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ISLAMABAD -- The dropping prices of smartphones
in Pakistan and elsewhere is likely to boost adoption rate of smartphones
as compared to featured phones to 51 per cent by 2020.
Innovative Mobile Apps Drive Growth in the Smartphone
Companies covered in the worldwide smartphone
market report for 2015-2019 include Apple, Blackberry, Google, Huawei, Lenovo, Qualcomm, Samsung, Microsoft, Xiaomi and ZTE.
Brazil is another market where smartphone
growth will remain high over the course of the forecast as its economic fortunes improve.
Saleem said he expects smartphone
sales to climb once again in 2011 as telecoms such as etisalat and du continue to offer incentive plans that offer customers alternative monthly payment plans to purchase smartphones
rather than paying bulk costs upfront.
com, mobile ads could only be purchased from the 30000+ mobile enabled websites, miniature versions of full websites rescaled to be viewed on a smartphone
As the newest member of the Treo family, the Treo 700p smartphone
combines the award-winning hardware design of the Treo 700w smartphone
with Palm's innovative software that has shipped on approximately 3 million Palm OS-based Treo smartphones
It also demonstrates Samsung Electronics' leadership in providing a Linux solution for its line of mobile application processors targeting the smartphone
Baseband Processor Market Volume, 1Q 2010 - 2Q 2013
Mobile Media Users, Age 18+ (iOS and Android Platforms)
Newly Released Models, January 2014 - February 2015
One feature that gets the NKCS administrators excited about the Treo smartphone
is the Classroom Walkthrough program.


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Vege eaters save water, new research figures on agriculture water usage
AUSVEG, the national peak industry body representing vegetable growers, is encouraging Australians to celebrate National Water Week this week by eating more fresh vegetables, based on scientific research from the Netherlands.
A 2010 study by Netherlands academics Mesfin Mekkonen and Arjen Hoekstra of the University of Twente took global averages of the amount of water required to produce a kilogram of different types of food, with vegetables significantly outperforming other agricultural products.
The study reported that while vegetables only required 322 litres of water on average to produce a kilogram of food, animal products were much more water-intensive. The study found that 3265 litres of water was required to produce a kilogram of eggs, and 5553 litres of water was required to produce a kilogram in butter.
The study also found that chicken meat was the most water-efficient meat requiring 4325 litres per kilogram, while pig meat and sheep/goat meet averaged 5988 and 8763 litres of water respectively. Cows used the most water, requiring 15415 litres per kilogram of meat.
The Netherlands study is supported by the Australian Bureau of Statistics publication Experimental Estimates of the Gross Value of Irrigated Agricultural Production, 2000-01 – 2007-08, which shows the value of production per megalitre of water used in vegetable production was $6,901 in 2007-08, compared to the average of all agricultural industries of $1,959.
AUSVEG Environment spokesperson Mr Jordan Brooke-Barnett said that AUSVEG was working to improve water efficiency through its EnvironVeg program.
“Through the EnviroVeg Program, growers are proactively monitoring and assess their environmental performance each year in areas such as water management,” said Mr Brooke-Barnett.
“Vegetable growers get some of the best economic returns per megalitre of water used compared to other agriculture industries,” he said.
National Water Week runs from 21-27 October 2012 and was established in 1993 as a way to encourage the community to take action and conserve Australian water resources.

domain: news


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With projections of increasing segment revenue for the upcoming years, it should be of no surprise that its year-on-year revenue growth also ranked amongst the leading categories across online commerce. Amongst the top e-retail categories in 2019, furniture e-commerce placed sixth in terms of year-on-year revenue growth right behind food & beverage sales. Additionally, the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for the combined furniture and appliances e-commerce sales category is expected to reach 10.6 percent from the years 2017 to 2023. Amazon, one of the largest e-commerce platforms worldwide, accounted for 54 percent of U.S. online transactions in the furniture segment.
Despite these encouraging sales figures, online sales of furniture and home furnishings still have a long way to go to become mainstream. In March 2019, only 14 percent of consumers in the United States stated that they mostly bought or ordered their furniture and household goods online. Additionally, when reviewing online purchases in the past 12 months, only a fifth of U.S. consumers reported to having bought furniture and household goods through e-commerce channels. Despite low mainstream adoption there is a positive outlook for e-commerce furniture sales as online furniture purchase return rates are very low. Only five percent of online furniture buyers returned an online furniture purchase in the past 12 months, compared to 25 percent of online fashion shoppers.
With the expansion of e-commerce sales of furniture and homeware goods, the majority of consumers are still completing their online furniture purchases via desktop computers. As many shoppers are still uncomfortable to commit to big ticket purchases via mobile, it is up to retailers to make potential buyers feel more comfortable about shopping online.


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A Mumbai Indians spokesperson confirmed of signing a three-year deal with Marriott Bonvoy, the loyalty programme for all the 30 hotel brands of Marriott International, while declining to share the financial details. Sources in Reliance, however, said that the three-year deal is worth Rs 30 crore and as part of the deal, the Marriott Bonvoy logo will appear on right chest on players’ jersey.
Marriott Bonvoy has been associated with global sporting teams and brands including Manchester United, Formula One, Bayern Munich, NFL and the NBA. It is for the first time that the brand has signed a sponsorship deal with an India sports franchise. Astral Pipes, however, will occupy space on the non-leading arm of the players.
Last year, MI had signed Samsung as its lead sponsor for three years in a deal valued at Rs 75 crore.
“My sense is that Mumbai Indians command a premium because of multiple factors – they have won four titles, it’s a high profile team owned by India’s biggest industrialist. They enjoy the limelight being in the financial capital.
So brands also piggy back on that,” said R Ramakrishnan, co-founder at sports marketing firm Baseline Ventures. As per Duff & Phelps’ latest IPL brand valuation report, MI, with a brand value of Rs 809 crore (in 2009), continued to top the charts for the fourth season in a row owing to its consistent on-field performance.
Among other sponsors, MI has Colors (back), Reliance Jio (lead arm), Usha International (lead helmet), Sharp (back helmet), Burger King and William Lawson (trouser). The team’s official partners include Dream11, Kingfisher, Boat, Taiwan Excellence etc, Radio City, Fever FM, Reliance Foundation’s Education and Sport for All (ESA), BookMyShow, Performex and DNA Networks.
MI’s squad is lead by Captain Rohit Sharma, and also include key players like all-rounder Hardik Pandya, and pacer Jaspreet Bumrah. The team will play its first match on March 29th at home ground Wankhede Stadium against last year’s finalists Chennai Super Kings.


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Britons spent £45.3bn on home improvements last year, with many preferring smartening up their houses to taking a foreign holiday, research showed this week.
Yorkshire Bank said the average household spent £1,899 on DIY projects during 2001, with one in eight people spending more than £5,000. And people in the North-East are seven times more likely to improve their garage than those in the south east according to the research.
The group said low interest rates and volatile stock markets had led people to view spending on their home as an investment, while increasing numbers also took advantage of low interest rates to borrow money to improve their property.
Britons are now so DIY mad that 55pc would rather spend money on their home than on going out, and 31pc would go without a foreign holiday in order to afford a new kitchen.
Kitchens were the most popular room in the house to improve, followed by the lounge and bathroom, according to the bank.
Male chefs such as Jamie Oliver also appear to have inspired men, with 23pc dreaming of doing up the kitchen, compared to just 20pc of women, and one in four men ready to swap a summer break for a set of new units.
Other popular home improvements were building a hot tub, which 42pc of men and 37pc of women wanted to do, and creating a gym at home, favoured by 40pc of men and 34pc of women.
Andrew Hindle, personal loans manager, said: "As well as discovering we spend most of our spare time making our homes nicer, we were surprised to find that almost half of us spend significantly more cash than we intended to on home improvement projects."
People living in London are around 50pc more likely to spend money on a new bathroom than the UK national average.
Those living in Scotland are the biggest DIY enthusiasts with 39pc spending the majority of their spare time on home improvements, while those in Greater London are the least eager with just 17pc claiming DIY is a hobby.


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Although the 2014 NBA free agency period is underway and it is unknown just where Lebron James will be playing next year, Nike is set to release a new pair of Lebron 11’s. On July 3rd, Nike and Lebron will release the Nike LeBron 11 “July 4th”. These red,white and blue Lebron’s not only feature the patriotic colors, they also feature a gum colored tan sole. With a retail price of $200, will you be seen rocking these new Nike LeBron 11 “July 4th” on Independence Day?
© 2014, Eldorado2452. All rights reserved.


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targeting early-stage startups across sub-Saharan Africa, announced its investment in Nigerian rental financing startup, Kwaba. According to recent reports about 60 per cent of tenants will not be able to pay their house rents in Nigeria in the coming months due to the impact of the pandemic and its crippling effect on household income, jobs and earning powers of people in Lagos. Moreover, six out of every 10-renters will default on their rent payment or struggle to pay because they cannot pay.
Kwaba is looking to mitigate this by offering complete rental services to renters, for those in search of new apartments or those renewing their existing rent. It offers quick funds at affordable rates and renters can access further credit facilities to purchase properties…
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News Archive from before July 2018


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Pernod Ricard whisky sales suffer slowdown
Whisky’s global growth story hit a stumbling block yesterday after wine and spirits group Pernod Ricard said its Scotch business had been flat in recent months.
The French firm said whisky new sales slowed in the Far East and southern Europe, but added that whisky global sales in the six months to December 31 matched figures for the same period in the previous year when its whisky business grew by 12%. Pernod Ricard said its Glenlivet brand had recorded “outstanding growth” in the latest period, however, having increased sales by 21% and volume by 17%, thanks to its growing popularity around the world.
Based on sales in the last financial year, the volume increase in Glenlivet sales would mean Pernod Ricard sold around 5.5million bottles of the whisky in the latest six-month period.
For the full story, pick up a copy of today’s Press and Journal or read our digital edition now.


