text:
The global smartphone industry is undergoing a pivotal moment as sales begin to rebound in the wake of the pandemic, and the worldwide 5G rollout continues to take shape. In Q1 of 2021, global smartphone shipment revenues passed the $100bn mark for the first time in a record-breaking resurgence of the industry, with global shipments growing by 20% year-on-year.
This month, Mobile Magazine is bringing you its list of the top 10 executives at the head of the world’s biggest smartphone brands. Meet the innovators, seasoned veterans, and digital pioneers at the helm during one of the most interesting moments in the industry’s history.
10: George Zhao
When Huawei sold off its budget sub-brand, Honor, last year, it was announced that George Zhao would remain as its CEO. He would keep making the same phones. He would do a good, unremarkable job. At least, that’s what people expected to happen. A farewell party for the company was held. Ren Zhengfei made a speech and, for a couple of months, it looked as though Honor would keep on quietly making budget phones for its new owners.
Zhou, however, has a very different plan for his company. In March, he announced that Honor is working on a new premium handset that will aim to surpass Huawei’s own premium phones. Given room to grow, it seems as though Zhao has big plans for Honor.
Title: CEO, Honor
09: Sundar Pichai
As the CEO of Alphabet, Inc, Sundar Pichai has to wear a lot of hats, from cloud entrepreneur to sustainability advocate. However, he also has a hand on the wheel of Google’s Pixel phone division. Pichai was born in Chennai, India, and has a background in materials engineering, as well as management consulting at McKinsey & Company.
In the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, Pichai has been a vocal advocate of using the technological advances made during the pandemic to create a more inclusive digital economy. At the Singapore FinTech Festival in December, Pichai said that, “Our goal for the post-Covid world is to ensure the benefits of technology can be shared, as widely and equitably as possible. If we can do that, 2020 will be remembered not as the end of the world, but the beginning of a world that works better for everyone.”
Title: CEO, Alphabet, Inc.
08: Cher Wang
As the co-founder and Chair of Taiwanese chipmakers HTC Corp and VIA Technologies, Cher Wang is one of the most successful women in tech today. The company she helped found has been having a rough couple of years and, when Yves Maitre (an ex-Orange exec who stepped in to run the company for several years in Wang’s place) resigned due to COVID-19 related travel restrictions last September, Wang returned to steer HTC back to profitability.
Title: Co-Founder, Chair, HTC Corp
07: Madhav Sheth
Vice President and CEO of upstart Chinese smartphone sensation realme’s Indian and European operations since 2019, Madhav Sheth is a relatively unique figure. Given a cramped office and a broad mandate to “make some ripples” in an already over-saturated market, Sheth took realme’s Indian operations from nothing to the country’s fastest-growing lifestyle brand in a matter of months.
“Becoming the No.1 brand on Flipkart too is a testimony to the fact that we have made our mark in a small time-frame, becoming one of the most preferred mobile phone brands for its performance, design, and quality,” he said in a recent interview.
Title: Vice President, CEO, realme India & Europe
06: Ren Zhengfei
Born in the waning years of WW2 to two school teachers in the remote Chinese province of Guizhou Province, Ren Zhengfei grew up to have an illustrious career in the Engineering Corps of the Chinese military. When the corps was disbanded in 1983, Zhengfei worked briefly for the Shenzhen South Sea Oil Corporation, before growing “dissatisfied” with the work and founding Huawei in 1987. Over the subsequent decades, he built Huawei into one of the world’s pre-eminent phone brands.
Title: Director, CEO, Huawei
05: Shen Wei
One of BBK Electronics’ wildly successful smartphone brands was founded back in 2009 by Shen Wei, who stepped down from the CEO position at BBK to lead the spin-off comprising the company’s communications division, Vivo. Wei is a multi-decade veteran of the smartphone industry, and has forged an ironclad business and design philosophy in the process: “Vivo focuses on creating products that combine beautiful design, professional acoustic fidelity as well as extreme video display in order to create a joyful experience for the young and trendy.”
Title: Founder, CEO, Vivo
04: Tony Chen
Oppo’s CEO, Tony Chen, has been the guiding force behind the BBK Electronics subsidiary’s meteoric rise to become one of the leading lights of China’s smartphone industry. He helped found the company back in 2004, and has since turned it into the country’s fastest-growing smartphone brand.
His unique vision for the design of Oppo phones emphasises sleek, simple designs and user-friendliness. In his new year’s address to Oppo’s shareholders, Chen elaborated that, “The essence of good design in a market-leading smartphone lies not in our love of technical specifications but in our respect for people and our love of what they wish to achieve in their lives through our smartphones.”
Title: Founder, CEO, Oppo
03: Lei Jun
As co-founder and CEO of Xiaomi, Lei Jun has overseen one of the most successful startups in history, taking the Chinese smartphone brand from an industry upstart in 2010 to a $4.72bn initial public offering in 2018. At that point, Xiaomi held a modest 8% share of the global smartphone market. Today, Lei Jun’s company is close to doubling that figure, as well as pouring billions of dollars into new markets like electric cars, augmented reality, and SoCs.
Prior to founding Xiaomi, Lei Jun received a BA in computer science from Wuhan University (which he completed in just two years), became the CEO of Chinese tech firm Kingsoft in 1992, and founded an online bookstore called Joyo.com, which he later sold to Amazon for $75mn. He is a prolific angel investor and father of two.
Title: Co-Founder, Chairman, CEO, Xiaomi
02: Tim Cook
When Tim Cook stepped into the role of CEO at Apple in 2011, he had some decidedly oversized shoes to fill. Over the last 10 years, however, he has taken the Cupertino-based electronics brand from strength to strength, especially regarding Apple’s entry into the 5G race with the launch of the iPhone 12 last year. Under Cook’s leadership, Apple has spent the past six months smashing just about every record for smartphone sales that exists. In Q4 of 2020, the company had the best quarter of any smartphone manufacturer in history, in spite of what Cook himself described as a “sales drag” caused by the pandemic. In Q1 of this year, Apple did it again with a global market share of 31.7%.
“I’m already seeing AR take off in some of these areas with use of the phone. And I think the promise is even greater in the future.”
Title: CEO, Apple
01: Hyun Suk Kim
Hyun Suk Kim isn’t the only CEO at South Korean electronics giant, Samsung. He has shared the title with Dong Jin Koh and Ki Nam Kim since 2018. Considering the size and scope of Samsung’s operations - which span from smartphones and microchips to home appliances and real estate - it’s no wonder the megalithic tech and manufacturing firm doesn’t place its entire future on just one set of shoulders.
Hyun Suk Kim oversees the company’s Consumer Electronics division, which is responsible for Samsung’s ubiquitous series of Galaxy-branded handsets - as well as tablets, wearables, and, more recently, laptops. He attended Hanyang University and received a Master’s degree from Portland State.
Title: President, Co-CEO, Head of Consumer Electronics, Samsung
Nationality: South Korea
- Is Vision Pro the next big thing or making Apple irrelevant?Technology & AI
- WWDC23: Will Apple’s new iOS updates further lock users in?Technology & AI
- Survey: 60% of execs think Apple headset is an iPhone momentMobile Operators
- The iPhone 15’s bold leap toward an eSIM-only futureTechnology & AI


text:
AAC Option Added to Eureka 147
Nov 15, 2006 2:15 PM
Nov 3, 2006 - World DMB has released further details of its plans to create a choice of audio coding for digital audio broadcasting (DAB). The international organization, which promotes Eureka 147-based digital broadcasting, has submitted a draft technical specification called DAB Audio Broadcasting (DAB); Transport of AAC Audio to the international standard body ETSI. Following submission to ETSI, it is expected compatible receivers can be designed and broadcast services can be introduced as early as 2007.
A marketing task force has been set up to develop a consumer-friendly name for the effort. The result of this group's work will be announced early in 2007.
Eureka 147 currently uses MPEG Layer II to encode the audio in a stream. By adding ACC as a possible algorithm more stations can be broadcast on a multiplex, which will provide a more efficient use of the radio spectrum. It is expected that the change will also lower transmission costs for digital stations. New receivers with ACC will be backward compatible with the existing codec standard. Current MPEG Layer II services and consumers will be unaffected by the change.
The proposal being submitted to ETSI allows for the parallel use of both audio coding options and ensures that existing listeners and DAB digital radios will not be disrupted. Receivers that include the new codec will also decode all standard MPEG Audio Layer II audio services.

domain: news


text:
"Leave only footprints" may be the outdoor industry ethos, but Greenpeace says a study it recently conducted revealed troubling indications that the apparel made for outdoor recreation contains persistent chemicals, some of which are linked to negative health effects in both humans and animals.
For the study, Greenpeace commissioned two independent labs to analyze the waterproofing membranes applied to 14 different jackets and pants, which the organization purchased from a wide range of manufacturers, including The North Face, Marmot, Patagonia, and a number of companies popular in Europe, including Mammut and Jack Wolfskin. Greenpeace says the report highlights the need to ban PFCs from textile manufacturing.
The report focuses on perfluorochemicals (PFCs), a family of man-made compounds that are used in a range of industries. In outdoor clothing, PFCs are used in the manufacture of waterproof membranes and some types of PFCs have recently been regulated or are coming under regulation in some countries. The study found PFCs, in varying quantities, in all 14 samples. Also found were other chemicals that are known precursors to PFCs, and which are highly volatile, meaning they could convert to PFCs in the atmosphere.
Traces of PFCs are found around the globe—in us, in wildlife, and deep in the oceans. "We all carry parts-per-billion of some types of PFCs in our blood," says Craig Butt, a post-doctoral research fellow at Duke University's Nicholas School of the Environment. Some are widely suspected endocrine (hormonal) system disruptors and are linked to fertility problems.


