshape their operating models to adapt to the faster pace of change and sustain those effective new working practices that have emerged from the crisis. Since adaptability will be key to all of this, brands should identify the threats to their businesses and prepare strategic responses across multiple scenarios in order to counter uncertainty and facilitate fast decision-making. Building cross-functional teams that are informed by strategic priorities will give brands the necessary agility to respond quickly and capture market opportunities.
Fashion executives need to set aside their traditional approaches to budgeting and strategic planning to maximise their organisation’s responsiveness in the months ahead. Leaders should systematically assess the impact of strategic initiatives launched since the start of the pandemic and re-evaluate their initial assumptions about factors like sales and volumes based on real-time results. Learnings from 2020 should be used to stress-test plans for 2021 and identify key priorities for all potential future scenarios. To support this fresh perspective on planning, fashion leaders will have to reimagine budgeting from a zero-base approach, with pre-defined funds allocated to different possible scenarios. While brands should cut down on secondary spending where possible, leaders should be careful not to trim key growth investments, notably digital ones, in order to remain relevant both during and after the downturn.
We expect in the coming year that leading fashion executives will step up their execution excellence and delegate decision-making more efficiently to ensure better accountability. The pandemic has already prompted some players to recalibrate chains of command, simplifying decision-making and enabling greater autonomy down the hierarchy and to regional centres. And in an increasingly uncertain world, fashion executives should also ensure continuous dialogue and information-sharing with employees and shareholders, fostering communication across the organisation.


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The wireless carrier is rolling out new “HD Voice” technology to improve the quality of grainy cell-phone calls. It’s already available in a handful of cities, and should go nationwide by “mid-year,” Sprint said Tuesday.
Most people can hear within a range of ten octaves, but current cell phone calls span only four. That’s why taking a call from an iPhone owner can sound like listening to someone through a set of tin cans.
HD Voice expands a cell phone call’s range to seven octaves. It also includes technology to eliminate background noise, giving voice calls a fuller, more natural sound.
A few caveats: First of all, you’ll never mistake the sound of an HD Voice call for someone in the same room as you. At a demonstration event in New York on Tuesday, the difference between a conventional call and an HD Voice call was noticeable, though not dramatic. The HD Voice sound was definitely clearer, though there was still a bit of the tinny, echoey quality that you get with Skype calls.
Another issue is that for the technology to work, both callers need to be Sprint customers using HD Voice-enabled phones. Other carriers will likely follow Sprint’s lead with similar technology, but it will probably still be a few years before you can expect that higher call quality from your smartphone on a consistent basis.
In the meantime, Sprint is making a play to be the carrier of choice for audiophiles. The company also announced a partnership Tuesday with Spotify in which Sprint users will get six free months of the streaming music service on their phones, with a discounted rate for the next 18 months after that.
In addition, Sprint has partnered with smartphone maker HTC and audio tech company Harman on a Sprint-exclusive phone, the HTC One M8 Harman Kardon edition, which will be available next month. The phone comes with bundled with Harman apps that boost audio quality on compressed files, as well specialty headphones.
The new offerings come with Sprint struggling against larger rivals AT&T and Verizon as well as the resurgent T-Mobile. Sprint shed 231,000 contract subscribers in the first three months of the year, and is still working to roll out its high-speed 4G network nationwide.


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Online furniture company Wayfair has introduced its first European flagship brand in the UK and Germany.
Hykkon offers a collection of 700 home products from dedicated stores on its two local websites.
With a focus on style, it aims to provide retro-inspired yet modern furniture at an affordable price.
It provides the same online merchandising experience and delivery options offered by Wayfair, including free delivery on a wide range of products.
Martin Reiter, Head of Europe at Wayfair, said: “We’re thrilled to launch our first flagship brand across Wayfair Europe, which gives our customers premium access to an in demand, modern assortment at an affordable price point.
“Curated, personal design does not have to be expensive or hard to find.
“The launch of a style focused brand like Hykkon is another step forward in our mission to deliver an unparalleled customer experience in shopping for home.”
Based in Boston in the US, Wayfair has offices in Berlin, London and Galway, with over 1700 employees in Europe. The company generated $8 billion in net revenue for the year ending 30 June 2019.


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The research is printed in the open up-accessibility journal PLOS Drugs.
The examine, led by Dr Christina Vogel, Principal Investigate Fellow in General public Wellbeing Nutrition and Janis Baird, Professor of General public Overall health and Epidemiology at the University’s MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Centre, was carried out in partnership with the countrywide grocery store chain Iceland Foodstuff Ltd. The demo took position in a collection of Iceland suppliers in England and monitored retail outlet revenue as well as the acquiring and dietary patterns of a sample of frequent consumers.
The success showed shop-broad confectionery product sales lessened and fruit and vegetable product sales increased when non-foods things and drinking water were put at checkouts and at the conclude of the reverse aisles, and an expanded fruit and vegetable segment was repositioned in close proximity to the retail store entrance. Helpful consequences were being also observed for household fruit and vegetable obtaining and person nutritional quality.
When conversing about the success of the examine Dr Vogel reported “Altering the layouts of supermarkets could assistance people today make more healthy foods alternatives and shift inhabitants diet plan towards the government’s nutritional suggestions. The results of our study propose that a more healthy keep layout could direct to almost 10,000 excess parts of fruit and veggies and roughly 1,500 less parts of confectionery remaining marketed on a weekly foundation in each individual shop.”
This exploration is extra extensive than former studies testing regardless of whether placement tactics can encourage much healthier food paying for which have been confined in scope, for example like only a single site (i.e. checkouts) or placing healthful and unhealthy goods jointly. This analyze went additional, aiming to decrease customers’ exposure to calorie prospects by putting non-food stuff merchandise at checkout and aisle-finishes opposite and measuring effects on retail store product sales, client loyalty card buying designs, and the diets of additional than 1 household member.
Matt Downes, Head of Structure Development at Iceland stated “We have been delighted to help this extended-phrase research and the evaluation of how item placement in supermarkets can influence the eating plans of our clients. We know that childhood being overweight is a growing difficulty and the retail market has its portion to perform in tackling this. We hope that the results of the research provide insights for the broader retail sector and policymakers about the impression of retail outlet merchandising on paying for decisions.”
Prof Baird included, “These effects deliver novel evidence to counsel that the meant Uk govt ban on the outstanding placement of unhealthy foodstuff throughout retail stores could be beneficial for population diet program and that effects may well be further more increased if specifications for a deliver area close to supermarket entrances have been included into the regulation.”


