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What you need to know
- Landsea Homes has partnered with Apple to provide HomeKit tech into latest homes.
- High Performance Homes include Apple TV, HomeKit locks, thermostats, and more.
- Select home communities are located in California and Arizona.
Landsea Homes has announced a partnership with Apple to provide HomeKit technology and accessories in its High Performance Homes across communities in California and Arizona. The latest partnership is part of the company's Live in Your Element with High Performance Homes Program and will put Apple TV's, smart door locks, thermostats, light switches, cameras, and more, into the hands of new home owners, similar to previous efforts from other builders such as WeberHaus and Brookfield Residential.
All of Landsea Homes' High Performance Homes are more connected and convenient than ever. Supported by a partnership with leading technology company Apple®, the homes utilize the Apple HomeKit™ environment to operate all home automation features from one mobile application. The smart home automation features, installed and compatible with Apple HomeKit™ include an Apple TV® media manager device, MeshNet wireless internet throughout the home, entry door locks, thermostat control, garage door opener control, light dimmer switches, doorbell camera pre-wire, and high-touch customer service with an individualized training session.
In addition to HomeKit, Landsea Homes states that the accessories within the program will work with other platforms, such as Android, through the manufacturer's apps. The company will also be providing wireless mesh networking and even white glove training for residents. Complete features include:
- Apple TV® media manager device
- MeshNet wireless internet
- Entry door locks
- Thermostat control
- Garage door opener control
- Light dimmer switches
- Doorbell camera pre-wire
- White glove training service
Landsea says that there are no additional costs for the homes, and it also includes energy efficient appliances and lighting for their sustainability efforts for the program. More information about the program and available communities can be found at the High Performance experience page.
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A big iPad Pro display upgrade is on the way
Ming-Chi Kuo has reiterated previous predictions that Apple will introduce mini-LED display technology into its products as soon as this year, and that the first product to debut the tech will likely be Apple's next iPad Pro.
Apple's 'High Desert' will star Patricia Arquette, directed by Ben Stiller
The new comedy series follows the story of Peggy, a former addict who decides to become a private investigator after her mother dies.
CEO of UK smartphone carrier EE tells employees a 5G iPhone is 'days away'
Marc Allera, CEO of EE, says that a 5G iPhone is "just days away" in a new video shared with the carrier's employees.
These HomeKit cameras work with iOS14's Face Recognition and Activity Zones
iOS 14 brings some powerful new capabilities to HomeKit Secure Video-enabled cameras like Face Recognition and Activity Zones. Here's all of the cameras and doorbells that support the latest and greatest HomeKit features.


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In what is proving to be one of more problematic product launches since the G4 Cube, Apple is now admitting some MobileMe users are unable to access their e-mail accounts. AOL’s unofficial Apple Weblog said that it had been receiving reports of MobileMe subscribers unable to access their e-mail accounts, reportedly for as long as four days.
One reader who called into Apple support was told by a representative that the company was aware of the problem, and that a fix was at least two to three days away. On the MobileMe support site, a message has been posted that states “1% of MobileMe members cannot access MobileMe Mail. We apologize for any inconvenience.” It lists all other services as fully operational.
Angry customers have been posting on Apple’s support board, reporting a variety of issues not limited to mail malfunction. “I’ve tried accessing MobileMe via Safari and Firefox and while all other internet operations seem to be running fine this transition from .Mac is making my head hurt,” user ‘j.mcg’ posted.

domain: news


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eBay are to launch a new TV advert later this year, at least that’s what we’d expect as they’ve been filming on location in St Albans last Friday according to the Herts Advertiser.
Expect the advert to be based around an apocalypse theme, we know that there were Zombies on location.
eBay haven’t been a frequent TV advertiser in the past. They had a five year break between 2007 and 2012 before returning with their “eBay, Your Shopping Universe” series of adverts.
eBay 2012-13 Ad Series
PayPal have been regular TV advertisers with the “New Money” advert being the latest, but PayPal of course are no longer part of the eBay family.
It will be interesting to see how the advert looks when it’s finally aired, if you live in St Albans and saw the filming, let us know what was going on.


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Facebook’s redesigned and filtered news feeds have failed to draw major accolades or critiques, but numerous questions as to what the changes portend for Facebook’s future linger. Beyond the obvious improvements to the user interface, the most pressing questions following last week’s news revolve around the need for new revenue, and for Facebook that means advertising.
If Facebook truly wants to become a “personalized newspaper,” as CEO Mark Zuckerberg said during the press briefing, it will have to fill more space on those virtual pages with ads. And although Zuckerberg says Facebook doesn’t want to “push more stuff into the home page” because the site is already running at the optimal ratio between ads and content, brands will certainly want to take advantage of the more immersive timelines with equally engaging ads.
“We haven’t changed anything in regards to advertisers other than what the stories look like, and that wasn’t necessarily due to advertisers,” Julie Zhuo, director of product design at Facebook, tells ClickZ following the announcement. “It’s just that across the board we wanted to make the stories richer and more visual, and we think that’s what users will like so all stories are going to get that richer treatment.”
By enabling users to filter news feeds by content type or source, Facebook could eventually be opening up the more targeted feeds to ads, but there are no immediate plans to show ads outside of the primary news feed. Leaving the news feeds - friends, photos, music, and following - unchanged means users now have access to ad-free timelines of content that they’ve implicitly requested to receive on the platform.
While Chris Cox, VP of product at Facebook, says it would be easier to have ads appear in all the feeds, Facebook is still thinking about how it can allow advertisers to place media in certain feeds based on their target audience. He declined to provide more insight into how Facebook might leverage the custom feeds for new ad revenue, but did not dismiss the notion outright.
“I think that companies always play a very delicate dance between user experience and ad dollars,” David Steinberg, founder and CEO at XL Marketing, tells ClickZ.
“If you look at what’s happening right now, Facebook and the ecosystem that exists around it is totally and completely focused on building a better user experience,” he adds.
Steinberg also takes into account the numerous features that Facebook borrowed from its mobile products for the redesigned news feeds. “I don’t think they’re reorganizing for a mobile-only experience, but I think they’re reorganizing for a large percentage to be mobile,” says Steinberg.
Although mobile ad revenue “might not catch up” with online ad revenue “for a very long time,” Steinberg says that Facebook has also “rolled out this new platform that allows you to do a better job of behavioral targeting in mobile.”
Instead of highlighting how the redesign might impact a particular ad product, Steinberg says advertisers are more interested in how Facebook is improving its ability to track and target behavioral targeting overall.
“Visual content is extremely important for brands on Facebook, and these changes emphasize this even further. Images will now be much more prominent, challenging marketers to stretch their creativity,” notes Jordan Stone, strategy director at We Are Social. “That said, increased visibility means that brands need to be more relevant than ever. They still need to work hard to make the experience more immersive and engaging. A stream of irrelevant content or ill-conceived sponsored posts will be noticed quickly by consumers.”
While Facebook’s latest moves may have little to do with brands or advertising on the surface, marketers and other executives in social media are filling in the blanks and focusing on Facebook’s need to maintain its leadership position in social without alienating its core user base.
“They’re evolving their product based on users,” says Damien Patton, CEO and founder of Banjo. “Most people have tried Facebook that are going to try Facebook, and now it’s about retaining those users.”


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The links between startups and channel partners have deepened as early-stage companies look to cut costs, supercharge sales and take advantage of established customer relationships in fields such as cybersecurity.
A decade ago, emerging technology companies may not have placed a channel partnership strategy at the top of their to-do lists. But startup partnerships have become more prominent in recent years as a way to rapidly scale young companies. That pattern has endured and, if anything, become more important.
"There is this continuing trend of enterprise technology startups getting to market particularly through channels," said Chad Cardenas, CEO at The Syndicate Group (TSG), a venture firm in Los Angeles that raises capital from ecosystem partners to boost startups' go-to-market strategies.
Startups not selling through the channel "are at a massive disadvantage," he added. Cardenas was previously president and CIO at Trace3, an integrator based in Irvine, Calif.
MIT Sloan startups explore channel
Last week's MIT Sloan CIO Symposium's Innovation Showcase provides several examples of startups' partner ecosystem ties. The annual event features early-stage companies pursuing business with enterprise IT buyers. Kognitos, a San Jose, Calif., startup that participated in this year's Innovation Showcase, aims to cultivate relationships with business and technology consulting partners.
"We have started down that path," said Jason Langone, chief of growth at Kognitos.
Kognitos provides a generative AI platform that automates end-to-end business processes. Partners offer domain and business process expertise for customers hoping to apply generative AI to their operations. Partners are also potential customers for Kognitos' offerings as they explore ways to harness the technology for service delivery.
The investment arm of Wipro, a global systems integrator, is participating in Kognitos' seed round. The $6.75 million in funding will target the expansion of Kognitos' Koncierge platform. Langone said out of five recent customer calls, two were with large service providers.
Kognitos, meanwhile, plans to launch a community integration builder in the second half of 2023, which aims to help customers and partners create custom API integrations.
Another Innovation Showcase company, Alpha Software, also taps channel partners. Richard Rabins, CEO and co-founder at Alpha Software, a low-code/no-code platform provider based in Burlington, Mass., said about 35% of the company's business stems from consulting firms that have existing relationships with enterprises.
Partners provide systems integration capabilities in addition to customer access. Data sharing and integration is a big topic, Rabins said, noting that partners may have expertise in "gluing different solutions or different applications together." Customers use Alpha Software's platform to build mobile apps and partners may have the expertise to tie those apps into IoT devices or Bluetooth beacons.
At Innovation Showcase, Fermyon, based in Longmont, Calif., discussed its cloud computing environment for serverless functions. The company has technology ties with Microsoft 's Azure Kubernetes Service, Docker, and HashiCorp. Matt Butcher, CEO at Fermyon, said the company is also exploring relationships with generative AI companies and may also investigate cloud consultancies.
The latter, he said, "end up being a force multiplier for many organizations" and an avenue for growth.
Startup partnerships for sales, marketing
The force-multiplier aspect is a key attraction for startups, with limited sales and marketing resources.
"A startup could build everything internally if they really wanted to hire marketing, sales and engineering in house. But it would be expensive and take a lot of time to accomplish the growth goals," Cardenas said.
A single channel relationship, however, could potentially generate dozens of customer relationships across the installed base.
"You can achieve economies of scale very quickly if you get connected into the right partners," Cardenas said.
Channel partners boost cyber startup
TSG helped connect Grip Security, an early-stage SaaS security company, with ecosystem partners. TSG, which maintains a network of 450 partners, learns about a startup's use case, ideal target customer and value proposition to match them with relevant channel companies, Cardenas said. Channel companies get an opportunity to invest in a promising startup, via TSG, and the startup gains a go-to-market partner.
Chad CardenasCEO at The Syndicate Group
"We wound up making a lot of very key introductions to channel partners," Cardenas said, adding that Grip Security upwardly revised its revenue projection as a result. He said the company's product suits partners because it's easy to demo and deploy.
Cybersecurity providers such as Grip Security have become a large part of TSG's business, although that wasn't necessarily by design, Cardenas said. Most of the company's last 10 investments have occurred under the cyber umbrella. The rate of change in cybersecurity and the multitude of available technologies make IT managers more dependent on channel partners to make decisions on vendors, he noted. That makes partners a valuable conduit for startups vying for attention.
The uncertain economy, with its emphasis on efficiency, also makes the channel an attractive ally for an early-stage company. "Getting to the market in a cost- effective manner, and quickly, is more important than ever today," Cardenas said.