text:
Ever since Google release the Nexus 6 device, fans have been hoping that there will be a day when Google will bring out a device that is as amazing as the Google Nexus 6 is but so far, Google have not done that.
The new Google Pixels smartphones are amazing but fans instantly notice that some of the best features of the Nexus 6 smartphone did not make a comeback. Fans were also furious when Google decided not to offer the wireless charging feature on the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P model.
At this point, it does not seems like Google is interested in releasing a device like a Nexus 6 in the future but with how good the Google Nexus 6 is, they could still hang in there for a few more years and wait and see if the other manufacturer has something better to offer.
What is your take on Google’s smartphone direction right now?


text:
According to a report from Detik.Com, Sandiaga Uno, the Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy (Menparekraf), said he was optimistic that he could create 3-million jobs in the sustainable tourism sector after the G20 Summit in Bali.
Bearing in mind, the agricultural sector, the hotel industry sector as well as restaurants and cafes are increasingly adapting to the concept of sustainable tourism.
According to Sandiaga, in 2023, sustainable tourism will become a necessity. Where tourists, especially millennials and Gen Z, will choose sustainable tourist destinations.
“There is a survey we just received, it turns out that the majority of millennials and Gen Z, 63-percent choose sustainable destinations, and interestingly 63-percent are willing to pay more to preserve the environment and are committed to green sustainable tourism,” he said in Nusa Dua, Bali, Wednesday (16/11/2022).
According to him, after the G20 Summit, his party assigned one of the Indonesian start-up companies, Jejak.in to calculate the amount of carbon emitted from the G20 Summit which was attended by tens of thousands of people, report Detik.
“We will announce this process in early February at the ASEAN Travel Forum. So, this is a new standard that we call the gold standard for organizing world-class events where sustainable tourism requires that we have the concept of green MICE or green meetings,” he said, Wednesday (16/11/2022) in Nusa Dua, Bali.
In addition, to expand the concept of sustainable tourism, his party will also organize the Indonesia International Eco Submit in Bali in mid-2023.
Then, said Sandiaga, his party will also increase the presence of tourist villages in Indonesia through the selection of 75-winners of the tourism village award in 2023. So that this will have an impact on accelerating the realization of 4.4-million new jobs in 2024.


text:
A Maryland grocery store employee reportedly saved a couple $4,000 when she talked them out of loading money onto prepaid debit cards.
“I said, ‘Don’t buy it, it’s a scam,’” Patricia Keller told ABC7 News in Washington, which first reported the story. “They had a whole wad of money like you wouldn’t believe. And they said, ‘Thank you, thank you, thank you.’”
The couple had received phone calls from people claiming to be Internal Revenue Service agents, the TV station reported. The impersonators told the couple their family was under IRS investigation, and in order to stop it, the couple needed to immediately pay the IRS thousands of dollars. Even though they didn’t go through with the purchase at the Rockville Safeway, where Keller works, the couple had already put $3,000 into the scam.
Employees at the Rockville Safeway have been trained to spot scams by taking note of suspicious behavior, people who appear nervous or customers planning to spend a lot of money on money transfers, prepaid debit cards or gift cards. That background motivated Keller to speak up when the couple came to her to load $4,000 on prepaid cards.
The prepaid debit card is a favorite among scammers — they’re easy for consumers to get, and once the victims have shared the card information, the scammers can use the money immediately. The funds become difficult to trace, and there’s little hope for victims trying to recover their losses.
It’s a common scheme — as long as people fall for it, the tactic will persist among criminals — though it’s not often you hear about a cashier catching it. Store employees are in the business of keeping customers happy, so questioning their purchases can be a risky move, even when something seems off. That’s a good thing for fraudsters, who count on cashiers’ reticence in order to pull off their scams.
As a consumer, you can hope a store employee would help you avoid getting scammed or reject a purchase someone tries to make with your stolen credit card, but the best thing you can do is look out for yourself. Know the signs of a scam — like threatening calls from someone claiming to be an IRS agent or debt collector — and monitor your credit and financial accounts for signs of fraudulent activity. You can get two of your credit scores for free every month on Credit.com and you can pull free copies of your credit reports once a year at AnnualCreditReport.com. Even with all the policies in place designed to protect consumers, it’s very much your own responsibility to ensure your financial security.
More Money-Saving Reads:


text:
The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board has issued an order against Grab and Uber to lower to Ph10-14 its fare per kilometer, from its usual Php12-17.
Based on the said order, the Php10-14/kilometer fare will be implemented starting today, Tuesday.
The said move stemmed after the LTFRB received numerous complaints from customers that allegedly, there is a spike in Uber and Grab fares this holiday season.
Aside from this, LTFRB Chairman Martin Delgra said that the two transport network vehicles are given 10 days to comply with the directive.
Meanwhile, for Atty. John Paul Nabua, legal counsel of Grab, they will follow the LTFRB ruling, but they are asking for additional three days so that they can update their system.


text:
Computing giant IBM has announced that it will acquire Vivant Digital, a digital consultancy firm based in Sydney, Australia. Following the acquisition Vivant Digital will be absorbed into iBM iX, an agency of IBM which assists business organizations in making digital transformations. Some of the Australian clients of IBM iX include Coca Cola Amatil, Water Corporation, Qantas, Telstra and ING. Vivant Digital’s Australian clients include Optus and Australian Super.
According to the chief executive officer and founder of Vivant Digital, Anthony Farah, the digital consultancy firm has an employee base of slightly above 50 though the number fluctuates depending on the workload. Vivant Digital currently has a presence in both Melbourne and Sydney. After the acquisition Farah will be in charge of running IBM iX in both New Zealand and Australia. The deal is expected to be concluded before the year ends.
Per Farah negotiations are still underway on how many employees of Vivant Digital will be retained by IBM. Currently there are 15,000 employees of IBM iX spread across 36 studios which are located all over the globe. IBM iX would not however reveal the exact number of employees in Australia.
Vivant Digital was Farah’s second startup and was launched in 2008. Farah’s previous startup was Gravity, which was service provider in the telecommunications industry. This will not be his first time working for IBM as an executive as he was a lead principal of the computing giant’s user experience team almost two decades ago.
Terms of the deal were not revealed though it is expected that proceeds of the sale will go to Farah and two executive directors of the digital consultancy since the firm has never been externally funded. Farah has a controlling stake of 51% in Vivant Digital while executive directors Steven Henderson and Fouhad Serhal share the remaining stake equally between them per the most recent regulatory filings of the company.
“We now have scale and greater opportunity to address the growing needs of CEOs and innovation leaders willing to disrupt the market by seeking out new business models. We see it as converging the best of big with the best of small,” Farah commented with regards to the acquisition.
On the side Vivant Digital also operated a venture capital business though it is no longer accepting new investments. The venture capital arm of Vivant Digital had recently backed a virtual reality school based in Sydney. Though the bid aborted this side business had also tried to put up a hub for startups in Barangaroo.


text:
What’s ahead for Dealers for the rest of 2020
The final installment of the Automotive News Retail Forum: Dealer Discussions virtual series wrapped up this week, showcasing how dealers and industry partners have weathered the staffing and inventory challenges this summer. Hireology CEO Adam Robinson was among the panelists who shared tactics on what dealers can do today to help their dealerships adapt to the changing landscape created by COVID-19.
Hireology has previously shared tactics and best practices to adapt to today’s hiring challenges resulting from the economic downturn, and how dealers can rely more heavily on digital tools to keep their teams connected. The panel format from Automotive News Retail Forum was a great way to showcase some of these learnings, and hear directly from dealership leaders on how their rooftops were being impacted directly this summer.
During the discussion, Robinson shared data from Hireology that showed a slow recovery for retail automotive dealerships across the country but cautioned on the challenges ahead, especially on staffing. “By working with 1 in 4 franchised new car dealerships across the country, we have an interesting pulse on the state of the market today,” said Robinson. Over the past


text:
2019 Toyota Tacoma Overview, Redesign, Price and Interior – Toyota released the 3rd generation of the Tacoma back in January 2015 and also they didn’t alter a lot since. Up until now they launched some brand-new trim levels as well as they made small adjustments to the vehicle’s inside. Nonetheless, there are currently rumors about a far larger update. It appears like the manufacturer will launch a lot of these updates with the 2019 Toyota Tacoma. Thus far the details are still limited.
Nevertheless, the new Tacoma may become one of the most excellent medium dimension trucks in its class. Many reports appear to suggest that the brand-new design will certainly resolve the inadequate fuel performance as well as fairly low power outcome. We additionally hope Toyota will certainly, even more, revise the engine options in order to make it a far more attractive bargain than previously.
2019 Toyota Tacoma Overview and Redesign
Regardless of what some claimed, the new Tacoma is not going to be an all brand-new version. Rather, the truck will actually utilize the very same framework and also approximately the exact same suspension setup as the recurring version. There will certainly be some adjustments though. For starters, the well known TRD Pro remains in for an upgrade. Below you could check out the testimonial about the new 2019 Porsche Cayenne
On top of that, it appears like Toyota will certainly launch at least one more TRD variation for the vehicle. These 2 should enable them to take on the new kid on the blocks which took care of to take the marketplace all for themselves. It looks like the routine version of the Tacoma is not most likely to alter all that much. The front end will likely be the only real upgrade over its predecessor.
The vehicle should flaunt a somewhat larger as well as a lot more aggressive grille than previously. Also, the headlights ought to end up being extra similar to those located on the Expanse. The large adjustments will certainly occur with the TRD and TRD Pro versions. While the last will certainly be an off-road intended car, the former is most likely going to be a street-aimed truck. This would certainly be the first time in a while a supplier did something similar to this. If it ends up being real, then the new Tacoma needs to become one of the most desirable vehicles on the United States market by a large margin.
Toyota Tacoma Interior
Unlike a lot of various other producers, Toyota currently offers among one of the most car-like interiors in their vehicles. The Tacoma is no exception either. The driving setting is excellent; the products are above the standard and also there is an excellent quantity of attributes. Nevertheless, things will likely get better with the upcoming 2019 Toyota Tacoma It appears like the new model will certainly include a various wheel, potentially a new tool cluster along with a much faster infotainment system. The specialized version can offer things like container seats, suede upholstery as well as aluminum or carbon fiber inserts.
2019 Toyota Tacoma Engine
Things will most definitely transform into the upcoming 2019 Toyota Tacoma. It appears like the supplier might replace the aging 2.7 liters normally aspirated mill with a new turbocharged engine. This will likely be a 2.0-liter unit great for around 220 horsepower and also over 250 lb-ft of torque. Although it would supply substantially more power, it should still be much more effective than its precursor by quite a bit.
The bigger 3.5 liters V6 will likely stay. However, industry experts think the one in the upcoming Tacoma will certainly use closer to 300 horsepower and 290 lb-ft of torque. As in the past, the vehicle will certainly come geared up with a 6-speed guidebook. The old six rate automated will likely be gone. In its location, Toyota may mount an eight-speed gearbox which should make better use of both engines.
Toyota Tacoma Price and Release Date
There are numerous rumors available about the launch date of the 2019 Toyota Tacoma Nevertheless, it resembles the producer will launch the vehicle prior to the end of 2018. This must provide adequate time to complete the advancement procedure as well as supply a far better bargain compared to previously. The cost of the vehicle is still under covers. However, opportunities are it will not alter all that much.
From the looks of it, the brand-new Tacoma will start at around $40,000 with the range-topping designs going with less than $50,000. This should give them a battling opportunity versus the future Ranger which is Toyota’s largest issues at this moment.
Related Cars Review :
Thank you for reading 2019 Toyota Tacoma news in Newscarsreport.com, stay connected with us for more update cars news, we always review new cars in their specs, engine, price and release date.