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Fiamma will be present at the Gulfhost Dubai 2022, November 8-10. We are pleased to invite you to the Portuguese pavilion in Zabel Hall 2, stand C24, where the Fiamma Espresso Machines will be on display. With ☕ & ❤ from #fiammaespresso
Fiamma Espresso Machines will be present at the Kahve Zirvesi Coffee Summit in Istanbul, Turkey. The 2022 edition of the coffee convention will take place September 10-11 at the Halic Congress Center in Istanbul.
Find us at the space of Fiamma partner Fiamma Turkey for a coffee and news about Fiamma Espresso Machines!
With ☕ & ❤ from #fiammaespresso


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As if we didn’t already have a Netflix problem, the streaming giant announced at the beginning of the year that it would be releasing 70 new films in 2021. So it’s safe to say we’re going to have a lot of movie nights this year. Read more: Gal Gadot defends decision to debut ‘Wonder Woman […]
The post 10 Netflix movies to put at the top of your watch list in 2021 appeared first on Alternative Press.
For more, go to: AltPress.com (Source)


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Samsung is set to announce the Galaxy Note II at an event on August 29th. This isn’t the only thing the company is planning to announce on that date though. Samsung plans to make their Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update available for the Galaxy S III at this very same event, on August 29th. Keep your fingers crossed while waiting for more news!Read more: via
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Google Cardboard’s newer version is coming soon to our way. New Google Cardboard has used various new technologies to build the upcoming virtual reality headset.
In newer version Google has attached it to Android operating system, which will be challenging for Facebook’s Oculus for an early lead in Silicon Valley’s latest platform war. As per report, Google’s new VR product will feature “better sensors, lenses and a more solid plastic casing.” Like Cardboard and Gear VR, the new headset will rely on a smartphone for its display and “most of its processing power.”
Clay Bavor, full-time head of Cardboard and related products said, “VR is too important and too powerful a medium to be accessible to only a few.” The creation of a mobile VR headset that works with more than just Oculus software and Samsung phones will mark the opening of a new front in Google’s wide-ranging rivalry with Facebook.
Well, all this new Google Cardboard will directly compete against Facebook’s Oculus Rift, HTC’s Vive Pro, Sony’s workstation VR.


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MARIO DE SISTI 1941 – 2014
De Sisti founder and lighting designer Mario De Sisti passed away on October 31. His sons Fabio and Sergio have released a statement on the company’s website, honouring their father and and saying they plan to continue his legacy:
The De Sisti organisation with deep regret, would like to inform our friends and dear customers that Mario De Sisti, our founder, has passed away on Friday, October 31st 2014. The lighting industry has lost a true pioneer, inventor, and true ambassador. There was no one more charismatic or passionate about his family, business or the industry.
Mario was highly dedicated and inhaled lighting with every breath. His enthusiasm and vigour was contagious. Mario travelled the world and considered most of his friends as if they were family. There was no one with a bigger heart and higher level of excitement and dedication to the lighting industry.
The entire De Sisti organisation expresses its immense gratitude and admiration to Mario, for his genius contribution and unrestful dedication to achieve the prestigious results upon always innovative products and solutions, for the worldwide professional lighting industry.
We will all miss you Mario… There are not known words to us, good enough to express how much we will miss you. On behalf of Mario and the De Sisti organisation we want to humbly express our gratitude for your past support of our company and our future endeavors together.
– Fabio and Sergio De Sisti
De Sisti suffered a stroke three years ago and had since been in ailing health. Funeral services were held in Rome on November 3.
De Sisti: www.desisti.it


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FIFA 22 cover looks, Kylian Mbappe
GridGames.ID – EA Sports has released the latest rating list for players in FIFA 22.
Different from before, this list focuses on rating the fastest players in FIFA 22.
Many new faces adorn the list of FIFA 22’s fastest players, even entering the top 10.
Also Read: 10 U-21 Players with the Highest Rating in FIFA 22, the Most England!
Not only that, the list of the fastest players in FIFA 22 is also dominated by talented young people.
Of all the names, this time GridGames wants to summarize the 10 fastest players in FIFA 22.
Who are they? Read more below!
Also Read: 10 Highest-Rated Female Players in FIFA 22, US Dominates!
10. Linton Maina (Hannover 96)
EA Sports FIFA
Linton Maina (Hannover 96)
In 10th place there is a winger from Germany who strengthens Hannover 96, Linton Maina.
Overall, Maina got a rating of 70. That’s right, she has a pace rating of 94.


