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New trade deal with Mexico, Canada good for state
As lieutenant governor, I have traveled hundreds of thousands of miles throughout New Mexico, meeting and talking with our diverse population. Together, over the past eight years, we have worked hard to make New Mexico's economy the most competitive and open in the nation.
Our tax policy has brought the burden on manufacturing and construction industries to the lowest in our nine-state western region. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, New Mexico is ranked No. 1 in the nation as the state that has had the most job and wage gains since President Trump took office in January, 2017. Data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) shows that New Mexico’s per capita personal income (PCPI) grew from $33,109 in 2010 to $37,938 in 2015, representing an increase of 15 percent. Numbers don’t lie; New Mexico is moving in the right direction.
International markets are essential to New Mexico’s economy. That’s why I have worked to internationalize my office, traveling throughout Europe, Asia, and the Middle East promoting New Mexico and the benefits of trading with our state. It is essential that this trade is fair, free, and without tariffs. When this is the case, American innovation and work ethic will always compete successfully in the global market. While the president’s recent trade negotiations have been nonconventional, we are beginning to see results.
Earlier, President Trump announced the United States Mexico Canada Agreement. While this agreement is not perfect, it promises to bolster the economy of New Mexico in several important ways. This agreement knocks down barriers for New Mexico's dairy industry into Canadian markets. It expands the opportunity for New Mexico's growing manufacturing industry and will allow innovation and profitability to increase. Additionally, it protects the intellectual property rights that are critical to New Mexico's high tech industries.
New Mexico is ranked ninth in the United States for milk production and fifth in cheese production. Prior to this agreement, Canada has allowed low-priced dairy ingredients to undersell United States dairy products through its class 7 pricing system. This new agreement eliminates this class and opens this market to competition from New Mexican dairies. Canada currently ranks as New Mexico’s fourth-largest export destination and, once this trade agreement is in place, we're set to export even more.
Our Borderplex region is the fourth largest manufacturing hub in North America and its continued growth requires dynamic free trade with Mexico. The new labor rules that were negotiated mean the Mexican worker will finally receive a living wage in automobile and parts production. This is a win for both Mexican and American workers. There will no longer be an incentive to send American jobs to Mexico. As jobs in the auto industry return to the United States, New Mexico will benefit.
The leading products of New Mexico's manufacturing industries are computer and electronic equipment. Silicon computer chips are produced here, making this sector worth about 80 percent of our manufacturing industry. New American cars depend on computer and electronic components, and as such, this sector will thrive in New Mexico.
With new intellectual property rights protection, New Mexico innovators will have the same safeguards in Canada and Mexico that they enjoy in the US. This protection will cover the intellectual capital of everyone from agricultural innovators to the creators of original content in the entertainment industry. As high tech trade becomes an even greater part of our economy, this agreement ensures that data can be transferred across borders safely.
As long as the exchange of goods and services between borders remains free and without tariffs, New Mexico’s export economy will thrive.
Personally, for the next three months and beyond, I will keep fighting for the prosperity of New Mexicans. Reward for the hard work of our people is long overdue.
John Sanchez, R, is lieutenant governor of New Mexico.


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Blog Archive for September, 2009
Wednesday, Sep. 30, 2009 12:44PM EDT
The Canadian auto maker has scrapped plans to build cars, and is instead focusing its energy on building a better battery
Tuesday, Sep. 22, 2009 12:36PM EDT
If Americans don't want VW Sciroccos or Ford Kas, we can't have them either
Wednesday, Sep. 16, 2009 10:23AM EDT
It's the only way VW will meet their aggressive sales targets
Monday, Sep. 14, 2009 11:54AM EDT
The communist Trabi was ugly, underpowered and highly unpleasant to drive. It was also magnificently unreliable.
Friday, Sep. 11, 2009 10:33AM EDT
One upstart company wants to take electric cars from sci-fi oddity to practical reality
Wednesday, Sep. 09, 2009 3:05PM EDT
Take notice, Honda and Toyota: there's a new contender in Canada
Wednesday, Sep. 02, 2009 4:30PM EDT
BMW Canada CEO Franz Jung clearly believes that second place is for the first loser and that's not where he plans to be.

domain: news


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- Business of Brands
- 1 min read
Spencer’s Retail set to have a CEO after a gap of two years
The appointment comes on the verge of Spencer’s Retail getting listed as a separate entity in the stock market last Friday after demerger with CESC.
Spencer’s Retail, the retail flagship of RPSanjiv Goenka Group, has roped in Devendra Chawla as the managing director and CEO, a post which was lying vacant for more than two years.
Chawla, 45, who was the chief operating officer of Walmart India in his last role, will take charge next month, two senior industry executives said. His main responsibilities will be to expedite breakeven of Spencer’s Retail, profitable expansion and expanding the apparel private label business ‘2Bme’ into standalone stores.
The appointment comes on the verge of Spencer’s Retail getting listed as a separate entity in the stock market last Friday after demerger with CESC. Chawla will be based out of the Kolkata headquarters. When contacted, a Spencer’s Retail spokesperson said the company does not comment on speculation and DevendraChawla was not reachable.
The top post at Spencer’s Retail was lying vacant since erstwhile MD Mohit Kampani moved out in July 2016 to join Aditya Birla Retail’s food and grocery retailing venture, More. Spencer’s deputy CEO Vipin Bhandari was since then leading the management team and was reporting to the group’s sector head for retail, Shashwat Goenka.
An alumnus of Harvard Business School, Chawla in December put in his papers at Walmart India after a 15-month stint where he was executive VP and COO responsible for merchandising, marketing, procurement and omni-channel.


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Experience Advertising, a leading digital advertising agency, has been named the #1 rated affiliate marketing company for the month of December, 2014. Fort Lauderdale,
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NEW YORK, Nov.
- A gift; a largess; a gratuity; a present; a dole.


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The Kia Soul remained as the top selling car for November among subcompact cars.
Kia sold 12,482 Souls for the month. Sales increased overall by 24.3 percent from November 2015 to November 2016, sales figures showed. Year to date figures show that Kia sold 133,341 Souls, which is a 1.2 percent
The Ford Mustang moved to the number one spot for muscle car sales for November.
Ford sold 6,196 Mustangs during the month. However, when looking at sales from November 2015 to November 2016, Ford saw a 15 percent decrease in sales for the Mustang. When looking at year-to-date sales from 2015
In this week's Ask Nathan:
Will the Ford Mustang be replaced by a front-wheel drive car?
2017 Buick Regal AWD vs Subaru Legacy 3.6R?
Best rig for lite towing when I retire?
This first question comes from a viewer who wants to know if the Ford Mustang will be replaced with
The Toyota Highlander topped the midsize crossover sales charts for November, outpacing nearly all other competitors to lead the second-place Subaru Outback by nearly 4,000 sales.
The Highlander's sales were up more than 53 percent over November 2015 and for the year, sales are up more than 16 percent.
The Ford Explorer
After being in second place for most of the year, the Toyota Corolla is making an end-of-year charge as it lead compact car sales for the third straight month and narrowed the overall gap with the Honda Civic to less than 4,000 sales.
The Corolla had a strong month with a
A surprisingly soft month for the Honda CR-V helped the Toyota RAV4 jump into the top spot in compact crossover sales for November.
CR-V sales over last November were down slightly at just under a 1 percent loss, while RAV4 sales were up nearly 3 percent. The Nissan Rogue, riding a
Thanks to a soft sales month by the Honda CR-V, the Toyota Camry regained the overall sales lead for the month in November, and is poised to lead midsize sedan sales by year's end.
Camry sales were off nearly 9 percent over November 2015, and for the year sales are off more
Meet the new 2018 Ford Fiesta lineup. Ford of Europe just released images and some information on the upcoming subcompact car. Ford gave the new Fiesta a completely redesigned front end with unique styling for each of the four new trim levels. The side profile remains largely the same, but the


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Word on the street is that Foodarama has lost its lease in the Wilcrest and W. Bellfort shopping center. Based on a few HHR fans who reached out and postings online, it seems the store’s final day will be this Friday, August 11th. The facility was initially constructed in 1973 for Safeway, who served the neighborhood until 1987. This location was dropped towards the end of the reorganization, which would form AppleTree. It would come under the control of Cox’s Foodarama, reopening by the end of the year. According to permits filed online, a new Star Stop Gas Station is headed for this corner. It is unclear if the grocery store will be demolished. Foodarama’s lease appears to have ended in March 2023, likely continuing monthly until Star Stop was ready to begin construction.
In the past five years, Foodarama has closed three locations and opened one new store by purchasing Food King in Texas City. HHR could not reach out to Foodarama in time to comment on this article. Have a Retail News tip you’d like to share with HHR? Reach out via Facebook, Email, or the Website


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Homes & Design
2011 IDS. IKEA Kitchen Ex at the Interior Design Show (HD, images)
IKEA's 980 square foot kitchen was awarded a Gold booth award for the third year in a row at the 2011 Interior Design Show in Toronto. The show stopping display features an all black modern country kitchen on an exaggerated scale. Among the judges was Mazen El-Abdallah of Mazen Studio.
by NewCa.com, 05-Feb-2011 08:15 PM


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Hot art sales may be cooling down
That’s how many medical records have gone missing from Centene Corporation hard drives. The company announced that it is currently searching for six specific hard drives that contain the names, social security numbers, addresses, and other information of those 950,000 customers. As BBC Tech writes, Centene says that no payment information was lost, and that free healthcare monitoring would be offered.
That’s how many hand-written index cards are used to store water records for Flint, Michigan. Alan Roberts, who works for the city, is using the cards to slowly determine which houses in the city are serviced by lead pipes. The tedious process is a reminder of Flint’s bigger problem: how do you replace lead pipes if you don’t know where they are to begin with?
That’s how much Christie’s International PLC says sales declined last year — The numbers mark a cooling in what has been a very hot art market. While overall sales were down, the Wall Street Journal points out that several big ticket pieces helped bolster sales figures. Pablo Picasso’s “Women of Algiers (Version O),” for example, went for an impressive $180 million.
That’s how much U.S. exports to Cuba had reached by November of last year. But that number may soon grow even larger. Starting Wednesday, U.S. firms can begin offering their Cuban customers credit. The move will likely help normalize trade even further, and bolster business in telecommunication, financial services and healthcare industries.
We’re here to help you navigate this changed world and economy.
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Generous support from listeners and readers is what powers our nonprofit news—and your donation today will help provide this essential service. For just $5/month, you can sustain independent journalism that keeps you and thousands of others informed.