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A winter gas surcharge, which will come into effect in October for German households and businesses, was set at 2.4 euro cents per kilowatt hour on Monday.
Gas prices have been driven up in no small part because of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, prompting market concerns about energy security and also shortfalls in deliveries in some cases.
So far, consumers have been largely shielded from the increases, with companies unable to pass on their increased costs, but that is about to change.
"It will get more expensive — there is no getting around that. Energy prices continue to rise. But: we are already unburdening citizens to the tune of €30 billion," Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Twitter on Monday, soon after the announcement. "And we are working on a further relief package. We will leave nobody alone with these increased costs."
The decision on the amount of the levy fell to the company charged with overseeing and coordinating the German gas market, Trading Hub Europe.
The stated aim of the levy is to cover around 90% of the additional costs incurred by gas providers who are now paying higher prices to secure gas, in some cases from new sources other than Russia.
Just under half of German households are heated using gas, the most popular method by far in the country.
German dependence on Russian gas has become notorious this year amid the war in Ukraine, both for household power and for industry.
Government seeks sales tax exemption
Finance Minister Christian Lindner has already said he aims to soften the blow by appealing in Brussels for the right to waive sales tax on the new gas levy. Doing this would require the green light from the EU.
"That will make a difference for people," Lindner said.
The head of the German Association of Energy and Water Industries, Kerstin Andreae, argued that this did not go far enough. She told public broadcaster ARD it would be better to try to secure the reduced sales tax rate of 7% for all gas payments, saying that relief for consumers was "essential."
Economy Minister Robert Habeck said on Monday after the announcement that if the plan to a sales tax exemption falters in Brussels, "we will come up with fitting mechanisms to balance this out." Habeck called the levy a "bitter medicine," but said that by imposing it, "we are securing supply in Germany."
"The levy must and will be accompanied by a further relief package," Habeck said, in comments mirroring Scholz's, particularly for low-income households liable to be hit hardest. Governnment spokeswoman Christiane Hoffmann told reporters in Berlin that by the time the levy came into effect on October 1, such measures would "be prepared."
For a four-person household, the increase should mean an additional roughly €480 per year, excluding sales tax.
Industries rush to call for help
German businesses and trade unions quickly warned of the potential impacts on their operations.
"The federal government must usher in a further relief package to protect people from energy poverty," the chairman of major trade union Verdi, Frank Werneke, said in a statement. "Fiddling with income tax thresholds is no solution for this. Much more, we need rapid and effective relief particularly for people on low or medium incomes."
The president of the German steelmakers' association, Hans Jürgen Kerkhoff, said on Monday that the levy would cost the German steel industry in the region of €500 million a year. He also said the industry would already incur costs of €7 billion because of rising prices for energy, even before the levy. Germany's steel industry uses roughly 2 billion cubic meters of natural gas each year.
The German federation of chemicals industries called the decision "an extremely bitter pill" in a statement, calling on the government to subsidize the extra costs to limit the impact.
The VDMA group of mechanical engineering companies said that the levy, coupled with gas prices expected to climb further, and concern among customers could conspire to put businesses at risk.
"Increasingly out members are confronted with suppliers who consider new [gas] contracts to be so risky, that they are not making any tenders at all, or only offers with a minimum duration," the VDMA's Thilo Brodtmann said.
Fairness and effect on inflation questioned
Business-focused newspaper Handelsblatt on Monday featured a study from an economic institute with close ties to German trade unions. According to the Institute for Macroeconomics and Cyclical Analysis, the gas levy could end up accelerating inflation rates by as much as 2%, bringing them closer to 10%.
Commerzbank's chief economist Jörg Krämer also considered increased inflation likely as a result.
"Coupled with the expiry of the 9-euro [public transport] ticket and the discount at filling stations, this could push the inflation rate over 9% in October and November. It's an enormous reduction in purchasing power for consumers," Krämer told Reuters news agency.
Germany, like many western economies, is facing its first period of rapid inflation in decades, with the most recent figures showing a slight dip to 7.5% year-on-year in July.
A leading member of Germany's socialist Left Party, Dietmar Bartsch, railed against the plan in a Monday newspaper interview. Bartsch called the levy an "impoverishment program for many people," and argued that the government should cover any additional costs with the "rapidly rising sales tax revenues." He also called for a bid to cover the increased costs in what he considered a more equitable manner.
"It is irresponsible of the government that no effort is made to check what financial situation the consumers are in, instead approving this blanket levy for everybody," Bartsch told the RND network of newspapers.
msh/rt (AFP, dpa, Reuters)
While you're here: Every Tuesday, DW editors round up what is happening in German politics and society. You can sign up here for the weekly email newsletter Berlin Briefing.


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JDN's 2018 calendar was kicked off by discussing food security issues in Indonesia
Indonesian food prices are one of the highest among South East Asian countries. Some basic food items are more expensive in Indonesia than in countries with a higher GDP per capita such as Australia and Singapore. This presents a massive challenge for the nearly 100 million poor and vulnerable people in the country, and contributes to the greater issue of chronic malnutrition across the nation.
Hizkia Respatiadi, Head of Research from the Center for Indonesian Policy Studies (CIPS) discussed how Indonesia's food trade policy is linked to this situation, and what policy alternative the government could use to lower food prices in Indonesia.
The focus area of Hizkia's research is policy issues in Food Trade and Agriculture. He leads the Affordable Food for the Poor project at CIPS that aims to lower basic food prices in Indonesia by reducing trade barriers between Indonesia and other countries. Previously, he worked as a civil servant at the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. His international experience includes a posting to the Indonesian Embassy in Zimbabwe and short-term assignments to the United Kingdom and several countries in Asia and Africa.


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Dogecoin Price Update (January 14, 2022): The price of a single Dogecoin (DOGE) raced up to $0.20, a surge of nearly 15 percent as Elon Musk announced Tesla merchandise is buyable with this crypto token.
“Tesla merch buyable with Dogecoin,” Tesla Inc chief Elon Musk tweeted.
Tesla merch buyable with Dogecoin
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 14, 2022
Dogecoin price spiked more than 13 percent on Indian crypto exchanges, trading at Rs 14.37 at the time of writing this report.
DOGE price plunged to $0.1411 (about Rs 10.46) on 10th January 2022, amid a slump in all cryptocurrency currencies since the beginning of 2022. According to CoinMarketCap statistics, DOGE has gained some upward momentum since then.
Also Read: Global Crypto Market Cap Inched Up About 4% In 24 Hrs; Despite Gains Shiba Inu, Dogecoin Missed A Spot In Top 10 Cryptocurrencies
Dogecoin currently has a market rank of 11, replacing Avalanche crypto token. In the last 24 hours, it has seen nearly 207% of the jump in its trading volume.
Adding to it, Musk has earlier confirmed that the company is “most likely” going to accept Bitcoin payment after some due diligence on the development of the energy mix used to mine the cryptocurrency.
“I wanted a little bit more due diligence to confirm that the percentage of renewable energy usage is most likely at or above 50 per cent and that there is a trend toward increasing that number, and if so Tesla would resume accepting bitcoin,” Musk said.
“Most likely the answer is that Tesla would resume accepting bitcoin,” he added.
**Prices and other variables are subject to market fluctuation. We do not promote cryptocurrency trading, and the content is simply for informational purpose. Crypto trading is subject to market risk. Do conduct your due diligence before investing.


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After the last Friday of November comes Cyber Monday, the day when online retailers in the US slash their prices like the physical retailers did on Black Friday, the official start of the Christmas shopping season.
South African etailers are doing something similar, and we’ve hand-picked a few local Cyber Monday deals that are available today only to help you with your online Christmas shopping.
I’m still not entirely convinced our guys know why Black Friday is such a big deal, because local prices haven’t been slashed to below cost like happens in the States, but still, they’re trying. If not in practice then in spirit.
Here are a few highlights from today’s goings-on:
Takealot has a pretty good deal on a 60-inch plasma TV:
And a huge saving on the Blu-ray boxset of Stargate: Atlantis season 1-5:
Superbalist has this awesome laser keyboard on special for R280 off:
Kalahari is running a 24-hour sale on books, movies and CDs as well as a “Buy 3, pay for 2” prom0tion where you get the cheapest of the three items for free:
The Apple iStore is offering savings on iPhones:
Unfortunately they sold out of their best special, R3 000 off an iPad 3rd Gen.
[Image – Shutterstock]


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Yahoo is reporting that Funcom makers of Age of Conan Hyborian Adventures has partnered with Solid State Networks to offer new solutions to delivering large digital downloads related to game patches and updates over the Internet. Solid State employs peer to peer technology that should aid in the distribution of such files.
"Solid State's technology has enabled us to extend our game experience, starting with the launch of Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures, to our gamers in new ways. Solid State Networks understands gaming and game delivery and they continue to demonstrate their ability to create solutions that help us to overcome the challenges of delivering large games electronically to a global audience," commented Trond Ystanes, Operations Manager for Funcom. "We are extremely excited to announce our partnership because it represents an opportunity to make significant steps in the evolution of game delivery."
To read the latest guides, news, and features you can visit our Age of Conan: Unchained Game Page.


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Frostpunk Sold 250,000 Copies in Just 66 Hours
Survival steampunk city-builder Frostpunk has just surpassed a quarter-million sales in its first 66 hours, the game's official Twitter account revealed on Friday.
Frostpunk launched for PC on April 24 after originally being delayed last year. The game has since peaked at just over 29,000 players during its first week, according to Steam Charts. As of April 30 at 1pm CT, Frostpunk is also the 21st most-played game on Steam by player count, beating out Sid Meier's Civilization VI, Fallout 4, Path of Exile, and Stardew Valley.
In Frostpunk, players rule the last city on Earth after a brutal winter causes a widespread famine. Managing the city's residents and the infrastructure that lets them survive, players must maintain New London's resources, laws, technology, and civil order in order to ensure the human race continues—even if that means some must suffer for the city to live on.
The game's developer and publisher, 11 bit studios, has promised to create future content for players in light of its sales.
"Yes, we had plans for the expansions and now we're 100% sure we are doing that, including many free updates of course!" 11 bit studios CEO Grzegorz Miechowski said, according to a tweet from the Frostpunk Twitter account.
In a post-release update post from 11 bit studios, developer Rufus Blackwood said the team plans to "polish some rough edges of the original game," such as balancing issues and bugs. Frostpunk's developers are also interested in an endless sandbox mode for players to check out, but for now, Blackwood said it's "too early to announce" any additional modes and scenarios.
11 bit studios previously released survival-strategy title This War of Mine in 2014 to critical acclaim. Frostpunk, meanwhile, is available for PC now.