text:
Swatch, Swiss biggest watchmaker founded in 1983, isn’t just planning to launch a new set of smart watches but is actually developing its own operating system (OS) in hopes of competing with other big names. Both Apple and Samsung uses a forked version of Tizen, and Swatch is doing their best to be on top of the tech firms. Swatch's Tissot brand watch will be the first to ship in late 2018 that uses the latest OS which is to-be-named as "Swiss-made OS."
In an interview with Bloomberg Technology, Swatch Group CEO Nick Hayek said that the company is making an alternative to the existing operating system such as the iOS and Android for smartwatches. He also said that there’s a big possibility for wearable gadgets to develop as a consumer product. However, smartwatches should "have to miniaturize and have an independent operating system.”
What Can The New Operating System Do?
According to CNET, Hayek said that the upcoming smartwatches will be able to connect to other wearables and small objects. It will also require less battery power which allows the watch to operate longer between charges. Aside from that, longer battery power will also protect data better compared to the existing smartwatches, Hayek claims.
Swatch announced that along with the new OS, the firm has also developed the world's smallest Bluetooth chip to use in watches as well as household objects. Hayek said that the company is trying to determine solutions to the biggest problem for wearable devices with Swatch's "think small" approach. Apparently, this problem is the short battery life.
The new Swatch OS is currently being developed and produced by the Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology. And apart from producing its own smartwatches, Swatch is also willing to supply third parties apps in order to run smoothly with the operating system. Hayek added that Swatch has received about 100 requests for further information, with half coming from Silicon Valley companies that don't want to be dependent on either iOS or Android.


text:
September 14, 2021, by aczjb1
Scale 2021 – Izzie and Sam’s story
This summer, Ingenuity Lab members took part in the second cohort of our annual accelerator programme, Scale. The programme is designed for members who are eager to take their business to the next level.
Scale helps to ensure Lab members’ businesses are viable, innovative and scalable, with online seminars running throughout the summer and expert advice on hand from business mentors.
Sisters Izzie and Sam Hurst, who run clothes-swapping platform Dopplle, took part in the programme this year. Through their app, they aim to give students an accessible and easy way to stop buying fast fashion and create less textile waste.
“Since joining the Lab, we have benefited from being able to view our business from areas that we hadn’t initially taken the time to look at before,” said Izzie. “Using the Business Model Canvas has helped us see an overview of our spending costs as well as seeing how long and achievable it will be to start to create revenue. We hadn’t realistically thought about the time it would take for us to start to create revenue and to cover all of our initial start-up costs. It has been a very beneficial experience and we look forward to continuing next year as a Lab member too!”
They took part in the 2021 programme to get further support for their venture, and were able to identify key areas of improvement to help them grow as a business.
“We had a different mentor each week, and this allowed us to acquire a range of advice from experienced mentors that have expertise in different sectors,” said Izzie. “Within the first two sessions we realised that we had been viewing our problems with the wrong outlook.
We thought the main barrier for our business was that we weren’t getting enough users on the app, but after taking a step back and reviewing it, we realised it was actually our promoting and marketing that wasn’t working, and that had a knock on effect to how many users downloaded and made an account on the app.”
The sisters have also successfully applied for funding from Scale to help them overcome these barriers.
“The funding will help us grow our business by running stalls at Freshers Fairs, connecting with the student community and keeping up our relationship with them by running regular events throughout the year!”
You can find out more about Dopplle at dopplle.com
“This year’s Scale programme has been a driving force for our members, launching them into the next stage of their ventures,” said Lab Manager Dr Terri Holloway. “The 2021 cohort began the course with enthusiasm and expectation, and completed the programme armed with a new level of practical knowledge and passion for the future.”
No comments yet, fill out a comment to be the first


text:
2015 witnessed a spike in real estate sales during the Holy Month
Real estate transactions in Dubai during the Holy Month of Ramadan have been consistent for the past four years, with 2015 seeing a spike in sales, reveals analysis by the Research & Data team at Property Finder.
In 2015, 13% of the overall property sales transactions in the Dubai market were during Ramadan. The value of these sales was AED 9.11 billion compared to AED 75.3 billion for the whole year. There were 3,870 transactions during Ramadan compared to 30,737 sales for the entire year. This made June 2015 the highest grossing Ramadan month for property sales in Dubai in a 10-year timeframe.
“Although it is generally perceived that property sales dip during Ramadan owing to shorter working hours, this is mostly a myth,” says Lynnette Abad, Director of Research & Data, Property Finder.
- In 2015, 13% of overall property sales in Dubai were during Ramadan
- Ramadan has coincided with summer since 2008
- It is a good time to look for deals since there is less competition in the market
Ramadan has coincided with summer since 2008. The excess heat and school holidays combined weigh on property sales, with house viewings decreasing and several families travelling back home.
In 2018, 8% of the overall property sales transactions in Dubai happened during Ramadan (May-June). These were cumulatively worth AED 6.49 billion compared to AED 76.27 billion for the market as a whole. In terms of volume, Ramadan witnessed 2,684 transactions versus 34,961 sales for the whole year.
“Although the number of property seekers dips a bit because people travel during the sluggish summer months, it is a good time to look for deals since there is less competition in the market. The number of sales transactions during Ramadan does not fall dramatically compared to the preceding months,” Abad adds.
For instance, in 2017, 6% of the overall real estate sales in Dubai occurred during Ramadan. They accounted for AED 5.3 billion compared to AED 82.39 billion for the whole year. These include sales of villas, apartments, lands and commercial units.
Although it is generally perceived that property sales dip during Ramadan owing to shorter working hours, this is mostly a mythLynnette Abad, Director of Research & Data, Property Finder
Similarly, in 2016, 7% of the overall property sales happened during Ramadan. They were valued at AED 5.08 billion versus AED 68.9 billion for all of 2016. Ramadan saw 2,258 sales compared to 30,417 transactions for the whole year.
Consider Ramadan sales during a year in contrast: 2008, when the Dubai property market was affected by the global economic downturn. Sales during Ramadan were worth only AED 700 million and made up 8% of the overall property sales in Dubai (valued at AED 11.5 billion). Dubai clocked 2,684 property sales during Ramadan compared to 34,961 transactions for the whole year.


text:
Apple Provides New Details in Response to WSJ’s Crash Detection Test
In response to a video published by The Wall Street Journal’s Joanna Stern testing the Crash Detection feature in the iPhone 14 and Apple Watch Ultra, Apple has now provided some new information on how it works (via MacRumors).
The test, in which Stern recruited Michael Barabe to crash his demolition derby car with a heavy-duty steel frame into two unoccupied vehicles parked in a junkyard, found mixed results with the iPhone and Apple Watch only detecting some of the crashes.
According to Apple, the result of the testing conditions in the junkyard failed to provide enough “signals” to trigger the feature every time. The company says Crash Detection relies on “advanced Apple-designed motion algorithms trained with over a million hours of real-world driving and crash record data.”
Here’s how Apple responded to Stern when he contacted them with the results:
A company spokesman said that the testing conditions in the junkyard didn’t provide enough signals to the iPhone to trigger the feature in the stopped cars. It wasn’t connected to Bluetooth or CarPlay, which would have indicated the car was in use, and the vehicles might not have traveled enough distance prior to the crash to indicate driving.
Had the iPhone received those extra indicators—and had its GPS shown the cars were on a real road—the likelihood of an alert would have been greater, he said.
Crash detection is enabled by default on the following devices:
- iPhone 14
- iPhone 14 Plus
- iPhone 14 Pro
- iPhone 14 Pro Max
- Apple Watch Series 8
- Apple Watch SE (second generation)
- Apple Watch Ultra
The feature can be found in the Settings app under Emergency SOS > Call After Severe Crash and is not available on older iPhone and Apple Watch models.


