text:
From the purple-carpeted lounges that looked out over the International Housewares Show at McCormick Place here you could see an ocean of wicker and neon. There were mirrored renditions of Malcolm X, Elvis and puppies. There were inflatable clocks, flashlight-shaped "personal alarms," cloth sacks made specifically for kittens to play in, miniature teak furniture, contraptions that bake waffles in the shape of Bugs Bunny, electric wands that dehumidify closets, and companies with names like Mr. Ice Bucket, Warp Brothers and Love Mug Inc.
When it comes to churning out gadgets and novelties, there is nothing more prolific than the housewares industry. For the last 53 years, marketers of ergonomic cheese cutters, flashing dog collars and the like have gravitated to this show to display their goods. It is all the more curious, then, that at this year's exhibition age-old products and Depression-era designs were touted as the industry's cutting edge.
The four-day show, which opened today, is no modest affair. Its 2,000 exhibits cover more than 17 acres of the McCormick Place complex and are expected to draw 55,000 visitors from 70 countries.
But what struck its organizers was that, at an exhibition that once introduced the food processor and the ultrasonic humidifier, the hottest items of 1992 were low-tech basics.
Consider, for example, Hot-Line's Presawash, an aluminum-barrel washing machine that runs on nothing more than two quarts of hot water, a teaspoon of soap powder and half a dozen turns of a crank.Continue reading the main story
At the Hot-Line booth, a heavy-set Australian named Arthur Peart demonstrated how the Presawash worked on a variety of grotesquely stained shirts. Mystified passers-by who stopped to ask why the "butter churn" was so large were surprised less than a minute later to see Mr. Peart draw out a spotless shirt, followed by a pitcherful of what looked and smelled like strong coffee.
The 20-inch-high container works on basic principles of steam pressure, Mr. Peart said. As the sealed tank tumbles slowly on its A-frame stand, the expansion of the vapor from the hot water inside forces dirt out of the clothes' fibers. Because so little soap is used and the washing time is so short, he said, the $80 device is ideal for delicates and shirts.
Mr. Peart insisted that despite its modest appearance the Presawash is the result of years of development. "When I took this up in 1973, it was just a tin bucket," he said. "But because it relies on the physics of pressure and not on any power source, it has to be this design and these materials, just so. It's simple, sure, but with a half-twist."
A few freshly carpeted miles away (40,000 square yards of carpet are installed for the exhibition, to be taken up afterward), the president of Back to Basics Products, a Utah concern, was also turning a wooden crank. Surrounded by steam canners, ice shavers and dough mixers, Bill Beesley 3d peeled apples on a $30 device of stainless steel and cast iron called the Peel Away.
"Salt Lake City, the place where I come from, is really the food storage capital of the world," said Mr. Beesley, a slim, bespectacled man with a shaved head and an operatic laugh. "I know people who pack away whole garages of food. They could live off their stores for years and years."
After several turns of the viselike instrument's grooved shaft, Mr. Beesley presented a meticulously peeled and cored apple. "People want to be financially and physically prepared, you see," Mr. Beesley said. "Prepared for the continued eroding of our way of life."
Lounging nearby, an exhibitor named James Sachs was also trying to make sense of it all. "It's like this," said Mr. Sachs, vice president of sales and marketing for Atlantic Cheinco Corporation of New Jersey. "Folks at General Motors thought they'd be protected for the rest of their lives, but now people are figuring out that they'd better start looking after themselves. Everybody here is aware of that."
As Mr. Sachs spoke, an Atlantic Cheinco employee dressed as Benjamin Franklin walked around the booth, straightening decorative tins that bore logos of The Old Farmer's Almanac and Clifford the Dog.
"Nobody wants to think about drive-by shootings," Mr. Sachs added as the Franklin impersonator stepped across the aisle to introduce himself to a woman dressed as a Barbie doll. "They want the security of their memories."
Of course, in a show whose displays alone accounted for 2,000 tons of incoming freight, every product type had its opposite. For every snap-style mousetrap, ash-wood basket and stove-top percolator that rode the atavistic "new" wave, there was a genuinely new contraption.
Take for instance the Open Up, a "power twist jar and bottle opener" sold by Appliance Science Corporation of South Norwalk, Conn. The $35 Open Up is an inverted plastic cone whose inner surface is covered with thin strips of steel, not unlike the metal on a wood rasp. When a bottle is pushed up into the device, the cone turns slowly to twist open the cap. Battery powered and mounted under a cabinet, it fits any cap from half an inch to four inches in diameter.
"This was invented by an Illinois farmer whose wife had arthritis," said Sallie Kreda, an Appliance Science spokeswoman, while a man dressed as Snoopy brushed past, ambling toward an exhibit in which a woman in a bathing suit showered on demand. "Most of the innovations are simply improvements on exisiting designs. Teal blue popcorn makers. That sort of thing."
Well past the World of Shoeshines, where a quartet of men in tuxedos served a bank of eight extremely popular chairs, a trio of women demonstrated the Minute Marinizer, a $179 appliance made by Upscale Products that marinates any food placed under its plastic dome in a mere three minutes.
"The machine creates a slight vacuum," said the leader, Ramona Cox, a co-owner of Upscale, as she set onion halves into a dish of beet-red liquid under the machine's cover. "Air evacuates the food, and liquid chases in to fill the gap."
Sure enough, after a series of whirring noises from the machine and a belligerent snap as the vacuum seal was broken, the food had soaked up enough of the bright fluid to give it a slightly unearthly appearance. A small crowd stared in silence at the florid onion as Miss Cox explained: "The onion is like a meat, do you see? Now you can use less tender cuts."
The show's newfangled inventory didn't stop there. There were portable soda fountains that run on syrup cartridges, carbon dioxide and ice; palette-and-blade kits for decorating watermelons much as you might a pumpkin; Goofy Graffiti, a disappearing spray that, marketers promised, leaves no lasting impressions, and even tiny plastic stands for holding half-empty bottles upside-down in the refrigerator.
"What you're looking at here is classic technology with a difference," said Pat Terry, a spokeswoman for the National Housewares Manufacturers Association, which sponsored the show. "People may want to make their own bread, but they're not going to spend their lives in the kitchen. Technology's giving us shortcuts to the old-fashioned rewards."
And the old-fashioned pleasures, apparently. Just ask Ron Gordon, whose eponymous company in Paterson, N.J., does a brisk trade in handpainted bamboo bird cages. Mr. Gordon, wearing a sky-blue velour sweatshirt, cradled an artificial goldfinch in both hands, and gingerly held it out in front of him.
"It's plastic, with a layer of genuine duck feathers," Mr. Gordon said. "Then it's handpainted, and the wire feet are attached. There's even a microchip inside so that when you clap or touch the cage, it'll chirp for you."
"People are getting back to nature," he said conclusively, sticking a paper wedge back into a slot in the bird's belly to keep it from singing. "That's what it's all about."Continue reading the main story


text:
On Tuesday, data from US Labour Department had unveiled that US Consumer Prices Index rose modestly last month, as a robust build-up in underlying price pressure continued to pickpocket the Americans’ hard-earned money while handing out an ammunition to US Fed to hike its benchmark borrowing cost by 75 bps (basis percentage point) at its next policy meet.
In the matter of the fact, Tuesday’s data had flabbergasted many, as US Government had claimed several times that a persistently bottlenecked supply chain jam might just have been easing. Nonetheless, a sustenance in wage growth alongside an increase in resilient labour market, would likely to keep the US Fed on an aggressive path for a while.
Meanwhile, followed by the reveal of the data, a senior economist at BMO Capital Markets in Toronto, Sal Guatieri said, “The Fed is all but sure to hike rates aggressively next week, likely by 75 basis points, while pushing back strongly against talk of a near-term pause in the tightening cycle”.
US Consumer Price Index rises last month
According to data from the US Labour Department, US Consumer Prices Index, a weighted change in price of consumers’ goods on a given period of time, gained 0.1 per cent last month, while rental costs, foods alongside healthcare had contributed the most on last month’s rise in Consumer Price Index.
In tandem, over past twelve months through August, Core CPI jumped 6.3 per cent compared to the same time a year earlier, while Core CPI gained 0.6 per cent on a monthly basis. Nonetheless, US CPI had received a room to breathe following a 10.6 per cent decline in gasoline prices.

domain: news


text:
By Della Domingo
During the Media Trade Conference, manufacturers supply technical and product information with dozens of editorial staff from print and digital outlets in prescheduled, 30-minute meetings.
Journalists can take part in up to 42 private, uninterrupted meetings with executives from top motorsports parts manufacturers during the 2020 MPMC Media Trade Conference, January 21–23, 2020, at the Embassy Suites Orange County Airport North in Santa Ana, California.
Editors can register now for the three-day exclusive event.
Media participation is free to all editorial representatives, making it the most affordable and efficient way for reporters to get detailed information specific to their audience needs and interests and gather a year’s worth of editorial content.
Company representatives come to the meetings prepared to discuss everything from their newest product lines to changes at their companies to industry trends during their meetings with editors. Additionally, afternoon lunches and breaks provide further opportunities for meetings and networking.
Early registration guarantees that reporters will receive the best possible schedules prior to the event, and meetings are scheduled based on the companies that journalists select on their applications, so participants are encouraged to pay close attention to the companies they select. Journalists should also mark “Do Not Meet” for the companies outside of their editorial needs.


text:
Meitu recently published its annual results for 2019, stating that the company realized total operating revenue of CNY977.9 million, a year-on-year increase of 3.2%.
According to the report, the company's online advertising revenue increased by 21.1% year-on-year to CNY751.9 million. At the same time, its "premium subscription and in-app purchase" business became an important business model and it contributed CNY85.987 million to the company, a year-on-year increase of 518.1%.
Meitu's gross profit reached CNY699.3 million, a year-on-year increase of 42.1%; and its gross margin increased from 51.9% to 71.5%, representing a growth of 19.6 percentage points.
Cai Wensheng, chairman of Meitu, said that the company adjusted its strategy to be more focused in 2019. With business optimization and grooming, its gross profit saw a large growth.