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LOS ANGELES – It’s safe to say Jeremy Snyder gets a charge out of the two-seat Tesla Roadster whenever he pulls one off the lot – and not because it’s equipped with an all-electric engine.
As he pulled one of the sleek new automobiles down a side street Thursday and put the pedal to the metal, its lithium-ion battery-powered engine didn’t give off sparks. It just emitted a powerful hum, something like a much quieter version of a jet taking off.
“Accelerate pretty good?” asked Snyder, head of client services for Tesla, who knew the answer.
“I call it a turbine sound,” he said of the sound. “Because it’s an electric motor it’s got 100 percent torque all the time. So it just pulls you like when you’re taking off in an airplane.”
After several years of development, the Roadster – with sleek lines like a Ferrari or Porsche and a sticker price of $109,000 – officially moves from the drawing boards to the market next week when Tesla’s first store opens. It’s near the University of California-Los Angeles, in the city’s toney Westwood neighborhood where Beverly Hills, Brentwood and Hollywood practically intersect.
“Because it’s Hollywood and glamorous, this is the flagship store,” Snyder said.
The next store is to open in a couple months near Tesla’s headquarters in the Silicon Valley city of San Carlos, where the car was developed with venture capital of more than $40 million from such investors as Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin. More stores are planned for Chicago, New York and other cities by early next year.
Although a fully loaded model can set a buyer back as much as $124,000, that’s still cheap compared with a high-end Ferrari. And its 6,831-cell lithium-ion battery pack gives off no emissions.
The car goes from 0 to 60 mph in just under four seconds and tops out at 125 mph. It goes 225 miles on one charge and can be fully recharged in 3.5 hours, which Tesla officials say should allow most people to drive it to work and back and recharge it at night like a cell phone.
Driving from Los Angeles to San Francisco, however, would require stopping in, say, Fresno and plugging its adapter cord into a motel room wall socket.
Some critics have expressed concerns about the durability and safety of the lithium-ion battery, which weighs about 1,000 pounds, more than a third of the entire weight of the 2,700-pound Roadster, whose body is made up of carbon fiber materials. Tesla officials respond that the car has passed all required safety tests. They say the battery should last for about 100,000 miles of driving.
The company, formed in 2003, is named for inventor Nikola Tesla, an early pioneer in the field of electricity. The people buying its cars so far, said national sales manager Doreen Allen, are celebrities, early adopters, wealthy people and environmentalists.
Tesla officials say Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, actors George Clooney and Kelsey Grammer and musicians Will.i.am and Flea have each ordered a Roadster.
It will be awhile before anyone can walk in and drive a Tesla home off a lot, however.
“Delivery is running about 15 months,” Allen said, adding the company was surprised by the demand.
Tesla began taking orders last year for the 600 Roadsters it planned to produce in 2008 and had sold all of them by October, Allen said. The first ones began rolling off the production line six weeks ago, and Allen said all of the 2008 models should be delivered to their owners by March of next year. The first ones should begin going out the door later this month.
Meanwhile, orders are being taken for 2009 models, with plans calling for production of about 1,500 cars.
Eventually Tesla also plans to produce cheaper, family vehicles.
“There’s a model in the works right now, a five-passenger sedan that will be styled comparable to the roadster but a lot roomier to accommodate families, and that is slated for 2010,” Snyder said.


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Nearly a century after Barnes Motor & Parts Co. was founded in downtown Wilson, a merger with another NAPA Auto Parts chain will make Wilson part of the largest family-owned NAPA business in the country.
“Our family was in business with the Walker family from 1961 to 1986, but a while back we decided it would be appropriate for our family to buy the Walkers out of the stores in the eastern part of the state and the Walkers to buy ours in the Raleigh area,” said Barnes President Henry Walston. “Now, 32 years later, we’re back together.”
The soon-to-be septuagenarian said about a decade ago, he and cousin Robert Kirkland III sought a succession plan through NAPA — the National Automotive Parts Association — for the business, but having it merge with Walker was a welcome change for both third-generation owners.
“Robert and my family worked in the business, our grandfather worked in the business and now my son, Kirk Walston, works in the business,” Walston said. “We’ve always had a family member involved and we’ve always took pride in the camaraderie with the people we work with. We’ve always tried to get store managers who grew up or were well-known in the community because they’ll be the ones dealing with our customers the most and we want that connection.”
John Thomas Barnes and Joseph Bennett Barnes started the company in 1921 and a year later, Robert Edward Kirkland joined his two brothers-in-law in the business. In 1927, the business was incorporated and became a wholesale automotive parts and machine shop with Kirkland as the general manager.
“We survived through the Great Depression,” Walston said. “My granddaddy ran it and he kept the business going. He paid everybody according to the number of children they had, which was really something given that time in history.”
And the commitment to the business and the community didn’t waver during World War II.
“During the war, our machine shop ran 24 hours a day building engines for the Army,” Walston said. “My uncle and my father were in the war, but our machine shop in Wilson was working 24 hours a day to help.”
In 1949, Robert E. Kirkland Jr. graduated from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and joined the business with his father. A year later, the Kirklands became the sole owners and in 1955, a third store was opened in Greenville and Henry Hyman Walston III, Robert E. Kirkland’s son-in-law, joined the company.
The business continued expanding and in 1999, the company became a NAPA affiliate.
“When AutoZone and Advance Auto Parts were coming along, we wanted to be affiliated with a national brand and we felt Genuine Parts Company, NAPA, was the right fit,” Walston said. “It enabled us to not only stay in business, but stay profitable and continue to grow our business.”
The Wilson location on Forest Hills Road serves as a store and a distribution center for Barnes, and the merger with Walker won’t change that. Walston said the change to Walker Auto and Truck on May 1 will simply expand the company to 54 stores and two distribution centers.
“Our employees and teammates, some of whom I’ve worked with for 45 years, are benefiting from it while basically doing exactly what they have been doing, just under different ownership,” Walston said. “We’re still selling NAPA parts and our customers will still be working with the same people at the same locations.”
The combined company will have more than 500 employees, 217 people from Barnes.
“Any company’s secret to success and most valuable asset is always the people who make the day-to-day business run efficiently. We have been blessed with considerate, cooperative, flexible and loyal teammates,” Walston said. “Being a family-owned business we have also felt like everyone working here also formed sort of an extended family, which is something we can all be proud of.”
Walston said he likely will shift toward retirement soon, but his cousin and son will stay involved in the business.
“We’ve reinvented ourselves over and over and over again throughout the last 97 years and this is just another reinvention,” Walston said. “You have to do that in business. So many people we grew up with in business didn’t and they’ve just dwindled away.”