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DETROIT -- After posting its biggest first-half profit in 12 years, Ford Motor Co. is sticking with plans to boost earnings next year even as “business conditions” remain challenging.
Ford benefited from a 20 percent rise in U.S. sales and limited discounts in recording second-quarter net income of $2.6 billion. It was Ford's fifth straight quarterly profit.
During the second quarter, the automaker attracted higher prices for new vehicles such as the Ford Taurus, Fusion, Mustang and F-150 Super Duty pickup.
New models generated a $1 billion improvement in net pricing – manufacturer's suggested retail price minus all discounts - during the period compared with a year earlier, Ford said. A $500 million decline in discount spending accompanied $500 million in net price increases.
In an interview today, Ford CFO Lewis Booth said the automaker expects pricing to hold strong going forward, before easing in 2011, even amid signs U.S. light vehicle demand this year will fall short of initial industry forecasts.
"We continue to launch great product … and are closing the (price) gap with our Asian competitors and keeping our product fresh," said Booth. "We also work hard to match supply with demand."
Booth said in the longer term, Ford will work toward keeping inventory levels closer to a 55-day supply, down from the longstanding industry standard of 60-days.
Core auto business rebounding
In its core automotive operations, Ford earned $2.1 billion during the latest period, compared with a year-earlier loss of $1.1 billion.
The latest results underscore how far Ford's automotive business has recovered -- even amid depressed industry sales.
As recently as April, Booth indicated the company's first-quarter profit of $2.1 billion would be the year's strongest.
All of Ford's global automotive operations were profitable and showed improvement during the latest period.
During the first six months of the year, Ford earned $4.7 billion - its biggest first-half profit since 1998.
In North America, Ford's automotive business earned a second-quarter pre-tax operating profit of $1.9 billion, compared with a loss of $899 million a year earlier. Ford cited higher sales and favorable pricing for the $2.8 billion swing in North American results.
During the second quarter, Ford's automotive revenue in North America soared 58 percent, to $16.9 billion. Overall revenue increased 17 percent, to $31.3 billion.
Ford Credit reported second quarter pre-tax operating profits of $888 million, a $242 million improvement from the second quarter of 2009 and a $60 million improvement from the first quarter of 2010.
“We delivered a very strong second quarter and first half of 2010 and are ahead of where we thought we would be despite the still-challenging business conditions,” Ford CEO Alan Mulally said in a statement.
The results easily topped Wall Street's expectations, and helped drive Ford shares 5.2 percent higher to close at $12.72 in New York Stock Exchange trading today.
Higher commodity prices
Ford said today the second half won't be as profitable as the first half, citing higher costs to launch new products, a rise in commodity prices and smaller reductions in reserves at Ford Credit. Booth said prices for steel, copper and aluminum will increase by $1 billion this year.
Operating costs will rise over the next few quarters as Ford prepares to build the redesigned Explorer and Focus while continuing to launch the Fiesta subcompact and bring out new engines for the F-150 pickup.
Because of weakening economic growth, the automaker narrowed its forecast for U.S. vehicle sales this year to 11.5 million to 12 million units.
It had previously assumed demand would be in the 11.5 million to 12.5 million range.
U.S. sales of light vehicles dropped to 10.4 million units last year -- the lowest level since 1982.
High unemployment, the prolonged housing slump and lackluster consumer spending are undermining U.S. economic growth.
"We believe we have a sustainable and slow recovery," Booth said, adding Ford does not anticipate a double-dip recession.


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A leading chemical manufacturer has lent its support to Airedale General Hospital with the donation of essential supplies to aid the fight against the coronavirus epidemic.
Cross Hills-based Airedale Chemical has donated hand sanitiser, PPE and other supplies to its local NHS Trust whilst maintaining operations as an essential business and supplier.
Three thousand units of 425ml hand sanitiser, 100 face masks and 90 clinical waste bags have been delivered to healthcare professionals on the frontline at Airedale General Hospital, located less than two miles away.
Also amongst the supplies being donated is a face fit testing kit which is required by COSHH (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health) to ensure respirators and face masks are fitted correctly.
Chemical companies are classed as critical businesses under government guidance and although strict measures have been put into place to ensure the safety and welfare of employees, operations are continuing at Airedale Chemical which supplies essential products used in the cleaning, healthcare, food and drink, agriculture and dairy industries.
Chris Chadwick, managing director, explains: “We felt we were uniquely placed to provide useful supplies to the NHS staff on our doorstep working so hard at Airedale General Hospital and we’re proud to be able to help in whatever way we can.
“It’s our hope that the supplies we have provided will go some way in the battle against Covid-19.”
Airedale Chemical has recently diversified into hand sanitiser products to contribute to the national shortage of key products needed to combat the virus. It also supplies peracetic acid and peroxide which are used in the disinfection of healthcare settings and food manufacture.
Chris adds: “Despite the changes to operations since the lockdown, there is a great team spirit amongst those staff still working on site and to be able to support our amazing NHS workers has given everyone at the business a real lift.”


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The native Colombian fruit known as “borojo” will be cultivated and used as a key ingredient in two new high-energy drinks.
The fruit, which grows in the western Colombian department of Choco, has been found to have many unique properties including high energy and phosphorous content. It is also thought to be a natural aphrodisiac.
Researchers at the Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana in Medellin are looking to develop new ways to produce and market the borojo. So far, they have been able to make extra-high-energy coffee and another drink from the fruit.
Gustavo Hincapie, a researcher on the project explained that “after completing trials on the consumption and lifespan of these packaged products we hope to begin marketing and thereby generate a whole chain of products that will benefit the economy of the Choco region.”


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State ranks third in nation for Christmas tree production, seventh for poinsettias.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development (MDARD) Director Jamie Clover Adams encourages residents to support Michigan's 700 Christmas tree growers and the 54 poinsettia growers. ok "Michigan ranks third nationally in Christmas tree production and seventh in the U.S. in poinsettia production," said Clover Adams. "Whether it's cutting your own tree at your local Christmas tree farm, or purchasing a fresh tree or poinsettia from a local retailer, fresh Michigan Christmas trees and poinsettias add a special touch to holiday celebrations." With an annual wholesale value of $40 million, Michigan Christmas tree growers harvest approximately three million trees. Michigan produces and sells more than a dozen tree varieties on a …
Frigid temperatures April 29 ruined cherry and apple crops, report the Associated Press and WWJ.
Many Michiganders have enjoyed this year's wild weather, which brought unseasonably warm temperatures this winter and spring, but it's also had a dark side: An unusual April freeze has devastated fruit crops in the state. Frigid temperatures April 29 ruined cherry and apple crops, according to WWJ and an Associated Press report on myfoxdetroit.com, which could mean higher prices at the grocery store and fewer pick-your-own opportunities. That is devastating not only for individual farmers, but also for Michigan's agriculture industry as a whole. The annual economic impact of the state's apple industry is estimated at $800 million, according to the Michigan Department of Agriculture. In 2009, Michigan produced sweet cherries worth $13.6 …


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Cult Survival Game SOS: The Final Escape is Getting a Sequel
It seems to be fashionable these days to bring back old games that had a cult following. SOS: The Final Escape is one of the finest examples of a game with such a cult following, and one that could probably find a much stronger audience these days. It’s a game where you try to survive the aftermath of a natural disaster and the main horror comes from the world around you, whilst you try to help rescue others.
Known as Disaster Report in America, the game saw two sequels that unfortunately never saw a release in the UK. The second game, Raw Danger, was not released due to worries about some of the story arcs that presented themselves in the game. The PSP only third instalment (Zettai Zetsumei Toshi 3) never even saw a release outside of Japan.
The creator of the series purchased the rights to the IP last year with his new company Granzella. In fact they are releasing the previous 3 games on Japanese PSN, with the 3rd game obtaining a PS Vita release this month (here’s to hoping we see a western release at some point).
It’s not just rereleasing the old games though. The company have shown off screenshots of a new instalment and announced it will be revealing further information this Autumn. Whether it will be a handheld or home console release is not yet known. A fourth game was in the works on PS3, but was cancelled in 2011, understandably, due to the fallout of the Japanese earthquakes. If the game was to get released in the UK it would be the first instalment of the series here since 2003. Fingers crossed it gets a Western release.