text:
A few days are left before the presentation of the Redmi K30 Pro. However, new device information continues to appear on the network. Today, Redmi has shared another batch of details about the upcoming smartphone, which will be officially unveiled on March 24.
So, the device will receive an E3 Super AMOLED display, which can be called an advanced version of the Super AMOLED screen. It boasts 8% improved energy efficiency, 100% DCI-P3 color gamut coverage, less blue light emission, 5,000,000: 1 contrast ratios and 1,200 cd / m2 peak brightness, support for HDR10 + extended dynamic range and sensor layer sampling rate 180 Hz. In addition, according to the previous Redmi Product Director Wang Teng Thomas, the screen refresh rate of the Redmi K30 Pro is 60Hz.
In addition to these features on its screen, the device will also remain using the pop-up self-portrait camera system with color-changing LED light support. Lu Weibing said the pop-up + breathing light design of the Redmi K20 series was loved by users. So we will still continue to use this design in Redmi K30 Pro.
In addition, Redmi K30 Pro has passed TÜV Rheinland’s global eye protection certification. In terms of software, the new sunlight screen + luminous screen technology provides a more comfortable eye environment; at the same time, it opens the screen time management function in a healthy and comfortable dimension Control how long your phone is using.
For starters, Redmi will be using Turbo 3.0. It will come with multi-task support, voice change and even God Assist mode. Recall that another feature of Redmi K30 Pro will be the top-end Snapdragon 865 chipset paired with a modem for the 5th-generation network, as well as a 4700-5000mAh battery. The novelty will cost more than $430.
Do not forget to follow us on our Facebook group and page to keep you always aware of the latest advances, News, Updates, review, and giveaway on smartphones, tablets, gadgets and more from the technology world of the future.


text:
Food-safety engineers from Texas AgriLife Research at Texas A&M University report they’ve devised a method to reduce the amount of irradiation needed to kill pathogens like Salmonella or E. coli O157:H7 that can contaminate fresh produce.
That’s significant not for safety reasons–irradiation does not cause foods to become radioactive and irradiated food is not harmful–but because cutting the amount of irradiation can keep fresh produce crisp and green while still eliminating illness-causing bacteria.
Two excellent articles on the breakthrough research being done at Texas A&M’s Department of Biological and Agriculture Engineering are Laura Kern’s “Advances in Food Safety: Irradiating Confidence,” and another by Robert Burns.
They describe how the Texas engineers are experimenting not only with lower-dose irradiation, but with microencapsulation, incorporating natural enzymes and extracts such as cinnamon, garlic and cloves that have powerful antimicrobial properties into packaging to help control bacteria and other microbes. And how the scientists are using CT (computed tomography) scans to help calculate dosimetry so that the smallest, most precise amounts of ionizing radiation can be used to reach every part of a particular fruit or vegetable.
In his article published in AgriLife News, Burns explains that at irradiation dosages of above 1,000 Gray (a Gray is a measure of the ionizing radiation dose), delicate, leafy vegetables begin to discolor, soften and lose some flavor and nutritional value – about what happens when greens are cooked. Federal regulations permit the use of irradiation at dosages of up to 4,000 Gray on leafy greens such as spinach, but the question has been how to reduce that amount to keep vegetables from turning mushy without reducing irradiation’s effectiveness.
Texas A&M food safety engineers Rosana Moreira, Elena Castell-Perez and Carmen Gomes wondered if an answer could be found in the packaging process, Burns writes.
The team contaminated fresh and frozen spinach samples with either Salmonella or Listeria cultures, then put the spinach in Mylar bags filled with pure oxygen, a nitrogen oxygen mix and plain air. They bombarded the bags with an electron-beam gun, a method typically used for irradiation that Burns reports generates ozone.
Ozone is somewhat of a bactericide, so the researchers theorized that if they irradiated a bag of fresh spinach with enough oxygen inside so that it would become ozone, they could use it to work synergistically with irradiation and thus lower the necessary pathogen-killing dose.
The sample bags were subjected to levels of radiation ranging from 0.2 to 1.25 kilo Gray and the researchers discovered they were right – the spinach inside the modified packaging containing either pure oxygen or the nitrogen/oxygen mix was decontaminated but not degraded.
The scientists found they could significantly reduce the amount of radiation and still achieve a 100,000 fold reduction of pathogens–a 99.9999 percent kill rate.
The ozone, the only byproduct of the process that might be considered hazardous to human health, converted back to oxygen within an hour, according to Gomes.
Gomes, in the AgriLife article, notes fresh produce is usually either rinsed with water or water and chlorine to rid it of possible contaminants. But neither method can completely remove pathogens, which can be lodged in furrows on the outside or even be inside fresh vegetables.
Ionizing irradiation, unlike chlorine washes, can penetrate the produce to zap bacteria, and it doesn’t leave chemical residues.
Outside of regulatory approaches to ensuring food safety, irradiation is one the best ways to keep contaminated food out of the market, however, it continues to be one of the most misunderstood and controversial issues in food science. Gomes offers a clear explanation of the process, saying it is analogous to heat treatments that expose milk, juice and cans of vegetables to very high temperatures to kill pathogens.
But unlike ionizing radiation, thermal processes can reduce nutrients such as chlorophyll and carotenoids as well as antioxidants, according to the AgriLife article. And the researchers say they’ve found that ionizing radiation can actually enhance some nutrients, such as carotene, in addition to keeping the food fresher longer.
Although irradiated food is increasingly common in the marketplace, consumers still have not fully accepted the process. And some consumers and food safety advocates reject irradiation as a “techno fix,” arguing that contamination needs to be addressed at the beginning of the food-production chain, not the end. Officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have said irradiation offers “great potential” for preventing many of the foodborne illnesses caused by contaminated meat and poultry products, fresh produce and other foods.


text:
Maybe because the jacket doesn't fit very well. Or maybe it's just because it's not what we're used to seeing. Steve Jobs with former AT&T Mobility CEO Stan Sigman, who helped bring the iPhone to AT&T, at the Wireless History Foundation's Inaugural Wireless Hall of Fame Dinner, October 5, 2010. [Coracle Group, Wireless History Foundation]
Steve Jobs Looks Weird When He Dresses Up
Trending Stories Right Now
Models Can't Keep Up With Migrating Magnetic North Pole, And The US Government Shutdown Just Made It Worse
Rapid and erratic movements of Earth’s north magnetic pole have prompted an early update to a model that assists with navigation. The scheduled fix was supposed to happen on January 15, but the US government shutdown has forced an unwelcome delay.
There’s no shortage of data breaches these days, but this one should make you sit up and pay attention. The newly discovered “Collection #1" is the largest public data breach by volume, with 772,904,991 unique emails and 21,222,975 unique passwords exposed.


text:
From Nicole Kidman to Charlize Theron, the stars came out in full force with their gowns for the final award ceremony of the season
Glittering gowns, elegant suits and bold mini-dresses worn by the late Princess Diana will go on show from Friday on the 20th anniversary of her death in new exhibition charting her style reign.
The Italian brand will showcase its first joint men’s and women’s collections by Alessandro Michele in Milan for fashion week
Ermenegildo Zegna’s latest campaign for Spring/Summer 2017 is an intimate (yet stylish) exploration of life’s defining moments
The American designer brings us his latest collection, including styles that will be made available to those lucky enough to get their hands on it
With the actor on the cover, we can’t help but swoon over how much we love the new issue — don’t take our word for it, get your own copy today!


text:
After a turbulent year 2020, where technology played a game-changing role, the 28th Convergence India and the 6th Smart Cities India Expo 2021 brought together government officials, industry leaders, and domain experts to discuss the role and opportunities for technology as we progress towards the ‘new normal’ eraat the Emerging Tech Summit.
The opening session on ‘The Changing Landscape of Emerging Technology’ was graced by distinguished speakers including Dr. Omkar Rai, Director General, STPI; Mr. Saurabh Gaur, IAS, Joint Secretary, MeitY; Mr. Anil Kumar Jain, CEO, NIXI; Dr. Rishi Bhatnagar, President, AERIS Communication; Mr. Ankur Malhotra, Director, Mazars, India, Mr. Jim Morrish, Founding Partner, Transforma Insights; Dr. Anita Gupta, Head, NSTEDB, Ministry of Science & Technology; Ms. Anna Roy, Sr. Advisor, NITI Aayog; and Anurag Agrawal, Director, CSIR Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, along with several others, who shared their thoughts and ideas on the how technology outperformed during the pandemic and the role of emerging technologies. Thought Leadership Partner for the expo, Mazars, also released a Knowledge Report on ‘Where is my cloud?’
While setting the tone for the session, Mr. Sharat Chandra, President, GBA India and Advisor, EarthID emphasized on the need for strengthening Blockchain and CryptoCurrency in the fast-evolving digital era. Speaking at the session, Dr. Omkar Rai said, “For successful adoption and implementation of emerging technologies, it’s equally essential to introduce financial incentives to ease the transformational process, especially in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities.”
Mr Saurabh Gaur said, “There is a need to considerably enhance the effort to push adoption of technology across sectors.It is only possible if we have a parallel efficient system of skill development to work in the new system.”
More than ever before, during the pandemic, technology has taken centerstage, and digital transformation has become the need of the hour. Continuing on the session theme, Dr. Rishi Bhatnagar said, “In this age of rapid digitization, nurturing new-age skills among the workforce is imperative for their career. Besides, continuous upskilling and reskilling are necessary tostay relevant in the future job market.”
Adding further, Mr. Anil Kumar Jain added, “As rapid integration of technology is taking place in almost all sectors and business, it also enhances the need for security to ensure protection of industries. In this regard, greater cooperation between the government and private sectors are important for seamless adoption of AI and other emerging technologies. More so, learning institutes must also integrate courses as well as impart training on Cyber Security.”
The Summit featured various sessions focused on themes including Digital Transformation of Electronics Design, Manufacturing and Related Quality Processes; Role of IoT in Buildings, Education, Healthcare Manufacturing, Utilities & Beyond; Impact of AI in Healthcare and Blockchain in Action.
Hosted by India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) and Exhibitions India Group (EIG), 28th Convergence India and the 6th Smart Cities India Expo 2021 support the Government’s vision of transforming India into a digitally and sustainably empowered economy. Convergence India is at the forefront of India’s digital revolution, while the Smart Cities India expo is a reflection of India’s emerging modernization and development landscape. The combination of these two leading expos, supporting India’s Digital & Smart Cities Missions, delivering an event that will accelerate technological innovation, opening with key discourses on the growth of India’s digital economy and enabling entrepreneurship as a driving force for socio-economic development.