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Priority Plastics Inc. is closing a manufacturing facility in Las Vegas later this year and shifting that production across two other facilities in Arvada, Colo., and Grinnell, Iowa.
The blow molder announced March 4 it will shut down the Las Vegas location in August. The 102,000-square-foot facility, opened in 2006, produces blow molded canisters, packers and custom high density polyethylene containers. It employs 24 full-time workers, predominantly in production. All employees are eligible to transfer to other locations within the company. Customers of the Las Vegas facility will now be serviced from Priority Plastics' Arvada plant, near Denver.
As part of the restructuring, the Arvada and Grinnell locations will absorb the Las Vegas plant's manufacturing assets, including HDPE production for canisters and bottles.
The 80,000-square-foot facility in Arvada was formerly used by CCW Products Inc., a blow molder of PVC and PET containers. Priority Plastics purchased CCW in 2013.
Today, the full-service plastic packaging plant manufactures FDA-approved food grade PVC and PET containers in more than 150 sizes for the snack, pet food, novelty and hardware industries. The site has 83 full-time workers. Five to 10 additional employees could be hired as production increases.
"It allows us to continue to service our customers," Scott Dowrey, president of Priority Plastics, said in a March 13 phone interview. "It strengthens the volume at our plant in Denver, and it opens up a little bit more geography for us where some of our growth is coming from."
Dowrey said the restructuring is part of a three-year business plan that maximizes manufacturing assets across three facilities that have additional space for growth. This includes the Arvada and Grinnell sites as well as the company's industrial facility in Portland, Ind., which now solely houses production for tight-head containers.
"Our plan is that we will have a fairly stagnant year in revenues this year with some of the movements we've made in all three of our plants, but we don't expect very much of a decrease at all," Dowrey said.
That sets the company up for a projected 18-20 percent growth in sales next year, he added.
Priority Plastics is No. 29 on Plastics News' annual ranking of North American blow molders. In 2017, the company generated sales of $65 million.
The big-picture strategy also allows Priority Plastics to expand its current HDPE product line into the nutraceutical, personal care and food markets. HDPE and PET canisters for cannabis, specifically, represent a big opportunity for the company, too.
“I think everybody has their eye on this market,” Dowrey said. “Right now, between Canada and the United States, both markets are at about $10 billion in revenue, and the U.S. is expected to grow — even without full legislation for the product to be legal throughout all the states — it's still projected to grow up to [an additional] $50 billion over the next three to five years.”
Colorado and Washington were the first states to legalize the recreational use of cannabis in 2012.
Last year, marijuana sales topped $1.55 billion in Colorado alone, according to a Feb. 12 report from the Colorado Department of Revenue. To date, marijuana sales in the state have surpassed $6 billion since Jan. 1, 2014, when commercial sales of the drug opened to the general public.
If, or when, cannabis becomes legal in all 50 states “that market [for cannabis packaging] could explode up to $150 billion to $200 billion,” Dowrey said.
Priority Plastics makes extrusion blow molded bottles such as tight-head containers, motor oil and other automotive bottles, and series and stock containers, among other products. It also injection molds polypropylene lids. The company employs 320 across its operations and has additional manufacturing operations in Mesa, Ariz., dedicated to clean room blow molding for high-purity chemicals.


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Dow has announced plans to expand its global alkoxylation capacity in the US and Europe to meet increasing demand across a wide range of fast-growing end-markets where the company is delivering 10% to 15% annual growth rates, from home and personal care to industrial and institutional cleaning solutions and pharmaceuticals, according to CISION.
The faster-payback, higher return investments announced today will increase Dow's capacity, while maintaining current carbon emissions levels through the use of efficient technologies and site improvements. These investments in the US and Europe are backed by supply agreements with customers, including leading consumer brands, and expected to come online in 2024 and 2025, respectively.
This announcement builds on the company's alkoxylation capacity expansions announced in 2018 in Louisiana and in 2019 in Spain, which are both on track to come online this year. In total, these and other efficiency projects are expected to generate more than USD150 million in run-rate EBITDA by 2025, with returns greater than 20%. Collectively, Dow's investments will result in approximately 70% global capacity growth for Dow and its customers since 2020.
Dow's versatile alkoxylation assets upgrade basic materials science building blocks to produce safe and sustainable ingredients for cosmetics, household and industrial cleaning, home and personal care, crop defense, oil and gas, pharmaceuticals, paints and many other products for everyday use in a number of product lines, including TERGITOL, UCON, ECOSURF, and CARBOWAX SENTRY.
As MRC informed before, earlier this month, Dow and Plastogaz SA announced a strategic investment which will help simplify the process of converting plastic waste to feedstock and provide another carbon-efficient option to keep plastic waste out of landfills and the environment. The collaboration marks another milestone in Dow’s ongoing mission to protect the climate and close the loop on plastic waste.
According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 2,487,450 tonnes in 2021, up by 13% year on year. Shipments of all grades of ethylene polymers increased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market totalled 1,494.280 tonnes, up by 21% year on year. Deliveries of homopolymer PP and PP block copolymers increased, whereas shipments of PP random copolymers decreased significantly.
Dow combines global breadth, asset integration and scale, focused innovation and leading business positions to achieve profitable growth. The Company's ambition is to become the most innovative, customer centric, inclusive and sustainable materials science company, with a purpose to deliver a sustainable future for the world through our materials science expertise and collaboration with our partners. Dow's portfolio of plastics, industrial intermediates, coatings and silicones businesses delivers a broad range of differentiated science-based products and solutions for its customers in high-growth market segments, such as packaging, infrastructure, mobility and consumer care. Dow operates 106 manufacturing sites in 31 countries and employs approximately 35,700 people.


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yStats: Half of physical stores in UK to close by 2020
As the number of Internet users in the UK continues to grow, so does the number of people shopping online. According to new figures released by Germany-based market researchers yStats, online and mobile shopping channels could force the closure of many physical stores.
The number of people shopping online in the UK rose from two-thirds in 2010 to more than 70% last year, and continues to grow. That figure is above the EU average of less than half, says yStats in its latest "UK B2C E-Commerce Report 2012".
Food and fashion are the most popular online purchases. Revenues from online food sales are expected to grow more than 10% annually over the next few years as consumers become more at ease with the process. Similarly, fashion and clothing sales online are up with almost half of UK consumers making at least one purchase per month in this category.
Daily deal websites, such as Groupon, KGB Deals and LivingSocial, are very popular in the UK as consumers keep a wary eye on their purse-strings. Four million daily deals coupons were sold in the first quarter of 2012 generating almost $325 million.
Such is the popularity of online, and mobile, shopping that yStats estimates half of physical stores in the UK will close by 2020.
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Innovation is inspiring the digital landscape. The rapid growth and technological improvements in the digital arena are speeding up the way we function. Innovations are making inventions go old every day! Funny, but it’s true!
Let’s rewind to two decades ago. The internet was so popular that only a few people had access to it. In 2020, about 4.66 billion users worldwide (Statista) access internet. As per the market demands, technology innovators are also delivering creative digital applications.
Here are some beautiful innovations that are trending in the digital marketing world and we can look forward to the future with these remarkable technologies.
Quick Takeaways from the Article:
- How Innovations are changing the Future of Digital marketing
- How Artificial intelligence is becoming part of Digital marketing
- Technology updates & upcoming trends in the digital world
AI driven applications are making life easier for their users. It improves the efficiency of the customer support services which has made the technology quite popular in recent times and many companies want to adopt this into their process. Chatbots, self-driving cars, voice search engines, face recognition and digital assistants are all the applications driven by AI.
Hey Alexa! It is now the new personalized AI assistant at home. The integration of voice assistants with AI makes this possible. Google assistant is one of the best ways to search for information. It will assist us with our internet search. The future will be based entirely on AI applications, and digital assistants will play a key role.
Shifts in Social Media Functions:
Social media is most frequently visited sites by the internet users. These channels are ideal platforms for many brands to reach out to their target customers easily. When Facebook started in 2004, it has made significant changes to how people connect with each other on the internet. Likewise, inventions are interrogating the present technology by making extreme changes to drive the users to the social media platforms. Features like location share, instant messaging service, voice and video calls, etc. are a few examples to mention. Social Media allows you to explore the world news. Everything is rapid and fast in the changing world of digital marketing, people shift to social media platforms because of their unique features and updates.
Blockchain is a system for recording information that is hard to hack, hard to change or cheat. It is essentially used to share or duplicate the data within the network. In short, it is a highly secured application for storing digital ledger transactions.
This type of technology effectively protects or prevents frauds and ensures safety measures across the network. The acquired data can be used in brand building and customer loyalty programs. This technology is mostly used for B 2 B applications
Artificial Intelligence program is making a way towards helping the customers by answering their queries with the help of Chatbots. It is the future of the customer support services and investing on chatbots is worth considering as they negate the investment on the human resources to conduct the primary conversations. As per the outgrow report, 80% of companies are interested in incorporating chatbots to their customer service system by 2021.
Companies like Facebook, Twitter is integrating chatbots support to their platforms.
Voice search is a new addition to the search tools, and Statista in 2020 has reported that around 4.2 billion people browse the internet through voice search daily. It means more than half of the world population is dependent on voice search.
It is easy to operate,
and it is time saving.
It is an excellent feature for millions of people who have trouble with typing. It is going to play a key-role in the future, and such innovations are creating a tremendous impact to the existing systems to emerge as disruptive business solutions.
People who have many subscribers or followers in the social media platforms can help businesses achieve their targets by influencing customers with their social media platforms.
This is one of the wonderful ways where the digital arena can generate great leads to a business. It is trending, and it will expand its roots in a new way to influence the future of digital marketing. Businesses are also looking to engage with the audience who are onboard to generate quality leads, and that happens through influencer marketing
The behavioral aspects of the customers are considered in micro-moment marketing. A high intent user would want to make a decision looking up on the internet search results using smartphone or a desktop. Businesses have micro moment’s band width to grab the attention of the customer. Google has introduced this concept into its algorithm in the year 2015. It will be the future in the digital marketing where businesses get to tap into the data that reveals customer behavioral interest.
Innovation is imposing an excellent need for the betterment of digital applications to make transition into futuristic results. Marketers must stay abreast with the technological innovations and make necessary changes to adapt the changes into their business strategies.