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Wakefit. co, a direct-to-home and sleep solutions company aims to strengthen its omnichannel presence by adding 90 stores in 25 cities in the next three years. It also expects to generate ₹2,000 crore in three years, according to Chaitanya Ramalingegowda, Co-Founder and Director. The company made ₹636 crore in revenue in FY ’22.
The company has invested $20 million in establishing its latest and largest factory in Hosur, Tamil Nadu. The 14-acre facility can produce 5,000 beds, 2,000 sofas, and 3,000 dining tables per day, said Ankit Garg, Co-Founder and CEO, Wakefit.
The decision to locate the furniture factory in Hosur was motivated by the need for skilled labour, said Garg. The factory, which has 200 high-end machines, is in need of skilled operators. “The method of making furniture in Jodhpur is still traditional (Wakefit has a factory in the city). We wanted to ensure the most cost-effective method of production possible through the use of machines, but that required skilled labour, which was available here,” explained the CEO.
Building copy-paste model
While it is their largest establishment, Ramalingegowda said the factory is sufficient to fulfill demand in Bengaluru and Mysuru. “We want to build a copy-paste model of the Hosur facility that can be executed in several places as the demand grows. We will take a call to build another factory by March ’23”, he added.
Ramalingegowda said to Businessline, “This year we will add 15 new offline stores across the seven cities that we are present in. So, the format for expansion would remain the same. We will increase our footprint in those seven cities, and open more stores in larger cities and relatively fewer stores in smaller cities.” It currently has ten stores.
In addition to expanding its offline presence, Wakefit intends to scale its furniture and accessories business to generate revenue in a 50:50 split. “Currently, mattresses account for 60-65 per cent of our business, with the remainder coming from furniture and accessories.”
The company is also in the process of raising another round of funding, which will be announced in the coming months.


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Be among the first to find out what's happening in the world of Triumph. There's always lots going on.
Keep up to date with the latest news from Triumph. The latest bikes, clothing and accessories. The upcoming events to help you plan your riding. News from across the globe. The latest awards and reaction to our bikes.
STREET TRIPLE & STREET TRIPLE R
Fresh from recording record sales in 2011, Triumph Motorcycles will celebrate its 110th anniversary in 2012 with its strongest ever line-up, boosted by three new models which will be officially unveiled at the EICMA show in Milan, on November 8.


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Kickstarter is fast becoming the patron saint of old-school RPGs. Wasteland 2 has more than doubled its intended goal of raising $900,000 to develop the post-apocalyptic sequel. Yet the people are hungry for more! Harebrained Schemes is ready to give it to them. The studio headed by Jordan Weisman has started up a campaign to bring back another cult classic from 20 years ago: His very own Shadowrun.
The studio opened its fundraiser to developer new sequel Shadowrun Returns on Sunday with the goal of raising $400,000. The game is planned for Android and iOS mobile devices as well as PCs. Like the Shadowrun video games of the ‘90s, Returns will be a 2D single-player game with turn-based combat with a bent on character development and strategy. This game will apparently hew close to the Super Nintendo Shadowrun created by Data East, with similar interactive conversations.
In addition to Weisman, who created the original Shadowrun pen-and-paper role-playing game back in 1989, seven of the other original writers that worked on the game will be helping with Returns.
Weisman says that he’s been working to bring Shadowrun back to video games for awhile, but licenses associated with the franchise still held by Microsoft after its botched attempt to turn the series into a shooter made it difficult for major publishers to get involved.
With 24 days to go, Harebrained has already raised


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- The week in security: Root-certificate stuff-ups send Dell, device makers scrambling
- Hackers taget toy maker VTech, make off with customer data
- Microsoft enables potential unwanted software detection for enterprise customers
- Make sure the cloud doesn't fog up your window into network security
- ANZ mobile adoption matching world pace for Wi-Fi security management: Aruba
zenprise - News, Features, and Slideshows
Citrix has announced its mobile device management platform, XenMobile, which will offer companies a secure way for employees to access native Citrix apps in the cloud as well as third-party software, such as Windows, SAP or even Salesforce.com.
Citrix plans to buy mobile device management company Zenprise and integrate its software with its Citrix CloudGateway and Me@Work software for managing mobile apps and data.
Extending its line of enterprise management software for mobile devices, Citrix is acquiring device management software provider Zenprise.
US mobile device management (MDM) company Zenprise has appointed Melbourne-based John Martens as Australia and New Zealand country manager following its expansion into the region in October 2012.
Zenprise is adding a BlackBerry device management option to its flagship MobileManager application.
- MCN to appoint first chief data officer as part of digital and tech-led c-suite overhaul
- From tactical overhead to strategic growth driver: B2B marketing in the digital age
- Sensis overhauls NPS framework
- 5 Adtech companies that have made the US$1bn Unicorn club
- Getting email marketing back on track: Identity Direct's story


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As ‘Falcon’ soars into India’s tech horizon, blockchain’s potential takes flight. The fusion of Hyperledger and Kubernetes beckons a new era of innovation and efficiency.
In a move reflecting India’s evolving stance on blockchain, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) introduced ‘Falcon,’ an open-source project aimed at streamlining blockchain management using ‘Hyperledger Fabric’ and Kubernetes clusters. This project is expected to revolutionize blockchain-based payment solutions.
NPCI’s August 29 announcement signals a shift towards embracing blockchain technology. Falcon’s goal is to simplify blockchain network deployment. “Falcon is your solution for efficient, reliable, and automated Fabric network deployment,” NPCI stated.
Hyperledger Fabric and Kubernetes
Hyperledger Fabric, developed by Digital Asset and IBM, is an enterprise-level permissioned blockchain network that forms the basis for various solutions. Falcon’s synergy with Hyperledger Fabric and Kubernetes clusters will ease the creation and maintenance of advanced blockchain solutions.
Kubernetes clusters, introduced by Google engineers in 2014, automate tasks for containerized applications. “Kubernetes automates operational tasks of container management,” explained Google Cloud.
Anticipation in the Tech Community
NPCI’s Falcon combines Hyperledger and Kubernetes strengths, promising to create and manage sophisticated blockchain solutions. This launch has garnered anticipation within the tech community, aiming to accelerate blockchain solution delivery.
NPCI’s History with Blockchain
NPCI’s history with blockchain includes ‘Vajra,’ a 2020 system automating payment clearing and settlement for NPCI products. Falcon represents a broader, collaborative approach to reshape India’s blockchain interaction.
As India embraces blockchain, NPCI’s ‘Falcon’ emerges as an innovative project set to reshape the nation’s fintech landscape, offering a streamlined approach to blockchain solutions.


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- China rattled the cryptocurrency ecosystem with the latest announcement to preclude banks and financial institutions from offering cryptocurrency services.
- The aftermath of this declaration led to the massive tumbling down of prices as several coins shed a substantial part of their market value.
- Coins that have ties to China like NEO, Theta, VeChain and, TRON were part of the cryptos that were hardest hit after the announcement.
- The fate of these cryptos is looking optimistic following the recent turnaround of the prices and the perception of China’s recent declaration as more ‘bark’, less ‘bite’.
The last seven days have been eventful for cryptocurrencies as the market felt the tremors of China’s announcement that it would be stopping banks and financial institutions from participating in cryptocurrency transactions. This announcement triggered a massive sell-off, leading to the wiping off of over $500 billion of the global cryptocurrency market capitalization.
Most profoundly, the fate of coins tracing their origin to China hung in the balance following the recent announcement as their values plummeted sharply. However, a reversal in price trends and the market perception from retail traders and some firms have shown that there is light at the end of the tunnel for these projects.
NEO, THETA, VeChain, and Tron – Chinese Links
Following the announcement by Chinese authorities, Neo fell sharply by as much as 40% while THETA lost over 35% of its market value to trade at $41.37 and $3.98 respectively. NEO has strong links to China and is fondly referred to as China’s first-ever blockchain project after it was launched in 2014.
NEO was founded by Da Hongfei and Erik Zhang who are Chinese nationals while THETA’s co-founder Steve Chen is a Chinese-American.
VeChain also felt the impact of the bearish news as the value of the coin nosedived by over 30% to trade at $0.06594 while TRON lost 35% of its value to trade at $0.5573. TRON has garnered significant popularity in China earning the accolade of the “new Bitcoin of China”.
With a Chinese CEO, Justin Sun, and the fact that China is a potential market for TRON as it has a healthy number of content creators, the impact of the announcement hit hard. Similarly, VeChain’s root in China runs deep as it was among the first companies authorized by China to serve as registered blockchain providers and has also been deployed by Walmart China to track products through the blockchain.
On the Flipside
The Fate of the Projects
As the news of the announcement triggered a massive dip, recent events have shown a ray of hope for these projects. Firstly, the value of the coins has risen significantly since the downtrend.
A reason for this rise in values has been linked to the fact that the stance of Chinese regulatory authorities may be regarded as ‘all bark and no bite’, following previous announcements banning cryptocurrencies. Furthermore, the decentralized nature of cryptocurrencies puts the assets beyond the reach of any government or third-party interventions.


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On Friday, Marriott International (MAR) finalized its $13 billion acquisition of Starwood Hotels, creating the world's largest hotel company. Marriott's global chief commercial officer Stephanie Linnartz said the company would have preferred to pay the initial price it offered Starwood, before it raised its offer due to competing bids from China-based Anbang Insurance. Still, Marriott expects hundreds of millions of dollars in cost synergies. TheStreet's Scott Gamm reports from Wall Street.
More from Video
CAG has hung onto the bulk of its recent gains, and could rise to the $50 area, according to the charts and indicators.
Breaking down an approach to the long side of this biotech stock.
AMSC CEO discusses that and China challenges.
One of pharma's biggest CEO's talks M&A action on the exchange.