text:
Distribution: Are Drones the Future?
While to many of us Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAVs) or distribution drones still feel far-fetched and like something out of a science fiction film, with big names such as Amazon and Google engaged in research and development, drones could well be the future of distribution.
In fact, Google recently unveiled its drone-delivery distribution service called “Project Wing”, and according to Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos, “Prime Air” could be available to customers as soon as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grants permission. However, there are currently major downsides to the proposed Amazon drones that will need to be addressed before they “take off”. For instance, they are useless in adverse weather conditions, they are limited to a 10-mile radius, and their battery life would be so short as to make this 10-mile trip a challenge. Although they’ll initially only be able to carry items up to five pounds, this is roughly 86% of all deliveries Amazon makes.
Despite the limitations, new research commissioned by the National Aeronautical Centre (NAC) reveals that 42% of distribution companies in the USA believe their business plans to use drones for the distribution of cargo in future. It’s thought that drones may provide cost savings for such companies in the long term, as it is anticipated that fuel requirements for drones will be lower than for conventional aircraft, which are currently used to transport huge volumes of cargo.
While the companies surveyed were keen to use the drones in future, on average, they believed they wouldn’t witness the introduction of these solutions for commercial application within the next 15 years. A major concern was the insufficient weight the drones would be able to transport. Another limiting factor is that the law on the commercial use of drones in the UK (as well as the USA) is confused, complex and full of regulations and licensing requirements, thwarting many companies’ drone ambitions.
There is no doubt demand in the marketplace for drones capable of distributing goods. The challenge for those involved in the design, manufacture and testing of drones is to ensure the delivery of commercially viable applications. It is almost inevitable that the law will evolve in parallel, becoming more sophisticated as the industry does. Despite the stumbling blocks employing drones for commercial use, it is no doubt a big, booming business that will soon be a reality.
This entry was posted onFriday, September 19th, 2014 at 12:24 pm and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. Both comments and pings are currently closed.


text:
VEHICLE BANS in parts of Oxford city centre are set to continue despite protests from local businesses, shadow Transport Minister John Redwood and the BBC's Top Gear programme, NCE has learned.
Sources at Oxfordshire County Council have confirmed that they will push ahead with plans to ban cars and buses from another shopping street in the city, despite recent criticisms that the policy was killing the town centre.
Following closure of the High Street to cars during the day and full pedestrianisation of a neighbouring shopping street on1 June, the authorities plan to fully pedestrianise another main shopping street in a further attempt to persuade drivers out of their cars.
Local traders, who have formed a pressure group called Rescue Oxford (ROX), recently published the results of a questionnaire in which 80% of firms in Oxford claimed the policy was damaging their businesses.
ROX claimed that businesses had been losing up to £3M a month since the restrictions. Pressure to rethink the Oxford Transport Strategy (OTS) intensified after attacks from shadow Transport Minister John Redwood and a critical profile of the policy on Top Gear.
A review on 28 January of the controversial policy is only expected to 'fine tune' it. Oxford County Council director of transport David Young said: 'We want to address the concern of the retail and business community about some of the operational and trading difficulties that certain aspects of the Oxford Transport Strategy have caused. We have identified a number of refinements.'
Options include reviewing loading bans, increasing the parking time limit from two to three hours and abolishing parking charges in the evenings and on Sundays.


text:
The Spa at Trump at Trump International Hotel Las Vegas has received the prestigious Four Star Award from the Forbes Travel Guide for its commitment to exceptional service and world-class facility for an eight year in a row.
To celebrate National Pet Month Trump International Hotel Las Vegas is offering a special “Dogs Days of Summer” promotion. Pomeranian sensation and “The World’s Cutest Dog,” Boo and his friend Buddy helped kick off the summer-long celebration.
Boo’s Big Vacation - World’s Cutest Dog Takes San Fancisco - ABC News
The Spa at Trump is celebrating 12 Days of Wellness with daily prizes this December. For each treatment booked now through December 19, guests will be entered for the chance to win. Guests must enter to win at The Spa at Trump to be eligible for the prizes, but do not need to be present for the drawing. For more information contact The Spa at Trump at 702.476.8000.
The Spa at Trump was founded on the commitment to customize each guest’s experience according to one of five personal intentions; Calm, Balance, Purify, Heal and Revitalize. Each month, The Spa at Trump offers limited time spa specials designed to introduce guests to new ways of fulfilling these intentions though personalized service and pampering. Available June 1-30


text:
AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT PULLS ALL 400 FORD POLICE EXPLORER INTERCEPTOR MODELS FROM PATROL DUTY IN AUSTIN
After a week in the local news, a visit to Austin by Ford Motor Company engineers, as well as representatives of the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the Austin Police Department has pulled all 400 of its Ford Explorer Patrol Vehicles off the streets due to concerns over carbon monoxide (CO) leaking into the passenger compartments of these Ford vehicles. Austin is the only Police Department in the country (so far) to have taken this step. If your vehicle has the same problem, then you should call the 24 hour towing services to get your car into the shop and have it repaired right away. You can even contact these automotive repair services for professional assistance.
Do not take your care twice to a mechanic who performed some unnecessary repairs, if this happens we will like to recommend you this collision repair center which have expert car mechanics.
Before choosing a shop that is right for you, consider what problem you are hoping to address as certain repair shops have specialties. For example, if your tires need repairs you might want to visit a certain shop as opposed to a repair center you would go to for interior damage to your car. You can also guide yourself by the brand of your car; for example if you own an Audi you can take it to an Audi service shop.
As of last Thursday, July 27, NHTSA reported that it was examining 2719 complaints of similar problems, in both police and consumer Ford Explorer vehicles, manufactured between 2011 and 2017.
According to NHTSA, the problem description specifically lists “complaints involving MY 2011 to 2017 Ford Explorers, including Police Interceptor models which report occupants smelling exhaust odors in the occupant compartment. Complainants expressed concerns about exposure to carbon monoxide.” There are an estimated 1.33 million Ford Explorer vehicles produced so far during the time frame under investigation. These numbers include Police Interceptor models.
Ford has issued multiple Technical Service Bulletins (TSBs) related to the exhaust odor issue, and in some cases revised those documents multiple times to provide dealership technicians with procedures to address complaints raised by consumers and police fleets. Concerns over the effectiveness of the procedures have been raised by vehicle owners in some cases, according to NHTSA.
In the meantime, over half of Austin’s police fleet is grounded as of Friday, July 28th. Officers will pair up to ride in available police sedans over what promises to be one of the hottest weekends this summer, with temperatures forecast to be 106 degrees on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Austin municipal workers will start to transfer equipment from the Ford Explorer Patrol Fleet to other vehicles, namely marked black and white patrol sedans, although there will be more unmarked APD vehicles on the road as well.
On Friday, Interim Austin Police Chief Brian Manley said in a joint press conference with Acting City Manager Elaine Hart, that of the 60+ officers who have filed workers compensation claims of possible carbon monoxide exposure over the past five months, twenty had a measurable amount of CO in their system when tested.
How long the Ford Police Explorer Interceptor models will remain out of service is unclear.
For its part, Ford Motor Company, in a statement late Friday evening, said that “Ford Motor Company is taking action to help address the concerns of first responders driving Ford Police Interceptor Utility vehicles.” The company added that “Ford’s investigation into this issue is ongoing. However, the company has discovered holes and unsealed spaces in the back of some Police Interceptor Utilities that had police equipment installed after leaving Ford’s factory. When a police or fire department routinely install customized emergency lighting, radios and other equipment, they have to drill wiring access holes into the rear of the vehicle. If the holes are not properly sealed, it creates an opening where exhaust could enter the cabin. To address these concerns, Ford is announcing today it will cover the costs of specific repairs in every Police Interceptor Utility that may have this concern, regardless of age, mileage or aftermarket modifications made after purchase.”
Ford added that “drivers of regular, non-police Ford Explorers have no reason to be concerned. While there have been reports of exhaust odors in some regular Explorers, those instances are unrelated to reports of carbon monoxide described by some police departments. If a vehicle has such an odor, customers should bring it to a Ford dealer to address that issue.”


text: This is great news for the Broadway Market and its vendors. The market is heart of the Broadway-Fillmore business district. The COVID-19 pandemic hit the vendors there hard over the last year. The loss of the Easter Season in 2020 in particular had a heavy impact on their bottom line. It’s nice to see the 999 Broadway come alive again this Easter.


text:
New rumors indicate that Sony is already planning to release the improved model of PS5. According to information shared by a Tez2 insider on GTAForumsThe console development kit is in the hands of some studios and undergoing their first technical trials.
In response to a user, the insider said that “most AAA studios should have received their development kits in midlife or should have received them at the start of the new year.” With that in mind, the equipment will likely have a chance to hit stores during fiscal year 2023 – between April 2023 and March 2024.
Tom Henderson, newspaper journalist indoor gamesIt was reported that the PS5 Pro will have components similar to the standard PlayStation 5. It also suggests the possibility that the model can refer to removable drivetraded in exchange for something $400, $500 and no major generational updates.
It is noteworthy that neither Sony nor the studios confirmed this information. So everything should be treated as a rumor.
PS5 vs RTX 4090 performance compared
ElAnalistadeBits shared a video comparing the performance of the PS5 and NVIDIA’s recently announced RTX 4090 GPU. Pictures show details of several games from PlayStation Studios And prove that the graphics card is enough to dominate the PC gaming sector. click here to know more.
Don’t forget to follow MyPS In our official profile at tik tok!
“Incurable thinker. Food aficionado. Subtly charming alcohol scholar. Pop culture advocate.”