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Christmas in Indian River a great event to get everyone in the holiday spirit
INDIAN RIVER — For the last 37 years, people have come to Indian River to enjoy the annual Christmas Craft Show and Christmas in Indian River festivities the day after Thanksgiving, Friday, Nov. 24.
Christmas in Indian River is a fun tradition that kicks off the holiday season and reminds people to shop at their local vendors for holiday gifts this year.
“Christmas in Indian River is a tradition we hold dear to our hearts,” said Angie Nowosielski, Christmas in Indian River Committee Chair. “It's an evening of fun for young and old.”
The day starts with the North’s largest winter craft show at Inland Lakes Schools. This craft show runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The craft show will feature many different things, including homemade wreaths, gifts and jewelry. The cost is only $3 per person for the whole day. All other events during the day are free.
Following the craft show is the annual downtown Christmas in Indian River celebration.
"We have story hour at 5 p.m. with Mrs. Santa at the township hall," said Nowosielski. "During story hour, there's cookies and juice. It's so fun. To me, it's just all about the children, all about seeing the happy faces when they see Santa, the little ones, and story hour and climbing up on Santa's lap."
Nowosielski said last year there was a little boy who climbed up on Santa's lap who brought his whole Christmas toy catalog and went through it page by page with Santa, telling him what he wanted for Christmas.
"It was amazing, it was so stinking cute," she said. "That's what it's about. That's why, it's the same group of volunteers that have been doing it for the last seven to eight years, that's why we all do it. It's because of the little ones."
From 5-6 p.m., Christmas Carolers will be roaming through downtown Indian River, singing wonderful holiday music.
Starting at 5:45 p.m., free soup from local restaurants, hot dogs and hot drinks will be available downtown, across from the Township Hall, at the old Lumbar Yard. Donations are appreciated and will be accepted at the township hall with Santa. Non-perishable food items or mittens can also be brought for donation which will be given to needy families around the area.
A Santa Parade then gets underway at 6 p.m. down “Luminary Lit Main Street,” ending with the tree lighting at the Village Green.
Following the parade, kids can get their pictures taken with Santa at the Township Hall and drop off their letters to him as well. Memory pictures of your kids with Santa will be available, free of charge.
“It's a chance to capture the magic of Christmas through the eyes of the children,” said Nowosielski. “That's why we continue to work hard on the event.”
At 6:30 p.m., the famous Petoskey Steel Drum band will perform in front of B.C. Pizza.
Everyone is welcome to come out and enjoy the festivities, have some delicious food and celebrate the upcoming holiday. There will also be kids' games, Christmas carols and a live nativity.
For more information on Christmas in Indian River, call the Indian River Chamber of Commerce at 231-238-9325.
The event is a non-profit event that is run by a group of volunteers. Funds raised go toward lighting the tree, event insurance and permits, and gifts, snacks, and prizes for attendees.


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- Is Trump defiling the U.S. flag in this MAGA dude’s artwork? 2 Years Ago
- White woman claims she invented sleep bonnets, selling them for $100 Today 4:03 PM
- Even real cats are transfixed by the enigma that is the ‘Cats’ trailer Today 3:04 PM
- Wait, how tall is Peppa Pig? Today 1:55 PM
- Twitter suspends Iranian state media outlets for harassing members of a religious minority Today 1:06 PM
- Pro-MAGA pageant queen stripped of title over ‘offensive’ tweets Today 11:52 AM
- Marvel unveiled its Phase 4 plans at San Diego Comic-Con Today 9:16 AM
- How a queer Instagram is helping fight the opioid epidemic in Appalachia Today 6:30 AM
- Philadelphia to fire 13 officers for racist, violent Facebook posts Saturday 6:12 PM
- Nick Offerman is so down to play every single role in ‘Cats’ Saturday 4:27 PM
- Woman documents how airport staff broke her wheelchair Saturday 3:04 PM
- Funeral home allegedly posted photos of woman’s dead body on social media Saturday 1:56 PM
- Alinity Divine is being investigated after throwing her cat during stream (updated) Saturday 12:04 PM
- ‘Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee’ returns with Seinfeld making a racist joke about China Saturday 10:26 AM
- YouTubers Eugenia Cooney and Shane Dawson make a joint comeback Saturday 9:06 AM
The head-mounted displays are already in the hands of several Fortune 500 companies.
Google Glass, the infamous head-mounted display plagued by software problems and privacy concerns, is getting an unexpected second chance after being all but phased out.
Just don’t expect to get your hands on one anytime soon.
Glass Enterprise Edition is the same headset the company sold to consumers back in 2012, except now it’s improved and optimized for factory work. Alphabet’s X division claims more than 50 companies are already using Glass to help speed up processes in different work settings.
The idea is that company employees can use the smart spectacles as a lightweight and convenient alternative to large how-to guides and instruction manuals. Instead of hauling books around or trying to remember different processes, workers can upload documents straight to Glass and follow along while they perform a specific task. It’s the same idea as using YouTube to guide you through tying a Windsor knot, except you don’t need to be near a laptop or awkwardly holding up your phone.
According to a report from Wired, Alphabet has only sold “hundreds of units,” but it’s worth noting the buyers, many of which are Fortune 500 companies like GE and Volkswagen.
Google Glass got a much-needed hardware upgrade during its time off. It now has a better, 8-megapixel cameras; longer battery life; an improved Wi-Fi module; and new red light that turns on when video recording—a feature that could have gone a long way to addressing the privacy concerns that stunted its consumer launch.
“This isn’t an experiment. It was an experiment three years ago,” Jay Kothari, project lead for Glass told Wired. “Now we are in full-on production with our customers and with our partners.”
Google remains bullish despite Glass’s tumultuous past, and it has good reason to be. A report from Forrester Research predicts that 14.4 million workers will be using “smart glasses” by 2025.
H/T the Verge
Phillip Tracy is a former technology staff writer at the Daily Dot. He's an expert on smartphones, social media trends, and gadgets. He previously reported on IoT and telecom for RCR Wireless News and contributed to NewBay Media magazine. He now writes for Laptop magazine.


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Local skiers and snowboards will rejoice as Boler Mountain is set to open earlier than anticipated.
The London ski hill was planning to start the chair lifts on Saturday, but because of the favourable conditions, they’re opening the runs Friday at 4 p.m.
“Last year at this time, we hadn’t even been able to think about firing up the snow making system, the temperatures were just too warm and we had a green Christmas, we didn’t open until January 6th,” said Boler Mountain manager Greg Strauss.
“It’s great to be off to a great start this year, we expect to be open for the whole two weeks of the Christmas break.”
So far, they’ve built up a two to three foot base of natural and man-made snow.
For information on Boler’s hours, prices and a list of available lifts and trails, go to bolermountain.com.


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The report, Harnessing the Power of Entrepreneurs to Open Innovation, published in association with the G20 Young Entrepreneurs Alliance, surveyed more than 1,000 entrepreneurs and 1,000 large companies in the G20 economies. It found that 82% of corporates say they can learn from startups/entrepreneurs about how to become a digital business. And they expect the proportion of their revenues generated by collaboration with entrepreneurs to rise from an average of 9% today to 20% in five years.
Large companies and entrepreneurs agree that today’s corporate venturing and incubator models of collaboration will increasingly give way to more open and joint innovation, whereby corporates don’t just fund startups, but use digital collaboration to jointly create innovations in broader networks of partners. However, corporates and entrepreneurs don’t see eye to eye on how to achieve that.
While 78% of large companies say that working with entrepreneurs is important or critical to their own growth and innovation, only 67% of entrepreneurs hold that view. And while 41% of corporates believe small companies are committed to supporting their growth as they work together, only one quarter (24%) of entrepreneurs think large companies are likewise committed to supporting the growth of their smaller partners. Further, entrepreneurs and startups are four times more likely than corporates to say their counterparts lack commitment to working together (29% versus 7%).
“In the digital economy, corporations have the opportunity to disrupt their markets by working more effectively with innovative startups to jointly create new products and services,’ says Paul Daugherty, Chief Technology Officer, Accenture. “That means corporates should not just fund startup innovation, but actively participate in it by pooling ideas, assets and intellectual property. And it will require them to take new approaches to sharing risks and rewards more equitably.”
The Index uses the survey data and economic modelling to predict the potential dividend of greater digital collaboration. It shows that the top fifth of those committed to collaboration achieved higher levels of revenue growth and that, if all entrepreneurs and large companies were to achieve the degree of collaboration of the top 20%, revenue growth rates could rise between three and 18 percentage points for entrepreneurs, and between two and 16 percentage points for large companies.
“The journey to open innovation requires large companies to recognise that collaboration cannot continue to be done on their terms, on their premises or just for their benefit,” said Jitendra Kavathekar, MD, Open Innovation, Accenture. “To make a success of digital disruption will require new forms of innovation in which multiple partners collaborate to create, fail and try again in more experimental and entrepreneurial settings. That can only happen if more participants come together through digitally enabled networks to create innovations together.”
*Accenture explored the views and attitudes of entrepreneurs and large companies relating to collaboration and innovation. The research, conducted in cooperation with the G20 Young Entrepreneurs’ Alliance, comprised of the following:
· An online survey of 1,002 entrepreneurs and 1,020 executives at large companies
· In-depth interviews with 20 executives at companies and institutions
· Analysis of the digital business and collaboration landscape in all G20 countries


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Carrying heavy materials up a ladder is asking for trouble. Each year about 500,000 people fall off of one, and OSHA statistics show that workers die every week from ladder-related injuries. And "the estimated annual cost of ladder injuries in the U.S. is $24 billion," the CDC reports.
So the Safety Hoist is looking like a pretty darned helpful invention. Essentially a sturdy ladder and series of extensions rigged up with a motorized lift, it can safely transport goods up to dizzying heights without risking anyone's body:
Enter a caption (optional)
The Pennsylvania-based company's latest addition to their product line-up is a convenient electric-powered model, the EH-500, that simply plugs into a 110-volt outlet--and can haul some 500 pounds. (And yes, if the power cuts out, the hoist remains safely in place.)