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It’s truly fascinating that while bubble tea originated in Taiwan in early 1800s, this frothy drink has gained massive popularity in the United States just over the past decade. So, does it mean that the popularity of boba tea in the USA is currently experiencing a surge?
Let’s take a look at some bubble tea popularity statistics, take a peek at the boba tea scene in the USA, and examine the trends and opportunities for those considering getting into the world of bubble tea shop franchises.
So, if you’ve ever considered joining the boba tea business, keep reading to discover why now might be a great time to get started.
A Couple of Impressive Bubble Tea Popularity Statistics
The delicious boba tea, also known as bubble tea, has become a flavor-packed sensation in the United States fairly recently. This delectable drink, featuring those iconic tapioca pearls, is making waves in the beverage industry: the bubble tea market projections are set to reach a remarkable $4.3 billion by 2027. To put it in perspective, just a few years back in 2019, the market was valued at a more modest $2.4 billion.
Additionally, it’s worth noting that according to IBIS World, the bubble tea market in the U.S. has seen astounding growth, expanding by an impressive average of 23.4% annually over the five years between 2017 and 2022. These remarkable statistics underscore the boba tea’s incredible popularity and how its diverse and delicious menu options have captivated the taste buds of Americans and enthusiasts around the globe.
How Boba Tea Captured the Taste Buds of Americans
Bubble tea’s popularity in the USA isn’t just about its diverse menu; it’s also about meeting the evolving preferences and demographics of its enthusiastic fan base. Let’s take a closer look at the changing customer demand and the delightful trends shaping the bubble tea market.
According to a recent CLSA survey, an impressive 94% of individuals aged between 20 and 29 in the United States have consumed boba tea within the last three months, as reported by Bloomberg on June 24. This statistic underscores the strong appeal of boba tea among younger demographics.
The younger crowd is all about boba tea, loving its sweet and unique flavors that come from the wonderful blend of tea and toppings. It’s different from the usual iced coffee or juice because boba tea’s tapioca pearls add a fun twist, breaking the monotony and making every sip exciting. Clearly, this contributes to the growing popularity of boba tea in the USA, which leads to the rise of boba tea chains like Sharetea to have more store locations.
Flavors That Attract Everyone
In the United States, the love for the bubble tea market knows no gender boundaries. A surprising 95% of women and 81% of men under the age of 25 have tried bubble tea at least once in their lifetime.
As this trend continues to gain momentum, the flavors that resonate with this diverse audience become crucial. Tastes are evolving, and bubble tea shops are responding by offering a spectrum of options, from classic favorites to innovative creations, ensuring there’s something to win every heart.
Whether it’s a creamy classic or an exotic infusion, boba tea is all about promoting individual tastes and preferences.


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Consumers want privacy, but don’t take advantage of opt-out technologies
A majority of consumers worry about how marketers use their personal data, but 79 percent are more likely to provide personal information to what they consider a “trusted brand,” according to a new consumer behavior study from SDL.
The survey also revealed that while consumers are not comfortable with being “tracked” in a physical store, they tend to not read brands’ privacy policies or take measures to opt-out of web tracking practices.
The study surveyed over 4,000 consumers across the United States, United Kingdom and Australia.
A summary of key findings includes the following:
- Consumers reward trusted brands: Globally, 79 percent of respondents are more likely to provide personal information to a “trusted” brand. The finding underscores the need for brands using digital marketing to develop trust and understand what information consumers are willing to exchange with a brand.
- Privacy meets resistance: Overall, 62 percent of survey respondents worry about how marketers are using their personal information. The results suggest a culture of resistance to sharing data online.
- Older consumers worry more: In the United States, 59 percent of consumers between ages 18 and 29 worry about data privacy compared with 71 percent between ages 45 and 60. There is less concern about data privacy overall in the United Kingdom (48 percent in the younger generation, 63 percent older) while Australian consumers reflected less of a generation gap (60 percent younger, 66 percent older).
- Consumers willing to share certain details: Of the items that consumers are most willing to share, gender, age and income top the list. However, name of spouse, lists of family and friends and Social Security numbers are items that most consumers won’t share with brands.
- Consumers reject in-store tracking: Of those respondents that have a smartphone, 76 percent are not comfortable with retailers tracking in-store movements via smartphone and Wi-Fi.
- Consumers aren’t using privacy features: While consumers are concerned about how their data is being used, 72 percent of global respondents rarely or never use “Do Not Track” or “Incognito” features that would allow them to opt-out of website tracking.


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Bike Pure, the organisation that campaigns for a drug free future for the sport of cycling, and Bio-Racer, which makes its jerseys and have joined forces with three times Tour de France winner and former World Champion Greg LeMond to auction a specially produced Bike Pure jersey, with the money raised going to charity.
Bio-Racer only made two copies of the jersey, which has LeMond’s name on the back and the World Championship rainbow bands on the sleeve cuffs. Bike Pure gave one of them to LeMond when he visited Dublin recently, with the other now being auctioned on eBay for charity.
LeMond, himself an outspoken critic of doping in cycling, lent his backing to Bike Pure on his visit to Ireland, and the organisation’s co-founder Myles McCorry said, “Bike Pure are very excited to have such a rare cycling jersey up for grabs and money raised will go to a worthwhile cause."
"We are honoured to have Greg Lemond's support as we effectively have shared principles in our outlook on anti-doping. We applaud Greg's honesty and virtue toward a more secure future for out sport." he added.
LeMond said: "I am proud to partner with Bike Pure and believe in their strong code of ethics. I hope that more cycling sponsors adopt Bike Pure’s important commitment to protecting the lives and integrity of our sport."
Onimpex, Bio-Racer’s UK distributor, added: "Bio-Racer produces clothing for some of the greatest riders in the peloton but it is a huge pleasure and an honour to produce this special jersey for Greg Lemond, on of the legends of the Tour de France."
"Like Bio-Racer and Bike Pure, Greg's commitment to racing to win but racing clean is known throughout the world and this unique jersey is the perfect symbol of commitment to honest athleticism. "
The auction on eBay ends at 21:09 GMT next Sunday 29th August 2010 and the item, which has attracted a highest bid to date of £200, can be viewed here.
Born in Scotland, Simon moved to London aged seven and now lives in the Oxfordshire Cotswolds with his miniature schnauzer, Elodie. He fell in love with cycling one Saturday morning in 1994 while living in Italy when Milan-San Remo went past his front door. A daily cycle commuter in London back before riding to work started to boom, he's been news editor at road.cc since 2009. Handily for work, he speaks French and Italian. He doesn't get to ride his Colnago as often as he'd like, and freely admits he's much more adept at cooking than fettling with bikes.


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By Dr Narisa Chauvidul-Aw of KogoPAY
What are the spending habits of the more than one billion unbanked adults in the world?
And how can businesses reach them and provide products or services which could tangibly improve their lives?
These are multibillion pound questions, because unlocking untapped economic potential needs to happen at all levels of society. For too long, financial services have been geared towards specific target markets which reliably deliver value due to purchasing power.
A revolution is coming and will bring with it a whole new type of economy for SMEs and consumers around the world. The technology is there already, it’s now down to business leaders to establish new paradigms to facilitate novel payment and banking services.
The Inaccessibility of TradFi
The cash-only culture found in many developing nations is slowly being supplanted by payment apps which can act as a bank for all intents and purposes. However, there is yet to be an all-encompassing and easy-to-use mobile app that can fulfil the needs of consumers who may not be able to afford a bank account and all the fees it entails.
Consumers and businesses operating on slim margins simply cannot afford to use banking services which charge. In many cases, companies are forced to pay to receive and use money without the seamless integration into their processes and systems that FinTech can offer.
Visits to traditional bank storefronts can be a thing of the past. A business owner will have a far easier time managing accounts and analysing activity when all transactions can be accessed from a user-friendly mobile app.
Cutting out the middleman is made possible with FinTech, more so when the future role of cryptocurrencies is considered.
Expanding the Reach of Money
Currently, those without bank accounts participate in closed, localised economies in a system which does not lend itself to saving for big-ticket items such as cars or houses.
Online shopping was rapidly growing even before the global pandemic; lockdowns have made it explode. This is not the case for the unbanked who don’t have the ability to pay for purchases in the digital world. As a result, these populations are at the mercy of local prices.
In the barrios of Metro Manila in the Philippines, many individuals have set up small shops in order to profit in small margins on everyday goods such as snacks and drinks. This is a job businesses could do much better and at a lower cost due to the economy of scale. When even small savings can make a dramatic difference in these neighbourhoods, it’s a failure of the free market to provide solutions which allow consumers to go further with their money.
SMEs will see their coffers filled once they can reach vast populations of the unbanked in a straightforward manner which is easier, cheaper and quicker than existing models. Both individuals and companies will have the power to control their finances while opening up new avenues for spending and generating revenue
A key aim for FinTech should be to unlock billions of pounds by providing a better way to manage finances and make purchases.
The cheap and rapid movement of money can be expanded on a global scale. It’s expensive for migrant workers, a decent proportion of the unbanked, to send money to their native country. Money and payment apps can make these costs negligible and help stop banks from taking their cut through a percentage of each cross-border transaction.
Integrating digital currencies (or cryptocurrencies) can be a great vehicle for breaking down these barriers. Once spending in cryptocurrency becomes as easy as any transaction, supported by a multifaceted payments and banking application, we can expect adoption to soar.
Money laundering isn’t as big an issue as many critics say, when it comes to crypto. In fact, transactions are publicly accessible and permanently recorded on the blockchain. Fiat can be more easily mixed with clean money, whereas even ‘tumbled’ cryptocurrencies are trackable using the most sophisticated methods.
FinTech business leaders have the tools to disrupt monetary systems. Whether this is accomplished in a way that favours institutions and already-rich corporations, or delivers better solutions for SMEs and people at the lower end of the economic scale, is up to the individuals driving change.
Building a less hostile way to transfer value around the world will make resounding changes to the lives of the hundreds of millions of migrant workers. Making it easier to store and spend money outside of a hyper-local and cash-fuelled community will change the lives of so many unbanked people.
Because FinTech, with all the technological advances and promises of progress, can bring lasting change to the economic disparities found in the developing world. This is an important mission with a real-world impact in places not often seen or heard by those lucky enough to live in developed nations.
We may not always feel the impact of unlocking billions of spending power from unbanked consumers and the resultant boost to SMEs in these countries. But over time, the people living in these societies will.