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Verified Trades On Profit.ly
- Russia ruble at lowest value ever September 1, 2014Read full story for latest details.
- Don't fear September September 1, 2014Read full story for latest details.
- 3 things to know about the biggest IPO in a long time September 1, 2014Chinese tech giant Alibaba is gearing up for a major market debut in New York that could set new records. Here are three things you need to know in advance of their big splash.
- Sports betting vs. the stock market August 31, 2014Despite similarities between investing and sports gambling, the stock market is a lot more forgiving than Vegas.
- Tesla expands in China. Stock at all-time high August 30, 2014Tesla shares hit a new all-time high Friday after the company announced plans to build 400 charging points in China.
- Russia ruble at lowest value ever September 1, 2014
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Pot for Thought The U.S. cannabis industry grew 64% in 2013 and is expected to reach $2.34 billion by the end of 2014. Marijuana Business Daily anticipates that the market for medical and retail marijuana sales will accelerate to $8.2 Continue Reading
This upcoming week is poised to be a great week for one of our long-term plays, MYEC; our new long term play, BRND; and a newly alerted, rumored-filled, CCAJ. Also, we have important news about upcoming changes to HereitFirst and Continue Reading
Good evening everybody! The DOW finished the month of April at an all time high of 16,580! The S&P gained 6 points closing at 1,883.95. The NASDAQ index gained 11 points closing at 4,114.56. Overall this was a great month Continue Reading
Tomorrow, April 29th, Gold Coast Mining Corp. is set to release their marijuana social media website, MJ-Xchange.com.
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Yesterday morning, Luxuriant Holdings released an update via their Facebook page in regards to the global lock and increased authorization issue.
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As the world entered one of the most significant economic downturns in history amidst a global pandemic, a fast growth, disruptive American tech company announced its expansion to Southeast Asia, hiring its first Singapore-based employee.
Snap, the company behind the popular app Snapchat, recently announced a new company director for Southeast Asia market development. But Snap is not the only company looking to do business in the region; Southeast Asia, also known as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), is red hot right now. Why are so many tech companies and high growth startups looking to this region as their next big play?
First Things First: Which Countries Comprise Southeast Asia?
For millennia, societies have recognized the relevance of this region as a passage for traders on their way to the Spice Islands, the vast Chinese market, and the Maritime Silk Road. Nowadays, the term Southeast Asia refers to the mass of land and archipelagos that are covered by the states of Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
Big Markets and Connected Consumers
Giants such as Facebook, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon already have a presence in Southeast Asia, following in the footsteps of foundational tech titans like HP, IBM, NCR and Intel. As the markets quickly evolve, other players have established offices in Singapore in recent months, and the trend is set to accelerate.
ByteDance, the owner of the popular video streaming app TikTok, opened an office in Singapore’s central business district this year, and they are considering moving their global headquarters there. Just this May, the Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba bought half of a $1.2 billion skyscraper in the neighborhood as well. The road to this market entry has been paved with many successful mergers and acquisitions, and a massive influx of private equity, venture capital, and start-up friendly policies and infrastructure… the environment and demographics have never been riper for tech firms to harvest opportunity.
It’s easy to understand why so many global tech companies are jumping into Southeast Asia. The market is enormous: more than 650 million inhabitants live in the whole region, but six countries make up for 95%+ of the overall Southeast Asia GDP: Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
According to the e-Conomy SEA 2019 report by Google, Temasek (a state-owned company that manages an investment fund on behalf of the Government of Singapore), and Bain & Company, Southeast Asia’s digital economy may reach U.S. $300 billion by 2025. The region added more than 100 million internet users between 2015 and 2019. Just a decade ago, four in five Southeast Asians had no internet connectivity; now, 90% of Internet users in the region connect to the Internet using their mobile phones primarily. ASEAN is a mobile-first market and has leapfrogged over a lot of technology waves, now embracing the most cutting-edge open source software and application development stacks available.
What’s more, over half of the population of Southeast Asia is under 30 years of age. For example, while a location like Singapore is ideal for international tech companies due to its positioning in the region and the fact that English is the official language, there’s also a significant consumer base that offers new windows of growth surrounding it. Singapore offers a favorable environment to set up a business, and it’s also right next door to some of the most promising emerging markets in the world, like the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam, where supply chains are shifting, and the population demographics make them incredibly attractive as consumer markets as well as manufacturing centers.
A Growing Hub of Talent
Beyond market size, the youthful population of Southeast Asia also offers a deep talent pool for your business. There are more than 6,500 higher education institutions and 12 million students in the 10 nations representing ASEAN.
Consider a few examples of the many mind-blowing statistics: the Philippines produces over 130,000 information technology and engineering graduates a year, and Vietnam is producing around 80,000. Educational investments over the past decade in economies like Vietnam are showing huge results, with the likes of IBM and Oracle building development bases in-region to power tech advancement projects.
Technology shapes not only the way youth in the region live and work, but even their mindset: young people in Southeast Asia are looking for organizations that give meaning and purpose to their work, that value their freedom, provide stability, and encourage their constant thirst for knowledge. This bodes well for innovative companies looking for hotbeds of switched on talent, and moreover, it’s a perfect market environment reflecting the reality of the times for global operations. This is a region where the learning curve is not too steep, and the time to value is FAST.
What Does This Mean for Your Company?
It’s hard to know exactly when to move your products and services into a new market, and the competitive nature of international business provides no guarantees. But if your company has been waiting for a window of opportunity, it’s here. The time is now, and the place is Southeast Asia. Emerging economic strength, a blossoming talent pool, and a tech-savvy consumer market with considerable buying power – the foundation for success is in place.
Maximize Speed to Value with an Employer of Record
With the global business community collectively discovering the high potential in Southeast Asia, time is of the essence, and that’s why Globalization Partners’ Employer of Record (EOR) model exists.
Here’s what entering the Southeast Asian market looks like with Globalization Partners:
- Identify the candidate you wish to hire.
- Generate a compliant employment contract and competitive local benefits package almost instantly.
- Onboard the new team member in hours.
You no longer are required to set up an entity or become an expert in international employment law to grow a global team. You don’t even have to worry about risk – all tax, compliance and HR matters are lifted off your shoulders. Get to market faster, find value sooner, and watch the impact it can have on your business.


