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New York may not have the world’s tallest skyscraper, but it wants the world’s biggest Ferris Wheel.
The Bloomberg administration announced Thursday morning it had struck a deal with an investor group named New York Wheel, LLC to build a 625-foot observation wheel on Staten Island that would hoist tourists and visitors to offer views of a distant Manhattan vista.
At the same time, the city announced a deal with BFC Partners to build an outlet mall designed by avant-garde design firm SHoP Architects to a neighboring site, both of which are city-owned lots located by the Staten Island Ferry Terminal.
On Fifth Avenue, Apple built a large, hard-to-miss glass cube. In Grand Central Terminal, the famously design-conscious company has done little more than set up tables and place its gadgets on them, letting the terminal’s Beaux Arts interiors star.
Apple showed off the new store, on a mezzanine overlooking the station’s famed concourse, to reporters Wednesday. It opens to the public Friday.
As far as Apple stores go, the shop is understated. A shopper climbing the stairs from the main floor doesn’t immediately get the sense of leaving Grand Central to shop in an Apple store, aside from a few logos. Only when one moves into smaller rooms off of the balcony does the space resemble one of the company’s more traditional locations.
That will likely assuage preservationists, some of whom had worried that Apple would assert its presence more forcefully
After an all-nighter spent in negotiations, Macy’s Inc. and the union officials representing 4,000 workers in Greater New York reached a deal Thursday on a new contract, averting a strike.
The five-year contract will cover four stores in the region, including the retail giant’s flagship store at Herald Square. Workers who belong to the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union still need to sign off on the tentative agreement.
“Macy’s is pleased to have reached a tentative agreement with Local 1-S of the RWDSU on a new five-year agreement,” said Elina Kazan, a Macy’s spokeswoman. “We look forward to a ratification of the agreement by our associates, and to serving our customers without interruption.”
Details of the agreement weren’t disclosed.
Some 4,000 unionized workers at Macy’s in New York City and Westchester have authorized a strike if they cannot agree to a new contract by midnight Wednesday.
Union officials said that Macy’s is pushing for a new scheduling system that will result in fewer work hours for employees. The company is also seeking to raise healthcare costs and eliminate pension benefits, union officials said.
The current five-year contract covers four Macy’s stores in Westchester, the Bronx, Queens and the flagship location at Herald’s Square.
“No one wants to strike, we all want to secure a new contract, said Ken Bordieri, president of Local 1-S of the Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union, in a statement. “But our workers are prepared to strike and to stand up for fair wages, benefits, and hours.”
By A.D. Pruitt and Kris Hudson
Macerich Co., one of the nation’s largest retail landlords, just added another mall to its belt in Queens.
The owner of the Queens Center Mall and manager of Cross Country Shopping Center in Yonkers scooped up the struggling The Shops at Atlas Park, located in the working-class Glendale section of Queens.
Macerich purchased the mall for roughly $54 million last week via a foreclosure auction and put down a 10% deposit. The former owner, Damon Hemmerdinger, relinquished the relatively upscale mall to lenders two years ago as the recession and poor demographic fit hurt business.
Art Coppola, Macerich’s chairman and chief executive, anticipates that Atlas Park will need “significant investment” to bring it to “a more appropriate level for the marketplace.” He anticipates that will lead to changes in the types of merchandise and prices offered at the mall, but said the details will depend on Macerich’s discussions with tenants and shoppers.
“We think we can really make good things happen there. We don’t have a plan that we’re prepared to announce because we really need to embrace the community and tenants and sift through everything with them to determine what the next best step is,” Coppola said in an interview.
Just before the holidays, Brooklyn Flea co-founder Eric Demby showed us the hidden nooks and ever-popular papusas at an eclectic shopping destination housed inside Brooklyn’s iconic Williamsburgh Savings Bank skyscraper. The goods on offer range from home furnishings to clothes and crafts, with an emphasis on the vintage and the handmade.
“Brooklyn just seemed ready for this moment,” Demby says of his three-year-old flea market. “People decorating there old-fashioned brownstones, there’s a big hand-made movement, there’s a big artisanal-food movement here. Put it all together.” WSJ’s Lee Hawkins reports.