text:
This older flagship went on sale last year but the Korean firm has just pushed out a big software update which brings an impressive new feature to this device.
The upgrade, which is being rolled out across the globe right now, adds a dedicated Night Mode to the S9's camera which means this phone should perform far better when taking photos in tricky lighting conditions.
Similar to the Night Sight mode found on Google's Pixel, this option boosts the brightness in images without using the flash.
This bonus feature was recently added to the new Galaxy S10 so it's nice seeing Samsung also bringing improvements to the Galaxy S9 as well.
If you own an S9 then it's worth heading to Settings > System update to check if the upgrade is available on your device.
Samsung has released this change at a time when the S9 has never been cheaper to own
In fact, you can currently pick up this smartphone for under £450 which makes it a bit of a bargain and one of the lowest prices comes via Amazon.
The online retailer has been slowly reducing the cost of the S9 but fans now buy one for just £439 - a saving of over £300.
The model on offer is the Coral Blue version with 64GB of memory.
Samsung launches new ‘The Wall Luxury’ 292-Inch TV
Other colours such as Lilac Purple and Midnight Black are available but do come with a slightly higher price.
Along with Amazon cutting prices, John Lewis is also selling the S9 for £499 and Debenhams Plus also have this device in stock at a similar price.
As a quick reminder, the Galaxy S9 includes a 5.8-inch curved screen, fast processor and 12-megapixel rear camera.
There's also a rear fingerprint scanner, water-resistant design and wireless charging which can boost the battery without needing to go near a plug.
If you want to know more about the S9 you can read our full review here but in summary, we said: "There’s no question that the S9 is a contender for smartphone of the year.
"With its stunning curved design, it still looks sublime and the display is, without doubt, one of the best you’ll find on a phone.
"This new flagship also offers a slick experience with a processor that’s powerful enough to act as your home PC."


text:
Laying Out the Welcome Mat: Unsecured Servers
By Lisa Baergen, Director of Marketing, NuData
One of the things we do at NuData is monitor the news and provide commentary to media on breaking stories. We are fortunate to be one of the experts called upon to speak about a variety of cyber fraud issues.
These past few weeks have been interesting because we’ve seen a trend that can be so easily prevented: data theft from unsecured servers. Yesterday, news broke that the WWE Corporation’s server was accessed, and fraudsters accessed wrestling fans’ personally identifiable information, or what we refer to as PII. The fan database included names, addresses, emails, ethnicity, children’s age ranges and more.
There are two important issues here. One is that PII was stolen and likely will be for sale on the dark web by the end of the day. The opportunity to abuse this data is high as it was so fulsome with names addresses, ethnicity and birthdates (known as fullz to hackers). Fullz makes it easy to impersonate actual users and access their other online accounts. It raises concern about the amount of private information collected. Children’s data opens the door for the creation of synthetic identities (see: Synthetic Identities: trust the behavior, not the data!).
Just last week it was discovered during a routine security review that a database of usernames and email addresses on data.gov.uk was breached. The publicly accessible site lets registered users browse information published by a variety of British government departments. And the week before, it was discovered that Deep Root Analytics was behind the data breach on 198 million US voters.
Which raises the second concern: high-profile organizations, likely despite their best efforts, are leaving their servers unprotected or leaving cracks for the hackers to permeate. It’s like laying the welcome mat out to every fraudster who accesses the site. Here’s what one of our security strategists had to say to the media today:
“In less than a month, there is news of a third “non-breach ‘breach’” of sensitive user PII data. The unfortunate mishandling of trusted data by Deep Root, data.gov.uk, and now the WWE continues to show that sophisticated hacking is not required to obtain troves of identity data that can be used to create fraudulent identities or access online personas. We have hit a turning point where financial and identity cybercrime has become something that a person with the most basic computer skills can dabble in. Because of this, merchants and FIs need to rethink how they protect and identify their users in the digital world.” – Ryan Wilk, Vice President of Customer Success
We need to protect all consumer data, but more importantly, we need to make it valueless. Using advanced techniques like Passive Biometrics and Behavioral Analytics gives merchants and financial institutions a step up on the bad actors looking to monopolize this data. Understanding the user behind the device is key, in effect devaluing the stolen identity data to any other person or entity. It’s time to roll up the welcome mat and lock the door.
Want to read more posts like this? See our full blog here.


text:
Just a few short years ago, cable’s biggest threat was satellite TV. The satellite television providers hit the scene offering a plethora of channels and what seemed like a much better deal at the time. It wasn’t too long before consumers came to the conclusion that both were pretty similar in terms of programming options and price. Cable and satellite TV providers now have something even more in common as both are faced with the ever looming threat of internet TV. Competition Heats up in the Paid TV Business Over the past two years, major cable companies have been reporting record losses in terms of revenue and subscribers. These losses certainly are not the result of people watching less sitcoms, movies and talk shows. They are a reflection of how times have changed and how much the internet has impacted the paid TV industry. And while the acts of piracy and illegal streaming have been factors in the shift, there are plenty of legitimate internet-based competitors for the traditional television providers to be worried about. In 2007, Apple came out with its Apple TV, an IPTV-based (Internet Protocol Television) service that delivers programming content to the viewer via a digital media receiver. Being such a bold step at the time of its arrival enabled this particular service to make Apple a pioneer in the paid internet TV sector. The continuous addition of new programming options has enabled it to survive. Apple TV users can enjoy movies and sports, make rental purchases from Netflix, and even view content from video sharing sites like Vimeo and YouTube. Despite claims of not wanting to enter the TV business, Apple looks to have a very sustainable alternative in its internet-powered television box. When it’s all said and done, Google may be the biggest piece of the internet TV puzzle. Seemingly motivated by the luscious oasis of advertising revenue, Google launched its Google TV in 2010. Though similar to Apple’s product, Google has added some elements that distance it from the competition. Built on the company’s flexible Android operating system, Google TV boasts a Linux-powered Chrome browser, picture-in-picture functionality and integration with Netflix and Dish Network, with HBO and CNBC being among the main content providers. As an added bonus, the consumer can use their Android or iPhone device as a remote control. Despite mediocre reviews and a lukewarm response, there are plenty of reasons to view Google as a legitimate threat in the internet TV game. In fact, some of the traditional media players have been quite aggressive in refusing to support Google on its initiatives. ABC, CBS, NBC and Hulu (ironically, another company in the IPTV business) have all blocked out their programming from Google TV users. Meanwhile, more companies are gearing up to join Apple and Google in the internet television sector to give the traditional players an even bigger run for their money. Reliability a Factor The appeal to IPTV and internet TV technology in general is all in the possibilities. Interactivity with browsers, media players and other apps can create experiences that customers migrating over from conventional services will absolutely cherish. Internet TV definitely appears to be on the rise, but the old industry does have one thing on its side, and that is a longstanding history of reliability. Cable experiences little to no downtime, and satellite has been steadily improving. Though attractive, what the internet has to offer is unproven to the average consumer. With companies like Dish Network actually indulging in IPTV, it could only be a matter of time before internet television becomes a regular fixture in the world of paid programming. Those putting up resistance may just be delaying the inevitable.
Politicians are increasingly using the internet to digitize their campaign efforts. The use of online video was critical in the historic Presidential election of 2008, and once again the President’s team is using it to influence the public. In an effort to promote Obama’s new American Jobs Act, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) launched what turned out be a viral marketing campaign on Monday September 12. The governing group of the U.S. Democratic party, the DNC, leveraged the combination of online video and advertisements to get the attention of their ideal supporters in hopes of winning them over enough to get their votes on the American Jobs Act, the President’s new plan for creating jobs throughout the nation. The ultimate goal was directing consumers to a website where they could learn more about the plan. The DNC used a three-part video series to drive its advertising initiatives, which were kicked off with “14 Months,” a TV ad that featured President Obama speaking on the proposed jobs act while reminding us that the next election is a mere 14 months away. Up next was the online ads, starting with “Tomorrow,” a 30-second spot promoting the act through testimonials of consumers speaking on the need for creating jobs. This was followed by “Relief,” the 15-second spot that may have made the biggest impact online. Another video ad designed to highlight the importance of Obama’s plan, Relief ran on multiple sites, including Facebook, YouTube, Hulu, Pandora, the Huffington Post and several other news outlets. Recapturing the Magic Harnessing the power of video and the internet in general is nothing new for the DNC. Having used it successfully in the past, the committee is certainly no stranger to online marketing. It tapped into the resources of the digital channel to score its biggest victory ever and help wrap up the election in 2008. And while the DNC’s success can be attributed to a variety of factors, YouTube in particular was hugely instrumental in the outcome. You may recall that there was a point in the grueling 2008 election when Obama’s chances of winning were slim. Videos of Reverend Jeremiah Wright’s controversial sermons were circulating through YouTube, and public perception of the presidential hopeful was starting to wane. In a strategic move, Obama’s team fought back by promoting a lengthy speech he delivered focusing on race relations to a Philadelphia crowd. Not only did the clip of that speech calm the concerns of voters, it also tallied up well over five million views on YouTube, more than any other video of its kind. By the time election day rolled around, 28% of voters admitted to watching Obama’s videos online. While true intentions are always questionable when political gain is on the line, even members of the Republican party have come out to speak on the brilliance of the DNC’s latest advertising program. All signs are pointing to the digital channel playing an even bigger role in the upcoming Presidential election than it did in the monumental election of 2008.