text:
Unions representing staff at Sports Direct’s main warehouse in Shirebrook have filed a pay claim asking the retailer to move thousands of zero-hours workers on to permanent contracts.
Unite, which represents just a handful of permanent staff at the site in Derbyshire despite having had a union recognition agreement in place for many years, said Sports Direct should pay staff the living wage of £7.85 an hour.
The formal claim outlines the benefits to the company from paying staff the living wage – a figure calculated to cover average personal costs by the Centre for Research in Social Policy at Loughborough University. The figure is higher than the national minimum wage of £6.50 or the national living wage announced by George Osborne last month under which those over 25 will be paid £7.20 an hour from April next year.
The union’s action comes after Sports Direct announced a 20% rise in pretax profits to £300m in the year to 26 April, triggering share bonuses worth £155m to permanent staff.
While the company continues to successfully expand, it is facing anger over its treatment of its workers, including legal action from 300 staff who were excluded from the company’s generous bonus scheme because they were on zero-hours contracts.
Living wage campaigners aim to raise the issue of pay at the annual shareholder meeting in Shirebrook on 9 September. The Citizens UK and Share Action pressure groups have already spoken up at the shareholder meetings of Next, Tesco, Sainsbury’s and M&S.
Sports Direct said: “Much of the comment around the group’s use of zero hours has been unfounded and inaccurate. The group complies fully with all legal requirements which relate to casual workers, including holiday and sick pay and freedom to gain other employment. Casual workers also benefit from general incentive schemes.”
In March, Sports Direct’s chairman, Keith Hellawell, told a committee of MPs that 14,700 people – about 78% of the retailer’s total staff including shop workers – were on “casual” contracts that do not guarantee a minimum amount of work. He said those staff worked an average of 15 hours a week.
In October 2013, the retailer was forced to make clear the limitations of such contracts to staff and to inform them that they were entitled to sick pay and holiday pay after legal action by former worker Zahera Gabriel-Abraham.
Unite claims that just 300 out of more than 3,000 staff who work in Sports Direct’s warehouse are permanent staff. The rest are employed via two agencies – Best Connection and Transline.
Working conditions in the warehouse are tough – underpinned by a “six strikes and you’re out” regime under which workers can be disciplined for taking too long in the toilet, talking too much or taking time off for sickness.


text:
Content posted in January 2012
Crowdsourcing Creates CAD Groundswell
While crowdsourcing has the potential to boost innovation, manufacturers have been slow to embrace the strategy, put off by quality concerns and engineers' reticence to participate in an open development forum.
Slideshow: Top 5 Automotive Trends to Watch in 2012
Because automakers are already on the hook to push their Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency (CAFE) to 35.5mpg by 2016, and 54.5mpg by 2025, they're going to be working hard on any feature that can eliminate even the smallest sip of gasoline.
Former DARPA official and Google executive Dr. Kaigham Gabriel believes sensor companies think too much like suppliers and need to bring their products closer to the consumer.
One way to keep a Formula One racing team moving at breakneck speed in the pit and at the test facility is to bring CAD drawings of the racing vehicleís parts down to the test facility and even out to the track.
Most of us would just as soon step on a cockroach rather than study it, but thatís just what researchers at UC Berkeley did in the pursuit of building small, nimble robots suitable for disaster-recovery and search-and-rescue missions.
Engineers at Festo were inspired by how a caterpillar builds its cocoon when designing its new 3D Cocooner printer.
Design engineers need to prepare for a future in which their electronic products will use not just one or two, but possibly many user interfaces that involve touch, vision, gestures, and even eye movements.
Focus on Fundamentals consists of 45-minute on-line classes that cover a host of technologies.
You learn without leaving the comfort of your desk. All classes are taught by subject-matter experts and all are archived.
So if you can't attend live, attend at your convenience.
Next Course June 28-30:
Sponsored by Proto Labs


text:
The company said in its quarterly earnings report that its new management team has “decided to exit the unprofitable Canadian market,” closing 78 stores and two distribution centers. Most of the stores are part of the Liquidation World chain the company bought for a song two years ago.
Big Lots said it expects to complete the winding down quickly, by the end of the first quarter next year.
“We acquired a struggling Canadian business in July 2011 with the intention of revitalizing it and using it as the base for bringing extreme value merchandising and the Big Lots brand to customers in Canada,” the company said in the earnings release. “Over the last two years, we have invested in this business and our team in Canada has worked diligently to turn it around. However, we have not been able to gain the necessary traction in the Canadian marketplace that had originally been anticipated and believe that the significant further capital investments and execution risk associated with continuing to pursue a turnaround would not be in the best interests of our company and shareholders.”
The company said it expects to post a loss from the Canadian operations in the fourth quarter of $38 million to $43 million, mostly on severance, leases and asset writedowns. It expects to lose another $44 million to $47 million in the first quarter next year.
Doug Buchanan directs daily online/digital news coverage for Columbus Business First.


text:
Apple released new version of macOS 11.0 Big Sur on 12th November 2020. Current BC Vault application (v1.4.2) does not run on the Big Sur as there are still incompatibilities with major libraries as QT that BC Vault also uses.
We apologise for the inconvenience and are investigating the issue and will hopefully be able to release new version of the application ASAP.
UPDATE 18th Nov 2020: Issue was identified and is fixed in v1.5 release that will be released in 1-2 days!
UPDATE 20th Nov 2020: v1.5.0 was just released! Download and update here.


text:
Japan Game Awards 2017 Game of the Year’s Popular Vote Opened Today
The organizers of Tokyo Game Show opened the popular vote to help deciding the games that will receive the Japan Game Awards 2017 in September.
Today the Japanese Computer Entertainment Supplier’s Association announced with a press release the opening of the popular vote for the Game of the Year of the 2017 edition of the Japan Game Awards.
The deadline for voting is July 21st, and votes will be accepted via website or postcard (yes, that’s still a thing in Japan).
The Japan Game Awards 2017 Game of the Year is a series of awards intended to select and honor the excellence of video games suitable to represent the industry for the year 2016. Following the popular vote, games will be judged by the Japan Game Awards selection committee, which will assign a Grand Award, multiple Awards for Excellence, a Best Sales Awards, and two Global Awards, one for Japanese games and one for international games.
It’s worth mentioning that, despite the name, games from all over the world are eligible for the Grand Award and for the Awards for Excellence.
Last year’s Grand Award was won by Splatoon, with awards for excellence granted to Dark Souls III, Dragon Quest Builders, Fallout 4, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Minecraft, Monster Hunter Generations, Super Mario Maker, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Yo-Kai Watch Blasters.
If you want to vote, you can use the form here, but it will require a valid Japanese address.
The awards ceremony will be held at Tokyo Game Show on September 21st, 2017, between 4 PM and 5:30 PM.


text:
The Future of Web Ads Is in Britain
The New York Times is bullish on the web advertising here in Britain
. And for good reason. It is booming.
The fact that there is pretty much a single market here compared to the different local markets in the States helps. It allows planners and creatives to focus on the big picture and come up with big ideas.
There are big differences between the advertising markets in Britain and the Unites States. In Britain, much of the advertising is national, while there are strong local and regional ad markets in America. Still, some believe that online advertising in Britain provides somewhat of a roadmap for where online ads in the United States and elsewhere may be heading. “The U.S. is so behind,” said Terry S. Semel, the chief executive of Yahoo, in a recent speech in London. “It’s certainly lagging the U.K. by at least a year or two.”
To be fair, I'd compare Europe's advertising market to that of the US, but the numbers here are impressive.
Online advertising is racing ahead in Britain, growing at a roughly 40 percent annual rate, and is expected to account for as much as 14 percent of overall ad spending this year, according to media buying agencies. That is the highest level in the world, and more than double the percentage in the United States.
Need more proof of the British boom? Here's a good test:
Try to find and hire a gifted digital media planner. Not the ones that say, "I recommend run of site on MSN" to every question. I'm talking about the planners who really know what's going on in today's ever-shifting media landscape. The ones that deliver ROI. The ones that think that campaigns are about conversations. Yeah, those are hard to find.
Know anyone like that? Contact me: plannerswanted-at-i-boy-dotcom.
Reward offered. Seriously.
Technorati Tags: advertising