By David Weidner
It’s been an eventful year for Billy Talen, the self-ordained minister of the church of Life After Shopping, a quasi-political, religious and advocacy group that rails against what it sees as the sins of finance and, above all, consumerism.
Reverend Billy, as he’s called, has been arrested and sent to jail three times in 2010, most recently on his annual pilgrimage to Macy’s during the Black Friday shopping bonanza after Thanksgiving. He never made it to Herald Square. He was arrested en route in front of a UBS bank as part of a protest of the bank’s environmental record.
So what’s a street preacher turned political activist to do? Sing, of course.
Reverend Billy and his gospel choir will be hold its 10th annual Christmas show at the New York Society for Ethical Culture on 64th Street at 7 pm on Saturday. Tickets are $12, but Reverend Billy says no one will be turned away.
This year’s show is dedicated to those living in harm’s way, and though the suggestion seems to be aimed at people in war-torn countries and those on the front lines of the environmental fight, it’s a definition that could easily include Reverend Billy himself.
After a relatively painless pre-Thanksgiving travel day with only a few weather-related delays, weather watchers can move on to the main course: Black Friday.
A warm front will linger near New York City, and associated rain showers will move through the region early Friday morning — just in time to drench morning shoppers. Rains will likely continue throughout the day until a cold front clears things out around mid-afternoon. The same storm system will also be affecting the rest of the eastern seaboard, with morning rain spreading rain all the way down to the Gulf Coast.
The first major snowstorm of the season will also be hitting Greater New York on Friday and Saturday, although the city should escape any frozen accumulation this time. Light snows fell as far south as northern New Jersey and the Lower Hudson Valley on Thanksgiving Day and a bit of sleet was reported over Brooklyn and Staten Island in the afternoon. The bulk of the storm will shift to the lake-effect drifts that will build up from the six to eight inches of white stuff expected in and around Buffalo by Friday evening. To top it off, winds of 30-40 mph could create whiteout blizzard conditions for some isolated areas in western New York.
Thankfully for die-hard shoppers skittish about the weather, there’s always the Internet.
Forget the calendar. It’s the windows and lobbies of Manhattan’s store and offices that offer the first sign: ‘Tis the season in New York City.
The lobby of the Empire State Building — with its gold leaf reindeer, 20-foot-tall art deco crystal trees and decked-out miniaturized versions of the building set in window displays — transformed itself for the season last week with the help of two different professional decorating teams. The result is intended to appeal to tenants and tourists alike, while leaving the landmark building’s famous Art Deco details visible.
That challenge — respecting the city’s architectural draw with the seasonal — falls to people like Matthew Schwam. He serves as president of Holiday Image, a company that decorates more than 250 lobbies and retail stores throughout the region. For the Tourneau watch store on 57th Street and Madison Avenue, Schwam created snowflakes made out of watch hands. (Read about how department stores are adding high-tech flourishes to their holiday window decorations.)
Inside the Empire State Building lobby, he took design elements from the ceiling and turned them into custom ornaments and treetops. “You don’t want it to be too obvious,” said Schwam. “For me, in a landmarked building you really have to pay attention to the architecture and care about the architecture.”
The newest outpost of low-priced fashion retailer Forever 21 will open Saturday in the Takashimaya building on Fifth Avenue, sandwiched between luxury brands like De Beers, Bottega Veneta, Emilio Pucci and Elizabeth Arden.
Forever 21 plans to cater to tourists right in time for the holiday season, opening in a location among the city’s most luxurious brands for six months while the building’s owner, Thor Equities, searches for a long-term tenant. This week, as the store unveiled its new gold nameplates on the building’s facade, curious holiday shoppers began meandering into shop — only to be turned away by security guards and told to return Saturday.
Shoppers can still smell the gold spray paint that dons the walls and ceilings of the store, which Forever 21 pulled together in just six weeks. Without an escalator, shoppers must venture up elevators or the internal stairway to get between the seven floors that will be open to shoppers.


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Today is a sad one for Marvel fans around the world, as its Chairman Emeritus and legendary creator, Stan Lee, has passed away at the age of 95.