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Registration takes less than 1 minute.
Since they are so critical to trade, negotiations between dockworkers and employers should be governed in same way as railroads and airlines, argues Diana Furchtgott-Roth.
Together with Dynamex, the two units will offer final mile delivery in more than 70 markets.
Acquisition of French logistics giant Norbert Dentressangle clearly shows XPO has diverged from its initial strategy to roll up the North America freight brokerage market.
The benefits of upsizing are beginning to plateau and require more infrastructure investment, according to a new report by the OECD's International Transport Forum.
Rates on routes from Shanghai to the United States, on the other hand, rebounded from last week, according to estimates from the Shanghai Shipping Exchange.
Investment bank's transportation and logistics group found the six publicly traded forwarders split among those focused on margin and those struggling with IT and cultural issues.


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Deferred vat from 2020 – repayment options [23rd february 2021]
26 26, 2021February 26, 2021
We recently provided an update on the options now being provided by HMRC to businesses that deferred payment of their VAT return at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 – and now face the challenge of full payment of that VAT debt in ‘lockdown’!
The new (flexible) VAT deferral payment scheme, which enables businesses to ‘sign up’ online and pay the deferred VAT liabilities over a period of time through to March 2022, is now available through to 21st June 2021.
See the full details of the scheme and how to sign up online below.


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Apple is preparing to launch an iPhone trade-in program as early as next month, when the next version of its iconic device will hit the market, according to 9to5Mac. The offering will allow users who come into an Apple Store to exchange older iPhones for a new model at a discount.
Carriers, brick-and-mortar retailers and online vendors have long made money by accepting exchanged phones and selling them as refurbished products, as my colleague Kevin Tofel noted. And cut-rate refurbs should be particularly attractive in emerging markets where Apple has found some success selling older, unused models because new iPhones are often too expensive.
But there are two more big advantages to Apple’s trade-in program: It will surely boost traffic to the company’s retail sites, where users might opt to buy accessories or even a new Apple gadget. And it creates an addition point of customer contact for Apple, essentially stealing an opportunity for the carrier to deal with that user directly. That gives Apple a chance to boost its own brand and increase customer stickiness at the expense of the carrier.


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Latest News and Updates
Visa Integrates Open Source Hyperledger Tech for B2B Blockchain Payments
Visa is integrating open-source blockchain code from the Hyperledger Fabric ahead of the commercial launch of its own blockchain service for enterprise payments in Q1 2019.
Visa B2B Connect, the payment giant’s enterprise blockchain platform that enables cross-border payments between businesses, is partnering IBM to integrate the latter’s development of the open-source Hyperledger Fabric framework. As reported nearly two years ago to the day, Visa first announced the blockchain platform co-developed with blockchain industry startup chain Inc.., as an alternative solution to global payments rail SWIFT for making large payments between businesses across borders.


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Pick n Pay has collaborated with Luno and Electrum to pilot the Bitcoin payment programme. The PnP Bitcoin trial took place last month at Pick and Pay’s head office store in Cape Town. This trial was the first of its kind; and it is without a doubt that Pick and Pay is now a tech pioneer in the retail industry. The success of this trial can be attributed to the Blockchain technology that Luno provides for both PnP and Electrum.
What is Blockchain Technology
Blockchain technology is a decentralised and distributed digital ledger that has and will continue to revolutionise industries; particularly where cybersecurity is a concern. The Blockchain technology is built based on private key cryptography and P2P networks and programs. The private key cryptography technology facilitates the identity component of the user while the P2P network technology is the system of records that enables Blockchain’s database; the program is the platform for Blockchain. Blockchain’s key advantages from these technologies include the peer to peer network that allows the user to authenticate a transaction without a central authority; and the ability to encrypt the shared and authenticated data.
Blockchain Opportunity for Retailers
Though there is a struggle with Bitcoin’s regulatory issues (and keeping in mind that crypto-currency in retail is still in its infancy), there are still opportunities to be explored. One of these opportunities is the component to keep accurate record of every transaction that takes place.
Bitcoin in Retail
Pick n Pay in its trial demonstrated that using Bitcoin at a physical retail store is as simple as snap scan. However, there has been hesitance among international retailers due to Bitcoin’s scaling challenges: transactions being slow and costlier for the consumer due to its volatility. This is one of the reasons why Pick n Pay decided that they will not go further with the trial; and it is going to take some time before completely implementing this.
Blockchain and Bitcoin are game changers for many industries, including retail. Aside from demonstrating that crypto-currency is effective and realistic even in a digitally conservative lifestyle; the PnP Bitcoin trial showed that tech companies have a plethora of opportunities to collaborate with retailers to integrate Blockchain technology in their supplier chain and other B2B transactions.


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AHMEDABAD: Amit Vyas, 33, was not too happy with himself. A stressful job, weight problems, living out of suitcase, and to make things worse, one pack of cigarettes every day, Vyas knew this was not the best of lifestyles. At the first excuse — symptoms of weakness in the morning — he decided to go for a complete check-up in Ahmedabad.
The cardiologist conducted some tests and prescribed a few medicines. However, Vyas was not satisfied. An internet addict, he came across Ehealthopinion.com, a healthcare portal, and dashed off a query. To his surprise, the reply came within moments, and the faceless doctor confirmed through video chat that Vyas indeed receive the right treatment from the Ahmedabad cardiologist.
Far away in Canada, Rakesh Ohir a former Ranbaxy executive, is building up a business model on the premise 80% ailments do not require physical examination. Oral consultation is enough. Why take the trouble to go your doctor for a cold or fever when you can have a webcam chat with a doctor online get medicines prescribed. Ohir says, the model works very well in the West where consultation charges can be above $100.
And at $30 online consultation makes a lot of sense for patients suffering from minor problems. While telemedicine has been around for sometime, online consultancy or browser-based e-health consultancy is fast catching up, with entrepreneurs sensing a lot of business potential. Unlike telemedicine, that is exchange of patients' medical information, browser-based consultancy is a step ahead, providing 24x7 online services, importantly, it connects the patient and doctor realtime, either through chat or two-way online video streaming.
The new entrants are eyeing the US market to begin with as it will still take a lot of time for the business to become viable in India. As per a recent report of market research firm Pike & Fischer, the US market for tele-medicine services will generate nearly $3.6 billion in annual revenue in the next five years, with mobile-service companies taking a sizable chunk of that business. eeHealthbook.com, for instance, gets 10,100 visitors per day. The average time spent is eight minutes per visitor.
The company claims 55% of the visitors are from South Asia (India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka) and the remaining 45% are from the US, Canada, South America, Middle East, Russia and CIS countries. eeHealthbook is quite upbeat now and is hopeful of a deal with Blackberry RIM. "Our business model has been approved by World Bank as one of their projects, and we are in talks for developing software for Blackberry RIM, Canada, for networking with doctors, hospital and pharmacy around the globe. This will provide the eehealthbook service on their Blackberry," Ohir told ET.
Devendra Patel who founded Medisoft, an Ahmedabad-based firm that deals with telemedicine, has started ehealthopinion.com. "Even though we have been in the tele-medicine business segment for last seven years, web-based e-health is a new venture for us," says Patel. While Mr Patel gets 90% of his revenues from tele-medicine business, he sees a lot of potential from his new web-based segment. His e-health consultancy has been growing 25% to 40% and now has 225 doctors and 85 hospitals registered across 85 countries.
The number of patients registered is 3,000, with two or three being added every day. Similarly, Ahmedabad-based pathologist Sanjeev Metha plans to link up with hospitals for his six-month-old start-up The Meditour. His plans is to have real time, web-based medical consultancy portal that links patients to doctors, nursing staff and hospital technicians in hospitals.


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In addition to lifting the ban on alternative app stores, the EU Digital Markets Act ordered Apple to make switching to other operating systems more convenient. This became known from the “DMA Compliance Report” published on the Apple website.
The document does not directly mention the Android OS, but Google will benefit most from the new requirements – iPhone users will be able to switch to Android as painlessly as possible. Now the transition to another OS cannot be called “seamless”: you can transfer contacts, calendar events, photos and videos using the Google Switch To Android application, but the software and most of the settings have to be restored manually.
Now Apple is committed to making this process easier by fall 2025. It is known that the company will help unnamed mobile operating system providers create “better solutions for transferring iPhone data to phones from other manufacturers.” We are probably talking about a new application for copying almost all data from an iPhone to an Android device.
The document does not explicitly state whether any of these features will be available globally or whether they will be exclusive to users in the EU. Given recent changes in iOS, the second option is more likely. Apple itself did not include any explanations on this matter in the document.