text:
Also, it was practiced for several years to create the electronic form of cash, but the company went bankrupt in 1998. Therefore, the creator of that particular digital token had to put down the idea, but many others followed his concept. The encryption technique and other formulas for creating digital cash were taken up by the other companies which had the means to make this dream a reality. From July 8, Binance users will enjoy zero trading fees on 13 stablecoin and fiat combinations including BTC/USDT, BTC/BUSD, BTC/USDC, BTC/EUR, BTC/TRY, among others.
Now, with cryptocurrency signalling the dawn of another new era, a future where physical currency has died out looks to be in sight. Traditional fiat currencies may soon be confined to digital payment methods. High inflation rates, which have resulted in citizens turning to cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin. Besides, players also find it hard to make bets on online casinos using fiat currency as they become unable to fully maximise their profits due to high inflation.
– Mt.Gox disappears along with 850,000 bitcoins
After some profit-taking triggered in part by miners cashing out their gains, its price was relaunched into the stratosphere by the billionaire founder of Tesla, Elon Musk. As with many asset classes, the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020 created tremors, but the recovery was quick and from Q4 onwards Bitcoin was all the rage once again.
- But those who think history will not repeat itself are tasked with answering why this time is different.
- The simplest analysis is based on drawing scatterplots of the network size and network link density vs. the Bitcoin price .
- Here you can see how much the value of bitcoin has increased or decreased over the past 24 hours.
- AJ Bell financial analyst Laith Khalef agreed, and said the future of Bitcoin remains “highly unpredictable”.
- On January 29, he added #bitcoin to his Twitter bio and further promoted Bitcoin with his comments on social audio app Clubhouse.
- A secure, decentralised, global currency that could be used as a medium of exchange.
This topic can be discussed, speculated, and may lead to conspiracy theories. Price of Bitcoin fell, a “mature market” developed around it. Bitcoin price was less than $2 initially, but then it went up. It had its first bubble in June 2011, rising to above $31 before falling into the single-digit price range. After more than two years, Bitcoin finally reached https://www.tokenexus.com/ $200 in April 2013. Finance Monthly also recently heard from Fiona Cincotta, Senior Market Analyst at City Index, on the spread of cryptoculture and the passion for conversion among entrepreneurs globally. However, the few years that it has been in existence have seen the currency go from almost unknown, to hitting the headlines on a daily basis.
Bitcoin history chart: How has the price changed over time?
A fairer start We’re working to narrow the outcome gap between children growing up in disadvantage and the national average. A healthy life We’re working to increase the average number of healthy years lived in the UK, while narrowing health inequalities. A sustainable future We’re working to accelerate the UK’s transition to a low-carbon, productive economy by cutting UK household emissions, and reducing skills mismatches in the labour market. Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings, help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License .
- Before this, blockchain and Bitcoin were often thought of as the same thing, when in reality, Bitcoin is simply an application built with Blockchain.
- The green blocks represent the crypto market, the blue blocks represent the entire stock market.
- This makes it useful for any exchanges that could benefit from increased transparency, speed and decentralisation.
- One challenge with traditional fiat currency that most casino players experience is that it can take up to a few days for a transaction to complete.
- Earle claims that no one knows the inventor- Satoshi Nakamoto.
- The editor and reviewer’s affiliations are the latest provided on their Loop research profiles and may not reflect their situation at the time of review.
According to CFTC, the company and its CEO, Cornelius Johannes Steynberg, solicited Bitcoin online between May 2018 and March 2021, from thousands of people, including 23,000 Americans. For another year, there weren’t any major transactions involving the new medium of exchange. Shortly thereafter, in 2010, a Florida resident offered some 10,000 BTC in a bid to have Bitcoin Price History the priceless $25 commodity come home. With this deal, the world had its first genuine Bitcoin prices set at some four Bitcoins for every penny. On average, this haul of Bitcoin compares to approximately $400 million in modern money. Transaction costs can add up in the traditional financial system when a transaction can be undone or changed by a third party.
2. The Bitcoin User Network (BUN)
The next great innovation in blockchain technology came from a man named Vitalik Buterin. In 2013, he founded Ethereum – a cryptocurrency which has since grown to become the second largest on the market by market capitalisation. The Federal Reserve is poised to begin tightening, with many blaming loose monetary policy for a bubble in risky assets like cryptocurrencies. And bitcoin’s long-awaited entry into the US-listed ETF space could have signalled a cap on pulling new investors into the space. The tumble was fuelled further by last week’s news that China has banned banks from providing services related to cryptocurrency transactions.
Below, Finance Monthly hears from trusted cryptocurrency expert, Fiona Cincotta, Senior Market Analyst at City Index, on the past 10 years of Bitcoin. The next big shift in the way blockchain technology is used came when developers of cryptocurrencies like Ethereum moved away from proof of work mining in favour of proof of stake mining.
All You Need to Know About Dash | Trade Finance Global
Adding to the enthusiasm was the launch of a bitcoin futures ETF, the ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF , which gathered over $1bn assets under management within the first two trading days. However, the past year, in particular, has been full of highs and lows for bitcoin and cryptocurrency markets in general. The news and information contained on this site is by no means investment advice. We intend to merely bring together and collate the latest views and news pertaining to the currency markets – subsequent decision making is done so independently of this website. We cannot guarantee 100% accuracy owing to the highly volatile and liquid nature of this market. He announced Tesla would no longer accept Bitcoin due to the company’s concerns about the harmful effects that mining the cryptocurrency has on the environment.
The firm provides a full range of digital asset services spanning investing, financing, and trading. Amber Group is backed by prominent investors including Sequoia, Temasek, Paradigm, Tiger Global, Dragonfly, Pantera, Coinbase Ventures, and Blockchain.com. In the 1990s, cypherpunks developed openly available security software for the first time. They paved the way for secure exchange of money outside the traditional banking infrastructures, particularly the creation of online only cryptocurrencies. The software for creating and exchanging Bitcoins was published by an anonymous programmer in 2008. Here is an infographic charting how the currency made its way from the preserve of the anarchist geeks to the mainstream.
Author: Chaim Gartenberg


text:
Once the poster child of the personal computer age, IBM are now the biggest purchaser of Apple computers on the planet! Simply due to the fact they save a huge amount of money over time according to IBM VP of Workplace as a Service Fletcher Previn.
Talking at this years Jamf Nation User Conference yesterday Fletcher detailed just how much they are saving. As time goes by the cost saving has increased to anywhere from $273 up to $543 per machine, over a 4year period when compared to a regular PC.
This flys in the face of the normal presumption that any Apple equipment results in a much higher expenditure. However these comments are similar to those IBM made at last years conference a few months after adopting Mac’s in 2015.
But isn’t it expensive, and doesn’t it overload IT? No. IBM found that not only do PCs drive twice the amount of support calls, they’re also three times more expensive. That’s right, depending on the model, IBM is saving anywhere from $273 – $543 per Mac compared to a PC, over a four-year lifespan. “And this reflects the best pricing we’ve ever gotten from Microsoft,” Previn said. Multiply that number by the 100,000+ Macs IBM expects to have deployed by the end of the year, and we’re talking some serious savings. – VP of Workplace Fletcher Previn
These cost savings are due to a significant reduction in management and support costs. The 90,000 already in use are issued and maintained using IBM software and Apples Device Enrolment process through just five admin staff. This massive adoption only looks to be increasing, 73% of staff say they want their next machine to be a Mac. At the moment IBM are deploying as many as 1,300 new Mac’s each week!
So finally you know the answer when someone says that Apple computers are more expensive.


text:
Elon Musk, Twitter are sued by shareholder over $44 billion takeover
The lawsuit seeks to delay the merger's closing until at least 2025, declare that Twitter directors breached their fiduciary duties, and recoup legal fees and costs.
Lawsuit alleges Fitbit smartwatches have a tendency to overheat, causing burns
In the complaint, the lawyer for the plaintiffs argues that people, "purchase the products to burn calories - not their skin - and to safely pursue a healthy lifestyle with the aid of a smartwatch," according to the report.
Google urges court to scrap $1.6 billion EU antitrust fine
The case is one of three that has resulted in a total of 8.25 billion euros in European Union antitrust fines on the world's most popular internet search engine.
Twitter deal could bolster lawsuit over Musk's $56 bln Tesla pay
The deal for Twitter Inc and its potential to distract Musk from Tesla will play an important part of the trial in October, according to one of the shareholder's attorneys. The lawsuit alleges Musk created the 10-year package and Tesla's board rubber-stamped it in 2018 without requiring the celebrity CEO devote himself to the electric vehicle maker.
A gun, a phone cord spur heated talk at trial over Blac Chyna's lawsuit against the Kardashian family
In her $100 million lawsuit, Chyna alleges that Kardashians mispresented the events to get her show canceled.
Elon Musk is sued by shareholders over delay in disclosing Twitter stakeIn a proposed class action filed in Manhattan federal court, the shareholders said Elon Musk made "materially false and misleading statements and omissions" by failing to reveal he had invested in Twitter by March 24 as required under federal law.
Jury selected to hear Johnny Depp's libel suit against former wife Amber HeardThe actor has sued his ex-wife over an op-ed piece she wrote in The Washington Post in 2018.
Amber Heard goes on social media hiatus for 'several weeks' ahead of Johnny Depp's defamation lawsuitThe actor is pursuing a $50 million defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife.
US judge in Google case not convinced company's conduct will get sanctionThe department had asked Judge Amit Mehta in a court filing to sanction Google, saying the company's "Communicate with Care" program, which asked employees to add a lawyer to many emails, was sometimes a "game" to shield communications that did not genuinely fall under attorney-client privilege.
BlackBerry plans to settle shareholder lawsuit over BlackBerry 10Shareholders accused BlackBerry of concealing BlackBerry 10's true sales prospects in public statements during 2013, resulting in an inflated share price.
Jerry Jones, owner of Dallas Cowboys, pays large sum to woman who filed paternity lawsuit against himThe owner of NFL team Dallas Cowboys Jerry Jones paid a hefty amount to Alexandra Davis and her mother after she filed the paternity lawsuit.
Intuit sued by the FTC for defrauding customers with a 'complimentary' TurboTax publicity strategyIntuit argues the FTC's allegations are false and has promised to fight the complaint.
US exchanges defeat high-frequency trading lawsuitHigh-frequency traders use computer algorithms to gain split-second trading advantages.
Protesters in George Floyd's case granted $14 million in lawsuit alleging excessive force by policeJurors ordered the city of Denver to pay $14 million in damages to a group of people who sued it. It was the first trial in a case challenging police behavior during the nationwide protests in 2020 in response to the police killings of George Floyd.
Vaccine mandate inviting mixed opinions and heated battlesJoe Biden's administration seeks dismissal of Oklahoma federal court's lawsuit that is related to the vaccine mandate of the National Guard. The administration wants to dismiss the case in its entirety. The motion was filed on Friday.
Former TikTok content reviewers file lawsuit over California labor law violationTwo former TikTok content moderators filed a lawsuit against TikTok and ByteDance as the companies failed to provide appropriate and adequate support to help moderators deal with psychological trauma.
US asks judge to sanction Google in pretrial document fightIn a court filing, the Justice Department asked for Google to be sanctioned for creating a "Communicate with Care" program that trains workers to include an attorney and a request for advice when writing about sensitive business matters.
Google settles over firing of workers protesting immigration cloud dealThe workers independently settled with Google last Wednesday, the NLRB did not object and the judge in San Francisco dismissed the case last Friday, legal filings show.
Paris taxi driver files lawsuit against Tesla after Model 3 accelerated on its own and killed 1 personAfter the accident, Tesla said that there was no immediate indication of a technical fault.
Google accused of systemic racial bias in lawsuitAccording to a complaint seeking class-action status, Google maintains a "racially biased corporate culture" that favours white men, where Black people comprise only 4.4% of employees and about 3% of leadership and its technology workforce.
Amazon wins antitrust lawsuit against District of ColumbiaAmazon won an antitrust lawsuit brought by the District of Columbia against it on Friday. The District of Columbia said that Amazon had harmed consumers when they blocked sellers from offering better deals at other places than their marketplace.
Prince Andrew's lawyers, complainant ask judge to end sex abuse lawsuitThe judge had given both sides until March 17 to complete the deal or he would set a trial date.
Apple defeats copyright lawsuit over racially diverse emojiTexas-based Cub Club's 2020 lawsuit said that its founder Katrina Parrott created and launched the "iDiversicons" app in 2013, calling it the world's first emoji with diverse skin tones.
Tesla sued over alleged suspension failure in fatal Florida crashThe 2021 Model 3 vehicle had a "defective and unreasonably dangerous suspension that may cause loss of control during ordinary and foreseeable driving conditions," according to the lawsuit filed by the driver's family in a Florida state court last week.
The mystery & many questions behind Prince Andrew and accuser Virginia Giuffre's lawsuit settlement in sex abuse caseQuestions linger, not least who is paying the undisclosed settlement, given Andrew's well-publicized, if mysterious, financial ups and down.
Meta settles decade-old privacy lawsuit, agrees to delete 'wrongfully collected' dataThe company will also pay $90 million to users who filed a claim.
Prince Andrew settles sexual abuse lawsuit with Virginia Giuffre, financial details stay confidentialAndrew also intends to make a donation to a charity in support of victims' rights.Load More
BACK TO TOP