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Brand awareness for Firefox
Daniel Gleeson, analyst on Mobile at IHS Screen Digest, explained: “In
emerging markets, Firefox OS can play a large part in driving smartphone
adoption. With the first device anticipated to retail at less than
US$100, the devices will be cheaper than the lower-end Android phones, Samsung’s Bada platform
even high-end featurephones such as Nokia’s Asha 311.”
specifically, IHS estimate that a saving of between $40 to $60 is
possible based on a lower processor power and less memory. If the
handset leverages cloud storage then further saving are possible, but
for handsets headed for markets where 3G is underdeveloped this may not
be a viable option.
Mozilla, which has been working with
Telefonica, demonstrated the platform and its key features in February
at the Mobile World Congress trade show in Barcelona.
platform combines HTML5 with some of the core elements of Linux
technology. IHS’ Gleeson observed, “Running just HTML5 means that
Mozilla can cut out a lot of middleware from the OS; making the whole
package lighter on the CPU and on the memory.”
this month, reported that “Telefonica has said the [Firefox5-based]
phone price will be significantly cheaper than the low-end Android
models, meaning Firefox phones can be priced at levels around $50
excluding operator subsidies.” This compares with a price of around $200
for a typical smartphone.
Brand awareness for Firefox
Price points aside, some markets like Europe may have stronger brand awareness for Firefox, according to Gleeson. He noted, “Android is already established in Europe, but smartphone penetration is only 42% in Western Europe.” He believes “there is room for cheap, easy to use smartphones for the prepay market in particular where the platform loyalty to Android will not be as strong. Firefox is the most widely used desktop browser in many European countries such as France, Germany and Poland (according to StatCounter), so there is also strong brand awareness to build on.”
And then, of course, there is Brazil, first market Mozilla picked to roll out Firefox OS-based phones in cooperation with Telefonica.
Smartphones powered by the new Firefox OS will be manufactured by China’s TCL Communication Technology, under its Alcatel One Touch nameplate, and by China's ZTE. Gleeson sees a larger opportunity in Brazil because Brazil has a much lower penetration of smartphones (less than 15%).
Although Spreadtrum’s chip wasn’t designed into either TCL or ZTE’s first Firefox OS phones (they used Qualcomm’s snapdragon processors), Spreadtrum has swiftly announced that it, too, is ready to power Mozilla’s HTML5-based phones. At the Mobile Asia Congress 2012 last month, Spreadtrum built its own reference design using a 1GHz SC8810 smartphone chip. The model running Mozilla's Firefox OS was demonstrated at Mozilla’s booth, according to the company.
One lingering issue with Firefox OS, however, is whether Mozilla can build from scratch an attractive enough ecosystem for Firefox’s OS platform -- developer tools, applications, and development community included. That’s something Palm failed to do with its WebOS, even before it was bought by Hewlett Packard.
The key difference between Firefox OS and WebOS, Gleeson points out, is that Firefox OS is made open and free for any OEM to use right out of the box. WebOS was restricted to Palm, then HP. There was also a change of strategy within HP which provided the final nail in the coffin and the company stopped pushing mobile in any meaningful form. On the other hand, Mozilla is far more likely to be involved for the long-term., he noted.
Many market analysts explain that the new Firefox platform could overcome the problem by tapping into a community of 3 to 5 million web developers. Most of the apps are already created on HTML5, the preferred standard for creating mobile browser content.
Gleeson, too, agrees. “Firefox OS is very good for developers. It is HTML5 based, so developers do not need to build native versions of their apps to work on the OS; any web-app just works out of the box on the platform. It will also mean that the OS will have plenty of apps available from day one.”
According to Gleeson, “Millions of people, particularly in emerging markets, will be relying on their phones as their primary method of internet access. For Mozilla to remain relevant in the future of internet standards creation, it is vital that it has a significant mobile presence.”
For the same reason, entry-level smartphones will be vital for a new breed of handset vendors looking to gain a market share. The only remaining question, then, is how long incumbent mobile phone vendors could keep ignoring this entry-level category.
-MediaTek to bring premier smartphone features to $150 - $200 handsets
-How Leo Li Led Spreadtrum's Turnaround


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Rohan Williamson, special to wtop.com.
WASHINGTON — Have you ever noticed that a lot of fast-food logos look the same? Well there might be a reason for that.
You may have noticed many of the logos contain red, yellow or orange. According to famouslogos.com, these colors subconsciously spark your appetite and entice you to spend more money.
Famouslogos.com also reports that research supports the claim that people consume more food in rooms that are painted in warmer colors, including – also – orange, yellow and red.
For those who remain skeptical, try naming the mainstream restaurants who do not contain one of those three colors in their logos.


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Kimberly-Clark company that is known for its popular brands like Kleenex, Scott, and Cottonelle has released a new environmental fibre policy to help conserve forests and support sustainable forestry and use more recycled fibre. This announcement closes the Kleercut campaign started by Greenpeace five years ago, to help protect ancient forests in Canada and globally applied pressure on the company via the marketplace and its large customers and consumers.
Kimberly-Clark has set a goal of obtaining 100 percent of the wood fibre used in its products - including the flagship brand Kleenex - from environmentally responsible sources. By 2011, Kimberly-Clark will ensure that 40 percent of its North American fiber is either recycled or certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) - a 71 percent increase from 2007 levels, representing over 600,000 tonnes of fibre. Also by 2011, it will eliminate any fiber from the North American Boreal Forest that is not FSC-certified.
Because of K-C's place in the paper products market, the company's new policy will send a strong signal to its competitors, Procter & Gamble, SCA, and Georgia Pacific, that creating a policy that protects ancient forests is a key element of sustainable business.
The Canadian Boreal Forest is North America's largest ancient forest and provides habitat to threatened species such as woodland caribou, bald and golden eagles, wolverine and more than one billion birds, many of them migratory. Sadly, more than 60 percent of the Boreal has already been allocated to forestry companies for development and less than 10 percent of the Boreal Forest is formally protected. Unfortunately, in provinces such as Ontario and Quebec, much of the commercial forest has already been fragmented and degraded by clearcuts and logging roads.


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It seems that every year I learn about another exotic tropical superfruit brimming with healthy phytonutrients. But the reality is that most fermented dairy products in the United States rely on a fairly narrow list of traditional and cost effective fruits in their flavor lineup. According to Statista, https://tinyurl.com/y8mr6rsb, the most popular yogurt flavors for 2018 were strawberry, peach, blueberry and mixed berry, plus blends of these fruits.
In 2017, Comax conducted a study of 500 yogurt consumers. In the study, 52% of respondents said “flavor” was the most important attribute in making a yogurt purchase; “health benefits” came in second, cited by 37% of respondents, said Catherine Armstrong, brand ambassador for Comax.