2019 is going to be a jam-packed year for Disneyland Paris, with something for everyone in the family to enjoy.
Next year, Marvel fans around the world will celebrate the 80th anniversary of the brand’s storytelling, art and Super Heroes that continue to shape the pop culture realm.
This Halloween, the Avengers will bring their spookiest tales to readers with the “Avengers Halloween Special,” hitting comic book store shelves this October.
In the aftermath of “Avengers: Infinity War,” your favorite Marvel Super Heroes are now assembling in Hollywood Land at Disney California Adventure park. [Read more…]
By Quinn Roseboom
Last night I had a dream where I was in Infinity War, albeit it was as jumbled as dreams are and I didn’t really know the details of the actual movie at the time, but I remember Thanos trying to take an infinity stone from me. When I woke up, I immediately messaged my friends, “I can’t believe I’m actually seeing it today.” It didn’t disappoint.

domain: news


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Big retailers and grocery manufacturers want the Abbott government to persuade state and local governments to reduce the regulation of trading hours, product labels and land zoning.
A high-powered delegation comprising the heads of
The group, including Woolworth chief executive
Mr Frydenberg, who has been instructed to cut $1 billion a year of red tape costs from government regulations, said the new code of conduct did not represent an increase in regulatory costs because it was a voluntary deal negotiated between industry players.
“These are the types of action that we welcome because it’s a voluntary code which helps build faith in the industry, not red tape," he said.
“The message we have been getting is that major companies are very keen to push the red tape agenda."
The code of conduct has been regarded by industry analysts as a form of political immunisation for Australia’s two largest retail groups against becoming the targets of small business anger in the Abbott government’s upcoming “root and branch" competition laws review.
The industry leaders used the release of the code of conduct to lobby the government to take action in other more pressing areas of their businesses.
Retail trading hours remains a difficulty for state and federal politicians who have so far ignored a Productivity Commission recommendation that trading hours across the country should be completely deregulated.
Archaic and inconsistent rules
Business Council of Australia president
It is illegal to sell a boat in Adelaide on a Sunday. West Australian hardware stores cannot open on Sunday before 11am if they stock both light bulbs and light fittings. South Australian hardware stores can open before 11am only if they sell “asbestos cement sheet".
It comes as a new “paddock to plate’’-style lobbying entity is being set up by the major supermarket chains Coles and Woolworths in conjunction with food manufacturers.
The new entity will be known as the Retailer and Suppliers Round Table and has been formed after the new voluntary code of conduct for the major chains and suppliers.
The inaugural chairman of the Retailers and Suppliers Round Table will be
The deputy chairman is Woolworths’ Grant O’Brien. Both positions will be held initially for 12 months before being rotated to other members of the group.
The Australian Food and Grocery Council, which negotiated the new voluntary code of conduct on behalf of major food manufacturers and suppliers, will also be represented on the Retailers and Suppliers Round Table.
Coles managing director Ian McLeod is also part of the new entity, which intends writing to other major retailers including Aldi, Metcash and Costco to widen its membership, and also to other organisations such as the National Farmers Federation, which has been critical of the narrow nature of the voluntary code of conduct.
The NFF, which represents the nation’s farmers, says they supply fresh produce to a broad range of retailers, as well as Coles and Woolworths, and a code of conduct should apply to all players, not just the two major chains.
The Australian Financial Review


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Samsung is set to hold off on releasing new Windows Phones until Windows Phone 8 "Apollo" is released. According to reports, Samsung Taiwan has stated that they'll be launching a new handset running the next version of Windows Phone in the second half of 2012 (October at the earliest). It's a potential loop of a situation with Nokia pushing hard for consumers to adopt Windows Phone.
Samsung, like most OEMs, are waiting for the marketshare to increase and for higher demand to be present for handsets using Microsoft's operating system. Problem being consumers require a certain degree of choice to become interested in the platform. Cue Nokia just six months ago with the launch of the Lumia 800 in the UK.
With the Finnish manufacturer pushing Windows Phone left, right and centre, more demand will provide Samsung with the motivation to produce more devices to compete within the system. The complaint from a number of potential buyers (particularly from Android) is specifications, or lack of. Majority of smartphone users are now accustomed to dual-core with high resolution displays and removable storage.