text:
Photo by Andrew Hawkins / The Verge
Volvo, the Swedish luxury car maker owned by China’s Geely, announced its plan for an initial public offering as it seeks to raise more cash to accelerate its transition to a fully electric car company.
The announcement follows the news last week that Polestar, the electric car company that is a joint venture between Volvo and Geely, would be going public by merging with a special purpose acquisition company, or SPAC. That deal values Polestar at roughly $20 billion, despite selling only two models — a hybrid luxury coupe and an all-electric fastback sedan. Volvo is choosing a more traditional route by proceeding with an IPO in Stockholm that could value the company at upwards of $25 billion.


text:
The Japanese console market has seen an increase in sales revenue for the first time in three years, and that's down to the Switch.
According to Famitsu figures, translated and broken down by Japanese games industry analyst Dr. Serkan Toto, combined console hardware and software sales from December 26, 2016 to June 25, 2017, totaled 153.2 billion yen ($1.35 billion).
That's a year-over-year increase of 14.8 percent, and marks the first revenue rise in three years for the Japanese console market (during that six month time period, at least).
As explained by Toto, in recent years consoles have struggled to keep up with the booming popularity of mobile games. And in 2016, Famitsu reported an overall drop-off in console hardware and software sales.
With that in mind, the Japanese publication is unsurprisingly attributing the market's sudden turnaround in fortunes to Nintendo's console-handheld hybrid.
The system has already sold over 1 million units in Japan, despite only launching on March 3, and it's solid debut performance has clearly been a boon to the region's console market.
Whether or not the Switch can maintain that momentum remains to be seen, and the device's immediate success will depend on Nintendo's ability to manufacture enough hardware to meet consumer demand.


text:
WASHINGTON—President Biden wants food retailers to provide their employees with back hero pay as part of a $1.9 trillion economic stimulus plan announced last week, reports GroceryDive.com.
The proposal also calls on lawmakers to approve unemployment aid to grocery delivery workers, ride-share drivers and other self-employed individuals, who typically aren’t eligible for compensation if they lose their jobs. The announcement follows efforts by labor officials to convince retailers to revive the bonus pay programs they introduced for essential workers early in the pandemic.
Including hero pay in the Biden Administration’s “American Rescue Plan” indicates White House support for the argument that grocery store employees should receive additional bonus pay for the risks they have shouldered during the pandemic.
“A number of large employers, especially in the retail and grocery sectors, have seen bumper profitability in 2020 and yet done little or nothing at all to compensate their workers for the risks they took,” the incoming administration said in a document outlining its rescue package. “The president-elect believes these employers have a duty to do right by their frontline essential workers and acknowledge their sacrifices with generous back hazard pay for the risks they took across 2020 and up to today.”
Early in the pandemic, supermarket operators were lauded for boosting worker pay as the industry scrambled to react to the crisis. But during the summer, some retailers terminated the extra compensation. Critics have called on grocers to reverse that decision, pointed to booming revenue and profits spurred by a population that’s spending more time at home. In July, a group of 15 senators, including Kamala Harris, sent letters to top grocery executives requesting restoration of the pay programs.
H-E-B, Stop & Shop and Target are among the major grocers that paid bonuses to essential workers last year. H-E-B instituted an unspecified permanent pay raise in June, while Natural Grocers announced in April that it would keep a $1 hourly pay bump for its workers indefinitely.
Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, the County Board of Supervisors passed a motion that could lead the city to mandate a $5-per-hour "hero pay" increase for grocery and retail drugstore workers. L.A.’s proposed ordinance, which the grocery industry opposes, is due for a vote today.
To read more about how convenience stores have been working to recognize front-line and essential workers, be sure to check out “Thanking Everyday Heroes” in the September 2020 issue of NACS Magazine.


text:
The managers of a Thailand-focused investment trust are looking to tap into a growing interest in home DIY in the South East Asian country to continue the fund’s stellar long term performance.
The Aberdeen New Thai Investment Trust said the latest companies it has backed include Siam Global House, a retail chain that sells home-related products for construction, repair, decoration and renovation.
The purchase was revealed in the Aberdeen Standard Investments-managed trust’s report for the first half of the year during which it marginally undershot its benchmark. Thanks to a strong performance from Thai equities, the country’s stock market delivered total returns of 15.2% in the period. By comparison, the trust delivered returns of 14.6% with the underperformance blamed on factors including the the portfolio being underweight to the services and technology sectors.
Earlier this year the trust was named as the only one which would have been able to produce an ISA millionaire in the 20 years since the introduction of the tax-free savings accounts. If an investor had placed each year’s maximum tax-free investment allowance from 1999 to 2018 – a total of £206,560 – in the trust, their ISA pot would now be worth £1,070,583.
The trust highlighted its long term focus on quality companies invested in a market that has demonstrated resilience through varying economic cycles.
“Many Thai companies have access to the varied regional opportunities that now exist and which continue to grow unabated including, but not limited to, those in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam,” it added.


text:
This week marks the typical end of the yearly session for the United States Supreme Court. Per tradition, it is during this week that the Court officially releases their rulings in the most controversial cases that were heard over the last eight to ten months. Yesterday, the court did just that in a case related to liability for defects in generic drugs in Mutual Pharmaceutical Co. v. Bartlett. This is a case that we have discussed before as having important implications for many different Chicago residents and medical patients.
Unfortunately, though not wholly unexpected, the court’s opinion runs counter to the best interests of those harmed by dangerous drugs. The full online text version of the opinion can be found online here.
This legal matter affects the public regulation of the drug industry, in particular the tort liability of generic drug manufacturers following design defect claims.
Both state and federal governments are involved in regulating the drug industry, fighting to ensure that only safe products make it to the market. Under federal law, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has a process regard design and labeling standards that must be met to ensure consumers are aware of the risks posed by each product. Under federal law generic drug manufacturers are similarly required to have consistent labeling with the brand name products that they are mimicking. The law also requires that the generic drug itself be chemically the same as the brand name drugs they are copying.
The issue in this most recent case, are whether federal rules regarding avoidance of liability after meeting FDA standards “preempts’ state laws which allow liability for such defects by generic harm. In other words, the case decided whether a patient harmed by a generic drug with a design defect could sue and win damages under state law even though they did not have a cause of action under federal law.
In yesterday’s opinion the court sided with the pharmaceutical company and determined that the patient harmed by the dangerous drug could not sue under state law (she had been awarded $21 million in damages by the state court).
Justice Alito wrote the opinion for the divided court. The 5-4 majority agreed that because federal law required the generic drug manufacturer not to change the product and because injuries of this nature lead to “strict liability” then allowing the generic drug manufacturer to be held accountable made it impossible for it comply with both state and federal law. The Court rejected the notion put forward by lower courts that the manufacturer could either stop selling in the state or pay for damages as part of the cost of doing business there.
Four justices disagreed with the assessment and took issue with the fact that this ruling ignores the roles of the state to regulate itself. One of the dissents from Justice Sotomayor explained that the ruling “has left a seriously injured customer without any remedy despite Congress’ explicit efforts to preserve state common-law liability.”
Regardless of the changes in the legal landscape as a result of this case, please be sure to speak with an attorney for tailored guidance following any injury related to medical errors or dangerous drugs.
See Other Blog Posts:


text:
Steve Jobs passed away this week at 56. We briefly discuss his impact on technology before moving on to the iPhone 4S announcement this week, and last week's new Facebook features.
Microsoft said to offer a two-day tribute to its respected rival, the founder of Apple.
Bill Gates and Steve Jobs have been competitors and friends for decades. Here's a look at some of the things Gates has said about Steve Jobs through the years.
Tech and political leaders give their condolences.
Apple fans are getting creative in their homages to the tech icon.
Fans are paying tributes to Steve Jobs at Apple Stores around the world. Here's a look at the scene at some of those stores.
Steve Jobs was a unique creative genius whose life was far too brief. While he is known for his PCs, music players, smartphones, and tablets, Jobs left a mark on the world that touches all our lives far beyond gadgets and technology.
Articles on the Apple icon's passing grace the front pages of newspapers and websites around the world. Here’s a look at some of the coverage.
Steve Jobs, the Apple co-founder who resigned from the company in the mid-1980s and returned a decade later to make Apple one of the most successful technology companies in the world, has died.
Only 4 percent of nearly 2,300 consumers said Steve Jobs' resignation makes them less likely to buy Apple products in the future.


text:
Xbox 720 Launch Date Confirmed by Paul Thurott
According to Paul Thurrott of the Windows Super Site , the Xbox 720 launch date is the first week of November.
In this week’s edition of Windows Weekly at the 56:00 minute mark, Thurrott claims that he has on good authority that the Next Xbox will launch in the holiday quarter of 2013.
The next Xbox console will cost $500 for the standard model or $300 for the “subscription” model, and of course will require an internet connection, so poor old Adam Orth was right when he said to “Deal With It!”.
Orth leaving Microsoft has only managed to raise more questions. Firstly, we don’t know if he quit because of the controversy or whether he was fired for his mistaken reveal of the fact that Microsoft could indeed be adopting an “always online” console.
This is of course the best time to launch the Xbox as this ties into the American holiday season and will ensure that Microsoft has enough consoles ready for the worldwide demand.
The Xbox 360 launched on November 22, 2005, in the United States and Canada. In Europe it was launched on December 2, 2005, and December 10, 2005, in Japan. It was later launched in Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, and Russia. In its first year on the market, the system launched in 36 countries, more countries than any other console has launched in a single year.