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Here are some things going on today in your world of tech:
After hours earnings action
In after-hours action, shares of video game maker Activision Blizzard (ATVI), makers of the Call of Duty series, among other things, are down 20 cents, or 0.9%, at $23, after the company beat Q1 expectations but missed with its forecast, citing currency effects.
Shares of another video game maker, Zynga (ZNGA), on the other hand, are up 19 cents, over 7%, at $2.80, after the company beat its own Q1 forecast and analysts’ expectations, and forecast higher as well, and said it would cut 18% of its workforce in an effort to shave $100 million in costs.
Shares of cloud computing operator Fleetmatics (FLTX) are down $4.70, or almost 11%, at $39.96, after the company beat Q1 expectations but missed with its forecast, citing both currency and customer timing issues.
Shares of microcontroller maker Atmel (ATML) are up 26 cents, or 3.5%, at $7.80, after the company beat Q1 expectations, but forecast revenue this quarter below consensus, and said its CEO, Steven Laub, will retire at the end of August. The board is conducting a search for his replacement.
Salesforce surges on speculation
Shares of cloud computing vendor Salesforce.com (CRM) rose 89 cents, or 1.2%, to $73.65, as speculation continued about the prospect of Microsoft (MSFT), Oracle (ORCL) or another party buying the company.
Analysts noted Microsoft was a logical buyer, but several expressed skepticism about it actually making a bid.
AMD talks strategy
Shares of programmable chip vendor Altera (ALTR) fell 52 cents, or 1.2%, to $44.09, following a filing by holder TIG Advisors scolding the company for turning down a reported bid of $54 from Intel (INTC). TIG called for the removal of Altera’s lead independent director.
Yesterday’s earnings highlights
Shares of ad tech vendor Rubicon Project (RUBI) fell $1.52, over 8%, as analysts mulled the company’s report yesterday afternoon of Q1 results that topped expectations, but also a shifting of its net loss expectation from last quarter to this quarter. The company also raised its year revenue outlook, though obviously that was not as important today to those selling the stock.
The stock got two downgrades today, from Oppenheimer & Co. and Stifel Nicolaus.
Nvidia bows out of modems
Shares of Nvida (NVDA) closed up 7 cents at $22.10 after the company yesterday afternoon said it would cease its Icera cellular modem efforts and look to possibly sell the unit, removing another baseband modem contender, after Broadcom (BRCM) last summer, from a market dominated by Qualcomm (QCOM).
The move was largely applauded by analysts. Rajvindra Gill with Needham & Co., who has a Buy rating on Nvidia stock, wrote today that “the market was essentially bifurcated between QCOM and INTC on the high-end and MediaTek, Spreadtrum and others on the low-end, necessitating a fiercely competitive pricing environment.”
Adds Gill, “For some time, we have contended that NVDA should shift its Tegra strategy to automotive and gaming and focus the rest of the business on enterprise and cloud-computing. As such, we applaud NVDA’s final closure in the modem market.”
Doug Freedman of RBC Capital Markets, who has an Outperform rating on the shares, writes “We are not optimistic regarding a monetization of the baseband assets. BRCM’s baseband assets were stronger (higher-end baseband part targeted at Tier 1 OEMs) yet that business was wound down and not sold to a buyer.”
The sale marks the end of a campaign begun in 2011 with the purchase of the startup of the same name for $367 million in cash, with the intention of integrating wireless functionality into its “Tegra” line of mobile chips for smartphones and tablets. The Tegra “4i” was met with much fanfare in 2013 when it debuted as the first integrated part to result from the acquisition.
Said Nvidia in its statement tonight, “The Icera 4G LTE modem meets the company’s needs for the next year or more. Going forward, the company expects to partner with third-party modem suppliers and will no longer develop its own.”
The report comes ahead of Nvidia’s fiscal Q1 report on Thursday, after market close.
Nvidia shares are unchanged in late trading at $22.03.
Shares of wireless chip maker Qualcomm (QCOM) are down 97 cents, or 1.4%, at $67, after FBR & Co.’s Chris Rolland this morning cut his rating on the shares to Market Perform from Outperform and cut his price target to $72 from $80, writing that the initial tear-downs of Samsung Electronic’s (005930KS) “Galaxy S6” showed at least some versions of the device have stopped using Qualcomm’s baseband.
There are as many as 10 different versions of the S6, writes Rolland, and a a certain version that will be sold by AT&T (T) is a “big blow” for Qualcomm:
On AT&T’s Web site, the service provider listed its GS6 model as containing a Samsung Exynos 7420 processor with a Shannon 333 modem (Samsung’s proprietary baseband processor). AT&T’s prior GS5 and Note 4 were powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon platform. While we still expect the Verizon and Sprint GS6 versions to sport Qualcomm modems (both build on legacy CDMA networks), we believe this change signals Samsung’s clear intent to utilize proprietary baseband whenever and wherever possible. Our prior Outperform thesis for Qualcomm was based on the company’s technological dominance in baseband (whose value proposition appears to have eroded somewhat). Additionally, we recognized Qualcomm’s growing content opportunity as it acquired “all of the other bits and pieces” including envelope tracking, carrier aggregation, PMIC, audio codecs, and potentially RF front ends, although it appears Samsung has developed a full line of captive replacements.
While the loss of this particular “SKU” is not that big a deal to Qualcomm — “less than $200 million” in “top-line impact” — the issue is Samsung’s intent to no longer use Qualcomm if it can avoid it.
The info on the handset and its chip content comes from FBR’s “proprietary database that tracks global handset designs,” called “MobileVision,” writes Rolland, and also from semiconductor research firm Chipworks.
In addition to Qualcomm’s loss, Rolland sees a loss for Intel’s (INTC) baseband in some models, and a gain for Broadcom (BRCM). He also sees a victory for Texas Instruments (TXN) and “modest” loss for NXP Semiconductors (NXPI) and Lattice Semiconductor (LSCC).
Here’s Rolland’s infographic of what’s changed in terms of chip content from the prior Samsung model, the Galaxy S5, to this one (click on the image to see a larger version):
Chip works has posted the S6 teardown on its Web site.
Shares of Intel (INTC) are down 9 cents, or a quarter percent, at $33.62, amidst something of a debate among Street observers.
On the negative side, Chris Danely with Citigroup reiterates a Neutral rating on the shares, and a $35 price target, writing that data out of the Asian supply chain for notebook computers showed shipments declined 19% in January, adding to concern over the PC market:
We would note the January notebook ODM shipment miss was the fourth negative datapoint we have observed from the PC supply chain over the last month. Last month, Intel reported revenue from its PC Client business declined 3% QoQ in 4Q14, below Consensus expectations of flat QoQ, due to inventory reductions in the supply chain. In addition, Microsoft and Seagate guided March quarter revenue below expectations due in part to softer than expected PC demand. We would note Western Digital’s C1Q15 hard drive TAM guidance implies a roughly seasonal decline in PC units. In a voicemail blast this morning, Danely wrote that “this pushes maybe another inch toward believing in a correction, but still, this is not an open and shut case; we nee some really negative data points to start to mount to lower numbers on Intel; this nudges us slightly toward the negative side.”
On the other hand, David Wong of Wells Fargo, who yesterday wrote that Taiwan ODM shipments in January showed pretty much normal seasonality, is back today reiterating a Buy rating on Intel, based not on PC chips but chips for smartphones and tablets.
Writes Wong, “We believe that many investors may be underestimating the value of Intel’s tablet and smartphone businesses.”