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The Democratic think tank Third Way has long defended centrist, pro-business policies -- including the North American Free Trade Agreement, which allowed many U.S. companies to ship jobs to Mexico.
Now, in arguing for a new trade pact being negotiated by the Obama administration, Third Way is making what appears to be a surprising concession about NAFTA, the most famous trade deal in American history: It hurt some blue-collar workers, the group says.
But, Third Way's Jim Kessler and Gabe Horwitz argue in a new analysis released Thursday, trade agreements since NAFTA -- which look much more like the massive pacts currently being negotiated with countries in Europe and Asia -- have shown much better results.
Kessler and Horwitz say that NAFTA, the Clinton-era agreement which expanded trade with Canada and Mexico, "fell short" in its promises to middle-class American workers. But they argue that more recent agreements, such as those with Panama (2012) and Singapore (2004), have proven much better for workers and the U.S. economy as a whole, improving the United States' balance of trade in goods with 13 of 17 countries.
"NAFTA was a mixed bag if you look at the data," Kessler said in an interview. "I think it was a plus if you worked in the office and a minus if you worked on a factory floor. There was a lesson learned that policymakers followed. It was, these agreements have to be different. We did make them better. And if you believe the administration, the Trans-Pacific Partnership will be the highest standards ever.”
He added: “I want to credit some of the original NAFTA skeptics, who wanted to demand more of these trade agreements, and got them.”
Dealing with NAFTA's legacy may present challenges for President Obama as he pushes for trade agreements with Asia and Europe, called the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. Many Democrats on Capitol Hill oppose the proposed trade deals, saying they'll hurt U.S. jobs.
But supporters of expanded trade say they have learned the right lessons to make sure deals benefit America more than other countries -- and not to replicate what happened with NAFTA, which many free trade advocates acknowledge may ultimately not have worked to the United States' interest.
Third Way, for one, had long defended NAFTA, often vigorously, as it advocated for new trade deals. (Kessler says the group still supports NAFTA overall.) But by focusing only on trade deals reached since the turn of the century, Third Way is able to paint a picture of agreements largely helping the U.S. economy, if only slightly. It finds that last year, the United States exported a total of about $30 billion more in goods than it imported from the 17 countries covered by more recent agreements.
Effects have varied by country. The balance of trade in goods increased the most with Singapore, by about $12 billion in today's dollars. It worsened the most with South Korea, by about $5 billion. (The analysis excludes trade in services, where the U.S. tends to run surpluses with its trading partners.)
Progressive groups that have clashed with Third Way over trade -- and which oppose the TPP -- criticized the analysis, arguing that it’s too simplistic just to tally up each trade agreement as a win or a loss.
The magnitude of losses from NAFTA far outweigh gains from the later trade agreements, they say, and TPP has the potential to do the same, especially if it doesn’t include a way to prevent trading partners from subsidizing their industries by cheapening their currency. That has long been the worry with China.
Public Citizen’s Lori Wallach said the TPP most closely resembles the Korea framework. "The Korea FTA actually has the improved labor and environmental standards, and we are getting slammed by a massive new trade deficit since that one went into effect,” she said.
The AFL-CIO’s Celeste Drake argues that Third Way isn’t looking at the distribution of the gains from trade, which tend to favor business owners and shareholders, rather than workers. The labor federation also argues that some regulatory standards have gotten worse in more recent trade agreements.
"While labor and environmental provisions have generally improved since NAFTA, for example, provisions on access to medicines, rules of origin and financial services in many cases took a turn for the worse," Drake said. "None of the agreements are what we would call 'high standards.'”


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GM RECALL: General Motors is recalling more than 20,000 Cadillac CTS and CTS-V cars from the 2009-2010 model years to replace glove compartment boxes.
WHY: Crash tests found that a front seat passenger not wearing a seat belt could hit the glove box door and suffer leg injuries in a crash.
RESPONSE: GM says all motorists should wear seat belts. The automaker will begin notifying owners of the recall next month and customers can call Cadillac at (866) 982-2339 for more information.
The Associated Press


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Bundy liquor store nears finish
WORKMEN are putting the finishing touches to the Dan Murphy's liquor store being built in Targo Street.
A spokesman for the Woolworths-owned Dan Murphy's said the plan was for the liquor superstore to be open before Christmas, which will pit it against rival superstore 1st Choice, in Tantitha Street.
The spokesman said the store would provide about 30 jobs, mostly for local people.
“We will offer roughly 4000 products, about two-thirds of which will be wine,” he said.
The spokesman said Dan Murphy's knew its customer base was made up of consumers who were a little older and who knew what they wanted.
“We train our staff to be really knowledgeable about our products,” he said.
Construction work on the outlet started in May after some houses on the site were removed.
The store will cover a floor area of 1415sq m, about a third to half the size of a standard grocery supermarket.


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The new Apple Magic Mouse has been available on the Apple Store and on Amazon since a couple days after it was announced on October 20th. MacRumors reports that the first Magic Mouse buyers already got shipping notices from Apple.
On Amazon the Magic Mouse is still only available as pre-order without a shipping date, but the Magic Mouse is already under the top 10 bestselling products in the Electronics category. The Magic Mouse is in the 8th place outselling the Flip.
It looks like Apple has a hot selling accessory on their hands with the new Magic Mouse.
You need to install OS X Updates to run the Magic Mouse. The upcoming OS X 10.6.2 will most likely have the Magic Mouse drivers integrated.
The Apple Magic Mouse sells for $69 on the Apple Store and on Amazon.
Don't Miss: Today's Best Deals on Amazon.com


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Building Smarter Cities and Creating Games for Good Discussed in Singapore
Technology can improve life on Earth. That’s the belief that brought more than 2,000 thought leaders from all walks of life together in Singapore on March 8-11 for “Economist Impact's Technology for Change Week Asia.” Together, they examined ways technology and data-driven solutions can address many issues affecting the region’s growing population, such as food security, gender equality, and accessibility in education.
“The conference aligns perfectly with Tencent’s guiding principle, ‘Value for Users, Tech for Good,’” said Poshu Yeung, Senior Vice President at Tencent Cloud International. Yeung discussed cloud-based ways to foster public-private partnerships and create smarter, more harmonious cities throughout the world.
The Digital Path to Smarter Cities
“A strong, thriving digital ecosystem is key to creating and sustaining smart cities,” Yeung said during the conference.
“Local and regional governments and businesses of all sizes can work together and leverage technology to improve the quality of life. The private sector can lend its expertise and technical know-how to advise the government on how technology can benefit local businesses and people, who may have not yet realized how digitalization can improve their lives.”
For example, Tencent Cloud helped China’s Guangdong Province build a digital platform featuring more than 1,800 services and functions available to the residents. “The initiative makes it easy for citizens to access the government services they need. We’ve improved the service quality and efficiency to ensure the ease of use and accessibility,” Yeung added.
The digital world thrives on talent and Tencent Cloud has been offering innovative ways to help find and develop skilled tech workers to reach its full potential, Yeung said. “We launched the Tencent Cloud certification program last year and made the learning materials available for free on the international e-learning platform, Coursera. We also collaborated with Kydon Group to develop and offer cloud computing and other cutting-edge technology courses in Southeast Asia.”
Games for Good
The digitally native generations grew up using smartphones. Naturally, online games have become a part of lifestyle for many. Southeast Asia is a gaming hotspot – 82 percent of the region’s urban population are gamers. But gaming is more than just a leisure activity, said Vincent Wang, General Manager of Global Publishing and Global Esports at Tencent Games.
“Games, particularly mobile games, have become a social lifeline for young millennials,” Wang said at Technology for Change Week Asia.
“As a game publisher, we think it’s incumbent upon us to work with authorities, other industry participants, parents, and schools to educate and ensure the well-being of the younger generation. We strongly advocate ‘Games for Good.’”
Wang’s view is echoed by PUBG MOBILE, one of the world’s most popular mobile games, which uses the Tencent Games Gameplay Management System to help players moderate their play. The system reminds players to rest or stop after they’ve played for a certain amount of time. It also provides gaming advisory notices to minors.
PUBG MOBILE also gives players a chance to step beyond the gaming world and raise their awareness about making a positive impact on the planet. In 2019, PUBG Mobile partnered with Global Green to plant 150,000 trees in the Amazon rainforest and rebuild communities suffering from natural disasters caused by climate change. It also raised US$1.85 million for the Direct Relief Foundation through a “Play as One” event, which provided support to healthcare workers during the coronavirus pandemic.
“Video and mobile games have become a huge part of our everyday lives,” Wang said. “We seek to unleash the true power of gaming by championing a healthy, inclusive gameplay environment – and above all, drive games for good.”


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Restaurants in Delaware will have until July 1, 2025, to phase out their use of polystyrene takeout containers under a bill signed into law Tuesday by Gov. John Carney.
The measure also prohibits foodservice operations from providing plastic coffee or cocktail stirrers and using plastic versions of the toothpick-like spears that hold together sandwiches or drink garnishes.
The new rules apply to restaurants, on-site foodservice operations like cafeterias, grocery stores and caterers. Convenience stores are not among the businesses listed as being affected.
Healthcare facilities are exempted from the ban on providing single-use straws, and other types of foodservice operations can provide the drinking aids upon request.
The measure makes Delaware the eleventh state to ban the use of single-use polystyrene clamshells, cups and other pieces of to-go packaging. Proponents of the new law noted that the neighboring states of Maryland and New Jersey have already outlawed the items.
Supporters say the law is needed because discarded polystyrene and plastic constitute much of Delaware’s roadside and seaside litter. They also note that recycling deflects only a small stream of the materials from landfills.
The law was initially opposed vehemently by the Delaware Restaurant Association, but the trade group softened its resistance after the bill was amended. Initially, an establishment that failed to comply with the rules stood a chance of loosing its operating license, but lawmakers dropped that provision at the association’s urging.
The law takes effect on July 1, 2025, and specifies that violators won’t be fined until the start of 2026. The penalties were not specified in the legislation.
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Silversea Cruises has announced plans for three new ships—two in an all-new class of luxury vessel, and one for the line’s expedition cruises in the Galapagos.
Silversea has signed a memorandum of understanding with Meyer Werft for two new ships in a new “Evolution Class,” the first of which is slated for delivery in 2022. The cruise line has also signed a contract with Shipyard De Hoop for a new expedition vessel, named Silver Origin, to sail the Galapagos Islands itinerary currently served by the Silver Galapagos. That new ship is scheduled to debut in March 2020.
Earlier this year, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. announced the purchase of a majority share in Silversea, adding the luxury cruise line to a portfolio which includes the premium Celebrity Cruises and the destination-immersive Azamara Club Cruises. At the time executives said the move would help the company develop long-term capacity growth in the luxury and expedition cruise markets, diversifying Royal Caribbean’s portfolio with additional options for travelers in those segments.
In a follow-up interview with Luxury Travel Advisor, Silversea executives noted that Royal Caribbean’s size and financing would add economies of scale to many of the luxury brand’s operations, as well as provide additional reach within the travel agency distribution system. In that interview, too, executives noted that Silversea’s status as a player in the expedition space was a major draw.
The agreements for the three new cruise ships are subject to certain contingencies which are expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2019, Royal Caribbean and Silversea said.
This story originally appeared on www.travelagentcentral.com.