text:
BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s transportation giant Didi Global Inc stores all of China’s road and user data on servers in the country, and it is “absolutely impossible” for the company to pass data to the United States, a senior executive said on Saturday. of the company.
Didi VP Li Min also said the company would sue any social media user who said Didi transferred data during its recent initial public offering (IPO) process after claims were made on the Weibo platform (NASDAQ: ) similar to China’s Twitter.
China’s cyberspace agency announced on Friday that it had launched an investigation into Didi to protect national security and the public interest, just two days after the company went public on the New York Stock Exchange. News of the investigation by the China Cyberspace Administration () cut shares in Beijing-based Didi by 5% on Friday.
“Like many overseas-listed Chinese companies, Didi stores all domestic user data on servers in China, it is absolutely not possible to pass data to the United States,” Li said in a post on Weibo.
The cyber agency did not provide details about its investigation on Friday, but said it would avoid security-related risks, citing China’s national security law and cybersecurity law.
Didi said on Friday that it planned to conduct a comprehensive cybersecurity risk review and would fully cooperate with the relevant government authority. He also said that apart from the suspension of new user registrations in China, it was functioning normally.
Fusion Media or anyone involved with Fusion Media will not accept any responsibility for loss or damage as a result of reliance on information, including data, quotes, charts, and buy / sell signals contained on this website. Be fully informed about the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, it is one of the riskiest forms of investment possible.


text:
Walmart eBooks offers in-store and online customers digital access to a library of more than 6 million titles on mobile and Kobo ereaders. Or sign up for its audiobook subscription service.
At Fortune's Brainstorm Tech conference, I was particularly interested in the different perspectives on the importance of delivery presented by companies as diverse as Walmart, JD.com, and DoorDash.
Amazon and Netflix may be about to get some new competition for viewers as Walmart considers launching its own Netflix-like streaming service for just $8 a month. But how can Walmart compete without investing billions in original content?
In the ongoing fight with Amazon for online and offline shopping dollars, Walmart decides to embrace Microsoft and move its online operations to the Azure cloud platform and Office 365. Expect the partnership to create a true competitor for Amazon Go automated stores.
The idea is, Walmart creates curated rooms full of products you can buy and then lets you move around them online picking out what you like and ordering it. You can also just 'buy the room' and throw everything in your cart.
The US Supreme Court has ruled that states can collect tax on online sellers regardless of the state in which they're located. Things will get complicated for e-commerce operations, so here's some quick tips that can help.
Amazon is leading the way with automated stores, but Microsoft has seen an opportunity to provide other retailers with a system to compete with Amazon Go.
It's called Jetblack and offers access to a personal shopper, same-day deliveries, and free gift wrapping for $50 a month.
Volkswagen subsidiary Electrify America on Wednesday announced plans to install EV chargers at more than 100 Walmart locations across 34 states by June 2019.
Trax Retail Watch can help IT managers who work in brick-and-mortar retail operations add immediate value to their businesses through smart data manipulation.
Target expects to start offering this option at almost 60 brick-and-mortar locations throughout Boston, Chicago, New York City, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. by the end of the month.
That's the opinion of Richard Liu, founder of Chinese retail giant JD.com.
The retailer today expanded its same-day grocery delivery service to Charlotte, N.C. and reiterated plans to reach more than 100 metro areas across the country by the end of the year.
Is this the Kobo e-reader heading to over 4,000 Walmart stores?
Walmart opens a new grocery-focused mini-supermarket in Shenzhen stocking over 8,000 products it delivers very quickly.
Retailers can work with Google to ensure a search doesn't end in an Amazon purchase.
Six patents reveal plans to have drones handle pest control, fertilizer, and pollination of crops.
The world's largest retailer acquires Spatialand to work on a virtual reality shopping experience.
An alliance with Rakuten will see Walmart sell Kobo e-readers, e-books, and audiobooks at over 4,000 stores.
Eventually we should expect these new Walmart services to carry a membership fee.


text:
When we think of renowned Swiss brands, ALINGHI is probably not one of the first outfits that come to mind. And that’s a shame because not only is the all-original nautical company focused on the precise implementation of athleticism, prestige, and unique architecture in and out of the water, but they’ve become a symbol of the deep, diverse world of sailing, capturing the interest of some of the sport’s most prominent sponsors. OMEGA is one such company, and now, the two have revealed a special-edition Speedmaster tailored to the team’s recognizable colors.
To celebrate ALINGHI’s unique catamaran designs, OMEGA has decided to create a bespoke edition of its Dark Side of the Moon Speedmaster, dressing it in a blackened diamond polish, a red alternative minute track, and a main plate/barrel bridge that has been laser-ablated to mirror the ALINGHI TF35’s honeycomb hull. At its center, a prominent ALINGHI logo makes its debut, straddling the watch’s tactical black carbon-patterned dial. The 6 o’clock sub-dial disc, which has been sandblasted and anodized, rotates whenever the Speedmaster’s chronograph is used, adopting a black, red, and white hue seen atop the team’s iconic boats as they churn in the sea before each big race. Pricing and availability have yet to be revealed, but you can head to OMEGA’s website for a closer look.


text:
It’s been all over the news recently: two Swedish design students, Anna Haupt and Terese Alstin, have created what they call an “invisible bike helmet.” This description is a little misleading. The Hövding, as it’s been branded, is not invisible so much as it’s contained, in a puffy, high tech collar, as an airbag that deploys upon impact and protects the wearer from the typical head trauma cyclists suffer in accidents.
Working with a head trauma specialist and staging accidents to collect movement patterns, Haupt and Alstin defiantly took on what they saw as a male-dominated design establishment. “Easy,” they say, “it only took us seven years.” They raised ten million dollars and pushed forward with a certain amount of Scandinavian bravado. The short doc above opens with a few quotes from the pair. “We’re going to save the world,” they tell us, “it’s chicken to be a realist.” Upon seeing their design, they say, a professor remarked (in English), “I have to sit down… you’re going to be millionaires.”
Haupt and Alstin’s bombast is seductive, but the product may not live up to the hype quite yet. As Tech Crunch reported last year, “Hövding costs $600 and only works once. There’s also been some complaints about the design and an early version had trouble with the zipper.” Nonetheless, it’s still an amazing invention that will only improve with future real world testing. At present, it could save the lives of those well-heeled cyclists who can’t stand to wear clunky, traditional bike helmets. In Europe, at least, where the helmet is currently for sale and safety approved.
The video above was made by director Fredrik Gertton, who has successfully Kickstarted an advocacy film he calls Bikes Vs. Cars that seems well worth a look for those concerned about the future of urban transportation.


text:
CHICAGO (WLS) -- U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at O'Hare International Airport seized a shipment from China of 35 counterfeit NFL Super Bowl rings back in April, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office announced Monday.
According to a released statement, on April 27 CBP officers held a package at O'Hare for inspection due to X-ray inconsistencies. The customs declaration listed a ring as its contents with a value of $10, but when CBP officers opened the package 35 counterfeit NFL Championship rings were found inside.
The parcel contained fake Super Bowl rings for the NY Jets (1) and Giants (4), Pittsburgh Steelers (6), San Francisco 49ers (5), Dallas Cowboys (5), Washington Redskins (5), Green Bay Packers (6) and Denver Broncos (3), officials said.
After examining the rings, officers deemed them as counterfeit based on the poor quality, poor packaging and low value. Had the rings been real, the MSRP would have been $350,000, the statement said.
"Preventing counterfeit items from entering the United States is crucial to protecting consumers and our nation's economy," said Acting Assistant Area Port Director Ralph Piccirilli. "This most recent intercept of counterfeit NFL rings is a great example of how our CBP officers stand ready to serve the United States in support the CBP mission as the world battles this unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic."
In partnership with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, CBP seized 27,599 shipments with IPR violations in fiscal year 2019. If the seized products were genuine, the total manufacturer's suggested retail price of the items would have been valued at over $1.5 billion, CBP officials said.
Dozens of counterfeit Super Bowl rings seized by US Customs and Border Patrol at O'Hare Airport: officials


text:
Sony is going to launch the latest version of Android 7.0 naugat, which is thought and expected to be published in early September and Sony has offered the opportunity to the users to invite the qualified users to assist in testing new systems. Sony has earlier announced the return of the Beta programme since it has tested Android 6.0 Marshmallow in July. Xperia X Performance owners are quite lucky as they will be able to check the Beta programme for Android 7.0 Nougat out for the first time. It will enable the select users to test a pre-release to test a firmware version of Android 7.0 Nougat before it is released.
As the date of its launch is neared Sony has the right time to revive the Beta programme. Earlier this programme was only available to the Xperia Z3, Z5 and other Z series models. But, according to the Android Authority, it will now be available for the first time in Xperia X handsets like Sony Xperia XA which is a good news for the customers of this handset.
The interested customers who want to have this model are informed that they will have to do simple steps. They will have to sign up on Sony’s Beta programme via Xperia Beta programme App which will now be available on Google play Store. But unfortunately all the customers of the model will not be the lucky one because Sony will choose only a few lucky customers to receive the update notification when the Beta roll out in the market. It has also been informed by the company that this Xperia Beta Programme app will be available in only a few regions like Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Portugal, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, the Netherlands, Norway, Lithuania, Spain and Sweden. Only the customers of these countries can download the app and participate in the programme.
Here also comes a serious warning for the valuable customers that GSM Arena has announced that beta software typically contains many bugs that can cause smartphones to behave strangely, so they have been warned not to try to beta test using their main device. Do not be confused with the another programme called “Concept of Android” which is a different branch of software. The difference between the two concepts for Android and Xperia Beta Programme are that the former is “Experimental consumer driven software.” while on the other side the latter is the “Quality beta test of official software,”. If we have to illustrate the meaning of them we will have to say in other words that The Xperia Beta Programme is close to what will roll out in Sony products in close future. Though the company has not specified the date of the official update of the date of the roll outs, it is expected to be out in a week at most.
If we talk about the specifications this Xperia X Performance is the company’s latest flagship. According to the Android Police the model has 5 inch 1080 display, 3GB of RAM powered by Snapdragon 820 processor, 23 MP primary camera and dual front-speakers.
Since the mobile company Sony has announced to launch this Xperia Beta Programme app it has the possibility that the Japanese brand will start beta testing for the Xperia X Performance in the South Korean tech giant. Samsung Mobile President Koh Dong-jin’s announced that Samsung intended to do beta testing for its Galaxy Note 7 soon. It is likely to appear that Sony’s decision to relaunch its Beta Program for Android 7.0 Nougat comes in the wake of this thought.