Wong thinks shipments of the “BayTrail” and “Cherry Trail” chips for tablets this year, and the start of the ramp of shipments of the “SoFIA” integrated application and baseband processor for smartphones, will pay off come 2016.
After Intel became the largest third-party, or “merchant,” producer of tablet chips in 2014, he expects the company can close the gap with Apple (AAPL) in terms of the latter’s dominant tablet chip production:
Intel reported that it shipped 46 million tablet processors in 2014 as a whole, implying that it shipped about 16 million tablet processors in the December 2014 quarter. Apple’s tablet processor production, for its own internal use in iPad, remains substantially above Intel’s. However, Apple’s reported iPad shipments fell on a year/year basis every quarter in 2014, dropping 18% year/year in the December 2014 quarter and 15% in 2014 as a whole. We expect Intel’s tablet processor shipments will rise in 2015, closing the tablet processor gap between Intel and Apple.
Wong thinks mobile revenue for Intel will remain small this year, “perhaps run in the range of millions to tens of millions of dollars per quarter, through 2015, potentially growing a little in the second half of the year.”
The real impact comes in 2016, he writes, perhaps rising to as much as 5% of total company revenue:
Intel’s tablet processor revenues could ramp sharply, perhaps into the hundreds of millions of dollar per quarter range. We expect Intel will have no need to offer subsidies on any of its tablet processor sales, resulting in all tablet processor sales having a positive contribution to net revenues. We think that Intel’s strong competitive positioning of all its own tablet processors, and the benefit of the Rockchip alliance could result in significant tablet processor market share momentum for Intel through 2016. Intel’s smartphone chip revenues could also ramp into the hundreds of millions of dollar per quarter range. These figures suggest to us that the smartphone and tablet businesses could account for as much as 5% or more of Intel’s revenues in 2016, up from less than 1% in 2014. Should the business indeed grow to this level by 2016, this would represent potential upside to our own above-consensus revenue estimates.
As I mentioned earlier, there were some price target increases, and there has been one upgrade thus far, from Scotiabank’s Daniel Chan, who raised his rating to Sector Outperform from Sector Perform, and raised his price target to $76 from $70.
Writes Chan, “With the Chinese NDRC roadblock out of the way, we believe there are good opportunities for Qualcomm to benefit from the growth in China as it resolves its licensing issues and signs on more licensees.”
“Qualcomm’s ability to license its technology in China is a testament to the strength of Qualcomm’s IP portfolio.”
Chan thinks the risk of “contagion,” meaning, companies fighting Qualcomm in other markets, or regulators in other markets fighting Qualcomm’s practices, are not high:
Qualcomm believes that because China’s anti-monopoly law (AML) is different than antitrust and competition laws in other countries, it is unlikely that other competition agencies will come to the same conclusion as the NDRC’s. While we believe there remains a risk that other markets will want a discounted royalty base as well, we believe China was in a unique situation to negotiate these terms. There is no doubt that China is the most important market in the mobile devices industry. While Apple and Samsung are the largest players there, domestic players, such as Xiaomi, Lenovo, Huawei, and a wide array of white box vendors comprise a major portion of that market. The Chinese government has a much stronger negotiating position given that a large part of its domestic market is comprised of domestic players. Without the support of the Chinese government, it would have been difficult to collect royalties from these vendors. Moreover, as these vendors expand to other markets, having the support of the Chinese government may give Qualcomm some support in collecting royalties from these companies for shipments to other markets. Regulators in other emerging markets may make an attempt to get a discount on the royalties; however, we don’t believe they have as much leverage as China has.
Chan notes the rising role of Chinese vendors in the Asian smartphone market, and offers this infographic (click on the image to see it larger):
Chan’s estiamtes for qualcomm for this fiscal year ending in September go to $27.52 billion in revenue and $5.02 per share in earnings from a prior $27.39 billion and $4.96 per share.
If there is one big risk to Qualcomm still out there, Chan thinks it is losing share in Apple‘s (AAPL) iPhone to Intel (INTC), which is increasingly trying to sell baseband modem technology into smartphones:
While we don’t believe Qualcomm will lose all volume from Apple, we believe there is a chance it could lose some of the volume to Intel. Apple rarely uses cutting edge modem technology – the iPhone 5S used a modem that was 2 years old and the current iPhone 6 is using a modem that was released in 2012. If Apple continues its trend of using old modem technology, we believe Intel’s XMM7260 category 6 LTE modem could take a portion of the volume from Qualcomm. The XMM7260 went into production in Q4/C14. Also, Apple is no stranger to using Intel modems in the iPhone, having used it until the iPhone 4. By dual-sourcing these components, Apple could get competitive pricing as well as derisk its operations. We believe losing exclusivity in the iPhone could impact FY16 EPS by $0.20. Similar to how we viewed the loss of the Samsung Galaxy S6 socket as having limit impact, we would view the loss of exclusivity in the iPhone as also having limited impact. Most vendors will want an integrated solution especially as growth occurs in the low- to mid-tiers.
Shares of Qualcomm (QCOM) are down 50 cents, or 0.7%, at $70.88, in early trading, after Drexel Hamilton’s Rick Whittington cut his rating on the shares to Hold from Buy, and slashed his target to $75 from $100, writing that “process and competitive questions reduce visibility.”
In addition to unresolved legal issues for the company, such as the ongoing investigation by China’s government, Qualcomm faces heightened challenges from Intel (INTC), Whittington believes.
Intel’s semiconductor process technology overtakes that of contract chip makers such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSM) that are tasked with making Qualcomm’s chips:
Intel moving quickly to 14nm Trigate, leading-edge Qualcomm parts are still coming out on 20nm planar processes, older ones on 28nm planar. Tier-one foundries slow to efficaciously ramp 14nm/16nm FinFET limit QCOM ability to reduce power consumption while upping performance Intel is also appears set on commoditizing low-mid-range LTE for incorporation in their mobile processor offerings, conjuring a price war. Intel looks to incorporate its lesser but increasingly capable LTE baseband into now essentially free, or even subsidized, app. processors.
Despite the risk to application processors, Qualcomm’s lead in the most advanced baseband processors remains “intact,” he writes.
Here are some things going on today in your world of tech:
Shares of local listings service Yelp (YELP) are up $2.82, over 5%, at $56.65, after Merrill Lynch’s Paul Bieber raised his rating on the stock to Buy from Hold, citing high rates of growth and the fact the company is at the beginning of its process of monetizing user reviews, according to a summary of the report from TheFlyontheWall.
Shares of Apple (AAPL) have backed off of after-hours gains last night, down 86 cents, or 0.8%, at $111.03, gains that were prompted by Carl Icahn stating on CNBC he still maintains his biggest position in the stock and that it’s still a “no brainer,” as far as he’s concerned.
Speaking of Apple, research firm Strategy Analytics says Chinese smartphone vendor Xiaomi, a rising star, is seeing its growth crimped by the rise of the iPhone in China.