text:
Why AbbVie Inc (NYSE: ABBV) stock is under pressure
AbbVie Inc (NYSE: ABBV) stock fell over 0.7% on January 28th, 2019 (as of 9:30 am GMT-5; Source: Google finance) continuing its bearish momentum of January 25th, 2019 which fell over 6.22% as the company missed Wall Street estimates for the fourth quarter of FY 18. The company’s top-selling drug, Humira, faces competition from cheaper rival versions in Europe. Rheumatoid arthritis drug Humira accounts for about 60 percent of net revenue. Thid drug is the world’s best-selling prescription medicine and in the six years since ABBV has spun out from device maker Abbott Labs is largest contributor to the company. AbbVie in November lowered its forecast for overseas sales of Humira, citing stiff competition in Europe from drugmakers including Mylan NV and Biogen Inc. In the United States, Humira is not expected to face biosimilar competition until 2023.
The company’s international sales of Humira fell 17.5 percent on a reported basis to $1.30 billion, on the back of “direct biosimilar competition in certain international markets.” In the fourth quarter, Humira brought in sales of $4.92 billion, which has fallen short of the $5.02 billion forecast by six analysts polled by Refinitiv IBES. Cancer drug Imbruvica, which AbbVie has earmarked as key to its plan to rely less on Humira in future, that brought in sales of $1.01 billion, in line with analysts’ estimates. The company has previously talked up its cancer drug portfolio, which it says will buoy revenue as sales of Humira decline in future, but a recent trial setback for Imbruvica and the failure of its expensive cancer drug Rova-T have worried investors.
ABBV in the fourth quarter of FY 18 has reported the adjusted earnings per share of $1.90, missing the analysts’ estimates for the adjusted earnings per share of $1.94. The company had reported the adjusted revenue growth of 7.3 percent to $8.31 billion in the fourth quarter of FY 18, missing the analysts’ estimates for revenue of $8.38 billion.
ABBV has posted a loss of $1.83 billion for the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, compared with a profit of $52 million last year, when it took a tax-related charge. In the fourth quarter 2018, the company has recorded $4.12 billion in impairment charges related to the scrapping of its development program for Rova-T, which the company had acquired as part of its $5.8 billion purchase of Stemcentrx in 2016. ABBV expects 2019 adjusted earnings of between $8.65 and $8.75 per share, which is largely below the average analyst forecast of $8.74 per share


text:
Seismic moment It's taken a while, but thanks to Qualcomm, Windows laptops are about to get their own Apple Mac moment in the spotlight, and I couldn't be more excited.
This is it Qualcomm has finally unveiled its answer to Intel and Apple with its Oryon-powered Snapdragon X Elite platform for Windows PCs. And if its numbers are accurate, it blows past the competition.
Get the Windows Central Newsletter
All the latest news, reviews, and guides for Windows and Xbox diehards.


text:
There are the Whatcom restaurants and retail stores that won't be around in 2021
To get notified of our latest news and updates, click the "subscribe" button
In what has been one of the most difficult business climates ever, many Whatcom County retailers and restaurants were able to find a way to survive this pandemic year.
The number of announced permanent closures of restaurants, bars and retail stores is fairly similar to recent years. At the end of 2020, the number of counted Whatcom restaurant/bar/catering businesses totaled 22, which is similar to the totals posted in 2019, 2018 and 2017. When you add in retail stores and service businesses, the total counted is 45, which is also similar to closure totals in recent years.


text:
Even Financial, a fintech company that acts as a provider of personal finance websites, announced a $ 18.8 million A-series loan on Tuesday. This brings the company's total financing to $ 25 million. since its launch in 2015.
The A Series was led by GreatPoint Ventures, and also includes the participation of Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE: GS), Canaan Partners, F-Prime Capital, Lerer Hippeau, American Express (NYSE: AXP) Ventures, Arab Angels, Plug and Play Ventures and Valuestream Ventures, Co-Founder of NerdWallet Jacob Gibson and Senior Vice President of Credit.com Jason Owen, according to release.
Phillip Rosen, co-founder and CEO of Even, said the money will be invested in the company's API for personal loans, which the company has found success in the last year. These APIs take the form of personal financial services – loans from LendingClub Corp (NYSE: LC), banking services from Goldman Sachs, etc. – Web sites such as Credit.com and The Penny Hoarder can incorporate into their sites. Currently, they have over 150 partners, according to the release.
"About a year ago we found a product market in line with our major personal loan APIs and we are now replicating the success among other consumer financial services including savings account, credit cards and mortgage loans", he told Benzinga
. Rosen said they are also creating a software-as-a-service platform to help financial institutions acquire more customers.
"The expansion of financial services verticals is a big goal, but so is the distribution of the SaaS platform," he said. "Ultimately, it is our mission to offer a true platform for financial institutions to manage customer acquisition through channels, which will require considerable engineering time and resources."
Mike McCormick, associate member of GreatPoint Ventures, he added: "We have been extremely impressed with Even Financial since day one As we learned more about Even, it became clear that I am on track to become a dominant player in the financial services industry."
© 2018 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.[ad_2]Source link


text:
Here's What Goes Into Building A 1000bhp A90 Toyota Supra Engine
US tuner Papadakis Racing has released a video showing a 1000bhp-capable BMW B58 inline-six being built from the block up
2JZ-powered Toyota GR Supras are already here. But as much as we wouldn’t want to take anything away from the incredible work done on mad engine-swapped A90s from the likes of HKS and Fat Five Racing, we’d argue that the most interesting tuning project for the new car right now involves the stock engine.
As announced a few weeks back, Papadakis Racing - responsible for mad projects like Frederic Asbo’s drift Corolla - intends to take the BMW B58 unit that powers the Supra to 1000bhp. For the first time, we can see the engine being built from the block upwards.
The standard B58 block has been retained, although it’s now full of shiny new things. There are custom-forged JE pistons, which look especially lovely thanks to special coating - the gold stuff on the top is all about heat resistance, while the black parts on the sides reduce wear on the cylinder bores.
The new pistons are mated with Chromoly Carrillo con-rods, which are joined to the standard crankshaft. The cylinder head has been heavily worked over, now featuring new valves, springs and retainers. It’s been ported, too.
Our favourite touch? That’s a tough call - it comes down to either the 3D-printed aluminium intake manifold or the red rocker cover. The latter is clad in stuff called Cerakote, which can be used on plastic parts like this.
The reason for all these changes is simple: this B58 needs to hold up to a whole load of boost from a single, massive Borg Warner turbocharger. A dyno run is happening soon, so it won’t be long before we find out if Papadakis has met its four-figure horsepower goal.


text:
An exclusive look at how Disney Consumer Products is leveraging new content to capture a greater share of the lucrative boys’ market worldwide.
Barnes & Noble is celebrating the 45th anniversary of Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar with a series of hands-on events across the U.S.
Universal Studios Japan hosted the grand opening of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter Friday that featured an unveiling of the Hogwarts castle.
Early-career photos of Muhammad Ali are now available from USA Today Sports in conjunction with the launch of the USA Today Sports e-store.
Limon and Oli's publishing and licensing representative Mart Agency has signed two new partners for the classic Turkish comic strip brand.
Marvel and Feld Entertainment have unveiled a prequel comic book to set the stage for the upcoming "Marvel Universe Live!" arena show.
Outfit7, the company behind Talking Tom and Friends, has appointed a raft of new licensing agents to expand its reach globally.
Cupcake Digital and Discovery Communications have unveiled the second kids’ app in their ongoing collaboration, this time featuring Discovery Kids.
Harley-Davidson and Marvel Entertainment are holding a contest to find the star of a brand-new digital franchise.
A range of characters from children’s entertainment will be dropping by the White House in Washington, D.C., this week for the annual Easter Egg Roll.
Big Tent Entertainment has released a new e-learning book in its Kideo line featuring the Japanese character Komaneko.
Disney, in collaboration with its partner Glidden, has released a series of new home paints and specialty finishes.
Marvel Entertainment and Disney Consumer Products have unveiled the full lineup of new products for Iron Man 3.
Team! Licensing has added new partners for the Peanuts brand in Germany.
CBS Consumer Products is developing a universe of new Star Trek gear, in advance of the film Star Trek Into Darkness.
The WWE’s Consumer Products Group has secured two new deals for the professional wrestling brand.
Pedigree Books is planning a series of annuals featuring The Collective’s web series “Annoying Orange.”
Big Tent Entertainment and Warner Bros. CP are extending their co-branded Domo DC Comics range to include plush.
Early Bird Licensing has signed on to represent the soccer brand Paris Saint Germain in the Nordic market.
The Topps Company and Mantic Games have joined forces to bring Mars Attacks to life as a tabletop war game.
Nelvana Enterprises has teamed up with Webber Naturals for a new line of children’s vitamins featuring characters from Treehouse.
©2014 ADVANSTAR COMMUNICATIONS INC. All rights reserved.