text:
Within the midst of the uproar in opposition to Clicks, TRESemmé have come out to take accountability for his or her advert submit which was revealed on Clicks’ web site
Clicks continues to be trending following the controversial adverts nonetheless, TRESemmé has additionally joined the pattern on Twitter.
So many organizations and people have taken to their on-line and offline voice to sentence Clicks’ racist actions after posting an advert that labelled black hair with demeaning phrases and elevated its white counterparts.
TRESemmé posted on its web site that it was sorry for the submit made on clicks’ web site.
The apology was tagged “TRESemmé South Africa Apology On Current Photos Revealed On The Clicks Web site”
The group continued with their apology saying:
“We’re very sorry that pictures utilized in a TRESemmé South Africa advertising and marketing marketing campaign on the Clicks web site promoted racist stereotypes about hair.”
“The marketing campaign got down to have fun the fantastic thing about all hair sorts and the vary of options that TRESemmé gives, however we received it fallacious.”
“The photographs aren’t consistent with the values of our model, or of Clicks.”
“TRESemmé South Africa apologises for the offence these pictures have prompted.”
“We additionally apologise to the Clicks group.”
“We’re trying into how this occurred and why it wasn’t picked up, and we’ll take all obligatory steps to verify it doesn’t occur once more.”
Nonetheless, South Africans are nonetheless not happy with their actions.
Tresemme says: “We’re trying into how this occurred and why it wasn’t picked up.”
SA manufacturers are used to not being held accountable. They’re used to black customers simply shopping for & maintaining it transferring. This has labored for too lengthy that they assume empty statements will shut us up
— BabesWePetitions (@Neli_Ngqulana) September 7, 2020


text:
For many years, the French paid little attention to radio-frequency-identification (RFID) technologies. Now, tags and readers—high-tech bar-code systems—appear to be following the same arduous path as the Internet. Despite the fact that they've been hailed as revolutionary, these systems are struggling to find users.
In the area of RFID development, the French market lags behind its European neighbors, Germany and the United Kingdom. A number of companies have already sold RFID tags and readers for applications like transport or animal identification. Yet only a handful of RFID suppliers have acquired customers for the new generation of RFID tags. This generation promises to deliver applications like product tracking or logistics.
Many French companies have been expanding their product ranges for years. Within the last few months, this expansion has gathered speed. Companies have either developed and manufactured new RFID systems or bought tags from other suppliers. French companies are positioning themselves for the long-awaited RFID battle. Despite this build-up, however, the players are all faced with the same problem of uncertainty over the competition. They're left to contemplate the future. So they worry about the sizes of various sales forces and the marketing strategies that are being espoused. With such an intellectual conflict underway, it has become nearly impossible to design an efficient sales strategy. As a result, suppliers in France are still facing uncharted paths due to a lack of competitor awareness.
A recent study from Research Solutions sheds light on this dilemma. The study, which focuses on the French marketplace, comprises interviews with over 40 suppliers. It concludes the following:
- Nearly all companies have added new tags to their product ranges over the last few months. A great number of them are about to expand their portfolio by the end of the year.
- A good number of companies—mainly from the United States—have entered the market during the last few months. But they are scarcely known, as they haven't yet sold RFID products.
- To boost their sales forces, a few suppliers are engaged in vast recruitment programs.
Another important conclusion that is revealed is that all of the companies that were involved in the study are trying to establish a position in the French RFID market. They're working toward this goal without knowing the key competencies of their competition. Nor do they know who their competitors are.
The study also reveals that not a single company has a clear idea of the number of suppliers that are currently operating in the market. Nor do they know how many suppliers are going to enter the market in the near future. The truth of the matter is that competition is very likely to increase significantly for three primary reasons:
- Many suppliers are about to introduce ultra-high-frequency and hyper-high-frequency systems to their portfolios (SEE FIGURE).
- A lot of international businesses are currently striving to establish either a sales subsidiary or distributor on the French market.
- Some scarcely known companies have patented high-performing devices that are different from the products that are commonly used in the market.
What does this information mean for the French marketplace? For starters, the French RFID market is still in the process of taking shape. The developments of the last few years and—more importantly—the past few months have proven that the number of companies that are providing RFID products is increasing much faster than the sales volume. If this trend continues, a good number of companies will be forced to depart from the market. There are two main reasons for this prediction. As the number of companies that are supplying RFID products increases and marketing communication intensifies, some suppliers are likely to be crushed by advertising and R&D cost pressures. Secondly, some suppliers are focusing on few applications. As a result, they may not have the anticipated feedback from current test pilots.
Until now, French companies have sold little compared to what the market is predicted to be in the very near future. Applications in logistics and product tracking have a huge potential demand. After all, a single company isn't yet dominating this market segment. All of the suppliers are struggling to achieve market leadership without having a proper compass. The bottom line is simple: Because companies like Texas Instruments and Siemens have good reputations and strong backgrounds in RFID, they could end up selling far more than their current sales might suggest.
By asking when the boom will commence as opposed to who is currently implementing the most appropriate leadership strategy, many French companies may be making a big mistake. Will the French step up to the plate or will other competitors step in to fill their shoes? The answer remains to be seen. The only certainty is that successful RFID companies will need to find the equilibrium between excessive marketing and R&D costs and price cuts. In addition, they must be able to effectively assess competitors' current activities and intentions.


text:
“The Affiliate industry in India has outstanding growth potential and now it’s set to hit USD 835 million by 2025 from around USD 300 million currently. The affiliate marketing industry isn’t tormented by the covid19 pandemic, definitely digital and affiliate marketing have progressed.”
“It still contributes about 10% of digital marketing budgets. E-commerce, travel homestays, BFSI, education, D2C, gaming, web services, and health are the important industries that contribute to affiliate marketing in India. Today, it’s important for each brand to possess their affiliate programs to accelerate growth,” said Parul Bhargava, CEO, vCommission, in her welcome address at the seventh edition of India Affiliate Summit (IAS), coordinated by the online and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI).
Founding father of GrabOn Ashok Reddy said: “We have just blemished the surface of affiliate marketing in India with exceptional growth ahead. With the new content creators on the block and AI that sees no restrictions, the affiliate is shifting and will still shift into the hands of the users. Mobile-first strategy, influencers, and video-based content marketing will see an uptrend for the next few years.”
L D Sharma, director, Optimise, said that “The planet has the potential to become a billion-dollar industry within the subsequent number of years. However, the rising fraudulent activities within the affiliate industry seem to be a major concern. Fraudulent clicks, cookie stuffing, bad bots, geo-masking, click spamming are a spread of the challenges for the industry.”
Co-Founder of CashKaro Rohan Bhargava highlighted: “Indian e-commerce has seen extensive growth and a shift in consumer behavior over the last two years. With D2C brands gaining popularity, cashback, rewards, and affiliate programs have gained plenty of grip over the years.”
Affiliate marketing overlaps with other Internet marketing methods to some extent because affiliates often use regular advertising methods. Those methods include organic computer program optimization (SEO), paid computer program marketing (PPC – Pay Per Click), e-mail marketing, content marketing, and (in some sense) display advertising. On the other hand, affiliates sometimes use less formal techniques, like publishing reviews of products or services offered by a partner.
The seventh edition of IAS supported about 3,000 delegates from across the world. additionally, over 700 companies and 50 exhibitors participated in the event.