In other Apple news, Brian White of Cantor Fitzgerald reiterates a Buy rating, and a $143 price target on the shares, writing that his “barometer” for the company, a bunch of Taiwanese suppliers he tracks had sales in December that “came in stronger than historical seasonality, while the December quarter also exceeded historical averages for this basket of Apple suppliers in Taiwan.” That’s evidence of a “super cycle” for Apple, he argues.
Still further in the Apple world, Susquehanna Financial Group’s Mehdi Hosseini reiterates a “Negative” rating on shares of its supplier, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSM), which makes chips for the iPhone and iPad. His “checks” suggest Samsung Electronics (005930KS) has gained the upper hand in making chips at 14 nanometer dimensions, “increasing the prospects of TSM losing market share at QCOM (#1 customer) and Apple (#3 customer) starting in 2H15.”
Taiwan Semi shares are down 70 cents, over 3%, at $21.11.
In other chip equipment news,
Shares of chip maker Marvell Technology Group (MRVL) are down 16 cents, or 1%, at $15.86, after yesterday’s big surge of 6%. A positive bit of chatter for the company has been speculation this week it may be prepared to abandon the baseband wireless chip business.
Shares of security technology vendor Barracuda Networks (CUDA) are down $2.35, or almost 6%, at $37.80, after the company yesterday afternoon narrowly beat analysts’ estimates, and forecast this quarter’s results in line with consensus.
The dip in the stock is despite the fact that bulls are out in force. Joel Fishbein of BMO Capital Markets, for example, reiterated an Outperform rating, and raised his price target to $46, writing that ” Subscription revenue again showed acceleration (+20.6% y/y versus consensus +18.4% y/y), and subscriber additions continued to exhibit strong momentum (+18.6% y/y).”
Shares of silicon wafer maker SunEdison Semiconductor (SEMI) are down $1.63, or almost 9%, at $17.20, after the company yesterday afternoon said some shareholders filed to sell up to a third of the company’s stock in a secondary transaction. The company also warned results in the December quarter will miss consensus.
Meantime, in the PC world, Keith Bachman with BMO writes that ”We believe 4Q builds ended up being just fine,” noting that “builds for notebooks were better than our estimate while those for motherboards were roughly in line.” He thinks Intel (INTC) and Western Digital (WDC) are the best bets for PC investing.
Shares of supply-chain software maker E2Open (EOPN) are down $3.36, or 38% at $5.45, after the company yesterday afternoon slightly beat fiscal Q3 revenue expectations, but also forecast lower revenue this quarter and a deeper-than-expected net loss.
The stock has gotten three downgrades today, from The Benchmark Company‘s Mark Schappel, William Blair‘s Bhavan Suri, and Canaccord Genuity‘s Richard Davis. Suri writes that lower average selling prices for the company’s software “could persist for the near future.”
A few Street observers today are pondering the impact of Apple‘s (AAPL) iPhone 6 on chip companies two weeks after the device went on sale.
Canaccord Genuity’s Mike Walkley reiterates a Buy rating on shares of Skyworks Solutions (SWKS), while raising his price target to $64 from $62, speculating the chip maker has increased its RF chip content in the devices.
Walkley boosted his fiscal 2015 estimates for the year ending September of next year to $2.7 billion and $3.97 per share in earnings from a prior $2.68 billion and $3.92.
The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, he notes, have seen “very strong initial demand,” and “we anticipate a record iPhone 6 upgrade cycle.”
We estimate the cellular RF front-end content in the iPhone 6/6 Plus
increased to roughly $15.25-$15.50 per unit versus $11.25-$11.50 in
the iPhone 5s/5c models due to increased LTE band support and features such as envelope tracking and carrier aggregation. With Skyworks winning key low- and mid-band PADs and gaining increased switch content in the iPhone 6 devices, we believe Skyworks has increased its RF $-content to ~$4.50/unit in the new iPhones versus ~$4.00 in the iPhone 5s/5c.
Walkley likes Skyworks’s position in the iPhone because the rest of the industry, devices based on Google‘s (GOOGL) Android software, are set to lose sales to the iPhone, he thinks, and Skyworks has less dollar share in Android phones from Samsung Electronics and others.
For those of you playing at home, Walkley offers the following graphic showing who got what what chips in the iPhones (click the image to see a larger version):
Walkley is less enthusiastic about RF Micro Devices (RFMD), reiterating a Hold rating after trimming estimates because the company’s dollar content in the new handhelds is “flat to slightly down” from the prior year’s iPhones.
With RFMD gaining increased switch content in the new iPhones but potentially losing a North American PAD design, we believe RFMD has slightly decreased RF $-content of ~$1.50-1.75/unit in the new iPhones versus ~$1.75-2.00 in the iPhone 5s/5c.
And the threats to Android devices from Samsung and others works against RF Micro, the reverse of the boost to Skyworks:
While we believe RFMD has strong dollar content share in leading Android smartphones particularly at Samsung, we have slightly lowered our RFMD estimates due to our lowered high-end Android and particularly Samsung estimates due to share losses to the iPhone 6.
Walkley cut his estimates for RF Micro’s fiscal year ending March of next year to $1.327 billion and 99 cents from a prior $1.334 billion and $1 per share.
Mind you, Walkley also gives a lift to TriQuint Semiconductor (TQNT), which is in the process of merging with RF Micro.
TriQuint probabaly maintained roughly the same dollar content, at perhaps $2.25 per unit versus the $2.50 it had in the prior model, he thinks. The higher unit volume of projected iPhone 6 sales causes him to raise his TriQuint estimates to $982.2 million from $981.2 million for the fiscal year ending this December, while maintaining his 66-cent EPS estimate.
Shares of Intel (INTC) rose 64 cents, or 1.9%, to close at $34.90, apparently given a lift by a report from Merrill Lynch‘s Vivek Arya, who reiterated an Outperform rating on the shares, but raised his price target to $43 from $36, according to a summary this afternoon by wire service TheFlyonTheWall.
Staff of TheFly report that Arya wrote to clients that Intel’s mobile computing business can turn around by 2016, and that the company can even be a serious competitor to Qualcomm (QCOM) in the LTE baseband chip business, where Qualcomm has overwhelming share right now.
The deal follows Intel’s having taken a $1.5 billion, 20% stake in Chinese wireless chip maker Spreadtrum, announced Friday, and Arya expects that deal, and a partnerships China’s Rockchip, will help Intel’s mobile efforts. He also argues the shares are under-owned, with just 27% of large-cap funds owning the stock.
Merrill’s reports are not provided to press.
According to a brief item put out by one Chen Liang of Chinese news service Tencent, Intel (INTC) has taken a 20% stake in Spreadtrum, the wireless chip maker bought out last year by Chinese state-funded Tsinghua Unigroup.
The brief item, which was posted by Marbridge Consulting, a market research firm on IT and telecom in China, cites unnamed “industry sources.”
Intel is battling to try and increase very small market share in wireless and mobile chips in a market dominated by Qualcomm (QCOM) and Taiwan’s MediaTek (2454TW). Yesterday, a Deutsche Bank report from Jessica Chang said that both Qualcomm and Spreadtrum are becoming more competitive in the Chinese market for mobile device chips, increase pressure on MediaTek.
According to my colleague Shuli Ren of the Barron’s Hong Kong bureau, there is one particularly interesting line in the piece,
the loose translation of which is, “According to our source, Intel is interested in Spreadtrum not for its IP or manufacturing capacities, but is hoping to avoid China’s anti-trust investigations.”
Intel shares are up 2 cents at $34.44 in early trading.
Tech Trader Daily is a blog on technology investing written by Barron’s veteran Tiernan Ray. The blog provides news, analysis and original reporting on events important to investors in software, hardware, the Internet, telecommunications and related fields. Comments and tips can be sent to: firstname.lastname@example.org.