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While many consumers happily -- or obliviously -- buy merchandise tracked with RFID tags, some people are up in arms about the U.S. government's legislation mandating that passports be embedded with RFID microchips.
On Aug. 14, 2006, the U.S. Department of State began issuing electronic passports, or e-passports. Prompted by the terrorist attacks of Sept.11, 2001 the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) proposed the e-passport as a security measure for air travel safety, border security and more efficient customs procedures at airports in the United States. The e-passport's enhanced security features -- a chip identification number, digital signature and photograph that acts as a biometric identifier -- make the passport impossible to forge.
The e-passport will help improve security, but with so much personal information embedded in the document, there have been many concerns raised about the e-passport's potential for identity theft. Two possible forms of identity theft that could occur with e-passports are:
- Skimming: when someone uses an RFID reader to scan data from an RFID chip without the e-passport holder's knowledge.
- Eavesdropping: when someone reads the frequencies emitted from the RFID chip as it is scanned by an official reader.
However, the DHS insists that the e-passport is perfectly safe to use and that proper precautions have been taken to ensure user confidentiality.
- For protection against skimming, the e-passport contains a metallic anti-skimming device. This device is a radio shield inserted between the passport's cover and first page. When the e-passport is closed, it can't be scanned at all; when it's open, it can only be read by a scanner that is less than 3.9 inches (10 centimeters) away [source: Department of State].
- To guard against eavesdropping, DHS has mandated that all areas where the e-passport is scanned be thoroughly covered and enclosed so that signals cannot be picked up beyond the authorized RFID reader.
The e-passport costs $97. While the cost may seem steep, the cost of installing RFID readers in airports is even more staggering. Adopting the e-passport will require gradual change, but authorities are already discussing what added security features and improved biometrics the next series of e-passports will have.
The debate over e-passports pales in comparison to debates over human chipping. Next, we'll learn what RFID microchips are doing in living things.


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The company behind Pinkster Gin has expended its range of liqueurs with the aim of establishing its Hedgepig brand as “the definitive pudding gin”.
Kingsland Drinks has launched the Australian Vandenberg brand into the UK.
A complaint about HappyDown sparkling cocktails has been upheld by The Portman Group's Independent Complaints Panel for failing to communicate their alcoholic content.
Two of the UK’s best-performing wine suppliers will officially merge on January 1 to create a new company called Freixenet-Copestick.
Borough Wines is ramping up its focus on wholesale as it bids to become a leading supplier of wines on tap.
Grower Champagne house Lelarge-Pugeot has been selected to supply a bespoke Champagne to celebrate HRH The Prince of Wales’ 70th birthday on November 14.
Brewdog has appointed David Gates to head up its distilling arm.
Brothers that evaded paying £3.6 million in tax by distributing illicit beer, wine and spirits across the UK have been jailed for a total of 12 years.
Rooney Anand is set to step down after 14 years as chief executive of brewer and pub operator Greene King.
Premium spirits importer and distributor, Mangrove UK, has delivered its highest volume of cases of spirits and liqueurs in a single month in the company’s history.
The managing director of Bargain Booze and Wine Rack is leaving the group to take up a senior role at Pets at Home.
Maverick Drinks has announced the launch of That Boutique-y Rum Company (TBRC), which it hopes will follow in the success of sibling brands That Boutique-y Whisky Company and That Boutique-y Gin Company.
Lone Wolf, the BrewDog-backed craft distiller, has unveiled a brand refresh for its gin and vodka brands.
Pernod Ricard UK will market and distribute Canada’s super premium gin brand, Ungava, from January 2019.
Diageo GB managing director Charles Ireland is leaving the business after a 20-year stay and travel retail boss Dayalan Nayager will replace him.
Chase Distillery has unveiled a number of gift options for the festive season.
Spar is introducing three new drinks to tap into the trend for premium and dark spirits; it has also fully launched its Regional Selection of wines.
Edrington Beam Suntory has appointed former Diageo Reserve Brands supremo Nick Temperley as its new general manager for London.
Beer, cider and spirits all enjoyed a duty freeze as the Chancellor delivered his autumn budget statement, but wine was hit by an RPI increase.
Vins du Médoc is hosting two trade masterclasses to educate retailers about the world-famous region next month.
Shares in AB Inbev dropped by 11% after it announced it will cut its dividend in half in a bid to bring down its debt.
Bancroft Wines has bolstered its portfolio with 167-year-old Barossa Valley producer Seppeltsfield and it will relaunch the wines into the UK market this month.
Popular gin brand Brockmans has continued its upward march by securing a listing at 274 Co-op stores across the UK.
Champagne Castelnau is adding an Extra Brut to its range to meet increased demand for the ultra-dry style among British consumers.
Maison Sichel is rolling out its Sichel Independents Initiative for 2018 and for the first time it will run across retail, on-premise and online.
Michelle Brampton is taking over as the new managing director for Treasury Wine Estates’ UK and European business from November 1.
Goose Island has launched its Goose Midway IPA in cans for the first time.
Robinsons has revealed a fresh new look and name for its 122-year old Unicorn beer and it has also added three new premium bottled beers to its portfolio.
An Essex-based farmer has launched a gin made using an eau de vie from apples grown in the farm’s orchards, utilising fruit which would otherwise go to waste.
Organic alcoholic drinks from other categories will we be exhibited alongside wine for the first time at next year’s Millesime Bio, described as ‘the world’s leading organic wine fair’.
For more information about recruitment advertising online or within Drinks Retailing News magazine please contact:
Erica Stuart on 01293 558 132


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Coming out of the Great Recession, few retailers were able to connect with customers the same way lululemon athletica (NASDAQ:LULU) did. Same-store sales boomed, new markets were entered, and the stock absolutely skyrocketed.
But that was the past, and this is the present. The company has taken its fair share of hits to the chin, and shares have been punished accordingly. But Fool contributor Brian Stoffel thinks that, given a series of recent developments, it's worth kicking the tires on this growth stock.


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Daily Archive: Thursday, February 8, 2018
Today only deal!
Just add to cart and checkout. Limit one sample per household.
Weight Watchers announced earlier this week that they will be offering teenagers (ages 13-17) free memberships for six weeks this summer to “help the development of healthy habits at a critical life stage”. The company aims to grow its revenue to more than $2 billion by 2020.


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Chamber study: Minimum wage hike will cost 900-3,100 jobs
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The political battle over San Jose’s Measure D proposed minimum wage increase from $8 an hour to $10 an hour has officially arrived.
On the heels of a press conference Monday morning called by supporters of the measure, the San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce on Monday afternoon released a study showing that passage of Measure D would result in a loss of 900-3,100 local jobs.
The study, paid for by the California Restaurant Association and completed by research firm Beacon Economics, also forecasts a total cost between $88 million and $96 million for local businesses due to the wage hike.
San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed spoke in opposition to the measure at the Chamber event, saying the city does not have the additional $600,000 to cover the costs of enforcing the new rule – another estimate included in the new study.
“We’re facing a budget gap of $20 million,” Reed said. “This is a bad idea. It will cost people their jobs.”
Christopher Thornberg, the economist who completed the report, said the measure would result in some new economic activity for the city as a result of people making and spending more money, but said this positive is outweighed by costs to employers.
Saying that he approached the study from a perspective “as neutral as possible,” Thornberg said competition with low-wage workers in nearby cities could mean businesses leaving the city. He added that “mom and pop” small and medium-sized businesses would likely bear the brunt of the cost, because the area’s high-profile international tech companies usually pay workers more than minimum wage.
Lauren Hepler is the economic development reporter at the Silicon Valley Business Journal.
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Article Title: Companies strive to build a better (more expensive) light bulb
By: Paul Glader
Publication: The Washington Post, 10/15/2011
Freedonia Study: Advanced Lighting to 2015 (2743)
Quote from article
The Freedonia Group in Cleveland expects U.S. demand for advanced lighting products — LEDs, compact fluorescents, halogen lights and other products that will replace incandescent bulbs — to grow nearly 11 percent per year to $6.8 billion in 2013.
Display Full Text of Article


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NEW Zealand, on Tuesday introduced legislation to Parliament about the impacts of unfair business and commercial practices in the country.
According to the Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister, Kris Faafoi, The Fair Trading Amendment Bill will make two major changes to better protect consumers and businesses, with the first set of changes to prohibit unconscionable conduct.
“This is effectively serious misconduct that goes far beyond what is commercially necessary or appropriate. Businesses that are found to act unconscionably will face fines of up to 600,000 NZ dollars (or 394,491 U.S. dollars).
“The second set of changes extends existing protections against unfair contract terms in standard form consumer contracts so they also apply to business-to-business trading relationships with a value below 250,000 NZ dollars per year.
“These changes to the Fair Trading Act will draw a line in the sand about acceptable standards of commercial conduct in New Zealand,“Faafoi said.
He said that the government had clear expectations that business practices could be conducted fairly and reasonably, adding that honest businesses should have no cause for concern about the changes.
The changes will improve protections for consumers against mobile traders and predatory loan shark behaviour.
The Fair Trading Amendment Bill will have its first reading early in 2020.
According to the Minister of Small Business, Stuart Nash, I heard too many stories about one-sided contracts, extended payment terms, and pressure tactics that are hurting small businesses and consumers.
“Unfair practices make it hard for New Zealand businesses to focus on what really matters, developing their products and services, innovating and growing their business. It also leads to real hardship for consumers,” Nash said. (Xinhua/NAN)
– Dec. 17, 2019 @ 12:42 GMT |


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Tuesday, April 7, 2015
Rapper Meek Mill puts car company on blast, says they sold him 200k Lambo with a 'fake' title
Rapper Meek Mill took to his instagram page to blast a car company in Florida called EuroSports claiming they sold him a Lamborghini (pictured above) and hid the fact that the car
had a salvage title until after he'd paid for it. For those who don't know what a car with a 'Salvage' title means, it means a car that's been in wreck - in Nigeria we call it 'accident' cars. It's supposed to be worth less than cars with 'clean' titles but they sold it to him like it was clean.