text:
Reynolds is the second-largest cigarette enterprise in the US and is behind brands like Camel, Kent, and Natural American Spirit. Last Wednesday, the company rolled out a new product, nicotine lozenges that dissolve in the mouth and come in four flavors: berry, cream, and two kinds of mint.
“We are not positioning this as a cessation product. It’s just a simple way for adults to enjoy nicotine in a different format”
Sold under the brand Revel, the lozenges are the first NRT product that the tobacco company has launched on the market, since the release of its Vuse e-cigarette in 2013. And according to Reynolds’ vice president of consumer marketing Shay Mustafa, the lozenges are meant to adapt to smokers’ evolving preferences for consuming nicotine.
Interestingly, Reynolds does not plan to market Revel lozenges as a healthier alternative to smoking, or as smoking cessation aids. Instead said Mustafa, the products are intended to help meet what she called the “evolving preferences” of adult smokers. “We are not positioning this as a cessation product. It’s just a simple way for adults to enjoy nicotine in a different format,” she pointed out.
Big Tobacco’s Survival Strategies
In 2017, British American Tobacco (BAT) and Reynolds American, merged to create one of the world’s strongest tobacco companies. BAT which had been a Reynolds shareholder for over a decade, said that the acquisition of this 57.8% of the stake would create, “a stronger, truly global tobacco” business, adding, that this move was the next “logical progression”.
The UK company which has also been extensively branching out to vaping products, owns over 200 brands, and the takeover of Reynolds it ensured a new found presence in South America, the Middle East and Africa. Last December, BAT also launched a new product in the UK, Vype iSwitch.
Branching into NRTs
The new device comes in a standard version, which retails at about £30 ($38), and is an upscale version, the Maxx, which sells for about £50, while replacement cartridges retail for about £9 pounds for a pack of two. Both devices are available at five stores which BAT runs under the VIP brand in London, and further expansion is planned early next year.
BAT is claiming that iSwitch lets the user inhale more vapor than other devices. This is due to the fact that rather than using a metal coil to vaporize liquid nicotine, this device uses a stainless steel blade for heating e-liquid, which is a first on the market.
Read Further: Business Insider


text:
CTV News | Top Stories - Breaking News - Top News Headlines
Which video conferencing tool is right for you?
TORONTO -- In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, more and more Canadian businesses are asking their employees to work remotely. But even with the lack of face-to-face interaction, companies remain connected to their employees through cloud-based communication and collaboration platforms used to run their businesses.
As a result, there’s been much greater dependence on the use of communication technologies such as video conferencing tools. But with so many options to choose from, it can be difficult to know what’s right for you. Take a look at the descriptions below to find out which tool is best for you:
Best for big businesses
Zoom offers HD audio and video calling as well as simultaneous screen-sharing and co-annotation. This web-based tool can host up to 1,000 participants on a single call. It can also record calls and allows you to share files. Along with video chats and phone calls, Zoom also lets users to communicate via chat. Note that there have been concerns over security in the past.
Best for small businesses and individuals
One of the oldest video conferencing apps, Skype can connect up to 50 people in a single audio or video call. The tool offers screen-sharing on mobile devices as well as live subtitle and translation. Users can also record calls and share files. There have been complaints, however, about the lack of version updates and the inconvenience of manually adding contacts to video calls when using the mobile app. All plans allow users to communicate through video chats, calls, and instant messaging.
Best for Google and G Suite users
Google Hangouts Meet is the new enterprise version of Google Hangouts that allows businesses to communicate though video or voice calls. It’s not to be confused with Google Hangouts Chat, the consumer friendly version. Meet can host a maximum of anywhere between 100 and 250 people on a single call. All plans feature real-time captioning, screen-sharing, and intelligent muting. The tool is integrated into the G Suite platform and requires a Google account to set up a meeting.
Best for Apple users
Connect with other Apple users through FaceTime. Using Wi-Fi or data, you can place audio or video calls using an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to other iOS devices as well as a Mac. Through Group FaceTime, you can chat with up to 31 other people at once. Calls are placed using a phone number and integrated into your recent calls list. FaceTime is only available on Apple devices.


text:
The Colloidal Silver Assaults: A Week to Remember!
The powers that be have really been staging assaults against colloidal silver and other nanosilver products from every direction!
The EPA claims it’s a dire threat to the environment. Dr. Hildegarde Staninger claims it’s a “health hazard.”Environmental researchers at Purdue University claim it’s toxic to minnows and other wildlife. And Consumer Reports calls it a substance to be avoided at all costs.
All this, in one short week!
So what are they talking about? Plutonium? Depleted uranium? Mercury? Asbestos? Arsenic? Old lace?
Nope. They’re talking about tiny particles of natural silver found in products like colloidal silver. Yes, colloidal silver – arguably one of the safest and most beneficial natural substances on the face of the earth. So what’s all of the sound and the fury about? Here’s my take on the subject…
Well, it’s been one heckuva week, hasn’t it?
The powers that be have really been slamming colloidal silver and other nanosilver products from every direction.
In fact, it’s been something of a slaughterhouse. Absolutely relentless. But has any of it been justified? Or even remotely true?
Not a bit. There’s clearly been a concerted, all-out media assault taking place, which has been designed to demonize colloidal silver and other nanosilver products.
Thankfully, these efforts have been so ham-handed in nature that only the most naïve and gullible observers will believe the shrill accusations being made against silver-based products.
As you’ll see when you read this article and check out some of the links below, the assault on colloidal silver is very simply…in the words of Shakespeare… “much ado, about nothing.”
First, this week…we learned that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is still trying to find ways to regulate nanosilver products, including colloidal silver.
Indeed, the EPA is apparently being swayed by specious arguments from environmental groups that nanosilver is a “new invention” with “unique attributes” that are “potentially toxic to the environment.”
These groups are pushing the EPA to regulate silver-based products (including colloidal silver) as “toxic environmental pesticides,” claiming such products need to be taken off the market until they can be “further studied in relation their effects on the environment.”
But are tiny particles of silver really a “new invention” with “unique attributes” that pose a threat to the environment? Or have they been around for…oh…centuries…and with no more harm to the environment than…say, dirt?
Learn the truth here, and see how the newly formed Silver Nanotechnology Working Group puts all of this environmental clap-trap into proper perspective with the facts the environmentalists don’t want you to know.
Next, this week…we saw the release of a new “study” by a Dr. Hildegarde Staninger, who claims that colloidal silver poses a “health hazard” to users.
Upon further examination it turns out that Dr. Staninger has been pushing some weird health concoctions made out of an old railroad de-greaser and a handful of other ingredients, and selling them through a shill company to victims of so-called Morgellons Disease – a debilitating condition which many people have experienced almost miraculous healings from by using, yes, colloidal silver!
Dr. Staninger’s new “study” turns out to be little more than a re-hash of the same, tired old charges against colloidal silver that have been refuted many times over – ad nauseum – for decades.
The study seems to have been written for the sole purpose of scaring Morgellons victims away from using safe and effective colloidal silver products, so Dr. Staninger can sell them more of the strange concoctions she’s pushing.
You can read more about the entire brouhaha here. Take note that since the publication of our original incisive analysis of Dr. Staninger’s “study,” she has taken the printed version down from her web site, and, in fact, has removed all of her “studies” from the site. Indeed, her entire site seems to have disappeared into thin air.
The Fathead Minnow Study:
More Environmentalist Lunacy
Shortly after that, this week…another bunch of environmentalists – this time environmental researchers at Purdue University – released a new study claiming that silver is toxic to fathead minnows.
Apparently, this new revelation is supposed to prove that silver-based products need to be heavily regulated because once silver gets into the environment it will kill all life forms in its path.
Yikes! You’d think we were talking about Klingons, here.
What the environmental researchers utterly fail to point out, of course, is that silver comes from the environment in the first place. In fact, the world’s oceans alone contain millions of tons of trace silver. Yet they’re teaming with life!
So much for that argument.
Nevertheless, you’ll be shocked when you read about the deceptive tactics these environmental researchers used while conducting their study in order to produce the apparently pre-determined conclusions they came up with!
Unbelievable Bias from Consumer Reports…
Finally, this week…the prestigious Consumer Reports released an article claiming that colloidal silver is one of the “12 nutritional supplements you should avoid.”
The article contained no corroborating evidence whatsoever for the claims that colloidal silver can be harmful. And it quickly degenerated into a propaganda piece touting the need for additional regulation of all nutritional supplements by the Food & Drug Administration.
Hmmm. Who could be behind that, I wonder?
In other words, it was a carefully contrived scare piece – a literary “drive-by shooting” – designed to make gullible readers believe nutritional supplements are “unsafe at any speed” and are desperately in need of drug-like regulation by the all-seeing, all-knowing federal authorities.
What’s more, it turns out upon further research into this matter that the good folks at Consumer Reports have been issuing these sensationalistic “nutritional supplements you should avoid” reports since the early 2000s.
Interestingly, colloidal silver has never been named in their previous reports as a supplement to avoid…until now.
Does that mean colloidal silver was safe to use all of those previous years, but suddenly is not safe now? Or does it mean Consumer Reports simply ran out of scary-sounding supplements to write about, and decided to throw colloidal silver under the bus, along with the 11 other supplements they singled out this time around?
I’ll let you decide for yourself after you read my devastating critique of the Consumer Reports article here.
A Concerted Effort to Discredit and Destroy Colloidal Silver
When you see a concerted effort like this to discredit such a beneficial and even life-saving substance like colloidal silver (and other nanosilver products)…
… you can rest assured Big Pharma is lurking behind the scenes somewhere.
It was Big Pharma that tried unsuccessfully to have the FDA ban colloidal silver in the mid-1990s. And today, they’re trying to get it done through the environmental angle, using the media and naïve environmentalists to scare the public into believing any product with simple, natural silver in it is a threat on par with terrorism, rap music and the Hillside Strangler.
Beat the Bureaucrats!
…Which of course is all the more reason to own the means of nanosilver production by obtaining a Micro-Particle Colloidal Silver Generator from The Silver Edge.
When you own the means of nanosilver production, you can make all of the high-quality, nanosilver you want – in its most potent and effective ionic form – any time you want, in the comfort and privacy of your own home. And you can do so for only about 36 cents a quart!
Most importantly, there’s not a danged thing the bureaucrats can do about it. Once you own the machine, you’ll never again be without nano-scale colloidal silver. And you’ll never again have to pay those exorbitant health food store or online prices for bottles of commercially produced colloidal silver, either!
Indeed, your very first one-quart batch of high-quality micro-particle colloidal silver literally pays for the entire cost of the machine. And from that point forward it’s like getting your colloidal silver for free. Every new one-quart batch you make costs you literally only pennies!
Discover what thousands of users of the brand new Micro-Particle Colloidal Silver Generator already know about these phenomenal little machines, and take back your freedom to make your own health care choices from a natural perspective – a freedom the bureaucrats are all too anxious to take away from you.
The time will come when colloidal silver will be banned, and even the little colloidal silver generators will no longer be legal to purchase. The laws governing devices that produce silver particles have already been slipped into the books. And all the EPA has to do is start widening and enforcing them.
That’s all the more reason to act quickly and decisively while these phenomenal little units are still available.
You can learn more about the new Micro-Particle Colloidal Silver Generator and its many unique benefits, here…
FREE Colloidal Silver Safe Dosage Report
Colloidal Silver Secrets Group on Facebook
Make Your Own Colloidal Silver for Pennies
.999 Pure Silver Wire for Making Colloidal Silver
Subscribe to the Colloidal Silver Secrets Ezine
Videos on Making and Using Colloidal Silver
Real-Life Colloidal Silver Success Stories
Colloidal Silver Update (News & Views)
The Ultimate Colloidal Silver Manual
The Colloidal Silver Secrets Video
Colloidal Silver Cures MRSA
Colloidal Silver Kills Viruses
Colloidal Silver Secrets blog
Meet Steve Barwick


text:
Woman accused of retail theft
CRESTVIEW - A 58-year-old Crestview woman is charged with taking two pairs of shorts and a t-shirt from Walmart.
Crestview Police officers were called around 4 p.m. on May 19, according to the arrest report. The Asset Protection associate reported seeing the woman place a t-shirt and two pairs of shorts into her purse.
The woman then walked out of the store without paying, the report said. After being arrested, the woman said she'd "never been arrested for shoplifting," and "would never do it again."
She said she didn't know why she did it, according to the report.
She is charged with retail theft.
Her next scheduled court date is June 16.