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At the Australian launch of the Proton Suprima S in Sydney last night, Proton chief operating officer Hisham Othman and general manager of international sales and export division Dr Badrul Hisham expressed the company’s intentions to boost its exports.
Proton sold roughly 150,000 vehicles in the Malaysian market in 2012 but its international exports tallied only 10,000 units (of which 1005 came to Australia).
According to Hisham, the next five years will see Proton increase total volume to 500,000 units annually with more than half of those to be produced for international markets (an increase of 2400 percent compared with 2012).
The company is also working on a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine for its upcoming models and new variants of existing cars which will debut by 2015.
“This is the first year of the five-year business plan so it’s a long way to go, and we believe we can make up the volume over the years," Hisham said.
"Australia will continue to figure as one of the most important export countries for Proton.”
Proton continues to be supported by the Malaysian Government as it goes through its international expansion.
According to Othman, the support from the government is due to the manufacturing sector's importance to Malaysia as a country.
“[Government support] is not just because we’re a national car manufacturer but because having a real indigenous car industry [is important], because you are a real car manufacturer which gives rise to a whole ecosystems in the country. You get to enjoy certain advantages,” he said
Proton plans to expand its Australian dealer network from about 30 this year to 50 by the end of 2014 as it brings three new models to market and begins the process of revitalising its brand.