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Some of the names on the move ahead of the open.» Read More
Cramer says you might want to rethink a position in some of these stocks.
Cold cereal is still the top choice for breakfast in America. However, cereal consumption volume has droped 7 percent in the past four years, an analyst says.
The packaged food company is at risk of seeing its volumes decline unless it starts to increase advertising spending again, says one pro.
Some of the names on the move ahead of the open.
It’s time for the Lightning Round. Cramer makes the call on viewer favorites.
Although shares of many packaged food companies are hitting all-time highs, there is still room at the table for new investors to join the food stock feast.
Consumer packaged-goods makers have gotten creative with how they pass on rising costs and maintain bottom lines. Prices stay the same, but it contains less product.
Aug 1- Food company Kellogg Co trimmed its 2013 sales forecast on Thursday, citing weaker demand in the United States and the stronger dollar. Net income rose to $352 million, or 96 cents per share, in the quarter from $324 million, or 90 cents per share, a year earlier. Both Kellogg and its main cereal rival, General Mills, have recently launched breakfast drinks.
Agriculture prices have gotten crunched this year, but don’t expect your Cap’n Crunch to get any cheaper.
July 23- Starbucks Corp and Danone SA said on Tuesday they will sell a co-branded yogurt through Starbucks cafes and in grocery stores as yogurt makers and food companies battle for market share in the $7 billion U.S. market.
Ford, Amazon, Subway, the History Channel, Lowe's and V8 are the "buzziest" brands in the United States, according to the latest bi-annual list from YouGov's BrandIndex.
In this guest blog from Minnesota businessman Dirk Bak, he contends the state's governor and legislature want to destroy the business climate.
Inflation will be "very manageable" over the next 12 months and the price of consumer goods sold by General Mills will remain stable, the company's CEO, Ken Powell said.
General Mills is launching a couple hundred new items says Kendall Powell, General Mills chairman and CEO, discussing the relaunching of Hamburger Helper and introducing Greek yogurt to school lunches.
Stocks held their gains Wednesday, extending their rally from the previous session, after the weaker-than-expected final read on first-quarter gross domestic product diminished worries that the Fed would rein in its stimulus measures in the immediate future.
Sees' 14 EPS $2.87- $2.90 vs Wall Street view of $2.93/ shr. June 26- General Mills Inc reported higher fourth quarter-earnings but gave a forecast for the new fiscal year that was below Wall Street estimates, citing higher costs for ingredients and a slow economic recovery.
*Adobe and Microsoft rise on analyst upgrades. NEW YORK, June 26- U.S. stocks advanced for a second straight day on Wednesday as a broad measure of economic growth was revised down, easing investors' concerns that the Federal Reserve would begin to withdraw its stimulus early.
*Adobe and Microsoft rise on analyst upgrades. NEW YORK, June 26- U.S. stocks advanced for a second straight day on Wednesday as a weak reading on economic growth had the effect of easing concerns that the Federal Reserve would soon begin to lessen its stimulus.
*General Mills slips after results. The S&P 500 rose nearly 1 percent Tuesday, its most since June 13, as data on durable goods orders, sales of new homes and consumer confidence all topped analysts' expectations and the People's Bank of China eased concerns about a possible banking crisis in the world's second-largest economy.
U.S. stock index futures held their gains across the board Wednesday even after the final read on first-quarter gross domestic product came in weaker than expected.


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ST. LOUIS — LockerDome and the National Hockey League’s (NHL) St. Louis Blues jointly announced the launch of the “St. Louis Blues LockerDome Network” today, marking the first official Network by a major professional sports team for the popular sports social media-publishing platform. LockerDome currently serves over 1,600 Networks of professional athletes, brands, media personalities and other sports properties, delivering over 11 million monthly unique visitors.
The two St. Louis-based companies announced that in conjunction with the launch, the Blues will host their first LockerDome contest. Beginning March 25, fans will be able to visit stlouisblues.com (click here to enter) and the Blues LockerDome Network to enter for a chance to win two tickets to the April 19 game vs. Dallas, the opportunity to fist bump the players as they head to the ice, an autographed T.J. Oshie jersey and an autographed puck from a favorite player. The deadline to enter the contest is April 8.
“We are excited to become the first pro sports team to partner with LockerDome,” said Blues’ COO Bruce Affleck. “LockerDome is a progressive social platform that will allow our organization to become more accessible as a whole and strengthen the bond between our players and the best fans in hockey.”
“We are pleased to choose the St. Louis Blues as the first major professional sports team Network on LockerDome,” said Gabe Lozano, co-founder and CEO of LockerDome. “Adding professional teams and leagues is a natural progression for LockerDome as we continue to connect sports fans with the athletes, brands, media personalities and now the teams they love through our rapidly growing sports platform. We will be approving dozens of similar partnerships with professional organizations in the coming months.”
Official brands and networks represented by LockerDome include NFL superstars Troy Polamalu, Larry Fitzgerald, Maurice Jones-Drew, Antonio Brown and Marshawn Lynch; MLB All-Stars Felix Hernandez and Andrew McCutchen; baseball legends Pete Rose and Wade Boggs; and NBA stars Blake Griffin, Rudy Gay, and David Lee, among others.
What sets LockerDome apart for its publishers is its ability to reach a more engaged, targeted sports audience and increase their overall social media footprint. Some highlights include:
- 50% average growth across Facebook and Twitter for its properties in their first 4.5 months.
- Cross-promotional flexibility among its networks allowing them to grow their existing audiences with each other, a service Facebook and Twitter do not currently offer.
- Extremely high traffic and success rates for its contests, which yield an average landing page conversion of 23% (industry standard is 2% - 3%).
Sports enthusiasts join LockerDome to become a part of interest-specific sports communities where they can consume content and interact with like-minded fans around their favorite professional athletes, teams and sports. Milestones for LockerDome since its launch in January 2012 include surpassing one million uniques in June, two million in October, three million in November, four million in December, eight million in January and 11 million this month. At its current growth rate, LockerDome is on pace to be a top-10 most visited sports site in the next 12 months.
LockerDome is a social media platform for your sports life. More than 11 million people - athletes, fans, parents, and coaches - use LockerDome to consume content and interact with like-minded people around their favorite sports interests. LockerDome has approved 1,600 of the top sports brands in the country to launch their own LockerDome networks, which serve as interest-specific communities within LockerDome around their brands; this list includes celebrity athletes, professional sports teams, media personalities, media companies, corporate brands and amateur sports programs. Learn more at www.lockerdome.com.


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Walking the short block from the Westword
offices at Tenth Avenue and Broadway to the strip of retail spaces in the 900 block of Lincoln Street has become a regular adventure of discovery over the past few years. Restaurant business in particular seems a tricky proposition, even with a solid customer base in the apartments, condos and homes on the surrounding blocks. The latest casualty is Pho Denver
, which opened less than two years ago at 955 Lincoln. The space just reopened as Katana Sushi, with a small sign on the door (along with a larger, grand-opening banner) announcing the change.
Before Pho Denver, the occupant was Yura's Modern Asian Kitchen; before that, Attivo Pizza and Subs made a brief go of it.
And just down the street at 100 East Ninth Avenue, Jay Chadron's Opal
has closed; a for-lease sign hangs on the building. Opal opened back in 2002 and was a sensation for a time; we'll miss the cheap oysters and Corona deals.


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Ahead of September 26, Naughty Dog’s annually celebrated Outbreak Day, the studio has unveiled new The Last Of Us Part II-inspired merchandise. Naughty Dog is promising “all-new content” ahead of September 26, a date which marks a key event in The Last Of Us lore, the day of the Cordyceps virus outbreak.
Naughty Dog’s Designer of Communications, Joshua Bradley, announced in a Playstation.Blog post that they’d been “hard at work” preparing for the big day, revealing a new line of merchandise for fans to get their hands on ahead of September 26.
The merch includes an eye-catching Abby Tee, featuring a watercolored portrait of Abby, a grey knit beanie, two lumberjacket style plaid shirts, a selection of rain and bomber jackets decorated with game insignias, cord organisers, leather valets, and a backpack.
On the more expensive side, the studio has unveiled The Last Of Us Part II-inspired Taylor replica guitars. Word to the wise, however, the guitars will set you back more than £630.00, while the most expensive guitar available, the 314-CE, is an eye-watering £2,060.00. The studio is further offering sets of Taylor guitar picks and straps to accessorise the guitars.
“In addition to the merch below, we will be revealing some all-new content on September 26 at 9:00 am PT/6:00 pm CET.” Bradley says, adding that “all previously released The Last of Us products on PlayStation Gear store will be 20% off, from September 23 through September 30.”
It was recently reported that Neil Druckmann could be about to set to make his directorial debut in HBO’s forthcoming adaptation of The Last Of Us. A production listing revealed Druckmann’s name in a list alongside the adaptation’s other directors, including the co-creator of the series, Craig Mazin.
Jeffrey Pierce, best known for playing Tommy in both instalments of the series, recently described the scripts he’d read as “breathtaking”, adding that in comparison to the games, the material he’d read was a “hundred times more”.