text:
YouLend research highlights the importance of remote and cashless payments for entrepreneurs running a business alongside their day job – for sales and accessing finance
The side-hustle phenomenon has taken off in the last two years, with recent data highlighted by embedded finance provider YouLend suggesting more than half of Brits with side jobs started their enterprise during the pandemic. Responding to a risk of lost income during the pandemic is likely to have been a motivator for many of these ‘side-hustlers’. The rise of easy access to online sales platforms as well as the greater acceptance of card payments have also contributed to the growth of the ‘second job’ culture and YouLend research highlights the importance of remote and cashless payments to this side-hustle economy.
The new YouLend data found that 16% of all businesses are now side-hustles, and business owners with a separate main day job place more importance on online and cashless trade than other entrepreneurs. Most entrepreneurs accept remote payments, although side-hustlers are more likely to do so – 86% of side hustlers accept payments online, over the phone or via email/SMS, compared with 71% of all respondents to the YouLend research.
Other key findings:
- Online sales are vital to both types of entrepreneurs – 61% of side-hustlers and 68% of all respondents
- Almost half of side-hustlers sell from home (44%), compared to less than a third (32%) of the average entrepreneur
- 86% of side-hustlers accept remote payments, compared to 71% of all businesses
- 70% of side-hustlers said card was their preferred method of payment compared to half of all businesses surveyed
The cash flow advantages of card acceptance are also more keenly felt by side-hustlers; 82% said card acceptance has a positive impact on their cash flow, compared to 42% of all respondents. Selling online and accepting card payments also has advantages for side-hustlers when it comes to accessing finance for business growth.
YouLend research conducted in 2021 highlighted the shift in how SMEs that trade online are accessing the funding they need, and a shift that is particularly relevant for side-hustlers. Central to this transformation is the change in who businesses see as their key partners. Taking over from banks, payment service providers and website/webshop providers are ranked as the most important business partners by SMEs. In this role, they are well-placed to provide access to finance as part of a merchant’s normal transaction flows.
“Payment service providers and website/webshop providers are well-placed to offer an embedded finance solution at the point where merchants need financing” explained Mikkel Velin, CEO of YouLend. “They understand their merchants well. And they can deliver a seamless experience because they have robust, real-time data on merchants’ trading activity which can be used by an embedded finance platform like YouLend to make tailored finance offers in minutes rather than days or weeks. The precise risk calculations and automation mean capital can be extended to a wide range of merchants, including side-hustlers, in minutes. And, crucially, the financing is repaid directly from their sales, thereby helping them manage cashflow effectively.”


text:
While shopping for your pet’s food, you see and attractive bag or can advertising that its formulation is based in part on insect proteins. Do you buy it?
A report from the BBC says you will, and the British Veterinary Association says it may even be more nutritious for pets than prime beef steak.
According to the report by Roger Harrabin, surveys suggest pet owners are willing to feed it to their pet because of its environmentally friendly footprint.
So why insects? Protix, a Dutch enterprise, claims to have the world’s largest insect farm operating now. They say, “compared with beef, insect-based foods use 2 percent of the land mass and only 4 percent of the water,” to produce an equivalent kilogram of protein.
They go on to say a metric ton of insects can be grown on 20 square meters of space in only 14 days. The waste produced is sold for rich fertilizer.
This all sounds very good, of course, not unlike many other ventures in human commerce, most of which have failed. If true and sustainable, however, this innovation toward insect-based proteins may turn many markets — not just pet food — on their ear.
It is unimaginable that the current craze in human protein drink formulations would suffer. If the proteins being used are derived from insects, dried, ground to a fine powder and mixed with chocolate, who would object? Both taste and texture would likely be indistinguishable from the animal-based proteins now.
Protix makes a few squint-your-eye and tilt your head claims though. The company says its insects don’t eat plastics, thereby avoiding contamination, but admits they still ingest microplastics.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Marine Debris Program defines microplastics as those that are less than 5 millimeters in size. That’s about the size of a sesame seed for comparison.
Scientists studying that subject across the spectrum of biology make it clear that microplastics, especially those at the microscopic level, are being found already in virtually all lifeforms including humans. While certainly not benign, the full effect of plastics in biological systems is unknown.
Protix say insect farming uses no fertilizer or pesticides. Perhaps. But consider any monoculture for a moment. Just like a hothouse of tomatoes, should a tomato-loving pest invade the hothouse, the crop is lost without some treatment. So insect monocultures or even mixed cultures are no less immune from predation or disease. Just look what’s happening with honey bees.
It’s no secret the pet food industry is co-dependent on the slaughter of large mammals and the subsequent production of offal. So where would that waste go?
Certainly, some countries find it extraordinary to feed perfectly good hearts or lungs to pets. Those could be exported for human consumption. But what about the rest? Indeed, that would be a problem, especially for the U.S.
Offal production in the U.S. is beyond staggering in its volume. In our diets, we call offal organ meats or variety meats. Today however, it is relatively uncommon for Americans to consume things like tripe (cow stomach), liver, beef tongue, sweetbreads (thymus glands of cows or calves), pig’s feet and veal cheeks to name just a few.
The final question remains, do pets consume insect-based rations when presented? Minimal testing by the BBC in the U.K. show that like most things, pets readily consume the rations presented.
Likely, this will become common. Then marketing will take over and people will say things like, “only organically-grown, whole cricket mash is good enough for my Fluffy.”
Charlie Powell is the public information officer for the Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine, which provides this column as a community service. For questions or concerns about animals you’d like to read about, email firstname.lastname@example.org.


text:
De Bortoli takes operatic inspiration
28th February, 2014 by Gabriel Stone
De Bortoli has launched a pair of wines inspired by an opera closely associated with Yarra Valley-born 19th century superstar soprano Dame Nellie Melba.
The La Bohème “Pinot Gris and friends” and a Syrah/Gamay blend will officially launch in the UK on 13 March at the Independent Buyers Day tasting, a new London event which is focused entirely on the independent on- and off-trade sector.
The Pinot Gris “Act Three” comes from the 2013 vintage, described by De Bortoli as “a terrific aromatic season”, and incorporates a small proportion of Riesling, Gewürztraminer and Pinot Blanc into its blend.
The Syrah/Gamay blend behind “Act Four” comes from the 2012 vintage and is the result of a wild ferment and “occasional foot stomping”, before spending 10 months in 500-litre casks.
Both wines feature label designs inspired by the opera, which is set in Paris during the 1880s, carry an RRP of £13.99 and are being targeted at the UK on-trade and independent sector.


text:
Image Credit: Android Developers BlogGoogle has released Android Q Beta 5 as it looks to put the finishing touches on the next-generation operating system before release.
In a post on the Android developers blog, Google says this beta is “very close to the system behaviours” that will be in the final release.
So, effectively, this is a release candidate for the as-yet-unnamed 2019 OS update that will see new gesture navigation, a system-wide dark mode and much, much more.
There isn’t a whole lot that’s new, but there are some tweaks to the new gesture navigation tools. Apps that use a navigation drawer will now benefit from a new peek behaviour to the return gesture does not conflict. Also the Google Assistant can now be launched by swiping from either corner.
The VP of engineering for Android, Dave Burke, says Google has been working closely with device manufacturers in order to ensure there’s a wide range for gesture navigation support on edge-to-edge screens.
Related: Android Q features
He wrote: “As we talked about at Google I/O, we’ve been working closely with device-maker partners to ensure a standardized Android gestural navigation for users and developers.
“Gestural navigation lets apps use the full screen for content while minimizing the visible system chrome and navigation – which is particularly important on today’s edge-to-edge screens. In Beta 5 we’re continuing to improve and polish based on your feedback and we wanted to provide an update on a few key areas.”
Google is advising developers to continue testing their apps for compatibility with the new operating system. It says developer APIs that were finalised in the previous update.
It’s not clear when Google will officially drop the Android Q operating system, or whether there will be a beta 6 in the coming weeks. One thing we know for sure, it’ll be ready by the time the Pixel 4 phones land in October.
The post Android Q is so close we can taste… whatever Q will stand for appeared first on Trusted Reviews.
Take your first steps into virtual reality with this Oculus Go Prime Day deal
Tuesday July 16, 2019
Amazon UK is offering a healthy discount off the Oculus Go standalone virtual reality headset as part of its Prime Day celebrations, which might be the ideal stepping stone for those yet to give the medium a try. Buy Now: Oculus GO Standalone VR Headset now just £159.99 Oculus GO Standalone virtual reality headset dealOculus … "Take your first steps into virtual reality with this Oculus Go Prime Day deal"
Why You’re Jealous Of Each Zodiac (And Why You Shouldn’t Be)
Tuesday July 16, 2019
Aries You assume they don’t let anything get to them because they act like they DGAF, but beneath their hard exterior they’re soft and vulnerable. They cry more than you think. Taurus You assume their relationships are perfect because they only have good things to say about their partners, but you’re missing all of the … "Why You’re Jealous Of Each Zodiac (And Why You Shouldn’t Be)"
The post Why You’re Jealous Of Each Zodiac (And Why You Shouldn’t Be) appeared first on CMD368.
The post Take your first steps into virtual reality with this Oculus Go Prime Day deal appeared first on CMD368.


text:
Honda & Toyota have been going at each other for the longest time but it looks like Honda will be backing out of this fight. Toyota announces not too long ago that they will be bringing back the Toyota Supra and that they will be working on it with the help of BMW.
When asked if Honda has any such plans to work with another automaker to work on their newer model, Honda made it clear that they had no plans to work with another automaker right now. In fact, they think that an independent automaker is the right thing for them to do right now.
While it is nice to know that Honda wants to depend on themselves only, we also know that Honda sales are far less than what Toyota has right now. Maybe they should consider working with another automaker if they want to stay competitive.