text:
The only time anyone ever saw actual Hilton branding on the Aya Group Hotel on Nakasero Hill was for a few weeks in November of 2016, but that branding was taken down as quickly as it got up. Everyone called the unfinished project ‘The Hilton’, but our sources reveal that the Hotel was never officially a ‘Hilton’ in the first place due to a number of factors including its unfinished state.
The Aya project fell short of deadlines and was behind schedule, it powered through a global financial crisis between 2008-2012 and stalled for years after that, until this year 2017 when fresh life was breathed into the project after an acquisition by the Rezidor Hotel Group under a new name, The Pearl of Africa Hotel, Kampala.
In a statement by the Rezidor Hotel group, they said “The Rezidor Hotel Group, one of the fastest growing hotel companies in the world and a member of Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, is very pleased to announce the addition of a new member to its luxury Quorvus Collection: The Pearl of Africa Hotel Kampala, Uganda.”
Activity at the location in Nakasero is now in full gear as the place is being completed and staffed. Staff are being trained by hoteliers flown in from the Quorvus Collection sister hotels who have been in the country for a while now training hotel staff to meet the strict International Quorvus Collection standards of Luxury.
The Hotel will feature 296 Rooms including a 740-Meter Squared Ballroom, 9 Meeting Rooms, 2 Boardrooms and a Business center. There will be an all-day dining restaurant, a sports bar, a pool bar, a private membership gym, a wellness spa, two outdoor swimming pools, one indoor swimming pool, a children’s club, retail shops, tennis, squash and volleyball courts and a grill steak house all opening soon, so watch out for the launch date sometime in the middle of this year.


text:
Two Cartier watches also topped their estimates at Christie’s “The Collection of Sir Elton John: Goodbye Peachtree Road” evening sale.
70% of Consumers Are Interested in Ethically Sourced Gold
That number is expected to increase as Generation Z gets older and, hopefully, starts buying more jewelry, the World Gold Council found in a new survey.
The London-based organization questioned more than 18,000 investors and consumers in six countries—the United States, India, China, Canada, Germany and Russia—to discern their attitudes about gold as an investment and adornment.
Overall, the survey found that among the 6,115 consumers surveyed, 48 percent have bought gold in the past/would consider buying again, while 38 percent have never bought gold but haven’t ruled it out as a purchase.
Only 13 percent said they will never buy gold.
The survey also showed consumers are interested in where their gold comes from and what impact it has on the people who mine it.
And the younger consumers are, the more concerned they’re likely to be.
The Conscious Consumer
Ethical and environmental issues do not necessarily stop potential gold buyers from getting a piece, with only 23 percent of survey-takers citing these concerns as a barrier to purchase.
But when describing their ideal gold jewelry purchase, 70 percent of gold jewelry buyers said they would like to purchase pieces that are “produced ethically,” with minimal impact on the environment and fair and modern working conditions for those who mine it.
In an interview with National Jeweler on Monday, World Gold Council Director of Market Intelligence Alistair Hewitt said consumers want more information about the origin of their gold, and the industry could do a better job educating them.
“Responsibly sourced and responsibly mined gold is hugely important, and the vast majority of the gold mined in this world is produced in a responsibly sourced way,” he said.
“More could be done in communicating that to end consumers.”
Environmental concerns are particularly pronounced among Gen Z consumers, who are roughly 9 to 22 years old (though only those ages 18-22 were included in the survey).
Some members of this up-and-coming generation feel they face an uncertain future due to environmental destruction; they are the generation staging school strikes over climate change, sparked by one of their peers, 16-year-old Greta Thunberg of Sweden.
In the U.S., 18 percent of consumers ages 39 and up and 19 percent of millennials (ages 23-38) said they would buy gold jewelry within the next 12 months. That number slips to 11 percent among Gen Zers.
The biggest drop-off in Gen Z purchases of gold is in China, where only 12 percent of consumers in this age group intend to buy gold jewelry in the next year, compared with 37 percent of millennials and 42 percent of those age 39 and up.
Hewitt said this largely due to a shift in values, as younger Chinese consumers, brought up in a world in which they have more income, technology and choices, do not have the same connection to gold as their parents.
“It’s a real battle to engage with these people because they don’t necessarily want to be going into a jewelry store buying jewelry. They might want to be going off and enjoying a holiday [instead].
“The experiential purchase is hugely significant in Gen Z across the board, but especially in China. There’s even more intense competition for a share of their wallet that’s drawing their attention away [from jewelry].”
Social and environmental concerns around gold are expected to become more important in the years ahead as more members of Gen Z age into adulthood.
As the report put it: “As they become older, and richer, this will become even more relevant.”
Here are five more points of interest from the World Gold Council’s survey on gold jewelry buying.
— Trust is an issue. Among those surveyed who said they’ve never bought gold jewelry but would consider it, 28 percent said a lack of trust was a significant barrier to purchase, with 19 percent concerned about the metal’s purity (18 karat, 14 karat, etc.) being as represented and 14 percent saying they don’t trust the retailers who sell gold.
— Online sales lag. Among competitors, gold jewelry is the least likely (14 percent) to be bought online, trailing silver (21 percent), diamonds (17 percent) and platinum (25 percent).
Hewitt said wedding purchases in India and China, which are traditionally done in person, contribute to gold’s falling behind online.
The report noted: “If buyers are convinced by a website’s trustworthiness, and the ability to return items, and they are engaged in a purchasing experience within a secure environment, they will be more likely to use an online platform.”
— Millennials in the U.S. pick rose gold more often than older consumers. Among those ages 23-38, 31 percent said they bought or received a piece of rose gold jewelry in the past 12 months, compared with 15 percent of those age 39 and up.
— Gen Yers also like white gold. Among those ages 23-38, 35 percent received a piece of jewelry that is white gold, compared with 30 percent of those ages 39 and up.
The percentage comparisons for yellow gold were 51 and 62, respectively.
— For some, gold is too “flashy.” Three-quarters of gold considerers globally don’t buy because of “fashion barriers.” They feel gold can come across as “too flashy” and may opt for silver or diamonds instead, the survey states.
A microsite detailing the findings on a more granular level, RetailInsights.gold, went live Tuesday morning.
Hewitt said WGC will complete more detailed reports for each country, including the U.S., and hopes to publish them in the next six months.
“This is a big, high-level thematic report. The real value for the industry, I think, will probably come when we delve down into the country and sector-specific reports,” he said.
Set to be held in Venice, it’s a look through the maison’s history.
Distinguishing natural diamonds from laboratory-grown stones – now more available than ever – has been difficult for jewelers. Until now.
Sebastian Clarke and Katherine van Dell, frequent appraisers on “Antiques Roadshow,” will join the new office.
Sherry Smith dishes on the month’s highs and lows and the two categories consumers were loving ahead of Valentine’s Day.
The WaxJet 400, recognized as the world's fastest wax printer, is bringing in a new era of precision and efficiency to industry.
Gorman was an industry trailblazer, serving as the first female treasurer of Jewelers of America.
The movement of the 18-karat gold and diamond “Tennessee Torque” necklace is subtle.
Industry veteran Gina D’Onofrio has rejoined the auction house.
“Power of Couture” recalls Frédéric Boucheron’s love of fabric using diamonds and rock crystal.


text:
Barclays: Cord cutting doesn’t save much
June 15, 2012
Subscribers don’t save enough by replacing pay-TV subscription swith over-the-top services to justify the loss of available content, according to Barclays media analyst Anthony DiClemente, commenting on US start-up Aereo.
DiClemente isn’t a fan of Aereo, the cloud-based programming service backed by Barry Diller, which seeks to stream broadcast TV channels with a DVR interface to tablets, notebooks and over-the-top boxes for $12 a month.
If Aereo survives its court battle with the networks, DiClemente concludes it’ll find itself positioned as merely “one more over-the-top distributor” in a segment he feels has limited long-term consumer appeal. “In our view, dropping cable TV in favour of a bunch of over-the-top alternatives may not result in as much incremental savings as one might initially think.”
He explains broadband Internet is more expensive as a standalone service. DiClement’s example: if you drop a $60 video service from a $90 pay TV subscription, the Internet portion is likely to increase from $30 to $50 a month, negating a third of the savings. The net price of your video ends up being only $40.
Putting together an over-the-top programming package that would include Aereo for broadcast channels ($12 a month), a subscription VoD service like Netflix ($8) and a few movie purchases from a retailer like iTunes (he estimates $10 a month), DiClemente says the combined monthly price of $30 a month doesn’t compare favourably to the net price of $40 a month for pay TV.