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October 2010 was the milestone month for India, studded with three special achievements for our country as a whole and two for our printing industry. The month 10-10 was special in three ways – first, India hosted a very successful Commonwealth Games 2010 despite all odds; second, the first double-width web press was launched by Manugraph and third, a well-known Indian printer Pragati Offset won the coveted Sappi International Printer of the Year Award.
Talking about the Commonwealth Games, India proved that they are capable enough to handle and successfully execute an event of such a magnitude. Besides, winning a prestigious number of 100+ medals in the games added a cherry on the pie.
Coming to the achievements of the printing industry, it is a milestone for not only Manugraph, but the Indian printing industry to launch the first indigenously manufactured double-width web press with a speed of 70k cph, under the able guidance of its all-time young chairman SM Shah. Indian newspaper industry which is on its growth path, will indeed find an acceleration with the availability of indigenously produced, affordably-priced press with proven quality. Besides, other developing countries can also benefit from this new offering coming from the stable of Manugraph.
Last but not the least, another feather in the cap of the Indian graphic arts industry was the ‘International Printer of the Year’ award (cast-bronze elephant trophy) from Sappi to all time progressive printer from Hyderabad – Pragati Offset. This is the third time that they have won this prestigious award, competing with top printers around the world. At a felicitation ceremony held on October 28, Geeta Reddy, minister of information and PR, cinematography, FDC and tourism, Govt of Andhara Pradesh termed this award as bringing pride not only to the state of Andhra Pradesh but also for the Indian printing industry at large. It would be interesting to note that Andhra Pradesh won 22 awards in the recent Commonwealth Games as well.
All in all, the month of October was a landmark month for the Indian printing industry and soon many more players may follow the suit. It is just the beginning of another era of technological advancements and felicitations for the Indian graphic arts industry.
|Printpack India 2013:Propelling the advancements in graphic arts to new horizon of possibilities >>|
|Industry majors present innovations in digital printing and finishing solutions >>|
|AIFMP president visits Chennai >>|
|Printers Guild stands for welfare of the industry >>|
|AIFMP's annual 'romance with print' demonstrated cheerfully in New Delhi >>|
|Variable Data & Digital Printing >>|
|Kala Jyothi: the magazine printer with a difference! >>|
|Galgo Fine Papers launches its annual calendar 'India Ki Zubaan' >>|
|Increasing shelf sales with sparkling Color-Logic craft brewery packaging >>|
|News & Activities >>|


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BEIJING, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- Chinese banks have adopted measures such as increasing credit support, imposing preferential interest rates, and offering special online financial services to help enterprises resume production amid the fight against the novel coronavirus pneumonia, reported Xinhua Finance, a national financial information platform run by Xinhua News Agency.
Data from China Banking Association showed that as of February 19, banks in China had provided more than 746 billion yuan of credit support to help companies restore production.
Banks have also reduced service fees and lowered the loan interest rate for micro and small-sized enterprises hit hard by the outbreak, according to the report.
Meanwhile, multiple banks have unveiled online financial services and products to better serve enterprises. For instance, the Bank of China launched online loan review service, at which project review can be carried out through video, teleconference, etc. so that loan approval can be granted to enterprises as soon as possible to address their urgent needs. (Edited by Su Dan, firstname.lastname@example.org)


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Square Enix has created the world's biggest iPhone display using 56 iPads to promote Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, according to ElectricPig.
The gargantuan iDevice made an appearance in London’s busy St Pancras International Train Station today to celebrate the launch of Lara Croft Guardian of Light on the Apple App Store.
Strictly speaking it’s not an iPhone. It’s made entirely using iPads – 56 of them in fact. A handful of lucky Londoners who were among the first to glimpse it even got to walk away with their own iPad.
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light is the first ever co-op action/adventure game featuring La ra Croft. This brand extension incorporates the hallmarks of the Tomb Raider franchise including exploration, discovery, platforming, and puzzle solving. Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light allows players to experience Lara Croft from an isometric viewpoint, and combines new gameplay features such as character progression, fun fast-paced combat, and elements of cooperation and competition.
You can purchase Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light from the App Store for $6.99.
Our new Forum is now open here or on the top tabs marks Forums, please register and post..
For the latest tech stories, follow us on Twitter at
@iphonepixelpost or @limerain_com
- Posted using my iPhone 4


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UPS (NYSE:UPS) announced new list rates for 2008, including an average 4.9 percent increase for UPS Ground and Ground Hundredweight shipments and a net average increase of 4.9 percent on all air express and U.S. origin International shipments.
The increase for air express and international shipments is based on a 6.9 percent increase in the base rate, less a 2 percent reduction in the current fuel surcharge. Updated rate and service information will be posted on ups.com/rates beginning Nov. 16, and customers can preview UPS Ground, Air and International express rates. On Dec. 31, customers can download the 2008 Rate and Service Guide.
The new rates will take effect on Dec. 31, 2007.
UPS, which celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2007, is the world’s largest package delivery company and a global leader in supply chain services, offering an extensive range of options for synchronizing the movement of goods, information and funds. Headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., UPS serves more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. UPS’s stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange (UPS) and the company can be found on the Web at UPS.com. To get UPS news direct, visit pressroom.ups.com/RSS.


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Get ready for Threadcasting, a new model for wearables that’s poised to take mobile computing connections off your wrist and out of your pockets and weave them into the fabric of your clothing.
Earlier this week, I spoke to the folks at Modern Edge, a design and development firm in Portland that designs products and services for connected technology, active lifestyles and health care.
In conjunction with Oregon State University, Modern Edge released a research paper on “Threadcasting,” a trend that Modern Edge believes will take wearable technology beyond connected eyeglasses and fitness devices to apparel-based technologies that interplay seamlessly with the realm of social media and wireless communication.
Portland as a hub for threadcasting development
If wearable tech has been around for decades, why is threadcasting only today coming to the fore?
Charles Austen Angell, CEO and creative director at Modern Edge, said it’s the confluence of a number of independent developments. First, is the power and miniaturization of multiple technologies. Plus, there is a greater social acceptance of pervasive computing. “We’ve all got used to carrying around smartphones so the benefit of being connected 24/7 to a computing device is no longer a foreign idea.”


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"I think this business is a sleeping giant," said Thomas Harding, president of organic consulting firm AgriSystems International, at IFT last week. "And there are strong signs that the giant is awakening."
According to the Organic Trade Association's 2004 Manufacturers' Survey, the organic foods industry reached $10.8 billion in 2003 and has grown at an average rate of 19.5 percent per year since 1997.
And market researcher Euromonitor predicts that sales of packaged organic foods alone will be worth $8.6 billion at retail by 2009 - up from 5.1 billion in 2003.
It is a trend bourn out by the latest financial results released by natural and organic food retailer Whole Foods Market, which has 170 locations across the United States. Last week it reported that an increase in sales to $1.1 billion in 3Q 2005, compared to $0.9 billion in the prior year period, and a 27 percent increase in operating profit to $6.7 million. It opened three new stores within the quarter, and plans to open another five by the end of the fiscal year.
But on the manufacturing side, Ed O'Neill of the Food Processing Center advised companies to think carefully about the kinds of products they launch, as the new generation of organic consumers do not necessarily want to do away with the convenience of non-organic products.
"Organics must fill the same needs and niches that non-organic products currently dominate," he said.
Organic food, it seems, no longer has the reputation for being the preserve of health-obsessed individuals, but it is an acceptable lifestyle choice for a larger, more mainstream slice of the population - if only they can afford it.
For organic foods come at a premium, and higher pricing is usually seen as a hurdle for the food industry.
But according to O'Neill, it is consumers who have higher disposable incomes who are more likely to buy organic anyway, and they seem quite happy to be paying a little bit more for the knowledge that their foods are pesticide-free.
But not everyone in the industry is sharing Harding and O'Neill's high hopes.
Last month a Maine district court ruling banned all synthetic ingredients in products labeled organic and obliged dairy farmers to feed their cows 100 percent organic feed during the transition to organic led to fears that prices could raise to prohibitive levels and actually slow growth in the sector.
At present regulations allow dairy farmers who want to go organic to feed their cows 20 percent conventional feed and 80 percent organic feed in the first nine months of the transitional year.
And for a product to be labeled 'organic', it must contain over 95 per cent organic materials. A 'made with organic' product must contain over 70 per cent. The new ruling however means that an 'organic' product must be 100 per cent from organic sources.
George Siemon, CEO of Organic Valley, told Foodnavigator-USA.com that the ruling could discourage producers from going organic:
"My concern is that if food makers are no longer about to label their products as organic because they use, say, sugar that has been produced synthetically, they might be tempted to use less organic material."
For those that do, however, Harding stressed the importance of adhering to federal requirements on organic certification, seeking professional advice if necessary.