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Towerbank will combat crypto-related scams and aid the development of Panama's crypto industry.
According to the official statement posted on Twitter, Towerbank, one of the most significant banking institutions in Panama, announced that it would start accepting Bitcoin (BTC). This means that from now on, residents will be able to open up their crypto accounts and freely carry out financial transactions from or to cryptocurrency trading platforms without any obstacles. VP of Towerbank Gabriel Campa additionally stated:
“They will not suffer blockages, closures or other setbacks that Panamanian citizens usually report from banking when they carry out operations with cryptocurrencies.”
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Towerbank is the first-ever bank in Latin America that carried out such an initiative.
Moreover, the CEO of LatAmTech Finance Cristobal Pereira stated that the financial institution is crypto-friendly and welcomes various traders to “come to open accounts and deposit withdrawals from exchanges without fear.”
Secretary-General of the Chamber of Digital Commerce and Blockchain of Panama Rodrigo Icaza also implied that Towerbank will have a crucial role in curbing cryptocurrencies-related frauds and cyber attacks, as well as supporting the crypto market's development in Panama.
On top of that, the banking institution also takes great responsibility to ensure that their customers are protected. Thus, “due to the financial risk that the use of cryptocurrencies in the banking sector may represent, customers are required to notify the bank of the addresses they use to trade crypto assets,” the bank noted.
As reported in the official statement, Towerbank will not support crypto-to-crypto services and residents in the country won't be able to carry out crypto-related operations that exceed the $5000 mark per month. However, the banking institution highlights that traders will have the ability to easily switch fiat currencies and other service providers via Towerbank.
In fact, there are rumors spreading that the top 30 bank in Panama will enable a feature that will allow its users to connect their crypto accounts, such as Binance, to their Towerbank accounts.
Towerbank is a Panama-based financial institution that has more than 40 years of experience in the business with over 200 employees.
In other news, the biggest fintech bank in Brazil dubbed Nubank joined forces with blockchain platform Paxos to offer the bank’s clients the ability to purchase and sell various crypto, including Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH).
Likewise, New York-based BNY Mellon announced that it will offer its institutional clients an opportunity to hold digital assets such as Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (BTC).


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Free Virtual Event: “The Creator Economy vs Media Death Stars”
Free Virtual Event: “The Creator Economy vs Media Death Stars” Evan Shapiro’s Media Map Prognosis — New for 2022 View this email in your browser
Tomorrow: “The Creator Economy vs Media Death Stars”
Tues March 29th 11am, Free
“It’s now corporate content versus creator content” says Evan Shapiro — of eShap.
With Disney Streaming, Amazon, and Netflix octupling down on content, and Discovery Inc and WarnerMedia merging into DiscoBros, Evan Shapiro — eshap — says it’s a battle between creators and platforms.
The NYC Media Lab’s Executive Director Steven Rosenbaum will engage Shapiro in a crisp and often provocative conversation. As platforms like Apple TV and Netflix dig deep to spend huge dollars on content, will creators become little more than highly paid properties of the platforms they serve?
“Suddenly, in a creator economy, you can make a middle-class living. Last year, 2021, was the first year that you can make a middle class living in the creator economy used to be the top 1% of creators made any kind of f**##ing money, and then everybody else made nothing but the platform made all” says Evan Shapiro — of eShap.
Shapiro is a mapmaker, and in this presentation of the battles ahead, Rosenbaum will endeavor to turn Shapiro’s maps into a guidebook for how creators can navigate their path toward a future as kings of content. Kings, or court jesters? That remains to be seen.
A limited amount of free tickets are available — register now!
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Ramadan, Islam’s holy month of fasting and gift giving that is celebrated widely around the globe by Muslims. Amazon.com Inc., Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. and other online retailers are competing more fiercely to gain a foothold in the Arab world.
As Ramadan is celebrated widely by giving gifts to each other, many shop-keepers or retailers offered multiple mind-blowing deals and discounts on almost everything. Be it a car or a washing machine or simply even an iron or batteries. The purchase made during this time of year is huge. But it was not seemed huge in terms of online shopping. This year, many people have decided to shop online and get their products delivered to them on time.
Ramadan gifts that were mainly stuck to the traditional Arab markets and the Persian Gulf’s glitzy malls, is now competing with online markets. Online retail lagged behind, but that has begun to change this Ramadan, which started May 5 and is scheduled to end Tuesday. Online sales in the Middle East and Africa have doubled so far during Ramadan this year when compared with a similar time frame two months before the holiday, said Michele Iozzo, managing director of Middle East and Africa at Criteo , an online advertising platform that tracks data. In 2018, sales went up during Ramadan by 98% compared with the baseline in the preceding period, while in 2017 this figure was 70%, he said.
“We’ve seen significant increase in Ramadan sales, especially in Saudi Arabia, Oman and Morocco,” said Matt Zhang, head of Middle East operations at AliExpress, the retail arm of Alibaba Group.
Both online retailing giants, Amazon and Alibaba had begun preparing for Ramadan 2 months ago. They held up campaigns and took their advertising and marketing promptly and more seriously. They made large investments in Arab region and ensured their facilities all over the place.
Amazon entered the region in March 2017 with the acquisition of local player Souq.com for $580 million. Just before Ramadan began this year, Amazon launched its first branded Arabic-language site in the United Arab Emirates. In recent days, Amazon’s U.A.E. site has switched to a theme around Eid al-Fitr, the holiday of feasts and giving at the end of Ramadan.
Last August, AliExpress upgraded its service to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to ensure better and more rapid deliveries. A number of local online retailers also have emerged, creating a new battleground for market share. Among them are Noon.com, which is backed by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign-wealth fund and launched by Emirati billionaire Mohamed Alabbar.


text: Bulahdelah Chamber of Commerce and Tourism named finalist Bulahdelah, Wootton, Nerong by News Of The Area - Modern Media - July 12, 2016 FINALIST: Bulahdelah Chamber of Commerce and Tourism President John Sahyoun and Vice-President Kevin Carter. BULAHDELAH Chamber of Commerce and Tourism have been announced as finalists in the Hunter Business Awards for the second consecutive year. The awards are recognised as Australia’s most prestigious Regional Business Awards and honour individuals and businesses in 10 different categories. The Bulahdelah Chamber have been shortlisted in the Local Chamber Excellence category which acknowledgesthe contribution organisations make to businesses and their communities. Bulahdelah Chamber President John Sahyoun said being named as a finalist recognises the efforts of all Chamber members over many years. “We have worked hard at improving opportunities for both businesses and community members in our local area as well as developing strong links within our Region and throughoutthe State,” Mr Sahyoun said. “We have been focussing on promoting tourism in the area and our members have implemented various strategies to attract visitors to our town to enjoy the many unique features the area offers.” Mr Sahyoun said Chamber members are continually working towards the general growth of services available in the community and were looking forward to a successful future for businesses. The Bulahdelah Chamber is a self-funded organisation with over 40 active members and incorporates the management of the Rural Transaction Centre and Visitor Information Centre. Want your business advertised online with the News Of The Area? With 11,383 page-views over the last one month, you’ll reach your online audience & customers. Email us today for a quote: [email protected] Dungog District Chamber of Commerce, Scone Chamber of Commerce and Singleton Business Chamber have also been named as finalists. The organisations will be judged on their engagement with their local business community, initiatives undertaken during the past 12 months and also their association with the Hunter and NSW Business Chambers. The winners of the Hunter Business Awards will be announced at a function in Newcastle on 5 August.


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Four people were charged today for allegedly smuggling counterfeit Apple iPhones, iPads and iPods, and Sony camcorders, from China for sale in the United States, U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman of the District of New Jersey announced.
The eight-count indictment charges Andreina Becerra, 30, a Venezuelan national, and Roberto Volpe, 33, an Italian national, both of Miami; Jianhua Li, 40, a Chinese national and resident of Guangzhou, China; and Rosario La Marca, 52, an Italian national and resident of Naples, Italy, with importing and trafficking fake iPhones, iPads and iPods bearing counterfeit Apple trademarks, and fake camcorders bearing counterfeit Sony trademarks, as well as smuggling, structuring and international money laundering.
The defendants were arrested last week in a coordinated, multi-district effort by HSI in Los Angeles, Miami and Newark.
The defendants were arraigned this afternoon before U.S. District Court Judge Kevin McNulty Newark federal court.
According to the indictment: From July 2009 through February 2014 the defendants allegedly conspired to smuggle into the United States from China more than 40,000 electronic devices and accessories.
The estimated manufacturer’s suggested retail prices for an equivalent number of genuine items would have exceeded $15 million. The devices were often shipped separately from the labels bearing counterfeit trademarks in order avoid detection by Customs and Border Protection. The devices were then labeled and packaged after they passed through customs.
The defendants then allegedly re-shipped the devices to conspirators all over the United States. Proceeds from the sales of the devices were funneled back to the defendants’ accounts in Florida and New Jersey via structured cash deposits – broken into multiple deposits of less than $10,000 each to avoid bank reporting requirements – and a portion of the proceeds was then transferred to conspirators in Italy, further disguising the source of the funds.
According to the indictment, the defendants made more than 100 illegal wire transfers totaling more than $1.1 million to Li’s Hong Kong accounts to facilitate their criminal activity.