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NEW YORK — Web portal AOL Inc. says it will license full-length movies from Miramax for free viewing with advertisements by its U.S. visitors.
AOL didn't say which movies it would offer but said they would be refreshed monthly and span a range of genres. They will play on its AOL On Network, the website operator's destination for online video.
AOL says it is the one of the top three video destinations in the U.S. with 1.31 billion views and 3.8 billion online ads in March.
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Since council bosses stocked controversial bestseller Fifty Shades of Grey, there has been a stampede between the bookshelves.
Several libraries in America banned the soft-porn paperback earlier this year due to its sexual content.
But local book chiefs have defended their decision to stock the top-shelf title.
A spokesperson for the council's libraries told us: "This is currently one of the most popular books.
"Our libraries aim to stock a wide range of up-to-date books, including novels from different genres.
"Fifty Shades of Grey is in our adult section and our librarians ensure that book loans are age-appropriate."
Scottish Borders Council bought six copies of the E L James title, which has sold 40 million copies worldwide.
And a further copy was also donated for library users to borrow.


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Karolin Himmel of
recently shared how streaming usage has seen a massive rise since stay-at-home orders were put in place around the world. JustWatch reported that all the major streaming providers saw a three-figure percentage bump as consumers flocked to there streaming devices for things to watch.
“It’s not just Netflix that profits from the pandemic, but Netflix had the biggest increase, followed by Disney+ with +290% on JustWatch,” says Himmel.
+% increase since March 17th
Amazon Prime Video
A jump in streaming viewership coincides with unique initiatives aimed at providing consumers e-commerce opportunities while streaming movies and TV at home. NBCUniversal recently announced
, a service that lets viewers scan an NBCU code on their television screens and add products to a universal e-commerce cart.
The ShoppableTV feature is aimed at conveniently giving retailers the ability to connect video entertainment with shopping opportunities in real-time. NBCUniversal has also announced that it will waive technology and cart fees for the platform for the rest of this year to help companies adjusting to shop closures due to the pandemic.
Globally the rise in streaming shows that certain sectors are booming during the quarantine. The specific increase in streaming may not be a simple aberration, either. Studios such as Universal and Disney have chosen to
during the pandemic. Titles such as “Onward” and “Trolls World Tour” have been released online ahead of schedule as movie theaters have temporarily been asked to close during the shutdown.
The entertainment world may be evolving to handle the COVID-19 pandemic but the rise in streaming speaks to the ways IP is still reaching consumers. While the situation may be different, streaming is undoubtedly helping to spread films globally. So, despite being stuck at home, the data shows that millions of people are finding small respites by watching the movies and TV they love with their families.
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Pawfect Gift for Pet Owners: A 3D Printed Sculpture of a Furry Companion
The perfect gift for the pet lover in your life this Christmas could be a life-like 3D pet sculpture of their furry companion…
Arty Lobster, the 3D sculpture specialist, creates life-like sculptures from 5-10 photographs of a dog, cat or other pet, which can be uploaded onto the company’s website. Highly skilled artists create the 3D pet sculptures from the photos, which are 3D printed in-house before being delivered to the customer.
There are three options, including sandstone, bronze and custom options; sculptures range in size from 14 cm (5.5 inches) tall when sitting (or long when standing) to 20 cm (8 inches) tall for the large sculpture. Uniquely, customers can request a free 3D preview of their sculpture before committing to buy.
The innovative company has also recently expanded its offering by introducing a range of sterling silver jewellery to commemorate beloved pets. There is currently a £50.00 discount available to customers ordering both a 14cm 3D sculpture in sandstone together with a piece of jewellery.
Lars B Andersen, CEO and Founder, said: “Pets, especially cats and dogs, are increasingly seen as members of our family, so it’s not surprising that people are excited about 3D sculptures of their furry companions.
“While pet memorials represent a significant part of our customer base, there is also a growing demand from people wanting a unique present for pet owners. This Christmas, the sculptures can also be accompanied by jewellery for the pet owner to cherish forever.”
Arty Lobster, which was established four years ago, is going from strength to strength, and last month relocated to London offices three times the size of its former headquarters.
To find out more, visit: https://artylobster.com.


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Electronic Arts states it’s examining widespread issues with FIFA players linking to the game’s servers, which seem down for numerous variations and numerous years of the soccer series.
In a tweet posted quickly after twelve noon ET today, the publisher stated:
We understand the grievances around linking to EA servers and are actively examining. Match production has actually been momentarily handicapped to avoid disconnects throughout this time.
The Twitter representFIFA Mobile also reported problems “We know that some players are not able to login and our engineering team is examining,” EA stated. “Will upgrade as we have more information.”
Electronic Arts’ basic assistance Twitter account also said the business was experiencing “problems with our sites, games, and services.” GameSpot reports that the outage likewise impacts Apex Legends and games aside from FIFA.
Polygon tried early this afternoon to link to FIFA 20 on PlayStation 4 and FIFA 17 on Xbox One, and was not able to do so. Various tweets from FIFA players state online play and Ultimate Team aredown
We have actually connected to Electronic Arts for more details.


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The keynote at Apple’s World Wide Developers Conference on Monday, as expected, included the unveiling of a new iPhone, as well as new software for the iPhone, new MacBooks, a release date for the new Snow Leopard operating system, and more.
In fact, just about the only thing Apple did not unveil was CEO Steve Jobs, who despite rumors did not appear at the keynote. Apple executive Phil Schiller instead did the honors.
The company is pushing the new iPhone, dubbed the 3GS, as up to twice as fast as its predecessor. It also features a 3-megapixel camera, can run video, and also features greater auto focus capabilities than previously available. The 3GS also includes voice control capability for both voice calls and music recognition.
The 3GS also includes cut-and-paste functionality, easier search functions, and easier accessibility for those who are visually or hearing impaired. It will be released June 19, which doubles as the release date for the iPhone 3.0 software.
In addition to the 3GS, the company also announced that it will sell the 3G iPhone for $99 (for 8GB), effective immediately. The 3GS will be sold at the previous price points.
Other software announcements included a deal with TomTom to provide an application with turn-by-turn directions, as well as a “Find my iPhone” native application that helps users use GPS to find lost iPhones, and in some cases deactivate them.
Apple also said that the Snow Leopard OS will be released in September, at an MSRP of $29; it will go head-to-head with Microsoft’s new Windows 7.
The keynote kicked off with the announcement of a new line of 13- and 17-inch Macbooks, which Schiller dubbed the "world’s greenest line of notebooks.” The company also announced a $300 price cut for the MacBook Air.
Not part of the presentation? Apple’s rumored tablet device, "multiple" new iPhones, and of course, Steve Jobs.
Maggi Samuelson contributed to this story.


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Treepz, Africa’s biggest car-sharing platform that offers on-demand car rentals for flexible periods, has re-launched its consumer app as Africa’s largest car-sharing marketplace.
The company claims to have spent the last five months developing this solution and is thrilled to introduce it in Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, and Kenya. Treepz aims to lead the charge in this vital movement, ensuring that both guests and hosts enjoy their commutes on the continent.
Treepz’s CEO, Onyeka Akumah, said the new Treepz is an innovative solution for transportation in Africa. The company seeks to leverage more than 26 million vehicles available on the continent to provide commuters with enjoyable and fun transportation services as they travel for work or leisure. With over 600 million Africans residing in urban areas and fewer than 44 cars per 1,000 people, the demand for affordable transportation options is high.
Treepz’s car-sharing platform addresses this need by allowing people to rent a car only when they need it, reducing traffic congestion and carbon emissions, resulting in a more sustainable transportation system. The car-sharing market in Africa is expected to grow at a rate of 20% annually from 2020 to 2030, with a projected market value of $500 million.
Treepz is well-placed to take advantage of this growth and provide an affordable and sustainable transportation option for people across the continent. Treepz is supported by reputable investors such as Google, SOSV, Goodwater Capital, Techstars, and GIIG Africa Fund, among others, adding credibility to the company and its new marketplace.
The car-sharing marketplace is currently operating in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, and Uganda, serving over 26 million vehicle owners in Africa today.


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House of Fraser and N Brown have become the latest retail partners for the Tech. powered by Retail Week.
The department store and fashion retailer have signed on as launch partners for the inaugural Retail Week conference.
Both businesses will send between 10 and 30 employees from both organisations to attend the conference, which brings together technology leaders from across retail and other industries.
House of Fraser and N Brown join Tesco, John Lewis, Marks & Spencer, Shop Direct, John Lewis, L’Oreal and Dixons Carphone as retail partners for the conference, which is taking place on September 13-14.
The two day festival is focussed on bringing together innovators from across the technology sector.
It boasts over 120 speakers including Paul Misener, Amazon’s vice-president of global innovation and communications, Skyscanner’s chief technical officer Bryan Dove and IBM Watson’s chief marketing officer Deon Newman.
Visit Tech.Retail-Week.com to find out more about Tech.


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Samsung Pay Mini, which is a trimmed-down version of Samsung Pay, was launched four years ago. The mobile payment service allows users to make online payments and payments at retail locations via QR codes. The service was earlier limited to a few Galaxy A, Galaxy J, and Galaxy On series phones. However, the company has now started rolling it out to more Galaxy A and Galaxy M series devices.
The Galaxy A21s and the Galaxy M12 have started receiving Samsung Pay Mini in India with new software updates. Users of the two phones have reported that the feature was activated after installing the March 2021 security patch. Samsung Pay Mini can be linked to mobile wallets like Paytm and Mobikwik and bank accounts via India's BHIM UPI interface. Customers can also pay bills, buy gift cards, apply for credit cards and personal loans, and know their credit score.
Samsung has also mentioned on its website that Samsung Pay Mini will be available on more Galaxy smartphones in the future. However, the company didn't specify the names of compatible devices. The Galaxy M42 5G, which will soon be launched in India, features a full Samsung Pay experience. We expect more existing and upcoming phones with Samsung Knox to get the Samsung Pay Mini feature.
The company started removing MST (Magnetic Secure Transmission) from its newer phones, which means that Samsung Pay won't work on older PoS (Point of Sale) terminals that lack NFC functionality. The company explained that it removed MST from its newer phones because most new PoS systems feature NFC. Samsung had acquired LoopPay six years ago for $250 million for its MST technology.