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BRLA Digital, operating in the cross-border payments and crypto infrastructure market, received an additional investment from 99 Capital for its pre-seed round.
The investment, endorsed by Dave Wang, founder of 99 Capital and former Head of crypto at Softbank LatAm, raises the total round to over R$ 4 million. The investment comes at a strategic time as BRLA Digital seeks to strengthen its position in the cross-border payments and crypto infrastructure market.
In October 2023, the fintech completed the first stage of its pre-seed round. At that time, the investment included participation from Coins, a Philippines exchange led by Wei Zhou (former CFO of Binance), Rodrigo Benez, a recognized digital assets investor who founded Brazil's first stablecoin at SimpliPay, among other investors.
"The extension of the round will add a lot to our business. We've opened space for another investor because we see great value in having Dave Wang, founder of 99 Capital and former Softbank executive, with his extensive expertise in the crypto, technology, and business markets. Working alongside someone who promises to further boost our company will be extremely relevant and important," says Matheus Moura, CEO of BRLA Digital.
"Cross border payments leveraging crypto solutions like BRLA improve the cost basis and settlement times by orders of magnitude compared to legacy payment rails. BRLA has a confluence of attacking a great market, with a great team, and a great product”" says Dave Wang, founder of 99 Capital and former Head of crypto at Softbank LatAm.
In addition to the CEO, the BRLA Digital founding team includes executives Luiz Castelo Branco (CTO), Lucas Giorgio (CBDO), Hector Fardin (COO), and Leandro Noel (CSO). Currently, the fintech operates by offering financial infrastructure and cross-border payments – fully compliant with regulatory standards – to local or international "crypto-friendly" companies looking for opportunities in the Brazilian market. For this purpose, it developed a stablecoin tied to the real (BRLA Token) to provide a convenient, economical, and stable mechanism for users and companies to access the cryptocurrency universe.
BRLA Digital is also part of the startup acceleration program by Pinheiro Neto Advogados and plans to have over 30 clients in its portfolio by the end of 2024.
"We are excited to grow rapidly this year. We are confident in the potential of our solutions and believe we will stand out in the cross-border payments and crypto infrastructure market," says Leandro Noel, CSO of the fintech.
Stablecoin secured by audit firm
In November 2023, BRLA Digital announced that its stablecoin ($BRLA) was approved in a rigorous assurance process conducted by UHY Bendoraytes – an independent audit company (member of UHY International) with over 60 years of experience in the Brazilian market. Thus, BRLA Digital became the first company in the world to have a real-linked stablecoin endorsed by an independent audit.
With the stablecoin secured by an independent audit, the fintech gained a significant market differentiator. Thus, it seeks to expand its operation in Brazil. "We will move forward with our plan to help web3-friendly companies grow in Brazil, in addition to strengthening the growth of $BRLA as the main stablecoin for financial settlement in reais," comments Moura.
Emergence of BRLA Digital
Previously, the fintech's founders had created Ada Capital - a company regulated by the CVM and focused on the crypto market. Observing the growth of this market and the favorable regulatory advancements in Brazil, they decided to pivot the business and invest in cross-border payment infrastructure. Thus, BRLA Digital was born.
But the history of the executives dates back even further. Most of the founders (Matheus Moura, Luiz Castelo Branco, Hector Fardin, and Leandro Noel) met during their academic formation at ITA (Instituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica). Lucas Giorgio met and worked with some of the founders for years at Pátria Investimentos and HIX Capital. Altogether, the executive team of BRLA Digital has been close for over ten years – since their university formation or working together in companies in the financial and technology markets.


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These days the baby aisle shelves are lined with products proudly announcing: BPA
-free. As a mom and a consumer, this is reassuring. BPA
), a chemical used in the production of plastics and many other products, has been linked to a variety ...
[Published Washington Post - Dec 10 2013]


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Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream" Debuts at #1
Thu, 02 Sep 2010 13:35:13
Congrats to Katy Perry. The pop starlet saw her new album, Teenage Dream, debut at the lofty #1 spot on the Billboard Top 200 sales chart during its first week in stores. Perry has the best-selling record in America for the past week. Teenage Dream sold nearly 200,000 copies its first week in stores. While one might expect that number to be higher, given the ubiquitous nature of the smash first single, "California Gurls," it's actually a healthy number by today's standards.
Did you pick up a copy of Perry's Teenage Dream?


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Tropical freshwater fish collagen holds strong wrinkle reducing capabilities, Vietnamese study finds
18 Dec 2018 --- Vinh Hoan, supplier of pangasius and marine collagen peptides, has documented substantial improvements in skin health and appearance in study participants treated with 10g a day of Vinh Wellness Collagen. The Vietnamese company supplies the “next generation” of freshwater collagen, sourced from tropical, food-grade freshwater fish. As consumers increasingly seek skin health products that work “from within,” those concerned with the aging process’ impact on skin, such as wrinkles, may be drawn to collagen supplementation.
Due to its low molecular weight, collagen peptides derived from fish offer superior absorption and bioavailability compared with porcine and bovine collagen, according to the company. Fish derived collagen can also be used widely across cultures that do not wish to consume beef or pork products.
Specific to freshwater fish collagen from pangasius, the company says that it has a lower sodium level which means the scent is more subtle and the efficacy of the ingredient is enhanced as it has a “unique amino acid profile” compared to other marine sources.
Significant improvements were reported in the study that compared the results from 50 healthy females aged 45 to 60 years old when treated with collagen or a placebo for 12 weeks. The skin quality improvements were reported on wrinkles, elasticity, hydration, firmness and radiance, according to the study. In all assessments, participants treated with Vinh Wellness Collagen consistently reported higher improvements compared to those with placebo, ranging from 14 to 25 percent.
Wrinkles: Within the Vinh Wellness Collagen group, participants had a reduction of between 17 percent and 35 percent for wrinkle scores.
Elasticity: Cheek skin elasticity was improved by 20 percent within the first 6 weeks of supplementation.
Hydration: According to participant evaluations from the study, skin hydration was 14 percent higher in the collagen group compared to the placebo group after 12 weeks of use. The company notes that Vinh Wellness Collagen can be combined with other ingredients such as hyaluronic acid for a faster result.
Collagen use in the health industry has been proliferating. Collagen is already widespread in the beauty industry for its skin benefits and is already known to support joint and bone health. Its use is expected to become an even more significant trend in 2019. Consumers are now becoming more aware of its potential for sports nutrition, healthy aging, bone and joint health.
With a varied amino acid profile, collagen peptides contain high levels of the amino acids glycine, hydroxyproline, proline, alanine and arginine – providing specific nutritional benefits not found in other protein sources.
Speaking to NutritionInsight, a Vinh Hoan spokesperson notes that following this anti-aging study, the next research step will be investigating how their product supports joint and bone health.
The modern consumer is seeking anti-aging as well as joint and bone health from their collagen product, they add.
To contact our editorial team please email us at firstname.lastname@example.org
Subscribe now to receive the latest news directly into your inbox.


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Last year, GMG succeeded in boosting sales by well over 50 per cent compared to 2003. Along with very good growth in Germany, sales outside Germany rose at a disproportionately higher rate, now accounting for substantially more than half of total worldwide sales.
Many countries, such as the UK, France and Italy, recorded sales growths of between 150 per cent and 350 per cent. The company says excellent results in Spain, Asia and the USA demonstrate that recent GMG investments in these countries have already paid off in the first year.
GMG recently appointed photographic and graphic design supplier, Kayell NSW, as its master distributor in Australia.
Kayell is in the process of appointing distributors for the GMG product line and is participating with GMG at PacPrint 05 in the “colour management precinct”.
At PacPrint, there will be live demonstrations of GMG’s CamFlow, an all-encompassing workflow solution for optimisation and separation of RGB data, imported, for example, from digital cameras.
Software Company, GMG was founded in 1984 and is located in Tuebingen, near Stuttgart. It offers high-end colour management for the entire graphic arts industry and to date, more than 4000 GMG systems have been sold across the industry spectrum from ad agencies, prepress houses and offset printers to international gravure printing plants.


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Digital commerce has skyrocketed at Albertsons, as the supermarket giant posted a triple-digit increase in online sales for its most recent quarter amid soaring demand for grocery delivery and curbside pickup.
Albertsons reported a 276 percent jump in digital sales during its fiscal first quarter ending June 20, as the pandemic pushed shoppers online.
The Idaho-based supermarket chain reported overall sales and revenue of $22.8 billion for the first quarter, up 21.4 percent over the same period last year, when Albertsons reported revenue of $18.7 billion.
Profits have also surged. Albertsons reported an adjusted EBITDA of $1.7 billion, a 93 percent rise over the same period last year. Net income rang in at $586 million for the quarter, with adjusted net income per share of $1.35, compared to eight cents during the same quarter in 2019.
Vivek Sankaran, Albertsons’ president and CEO, noted in a statement that the company’s big jump in digital sales came as the chain has “accelerated” its “digital and eCommerce strategy.”
The increase in online sales also helped offset declines from the closure of some stores and a drop in fuel sales.
“We have accelerated our digital and eCommerce strategy to adapt to market conditions. We generated strong financial performance in the first quarter, including robust cash flow and enhanced liquidity, which support our continued investment to benefit our associates, customers, communities and stockholders,” the statement continued.
Still, Albertsons saw expenses rise as well during the quarter, with the supermarket chain spending $615 million on personal protective equipment (PPE) and other expenses related to COVID-19, including $275 million in extra pay and $53 million in hunger relief efforts in the various local communities where the company does business.
Albertsons also reported nearly $15 million in “civil disruption-related costs.” While not citing any specific incidents, the company’s Vons and Safeway stores in New York, San Diego and Los Angeles were all hit by looters over the past few months, according to news reports.