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Chinese trade negotiators suddenly canceled a visit to meet U.S. farmers after they wrapped up trade talks in Washington this week.Marketsread more
Blackstone Executive Vice Chairman Tony James says he's less optimistic now than before that the U.S.-China trade war could be resolved, but even a smaller deal could help...World Economyread more
The Pentagon will deploy U.S. forces to the Middle East on the heels of the attack on Saudi Arabian oil facilities, United States Secretary of Defense Mark Esper announced...Defenseread more
President Trump also said he is "not looking for a partial deal" with Beijing, moving away from his suggestion last week that he would consider an "interim deal."Politicsread more
Progress on trade talks will determine how far market will move above new highs.Trader Talk with Bob Pisaniread more
"Sure, the trade war's taking its toll on business ... it's just not taking its toll where it was supposed to," Jim Cramer says.Mad Money with Jim Cramerread more
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Michael Pack, a conservative filmmaker linked to Steve Bannon, saw at least $1.6 million in donations from his nonprofit sent into the coffers of his independent production...Politicsread more
The New England Patriots released Antonio Brown just 11 days after signing the wide receiver. The NFL Super Bowl champion team initially had kept him in the face of a rape...Sportsread more
Tesla shares rose for the first time in seven days even after more Wall Street analysts joined the growing list of brokerages concerned with the company's financial health.
The latest downward revision came from Loup Ventures co-founder Gene Munster, who wrote that Tesla will likely fall short of delivery expectations this year as the trade war between the U.S. and China worsens. Munster lowered his 2019 delivery estimates by about 10% to 310,000 vehicles versus guidance in a range between 360,000 and 400,000.
"First, we are now factoring in that Tesla deliveries will be impacted by tariffs entering China," Munster wrote. "Second, non-tariff factors that will impact China demand include Chinese consumers boycotting Tesla and Chinese officials adding complexity to the delivery process."
Munster added that his estimate cut included a reduction in expected China deliveries to 40,000 vehicles from 70,000 vehicles. The new number implies that China would account for 13% of deliveries in 2019 versus a prior forecast of 25%.
But despite the gloomy outlook, Tesla shares rose about 2% on Thursday. As of Wednesday's close, Tesla had declined by 17% since May 14, a $6.88 billion drop in the company's market value about equivalent to the size of Macy's or TripAdvisor. The share price had declined by more than 50% from its 52-week high by Wednesday's close.
Munster wasn't alone in his more sober outlook. In a private call with Morgan Stanley clients on Wednesday, analyst and longtime Tesla bull Adam Jonas cast doubts on the electric car marker and recent speculation that it would be bailed out by a larger tech company.
"Tesla is not really seen as a growth story," Jonas said on the call, which CNBC heard in a recording. Today, "It seems like a distressed credit and restructuring story."
Jonas went on to say that neither Amazon nor Apple — rumored to once have made a bid for the Palo Alto carmaker — would want to acquire the company.
Those big tech giants "may not want to exposure themselves to the unlimited liability of being involved in owning a business where occasionally a car catches on fire, takes down a building, or accidentally kills a pedestrian or passenger," Jonas said. "The roads are very dangerous. There's a lot of stored energy in a vehicle. And the regulatory environment [around autonomous cars] has not had time to cure yet."
The sharp drop in the company's equity value began last week after an e-mail surfaced in which CEO Elon Musk directed employees to cut spending and promised to personally review expenses.
— CNBC's Lora Kolodny contributed to this report.


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REDMOND, Ore., Aug.2013 – Central Oregon Truck Company, a Daseke flatbed trucking company, recently held a three-day shippers conference at its Redmond, Ore., headquarters.
According to Rick Williams, CEO of Central Oregon Truck Company (COTC), many of the flatbed company’s top customers were able to attend the event.
“We were thrilled with the turnout for our inaugural event,” said Williams.
“Our success has been built on customer service, integrity and the ability to deliver loads for our customers in a safe and efficient manner. While we’ve always felt the close dialogue we’ve had with our customers was key to our success, we wanted to take it a step further by hosting a shippers conference filled with informative breakout sessions and roundtable discussions. We felt they could learn from us, and we from them, to mutually benefit our businesses.”
A session on vehicle emissions rulings, especially when moving freight into California, showcased how COTC handles the requirements with its fleet of Kenworth trucks. “Some of our customers also run trucks, in addition to having us run freight,” said Williams. “The session helped them get up to speed on what is required, and what will be required in the years to come.”
Another session dealt with technology trends in transportation. “It starts with the truck and the latest in technology,” said Williams. “Each Kenworth in our fleet is outfitted with EOBRs (electronic onboard recorders), which allows us to communicate with driving team members in a timely manner. This in turn allows us to give real-time visibility to our customers. At the conference, we showcased our proprietary TruckQuest search function for customers, as well. Once they’re logged into our secure site, they can enter a zip code and see which COTC trucks are in their location, or will be soon, and the load capacity we offer. This gives our shippers instant access and visibility to our trucks and helps them better manage their loads.”
Two roundtable panel discussions were also held. One featured the CEOs from the four Daseke companies, which, when combined, place Daseke Inc., in the top 20 for flatbed carriers in the United States. Joining Rick Williams of COTC were Dan Wirkkala from Smokey Point Distributing, Brian Gast from E.W. Wylie Corporation, and Mark Randolph from J. Grady Randolph.
“Our roundtable gave our shippers insight as to what we’re seeing in the flatbed market and how it might impact their business,” said Williams. “And since we are a brand new Daseke company, joining the group in early August, we formally introduced our sister companies to our customers, showcasing their capabilities, which augment ours. Combined, Daseke companies give total North American coverage with the same level of customer care customers have come to expect from Central Oregon Truck Company. All told, we couldn’t have been more pleased with the reaction we received regarding our Daseke announcement to our customer base. They saw huge benefit and synergy in what we’re doing.”
“It’s evident that Central Oregon Truck, as well as the entire Daseke family of carriers, is focused on providing exceptional value to their customer and vendor network,” said Amy Mielke, transportation sourcing leader for Owens Corning, who attended the conference. “The esteemed panel of Daseke CEOs provided valuable insight into the trucking industry past, current, and future.”
The other roundtable, moderated by Don Daseke, CEO of Daseke Inc., was a shippers’ panel, which consisted of three top-level transportation managers. “This was a valuable Q&A discussion that focused on the key challenges larger shippers face in managing their freight and carrier base,” said Williams. “There was also discussion on how shippers evaluate carriers – and how they prioritize safety, service and rates. It was clear that service and safety were the key concerns of shippers, as opposed to just lowest cost. And, the panel emphasized the continuing need of carriers to utilize technology to make the shipping process more transparent.”
Addison, Texas-based Daseke Inc. is a family of specialized flatbed transportation companies serving 49 states and Canada. The companies include the E.W. Wylie Corporation, based in West Fargo, N.D. (http://www.wylietrucking.com); Smokey Point Distributing, based in Arlington, Wash., (http://www.spdtrucking.com); J. Grady Randolph (http://www.jgr-inc.com), based in Gaffney, S.C.; and Central Oregon Truck Company, based in Redmond, Ore., (http://www.centraloregontruck.com). E.W. Wylie is known for hauling heavy equipment, both flatbed and specialized. Smokey Point is a leader in aviation-related transportation with a highly diverse trailer fleet featuring a large inventory of curtain trailers in flatbed, step-deck and low-profile step-deck configurations. J. Grady Randolph is an expert in over-dimensional flatbed cargo. Central Oregon Truck Company handles a variety of flatbed loads and offers curtain trailers and roll-tops. Together, the companies comprise one of the 20 largest flatbed and specialty carriers in North America.


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Nine transportation companies that offer limousine service in Southern Nevada were granted modifications to their tariffs from regulators to charge customers additional fees when they use the new Ride Genie smartphone application.
Critics say the charges for using the app are the highest of any market in the United States.
The Nevada Transportation Authority, which regulates the operation of limousines and buses in Nevada, unanimously approved the revised tariffs at its monthly meeting Tuesday.
Authority Chairman Andrew MacKay said more companies are lining up to get similar approvals and he predicted the agency would get even busier through the end of the year as more tech companies deliver similar apps that limousine and taxi operators will be interested in trying.
The app, produced by Las Vegas-based Integrity Vehicle Solutions, was publicly introduced last week. The authority had granted a temporary tariff through Integrity to enable companies to use the app until they received their own tariff modifications.
The app can be downloaded for free from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store. Customers must fill out a registration form, which includes providing a credit card or Pay Pal account number for ride payments.
Customers generally pay the same hourly or contract rate for rides, but if it’s arranged with the app, there would be a fee for the app’s use as well as a credit-card processing fee.
Tariffs approved Tuesday are $1 to $2 more per hour than standard rates when using the app. For example, for Presidential Limousine, vehicles with a passenger capacity of eight, including the driver, in a standard sport utility vehicle is $55 for the first hour and $27.50 per subsequent half hour or less.
The rate on a tariff approved in October 2013 is $53 and $26.50 per subsequent half hour.
The nine companies receiving approval were Las Vegas Limousine; Presidential Limousine; Bell Trans, doing business as Bell Trans and Bell Limousine; On Demand Sedan Services doing business as AAA ODS Limousine, ODS Limousine, ODS Chauffeured Transportation and On Demand Sedan &Limousine; Desert Cab, doing business as Odyssey Limousine; AWG Ambassador Limousine; AWG Charter Services; Western Limousine Service; and Jacob Transportation Services doing business as Executive Las Vegas.
Critics who spoke in a public comment period during the meeting warned that the rates would be detrimental to the public.
Jack Bond, who plans to unveil a competing transportation app in late 2014, reiterated comments he made at a public workshop meeting last week that the fees to use the app are excessive.
Bond estimated that once Ride Genie is rolled out to summon taxi rides — which Integrity officials expect to happen within weeks — companies would collect an estimated $400 million a year in fees based on 27 million annual taxi rides in Southern Nevada.
Bond estimated that it would only cost about $1,000 a year to track Southern Nevada’s taxi fleet.
“Adding a $5 fee on top of a $75 limousine ride is excessive,” Bond said.
He added that he thinks the public would perceive approval of the app fees as corruption within the industry because the authority essentially gave the companies what they wanted.
MacKay said the staff analysis of the app charges don’t take pricing in other jurisdictions into consideration. Instead, specialty charges are viewed from the perspective of the dollar amount as a percentage of the overall cost and the fees proposed by the industry were within the range of rates for other ancillary services.
“The way we look at it is this is a totally optional service,” MacKay said. “A customer doesn’t have to pay for it if he doesn’t want it.”
MacKay also said he expects rates to change as more competition reaches the market.
One of the competitors local transportation companies is awaiting is popular ride sharing company Uber.
The San Francisco-based company uses an app similar to Ride Genie’s to link its contracted drivers with people who request a ride with the smartphone app.
Uber made other headlines Tuesday with CEO Travis Kalanick announcing that former Obama administration adviser and campaign manager David Plouffe has joined the company as senior vice president of policy and strategy, overseeing all global policy and political activities, communications and Uber branding efforts.
Contact reporter Richard N. Velotta at firstname.lastname@example.org or 702-477-3893. Follow him on Twitter @RickVelotta.