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March 23, 2009 by Steve Crowe
Logitech’s Harmony Adapter for Sony’s PlayStation 3, still in the development process, will allow the PS3 to be controlled via any Harmony remote.
Details are scarce on the IR-to-Bluetooth converter, which was first reported by EngadgetHD.
However, Logitech has confirmed that the adapter will offer complete control of watching movies on the PS3, including turning the console on and off.
The Harmony Adapter also won’t take up a USB port on the PS3, which is Bluetooth-only, according to Logitech.
Control has been one of the major issues for PS3 users since its inception. Nyko and Logic3 have developed USB-based solutions to combat the control problems, while a user at Remote Central developed the IR4PS3, the first full function IR remote for the PS3.
And Audio Authority recently introduced its BlueBeam converter, which also allows universal remote controls to be used with the PS3.
Pricing and availability for the Harmony Adapter haven’t been announced.
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In order to slow down the spread of the novel coronavirus, Georgia made wearing face masks mandatory in public spaces, with citizens facing a fine if caught without one.
However, according to the government’s decision, there are some exceptions: children who are 6 or under, citizens with respiratory problems, chronic lung disease, bronchial asthma, as well as people with disabilities will not be required to wear a face mask in public.
See all the news
Turkey to open doors to 31 countries for health tourism
Statement by Andrius Kubilius on the EU assistance for Georgia
Wine sales have increased 5 times in the UK - Georgian-British startup
S&P: Georgia Heads Toward Recession
Coronavirus: Boris Johnson moved to intensive care
First-Stage Land Usage Permit for APM Terminals Poti
How will Nenskra HPP Reduce the Electricity Import?
Carrefour: The product will be on the shelves with the prices same as before
Differences between tobacco and nicotine products
OECD cuts 2020 global growth forecast over virus
Georgia to export new armored vehicle Didgori Meomari
"Hotels are in shock, reservations are canceled" - Shalva Alaverdashvili
Georgian brand Entrée enters the UK market and opens its first facility in London
The first Swiss-Georgian VET college will soon be open in Dmanisi
Frontera claims that Georgian government has started harassing the company since 2013
Company HotelFriend offers convenient eComerce platform to Georgian Touroperators
Will the head of "Anaklia Deepwater Port Development Agency" be replaced?
TOP-10 Exporter Companies from Georgia to Russia
TBC Bank Group announces certain changes to the composition of the Management Board
Silknet signed Memorandum of Understanding with Global Communications Company One Web


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Even before anyone had a chance to play Gears of War:
Judgment, Epic Games Design Director Cliff Bleszinski was
already playing with fans' expectations for the game. When the
company first revealed the game's existence in May,
through a shaded Game
Informer cover featuring the silhouette of a
muscle-bound man in chains, most fans assumed they were
seeing Gears franchise hero Marcus Fenix finally
being carted off to jail. It turns out that the chained
soldier was actually Damon Baird, the mechanically inclined,
wise-talking member of Fenix's Delta Squad.
While fan interest in Baird was definitely a major motivator for
the switcheroo decision, Bleszinski said he also thought it would
make for a cool reveal. "I like to operate [thinking about] what
would make fans happy and what's also cool news." said Bleszinski.
"So with the reveal of the cover from Game
Informer you see someone in chains and everyone
immediately assumes it's Marcus. 'It's Marcus's story of how he
went to prison!' And it's like 'Ha! It's the downfall of Baird,'
right?" Continue reading


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Tech Talk on VOCM is a weekly tech spot highlighting the latest tech news and gadget reviews. On this episode we discuss how hackers can use email attachments to infect your device or computer.
Make a quick stop to your local coffee shop, restaurant, bar or newspaper stand, connect to their free Wi-Fi and within minutes you could see targeted texts on your phone or email ads in your inbox related to products sold at those establishments. Labelled as “Wi-Fi or Proximity Marketing”, this …..
With tax season looming, cyber criminals are gearing up to take advantage of unsuspecting Canadians by posing as the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), often requesting personal information or money in exchange for alleged overdue fees. These deceptive emails are often so-called phishing scams, a type of online identity theft often …..


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Hotel Chocolat claims to be gaining momentum towards becoming a “globally ambitious” digitally-led brand, with its direct-to-consumer multichannel model accelerating in the UK.
The chocolatier credits its “brand appeal and direct marketing skills” for attracting more than 600,000 new customers during the year, a 38% increase which takes the active UK customer database to 2.3 million.
Revenue surged 40% year on year to £142.9m during the 26 weeks to 26 December 2021, up 56% compared to pre-Covid levels. Hotel Chocolat also notched up £24.1m in pre-tax profit, an increase of 56% year on year and 61% compared to pre-pandemic.
UK and rest of the world sales hit £139.7m over the period, up 39% year on year, while sales in the US rose by 120% to £2m. The business also made £5m in sales from its Japanese joint venture, up 131% year on year.
In the UK, multichannel sales grew by 24% compared to levels pre-Covid. Describing its UK stores as a profitable way to build brand awareness, Hotel Chocolat says it is fully committed to physical locations as a “powerful way” to recruit profitable multichannel customers. Over the period the business opened two new UK stores and relocated four to significantly larger sites.
The last two years have been a period of very significant change both globally and within the business.
Angus Thirlwell, Hotel Chocolat
The company credits its refreshed bestselling Christmas and core gifting ranges for driving “strong sales uplifts”, while digital investment and loyalty have helped to drive multichannel growth. During the period, Hotel Chocolat also invested in its first TV campaign, promoting its Velvetiser hot chocolate product.
While internationally the business is yet to reach overall profitability in the US and Japan, Hotel Chocolat insists it has a “clear line of sight” as to how this can be achieved, with strategies and KPIs measuring its progress.
The digital focus applied to the US market is paying off, with active customers up 119%. Online growth has been led by sales of the Velvetiser product, a model the business says supports acquisition marketing with opportunities to cross-sell gifts. Hotel Chocolat also notes the opportunity to present US customers with a curated offer online of higher price-point products.
In terms of US physical retail, the company decided to close three of its four stores, based in commuter locations, to focus on ecommerce.
Over the period Hotel Chocolat opened a further nine stores in Japan and is now trading from 31 locations, alongside online and wholesale. Japanese active VIP Me customers have increased by 1,000%, with the business describing the overall growth in customer loyalty as repaying its “investments and belief” in the importance of authenticity.
Consumer sales as a whole in the Japanese market rose by 131%, with locally-tailored gift-assortments performing well.
DTC and going direct
CEO Angus Thirlwell describes the sales success as signalling the “global strength” of the brand and DTC business model, results which have enabled Hotel Chocolat to recruit for roles in tech and multichannel retailing.
Rather than selling through grocers, the brand believes its “huge advantage” is knowing who its customers are and developing close direct relationships via DTC sales. These relationships enable Hotel Chocolat to analyse the behaviours of a “wide church” of customer cohorts, adapting its marketing accordingly.
The approach appears to be paying off. Last month, Marketing Week revealed the chocolatier’s catalogue was the most effective piece of Christmas direct mail, according to Kantar’s ‘The Works’ study.
Produced in association with Marketing Week and the Advertising Association’s Trust Working Group, ‘The Works’ study asked 750 consumers what they thought of five of December’s top direct mail ads – 150 consumers per advert.
The Hotel Chocolat catalogue scored in the top 2% of all UK ads on its level of persuasion, which translated into strong intention to purchase. Some 44% of participants said they would use the coupon in the Hotel Chocolat catalogue, rising to 90% among existing customers. Almost half (45%) said they would visit the brand’s website (rising to 95% among customers) and 37% said they would visit a Hotel Chocolat store (rising to 90%).
The brand claims all its channels are focused on developing the active customer database, while stores represent a “prolific way” to recruit and retain multichannel customers. Wholesale partnerships are used as an opportunity to advertise the brand to “discrete customer pools” using tightly curated ranges.
The company identifies a combination of “compelling” product ranges and data-driven marketing as helping to drive growth, with Thirlwell promising an “unparalleled pipeline” of new product launches ahead. The business credits continued innovation for fuelling success, with refreshed gift assortments contributing to “strong sales”, alongside the expanded hot chocolate and home barista range.
“The last two years have been a period of very significant change both globally and within the business as we have evolved from a UK store-led brand to a globally ambitious digital-led brand with a broad-range of luxury cacao products,” says Thirlwell.
“The team has successfully managed to adapt to the continuously changing landscape and we have remained focused on our opportunities, delivering a sustained acceleration in growth over the last 18 months.”
With a goal to become a leading global DTC premium chocolate brand, Hotel Chocolat is eyeing “exciting opportunities” for multichannel and global growth. The company says it also wants to “continually strengthen” its brand appeal with product innovation and improved ESG credentials.


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Samsung has published a video showing the work of its new development, called PixCell LED.
PixCell LED is an automotive LED module that has been optimized for smart headlights with Adaptive High Beam support.
It is worth noting that the initial announcement took place about a month ago, but today the manufacturer has revealed a number of new details. Thus, the PixCell LED module combines over 100 ultra-small light elements.
It is known that due to this, the area of the emitting surface is significantly reduced – it is about 16 times less than similar products in this class.
PixCell LED guarantees only well-directed and high-contrast illumination, providing motorists with good road visibility.