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WASHINGTON (NBC NEWS) — Americans have significantly more confidence in their governors than in President Trump when it comes to handling the coronavirus, according to new data from a NBC|SurveyMonkey Weekly Tracking Poll.
Forty-three percent of respondents approve of Trump’s handling of the virus, while 55 percent disapprove.
That’s compared with 60 percent of Americans who say they approve of how their home-state governor is handling the response and just 37 percent who said they disapprove.
And seven out of 10 Americans say they trust their governor over the president to decide when to reopen businesses in their area. Just 25 percent say they trust Trump over their governor. Even among Republicans, just over half — 53 percent — say they trust the president’s judgement on reopening over their governor’s.
The new data comes from the first installment of a weekly online tracking poll on social and economic issues that will be released over the coming months.
There have been more than 2.9 million cases of COVID-19 in America so far and more than 131,000 deaths attributed to the virus in the country.
As case counts and deaths continued to pile up in the spring, the president has downplayed the surge — blaming it on increased testing. While the president has been slow to publicly support mask-wearing, and other social distancing techniques, his hope that the virus will “disappear” isn’t in-line with Americans’ fears of a second wave.
Seventy-nine percent of Americans said they were either “very” or “somewhat” worried of a second wave — 62 percent of Republicans report being worried and an overwhelming 83 percent of Democrats said the same.
However, the president’s overall job rating has remained consistent throughout the pandemic. Trump’s overall job approval stands at 43 percent — in line with various polls taken since March.
As states have begun to reopen businesses in recent months — moves that have been frustrated by the rising case counts — Trump has sought to promote the country’s reopening and frame a return to normal as an economic imperative.
Sixty-three percent of Americans said they feared businesses were opening “too quickly”, while just a third of Americans said businesses were reopening “too slowly”. However that split nearly flips when asked of Republicans. Just 37 percent of Republicans believed businesses were opening too quickly, while 61 percent said it was too slow.
Despite more reopenings, though, most Americans have not gone to newly-reopened businesses. When asked what they’ve left their home for in the past 24 hours, just 16 percent of Americas said they ate at a bar or restaurant and 22 percent said they left their home to exercise. Forty-four percent of Americans said they left their home to go for a walk or get fresh air and 55 percent said they left their home to buy groceries.
And while group gathering restrictions have relaxed in most states, just 27 percent of Americans reported leaving their homes to visit with friends or family in the day prior to taking the survey.


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Strategic implementation for the Chinese automotive giant.
Behind us is the opening of another investment, in the construction of which our company was strongly involved. We are talking about a new production hall with a social and office building in Siemianice near Oborniki in Lower Silesia. The investor, the Chinese company JOYNEXT, is a solutions provider for the automotive sector, and its technologies are present in over 10 million vehicles around the world.
This is what Bogdan Koziar, operational director and managing director of the JOYNEXT plant in Oborniki, spoke about the investment itself during the ceremonial opening of the hall (27.01): The expansion of our production plant is a strategic investment in our future. Electromobility is booming, driving the demand for electric car battery control devices. Increasing production capacity is our response to the current and future market requirements and paves the way for further growth.
Apart from the representatives companies involved in the construction, representatives also took part in the meeting local government authorities: Małgorzata Matusiak, head of the Trzebnica Poviat and Arkadiusz Poprawa,
mayor of the Oborniki Śląskie commune.
The new 2,250 square meter hall will increase the production space of a leading automotive supplier by more than 50 percent. The expansion of the plant is a response to the demand for battery control units for electric cars. Where previously the plant was producing 9,000 such units per week for just one customer, the capacity of the existing line will now increase to 45,000 control units per week. In October this year, the second production line will be launched.
In the future, the line will produce up to 69,000 units per week for another leading European car manufacturer.
For JOYNEXT, the expansion of the plant also means commitment to the location in Oborniki, Poland, which is closely related to the company's history. In total, the company has invested EUR 15 million in the last two years and will create 36 new jobs by expanding the plant.
The company Miastoprojekt Wrocław acted as the Substitute Investor, and the General Contractor was Projprzem Budownictwo Sp. z o.o.
Let us recall that as part of the planned works, the plant's networks and connections were expanded and reconstructed, including sanitary sewage system, rainwater sewage system, gas, water and electricity networks. According to the design, the internal roads and the car park were reconstructed, as well as the construction of the exit.
© JOYNEXT GmbH


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Back in February, we heard that HTC might be getting PlayStation Certification on some of its phones. Today at E3, Sony announced that it will be opening up the PlayStation Mobile program, which was previously known as PlayStation Suite, to HTC. This means, among other things, that HTC phones that receive PS Certification will be able to play the host of classic PlayStation games available. Additionally, HTC devices will also have access to the third-party apps and games developed using the SDK. Read More
Sony's new PlayStation Suite isn't the PlayStation Phone (or the Xperia Play) we were expecting, but it's arguably something even better for those of us who love gaming but hate the idea of giving up our current Android device(s).
Sony claims that PlayStation Suite will offer "legendary original PlayStation content" and says it will be a "cross platform, cross device" PSOne emulator. In reality, it's limited to Android 2.3 and beyond - a version of Android only one currently available handset runs (and it's not Sony's own Xperia X10). Read More


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People are willing to spend more on beer brewed using sustainable practices, according to a US study which found that investing in methods to save energy and reduce greenhouse gases will pay off for breweries.
On average, US beer drinkers would pay about USD 1.30 more per six-pack, they said.
"Even if it ends up adding costs, more than half of all beer consumers are willing to absorb those extra costs," she said.
The research, published in the journal PLOS ONE, highlights potential for energy savings and sustainability in an energy-intensive industry that is growing rapidly, especially in the craft-beer segment.
The number of craft breweries grew by over 200 per cent between 2005 and 2015, and their production increased by over 12 per cent each year.
The industry has considerable potential for reducing energy use and mitigating its impact on climate change.
However, those kinds of measures require upfront investments that are likely to increase prices.
To determine whether consumers would be willing to pay more for sustainably brewed beer, the researchers drew on a survey of over 1,000 self-reported beer drinkers, all over age 21. They found that 59 per cent said they would pay more.
Consumers who already pay more for their beer were most likely to be willing to pay a premium for sustainability. Also, those who said they would pay more for sustainable beer were likely to report lifestyle activities associated with the common good.
For example, they spent time in volunteer work or engaged in recycling, composting, and buying locally produced food and products.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)


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Despite the downturn, third-quarter investments remained slightly higher than in the first quarter and more than double the amount spent in the third quarter of 1999. Altogether, 870 network hardware, software and services startups received an average of $US15 million each during July, August and September.
Much of the decline was related to dot-coms, with investments in Internet content, e-commerce sites and related services plunging $2.2 billion - or 30 per cent - from the previous quarter. Among the startups that had trouble attracting funds were business-to-consumer e-commerce sites, business-to-business e-commerce sites and consulting firms offering Web site design.
However, venture firms remain optimistic about network equipment, with investments in this segment more than doubling to $2.48 billion. Indeed, half of the third quarter's 10 largest deals were for fiber-optic equipment, while the other half were for Internet collocation facilities and service providers.
Fiber optics "is hotter than a pistol", says Kirk Walden, national director of PricewaterhouseCooper's MoneyTree survey. "When you're talking about laying fiber-optic cable or building a piece of optical equipment, you're talking about notably more money than you need for software or services."
Bill Collatos, co-founder and managing general partner with Spectrum Equity Investors, says venture firms are interested in Internet infrastructure startups such as fibre-optic and wireless companies because they seem like a safer bet than content or e-commerce providers.
"If you think of this entire space as a network . . . what you find is a lot of traffic always runs over the core, regardless of whether some small tributary of the network is slowing down," Collatos says. "There's more reliability in the infrastructure opportunities, in the hardware and software that actually manage the network."
With hot areas such as fibre optics picking up the slack for weak areas like e-commerce, Walden predicts that year-end figures will show network investments in 2000 being twice the amount made in 1999.
"We are sticking to our guns on the prediction that we made earlier this year . . . that overall venture capital investments are going to double to $US70 billion in 2000, compared with $35 billion in 1999," Walden says, adding that the same trend will hold true for the network segment of the economy, which should reach $46 billion by year-end.
"We are slowing, methodically plateauing to a sustainable level of venture-capital investment," Walden says. "But the bottom is not dropping out of this market."
However, the key statistics were down this quarter for network investments:p The number of deals dropped 9 per cent from 960 in the second quarter to 870.p The average size of these deals declined 4 per cent from $15.65 million to $15 million.p The largest deal of the quarter - a $207.5 million investment in Internet data centre operator Relera - is about half the size of last quarter's $402 million investment in Carolina Broadband.p The 10 largest deals of the third quarter ranged from Relera's big prize to a $100 million investment in Chiaro Networks, a Texas startup that's developing an optical router for Internet backbone carriers.
Investments in fiber-optic startups are expected to remain strong for the next few quarters because of several recent billion-dollar acquisitions by Nortel Networks and Cisco of companies building fiber-optic products.
"There used to be only a handful of players in fiber optics," says Tracy Lefteroff, managing partner of PricewaterhouseCoopers' Venture Capital Practice. "With the Internet deals slowing down, everyone wants in."
Lefteroff predicts the market for fiber-optic equipment will remain strong even though the stock values of most telecommunications carriers are down, and big players such as AT&T and British Telecommunications are splitting up.
"The fiber-optics market is fundamentally more solid than many Internet investments," Lefteroff says. "[Telephone companies] around the world are all going to modernise their systems [with] fiber optics because of the capacity advantage they can gain."
Although the Net's traffic patterns point to a fiber-optic future, not all fiber-optic startups will succeed, warns Cliff Higgerson, a general partner with ComVentures. He says the best opportunities may be for component suppliers rather than bandwidth or system suppliers.
"In the optics business, the value is as much in the components as in the systems. It looks more like the PC business where the value is in Intel and Hewlett-Packard, and Dell are glorified value-added distributors," Higgerson says.
In addition to fiber optics, venture firms also like wireless startups. For example, EveryPath, which provides Internet services over wireless devices and telephones, raised $70 million, and Ensemble Communications, which offers wireless broadband access, raised $63.8 million.
"We like both mobile and fixed wireless. We believe they both have enormous growth potential," Spectrum's Collatos says. "On the fixed side, the challenge is simply getting the networks built. On the mobile side, the challenge is getting the networks built as well as getting the applications built that can use the network to the fullest capacity."
Higgerson favours carrier-grade wireless equipment, pointing out that the "infrastructure has to be dramatically upgraded for the carriers to be able to support mobile services".
Venture capitalists agree that investment in Internet infrastructure startups is good news for corporate IT managers.
"The long-term benefit is increasingly sophisticated networks with bigger pipes," Collatos says. "Enterprise customers are experiencing exponential growth in data distribution and consumption. They're looking to the future and saying: I'll forever need bigger and bigger pipes'.
"Corporate users are going to be the big beneficiaries," ComVentures' Higgerson adds. "With more companies being formed, the level of competition goes up, which provides a combination of lower prices and higher-performing services."