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IRVING, Texas - Michaels Stores Inc. says about 2.6 million cards used at its namesake stores may have been affected in a security breach but it has received "limited" reports of fraud.
The nation's largest arts and crafts chain, based in Irving, Texas, says that its subsidiary Aaron Brothers was also attacked. The company said that both stores were attacked by criminals using highly sophisticated malware that had not been encountered previously by the two security firms that were conducting the investigation.
The breach affected customers at 21 Michaels stores and two Aaron Brothers stores in Colorado between May 8, 2013 and February 27, 2014.
"The analysis conducted by the security firms and the Company shows that approximately 2.6 million cards may have been impacted, which represents about 7% of payment cards used at Michaels stores in the U.S. during the relevant time period," Michaels officials said.
"The Company estimates that approximately 400,000 cards [at Aaron Brothers] were potentially impacted during this period," Michaels officials said.
The details come nearly three months after Michaels disclosed that it may have been a victim of a data breach.
Learn more on Michaels website: http://www.michaels.com/corporate/payment-card-notice,default,pg.html


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Every year, the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb roars to life as a scenic proving ground for any number of vehicles. In the past few years, electric vehicles have learned to win on the 12.42-mile course, like when a Tesla Model S P90D set a new Production Electric Car record last year with a time of 11 minutes and 48.264 seconds. This year, another new EV company wants a shot at the top. Faraday Future will bring its upcoming FF 91 EV to Pikes Peak to challenge a Tesla Model S P100D that's been tuned by Unplugged Performance.
The FF 91 will be driven up the hill by PPIHC first-time Robin Shute, who was the 2016 Formula Car Challenge Triple Crown National Champion, while the Model S will be driven by Daijiro Yoshihara, the 2011 Formula Drift Champion.
There's a reason why EVs like Pikes Peak. While it can be a challenge for a combustion engine to perform well all the way up to the 14,115-foot top of the mountain, an electric motor doesn't much care what altitude it is to keep its top performance going. This year, you won't even have to leave your couch to see the action, either, since Matchsports is going to live stream the Race to the Clouds to your computer or phone. Other than the fact that it'll be an "exhibition match," details on when and how the FF 91 and Model S will challenge each other is not yet known. The PPIHC takes place June 25, 2017. The all-time course record is 8:13.878, and even with the 2016 Electric Modified Class winner (Rhys Millen) setting a time of 8:57.118, EVs still have a way to go to to capture all the glory.
— Pikes Peak Summit (@PikesPeakSummit) February 15, 2017


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HOTWORX 24-hour infrared fitness studio now open in Spring
The new studio offers 24-hour access to virtually instructed infrared sauna workouts, from hot yoga and hot Pilates to hot barre and hot cycle. (Courtesy HOTWORX)
HOTWORX, a 24-hour infrared fitness studio, opened its newest location, at 2015 Spring Stuebner Road, Ste. 500, Spring, on Oct. 28. The new studio offers 24-hour access to virtually instructed infrared sauna workouts, from hot yoga and hot Pilates to hot barre and hot cycle. The new location is currently offering grand opening specials that include 15% off retail and $10 off monthly dues, according to its Facebook page. 713-955-6252. www.hotworx.net


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Designed as a three-masted topsail schooner, inspired by traditional boats, Ceiba features a sail area that’s big enough to allow it to move even in very light winds, while also being easy to maneuver during challenging weather conditions. It’s also equipped with an auxiliary electric engine that kicks in when extra power is needed. The batteries will be charged either from solar panels or with the regenerative energy resulted from the dual propellers acting as underwater turbines.
The zero-emission vessel is currently being built in Costa Rica, at the world’s first regenerative shipyard in this region. All the lumber for the ship’s construction is sustainably sourced, and Sailcargo also launched tree planting and reforestation programs.
Ceiba will be able to transport 250 tons of goods, and its future sisters will incorporate more innovative propulsion technologies, such as hydrogen fuel cells, and algae biofuel.
The clean energy cargo ship will make its debut as a coffee carrier. Sailcargo has recently partnered with Café William, to transport coffee beans from South America to Sherbrooke, in Quebec, Canada. This will be a world premiere not only in the coffee industry, but also for shipping in general.
The zero-emissions sailing boat, a trailblazer for sustainable shipping, is set to enter service in 2023.


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Retired footballer David Beckham was named the most stylish man at the GQ Men Of The Year Awards in Berlin, Germany.
The 38-year-old, whose wife Victoria is a fashion designer, personally accepted the award at the ceremony in the city's Komishe Oper on Thursday evening.
"Like no other athlete, David Beckham represents style and fashion influence," GQ Editor-in-Chief Jose Redondo Vega said.
"With his trendsetting and sometimes daring appearances he has created a bridge between the world of design, models, and photographers, and the world of world-class sports, and brought glamour back to a male sport."
Beckham retired from football at the end of last season following a five-month stint at Paris Saint-Germain.


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By Satur C. Ocampo
At Ground Level | The Philippine Star
The proliferation of huge malls in Metro Manila and rapid expansion in the provinces can be deemed both as a spur and a response to rapid urbanization. Similarly, these can both be an impetus and a response to the growing demand for domestic and foreign consumer products.
Is this trend good or bad for the economy and the Filipino people?
(Almost half of the population now live in urban areas, according to the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council, and that proportion will reach 56.6% in 2030 and 60% in 2050.)
Property developer Manny Villar and Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan both attribute the rapid urbanization and the demand for upscale residences and consumer goods to the over 10 million overseas Filipino workers, who have been remitting billions in foreign exchange ($24.3 billion in 2014). Villar says a “large part” of that (in peso equivalent) goes to OFW families in the provinces. Balisacan estimates that $7 billion of such remittances go into property investments.
The combined families of OFWs and the over one million employees of business process outsourcing (BPO) outfits, he notes, are providing “an expanding market for retailers and malls.”
Moreover, “malls and other real-estate projects [such as townships — self-contained districts consisting of residences, offices, schools, shops, and parks] “are changing the skyline in many areas, as well as the lifestyle of Filipino consumers,” Villar adds.
In many instances, however, these property-development projects have taken over farmlands and poor communities, displacing increasing numbers of peasant and other impoverished families.
By Villar’s reckoning, there are now 153 malls, mostly in Metro Manila. And more are being built by the following big property developers:
• Henry Sy’s SM Prime Holdings has 52 malls, with three more to be completed by end-2015. All together, the 55 malls will occupy 8.27 million square meters of retail space. The biggest among these are the Mall of Asia (200,000 sqm, expanding to 550,000 sqm) and SM City Seaside in Cebu (472,400 sqm). For this year alone, SM has set aside P66-billion capital expenditure for malls and other projects.
• John Gokongwei’s Robinsons Land Corp. has 44 malls and is adding five more in the provinces in 2015 and 2016. Its capital allotment for this year is P17 billion.
• Ayala Land Inc. owns 16 malls and plans to open eight more in 2015 and 2016.
(In Forbes’ list of the 10 richest Filipino billionaires for 2015, Sy is No. 1, with $14.4 billion net worth; Gokongwei, No. 2 with $5.5 billion; and Jaime Zobel de Ayala, No. 8 with $3.5 billion.)
• Starmall Inc. (owned by Villar, net worth: $1.5 B) has six malls with 400,000-sqm retail space; it plans to expand this to one million sqm on a P26-billion budget. This year it will add three malls, another five in 2016, costing P1.5 billion to P2 billion each.
Besides the above, two other property developers are coming into the picture: Edgar Sia II’s Double Dragon Properties and Lucio Co’s (net worth: $1.7 B) Cosco Capital.
• Double Dragon’s target is to build 25 malls this year and up to 100 malls by 2020, according to real estate adviser Saville World Research.
• Cosco Capital plans to build eight malls in the next two years, after having acquired five commercial properties and nine supermarkets, which are placed under its Puregold brand.
Last week, I wrote about how the big property developers have ventured into the retailing business outside the malls by entering into partnerships with big retailers, domestic and foreign, inducing the influx of more foreign-brand goods competing with local products. Here’s more on that:
• While Robinsons Retail Holdings Inc. pursues a P6-billion plan to build 300 of its own Mini-Stop convenience stores and mini-supermarkets, it has ventured into franchising another foreign coffee brand: British Costa Coffee. Having opened its first outlet in Eastwood, it eyes a second one in Bonifacio Global City. “We plan to open 70 stores in five years,” said Robina Gokongwei-Pe, RRHI president.
• Cosco Capital’s Puregold has partnered with the Japanese convenience-store chain, Lawson Inc., to roll out 500 Lawson outlets in the country by 2020.
• Ayala Land and Puregold have formed a 50-50% joint venture, called AyaGold Retailers Inc. to operate a new grocery chain under a local brand: Merkado Supermarket. The first outlet has opened at Ayala’s UP Town Center. AyaGold plans to open eight to 10 stores by 2020, mostly in Metro Manila, spending P200 million per outlet
What looks good about this joint venture is that the next Merkado stores will all be outside Ayala malls and will offer an extensive line of merchandise – with only 5% to be imported, they say – plus its own bakery and rotisserie.
AyaGold’s prioritizing of domestic products is a departure from Ayala’s thrust in its joint venture with Rustan’s Group and Japanese conglomerate Itochu: to roll out 100 outlets of Itochu’s convenience-store brand FamilyMart. Similarly, as mentioned above, Ayala’s partner Puregold is in its own tieup which will promote Japanese product lines via 500 Lawson stores.
In batting for the construction of malls and other shopping centers in the provinces, Villar argues that this not only opens up new markets for the retail business. “This prevents the saturation of the Metro Manila market,” he avers, “while stimulating economic activities in other parts of the country.”
The latter point – stimulating economic activities in the provinces – can be truly beneficial to the economy and the rural population if it’s consciously focused on encouraging and improving the output of locally produced consumer goods, both agricultural and non-agricultural, to supply the big retailers.
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Published in The Philippine Star
August 29, 2015