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In just a few short days, bakers from around the country will converge on Schaumburg, Ill., for the inaugural All Things Baking (ATB), a joint venture among The Retail Bakers of America (RBA), American Bakers Association (ABA) and Bakery Equipment Manufacturers & Allieds (BEMA). The show begins Sunday, Oct. 2 and runs until Tuesday, Oct. 4.
So what can attendees expect? Morning sessions that are chock-full of educational and hands-on presentations and an exhibit hall full of companies showcasing the latest ingredients, equipment and packaging for the baking industry. For more information about the show, here's what Modern Baking had to say earlier this week and for general information about the show, visit the official ATB website.
Check back during the show to see what Modern Baking and Baking Management editors are seeing and learning while they explore All Things Baking.


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Bombay Hemp Company: using industrial hemp for food, clothing and shelter
Sanwar Oberoi and five of his friends from the same batch from the commerce stream of HR College of Commerce and Economics, Mumbai always talked about Indian agriculture, and the possibilities it held. They wanted to do something in the field, but were not sure what. Serendipitously, one of Sanwar’s friends came across hemp (cannabis) in Australia, an Aunt of his, who was suffering from stage three cancer was using hemp oil to alleviate her pain. There has been quite a few research studies that have been investigating how the tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) found in hemp, that may not cure cancer but can help in alleviating the suffering of cancer.
Exploring hemp’s potential:
Sanvar and his friends investigated hemp more and found that there were mainly two types. One was cannabis sativa (contains little or none of the psychotropic THC) and the other was cannabis indica (used as a recreational drug). Industrial hemp, is a specific strain of cannabis sativa, and is generally considered a super crop because of the variety of its uses. It is legally grown in many countries globally and is helps cater to a multi billion dollar industry. Industrial hemp is used in making everything from jeans, paper, fuel, detergent, renewing soil and food. Countries like China, Canada and the US have drafted policies to grow the industry.
They searched online to check whether it was grown in India and how much land was under cultivation. But they couldn’t find a lot of information. The question that came their minds was why wasn’t anybody doing this. In 1985, the Indian Government passed the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act and the Prevention of Illicit Trafficking in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, this included the ban on cannabis. The ban, unfortunately deemed anything that had THC in it, as cannabis. Therefore growing industrial hemp was also banned. Farmers in a few states grew it, but it was mostly, under the hood.
Unfortunately Sanvar and his college mates were not in a position to fight the government and change the policy. While their curiosity had been piqued, their knowledge on industrial hemp was still limited, in short, there was a lot of homework to be done before they could seriously consider doing something in the area. So they went about getting regular jobs after graduation, but used the weekends to understand more about industrial hemp. “We would go and meet farmers around Delhi and Maharashtra and discussed the feasibility of changing the law. We also did a lot of research going back to 1854, regarding the cotton industry in Ahmedabad, the jute industry in West Bengal and hemp in north india,” remarks Sanvar. After close to a year of research they had enough information to realize that getting into hemp would be a viable business.
Birth of BOHECO:
Slowly Sanvar and his friends began to quit their jobs around November 2012 and launched The Bombay Hemp Company or Boheco as its known.
“Young professionals need to look agriculture as a career, unfortunately, we don’t have a culture of agriculture companies, because of this modern practices are not employed and different avenues not looked at. Agriculture needs to reform like IT services,” says Sanvar.
BOHECO is a social enterprise that has three main aspects: research, influencing policy and commercializing hemp. Through research they are trying to understand what uses hemp can be put to, and since globally hemp can be used in an estimated 25,000 ways, they may not have issues finding new uses. They have already started communicating with the government to develop a new policy that takes into account the industrial uses of hemp and how that can benefit farmers and the economy alike.
On the commercial side they are working with farmers (mainly in North India) to help them understand the different uses for hemp and work with them on procuring raw materials.
Food, clothing and shelter:
BOHECO, through its innovation labs is finding ways to convert the hemp into items of food , clothing and shelter.
Hempcrete, is a bio-composite that is made of the inner woody core of the hemp plant and mixed with a lime-based binder is being considered for low-cost affordable government housing.
The food part consisting of oil, seeds and proteins are still undergoing testing. While they are already getting calls from cancer patients, it will take a year for it to commercially produced. BOHECO sells raw fibre, yarn, finished fabric and also different blends of hemp.
“Growing hemp can get you Rs 9 lakh return on an acre. The good thing is that it can grow anywhere, even in the saline belt. In 2013, we started talking with the Government and told them they are sitting on gold. We are hopeful that India national hemp policy will be out soon,” adds Sanvar.
BOHECO, is striving to be a socially conscious company, and to that end want the farmers to equally benefit from their efforts. Unlike the sugar industry, where farmers just supply the raw material and do not see profits from production, Sanvar and his team are very clear that they want the farmers to own the processing units, while they provide them technical advice.
“ This year once the Government gives the green signal, we will go all out,” remarks Sanvar.
Learn more about BOHECO here.
Want to make your startup journey smooth? YS Education brings a comprehensive Funding Course, where you also get a chance to pitch your business plan to top investors. Click here to know more.


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“All of Apple’s products this year were just fine. You could settle yourself totally within the Apple ecosystem and use Apple Music and Apple News on your iPhone while taking Live Photos and you would be just fine. You wouldn’t have the best time, but you wouldn’t have the worst one, either,” Nilay Patel writes for The Verge. “It would just be fine.”
“And that’s really the issue. We’re not used to Apple being just fine,” Patel writes. “We’re used to Apple being wildly better than the competition, or sometimes much worse, but always being ahead of the curve on some significant axis. But what we got in 2015 was an Apple that released more products than ever, all of which felt incomplete in extremely meaningful ways — ways that meant that their products were just fine, and often just the same as everyone else’s.”
Patel writes, “I would go so far as to say every new Apple product or feature released in 2015 was essentially in beta.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Yes. Basically, exactly what we warned about a year ago came to pass. Canaries in the coal mine. Chirp, peep, trill.
Bottom line: We long to again be able to confidently say of our Macs, iPhones, and iPads: “It just works.” — MacDailyNews, January 5, 2015
Steve Jobs would not have tolerated the parade of mediocrity that Apple displayed throughout 2015. Why does Tim Cook?
We pray that Apple can irradiate the insidious cancer of diminished expectations before it metastasizes too far.
Apple’s dirty little secret: Sucky software – why Apple’s entire UX/UI team needs to be fired – November 19, 2015
What Steve Jobs gave Apple that Tim Cook cannot – November 18, 2015
Alternatives to Apple’s bloated iTunes – November 17, 2015
Apple’s new iPad Pro debuts with forced reboots, missing Apple Pencils – November 16, 2015
Apple’s perplexingly incomplete launch of the iPad Pro – November 16, 2015
Open letter to Tim Cook: Apple needs to do better – January 5, 2015
Apple’s major problem is Tim Cook – November 16, 2015
At Apple, it seems as if no one’s minding the store – November 13, 2015
Houston Chronicle’s Silverman reviews new Apple TV: This cake needed more baking – November 9, 2015
The new Apple TV has more rough edges than a sack of saw blades – November 3, 2015
Apple Music one month later: Not loving it, but I’ll be subscribing to it – August 10, 2015
The tragedy of iTunes: Nothing ‘just works’ – July 28, 2015
Apple Music, both on iOS and OS X, is an embarrassing and confusing mess – July 10, 2015
After many of complaints about Wi-Fi issues, Apple dumps discoveryd in latest OS X beta – May 27, 2015
OS X 10.10.2: Wi-Fi problems continue to plague some Mac users – January 30, 2015
The software and services that Apple needs to fix – January 14, 2015
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Readers “Fred Mertz” and “Dan K.” for the heads up.]


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Kia Motors Develops Wireless Charging System for the Soul EV
Marking an important step for the future of electric vehicles, the Hyundai-Kia America Technical Center Inc. (HATCI), and Mojo Mobility, Inc. have completed a three-year project to develop a fast-charging wireless, inductive power transfer system on a test fleet of Kia Soul electric vehicles.
The project, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, paves the way for the future of electric vehicles in which plugs are no longer necessary.
HATCI and Mojo, a wireless technology company, worked together to develop a compact wireless charging system that is capable of transferring more than 10 kW to the vehicle for fast charging while targeting an 85 percent grid-to-vehicle efficiency. The wireless charging system was installed on five Soul EVs and tested them in real-world applications for durability, safety and performance.
The system works by using an electromagnetic field to transfer energy between two coils—a transmitter on the ground and a receiver mounted on the bottom of the vehicle. The driver simply parks the car above the transmitter to begin charging and then energy is sent through an inductive coupling to an electrical device, which uses that energy to charge the electric vehicles' battery.
The system is efficient drivers won't need to park in an exact place for charging from the transmitter and the receiver to take place, making it easier and more convenient for owners to charge their EVs.
"We're thrilled with the success of the system and its efficiency," said William Freels, HATCI President. "We set out to develop wireless charging that has real world applications and is easy to use for the consumer. Now, with this fleet of wireless Soul EVs, we can clearly see a future of unplugged electric vehicles."
Although there is no current plan to offer the wireless charging system on production vehicles for sale to consumers yet, the success of this development project suggests similar systems are possible on future Kia electric vehicles.
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- New York City Votes to Limit the Number of Uber & Lyft Vehicles
- Didi Investing $1 Billion Into its Auto Service Platform
- BMW is Building A New $1 Billion Assembly Plant in Hungary
- Chinese Electric Scooter Startup Niu to Seek $300 Million U.S. IPO
- Audi & Hyundai to Team Up on Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Development