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Washington, Apr 12: A new survey has found that 61 percent of US teens have iPhones, up from 48 percent last year.
It’s also almost double the percentage from two years ago, CNet reported.
Piper Jaffray’s Taking Stock With Teens report for spring 2014 reveals about the drift from Facebook that many see and hope continues.
However, the figures also showed what appears to be a peculiar commitment to Apple.
Of these respondents, 61 percent owned an iPhone; 67 percent expect their next phone to be an iPhone.
The surveyors this year talked to 7,500 teens, whose average age was 16.4. Most were from families whose household income was $55,000.
The two dominant brands were Nike in apparel and Apple in electronics.
Sixty percent of these kids own a tablet. The choice of 66 percent of the ones who do was the iPad. (ANI)


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They say that nothing good comes for cheap, and that's especially true in the world of smartphones. But after a prolonged hiatus away from the smartphone game, Kogan is back with a new Agora designed to give you solid processing power for a cut-price rate.
Tagged With agora
If you're after a cheap Android phone, it has always been tough to go passed the Kogan Agora. For the price, it gets the job done for users who aren't after a world-eating superphone. The good news today is that the current generation Agora smartphone is getting even cheaper as Kogan readies to launch a new model.
They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and it's no secret that Kogan likes to ape Samsung gear. That's why it didn't surprise us when the new quad-core Kogan Agora smartphone looked just like a Galaxy Nexus when it came out of the box. Thankfully, it's all that the Nexus was and a little bit more. Come and meet the new best bang for buck handset on Android.
If there's one thing Ruslan Kogan does well, it's put out cheap gadgets. Fresh off the back of the Agora smartphone release, Kogan has now outed two new Android tablets, including a new 8-inch form factor starting at a competitive $119.
I have a confession: I really didn't want to like the Kogan Agora smartphone. As soon as I was handed the device and told the price, I immediately relegated it to the cheap and nasty corner. 'Nothing good can come out of a $150 device,' I thought to myself at the time. Well readers, I'm here to tell you that I was wrong.
Kogan used the annual CES trade show to make a bit of noise last week, arriving in Sin City to drop his latest smartphone offering: the Kogan Agora. At $149, this thing is probably the best deal you're likely to get on an Android smartphone for some time.
Remember that Kogan Agora rumour from earlier in the week? Turns out it's real. Here's the $149, dual-SIM, 5-inch Kogan Agora smartphone.
Kogan's much-in-demand sub-$200 Ice Cream Sandwich Agora tablet won't be shipping to customers for quite a few weeks, but we got our hands on a pre-production review unit of the $199 16GB model. How does it stack up at first glance?
Exclusive: Along with the 10-inch tablet I tested last week, Kogan also launched an 8-inch model for a little less model. Despite the size disparity relative to price, I think it's a better buy.
What do you do when you've got new products coming in and old stock still on hand? Conventional wisdom says you sell the old models off cheap, and that's clearly what Kogan's doing. Hot on the heels of the Agora 10-inch and 8-inch tablets we looked at yesterday, Kogan's holding a one day sale on the older 7-inch tablet at $159.
Kogan's first Agora tablet was announced last month, but was shortly met with some criticism after it was revealed that its specs weren't as good as originally thought. Well, the specs have been tweaked again, except this time it's to give customers a better device. Can't imagine anyone complaining about this.


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» Park Shin Hye And Jang Geun Suk Latest News Update 2013
Park Shin Hye And Jang Geun Suk Latest News Update 2013
Park Shin Hye And Jang Geun Suk Latest News Update 2013 on Technology News and Updates AdmaTechnology.com at Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Not only are the latter PS4 started leaking in the virtual world. Candidate key rival, the Xbox 720, recently much talked specifically about the specification.
Quoted from Ubergizmo, Thursday (2/7), the successor to the triumph of the Xbox 360 is reportedly [...]
BBC Weather Twitter account today hijacked by a hacker group called the Syrian Electronic Army.
This hacker group is a group that supports the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, as reported by cnet.com (21/03).
Through Reuters, BBC ensure that their [...]
Good news for all you lovers of the game The Sims. Electronic Arts officially announced that The Sims 4 ready to be released in 2014.
Quoted from Ubergizmo, Tuesday (7/5), EA sure about human life simulation game is being developed for PC and Mac.
“Microsoft chose HTC to be the first smartphone that shows a real Windows Phone.”
Mobile phone manufacturer HTC back innovate through the launch of Windows Phone distinctively, namely HTC Windows Phone 8X and HTC Windows Phone 8S.
Apple reportedly ready to release a mini-version of the course will also be priced cheaper than its flagship smartphone, the iPhone.
Quoted from Techradar, Saturday (2/23), according to the report, the presence of the iPhone Mini will happen this summer.
Lenovo’s new hotshot in laptops for SMBs, M490s, offers several security features and maintenance through LSSB (Lenovo Solutions for Small Business).
Among them is a Software Monitor that works to improve security by ensuring the safety of the [...]
The sound that tells you if there is a comment, leave, and other messages.
Facebook reportedly tested a sound alert system to notify the owner of the account when there is a friend who wrote, leave a message, comments, and so on.
Unpublished experiment [...]
Jakarta – Plastic may be a major culprit in the garbage problem in some countries. However, Japan had already found a solution for reducing plastic waste. A Non-Government Organization (NGO) from Japan named Ecoparty come to Indonesia to introduce [...]
Hewlett Packard (HP) as one of the printer manufacturers claim the new printer, the HP Officejet Pro X Series X476 and X451 Color MFP, the fastest printer in the world.
Recorded in the Guinness World Records, the printer is capable of printing 70 pages [...]
Many Japanese game lovers prefer to search for information about the price of PlayStation 4 (PS4), rather than the design of the console and software support.
The poll Famitsu, Japan’s leading game magazine, mentions 1064 respondents finding out [...]
Who says Gangnam Style fever is gone? Maybe so for some people, but not for these robots.
Quoted from ITN UK, Tuesday (11/06), in a robot competition called Chinese Intelligent Industrial Exposition and Forum Summit in Hangzhou, China, robots skill performance.


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Fintech start-ups in the Middle East and North Africa region are expected to attract $50 million worth of investments in 2017, compared with a total of $100 million invested over the past decade. That’s according to a recent report published by Dubai-based start-up network and accelerator Wamda, in partnership with online-payment gateway Payfort.
“This would be a strong indicator suggesting that MENA is about to transition from the frontier to the emerging market in fintech,” the report points out.
Some of this year’s biggest deals include $20 million for Bahraini payment solution PayTabs, $3.5 million for Emirati finance-comparison platform yallacompare and $1.5 million for Emirati mobile-banking solution NOW Money.
The region’s digital banking ecosystem is developing quickly around four major hubs: the United Arab Emirates—home to over a third of the region’s fintech companies—followed by Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon.
The report indicates that nearly all surveyed start-ups plan to enter new markets over the next two years, and that “88% of entrepreneurs were either seeking or already leveraging partnerships with corporations,” mainly banks.


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In a Car & Driver interview with GM’s Vice Chairman Bob Lutz, GM’s great pontificator spoke about the development process of the Blue Devil/SS Corvette. Apparently, development of the fastest Corvette yet is moving through the development stages and nearling completion. That’s a good thing to hear considering that GM has frozen the development of other large and powerful rear-wheel drive cars due to the proposed new CAFE regulations. The freeze has put the brakes on the next Chevy Impala and several Cadillac models. But development of the Blue Devil/SS is very much on track, according to Lutz:
“It’s a very difficult vehicle development. This thing has so much power that we have to explore a dynamic envelope that we’ve never explored before. We want the vehicle to be safe and we want it to be predictable, even at speeds that no mortal is ever going to attain in the United States. That’s our obligation. We’re really into a speed and power realm that General Motors has never been in before. Weâ€™re way up there with Porsche Carrera GTs and Ferraris.”One question not yet settled is the horsepower rating for the new Corvette.
In terms of horsepower, Lutz said: “We’re certainly not going to be at 600 because some of our competition is at 600. So, 600 is a number that is not satisfactory for us. I would say comfortably in excess of 600 is the way I would term it.” As for 700 horses, “that would be a stretch. Tom Stephens (GMâ€™s head of powertrain) would say, ‘maybe in the second year.'”Expectations are the Corvette Blue Devil/SS will make its debut early next year at one of the large autoshows (NAIAS anyone?) and will be produced as a 2009 model.
PM’s Jim Dunne Bags Corvette SS Spy Shots Technorati Tags:
Corvette | Blue Devil | SS