We're still waiting for more news on the mysterious SGH i667 "Mandel", which is reportedly one of three AT&T LTE Windows Phones. It'll be interesting to see what Samsung can produce with the upcoming update, but for them to actually launch an effective marketing campaign is another story. For now they'll have to stick to being relatively grumpy at Nokia for their aggressive "Blown away by Lumia" marketing.


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Facts and figures taken from some of the research reports published on just-style. Much of this information is only available in the reports themselves, so these articles provide a valuable snapshot of the latest data and forecasts.
The financial crises in North America and Europe have led to reductions in consumer demand for general apparel, but for swimwear in particular, the last five years have not been easy. This could be set to change for some regions, however, as the global economy picks up.
Myanmar's garment sector is in the midst of significant growth and exciting changes - and a brand new and exclusive report produced by the Myanmar Garment Manufacturers Association (MGMA) offers essential reading for retailers, brands and importers looking to source from the country.
Moisture management fabric technology has entered a new era as manufacturers and retailers respond to growing demand by consumers for ever greater levels of performance from their garments.
Rising costs in China have forced an increasing number of Western apparel brands and retailers to look at cutting back on sourcing in China, and have more of their apparel manufactured elsewhere, a new report suggests.
China's retail market looks set to soar over the next few years as the government acts to encourage domestic growth to offset a possible slowdown in clothing exports.
Often referred to as ‘the lion economy', the potential of Africa as a new apparel sourcing destination is becoming more evident. A new report from just-style suggests that as investment increases, more and more international brands will be keen to secure a share of the pie - with countries such as Ethiopia already equipping themselves to meet this increasing demand.
Sustainability in textiles is high on the apparel industry's agenda, and has the potential to benefit a company's bottom line. But while the issue is far from clear-cut, a new report from just-style rounds up the challenges and opportunities in sustainable textiles - and suggests that being informed is the first step in the journey.
As the world’s economic recession has continued, driven by eurozone debts and unemployment, it's no surprise that the lingerie market has also remained depressed. A new report from just-style suggests the sector will not fully recover until 2017 - with the bulk of this growth expected to come from emerging markets Russia and China.
Having long sat on fashion's sidelines, Australasia has generated significant interest of late. In particular, the region's relative resilience to the financial turmoil which has plagued much of the northern hemisphere has proved to be a key attraction for international retailers, according to Euromonitor International.
The clothing industry in Bangladesh needs to improve its image in order for the country's long-term prosperity to be guaranteed, a new report suggests.
Textile and clothing exports from member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) declined sharply in 2012, according to a new report.
The global apparel industry is expected to continue to feel the effects of the 2007 economic crisis as far into the future as 2019, according to a new report released by just-style.
For specialist retailers in Europe and North America, times are tough. The unstable economic climate is a critical factor, but no less a problem for thousands of struggling businesses is the transfer of power from bricks-and-mortar to the internet.
Sustainable production is seen by Sri Lankan textile and apparel manufacturers as an attractive selling point when competing for orders from Western buyers.
The performance outdoor apparel sector is the fastest growing segment in the global sports apparel market, and is set to grow by US$3.5bn over the next six years, according to a new research report published today (29 November) by just-style.
- TPP: now the real fight starts
- Why TPP implementation is far from a done deal
- Private label sourcing faces range of pressures
- Cambodia leads US apparel import growth in August
- Common themes unite Inditex and H&M supply chains
- Update: Negotiators agree landmark TPP trade deal
- Cambodia sets new minimum wage at US$140
- Nike debuts new fabric for adaptive breathability
- New Bangladesh labour rules draw union criticism
- Vietnam releases new textile dye regulations
- Wearable technology: The future market potential for smart garments and e-textiles
- Global Database of the Top 1000 Apparel Producers - Company Names, Financial Performance, and Contact Details
- Myanmar's Garment Sector in 2015 - now with updated members' directory
- Outdoor performance apparel: peaks, valleys, and green fields
- Ethiopia – the emerging textile and clothing industry


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A leader in community driven data, this record brings Streamlytics closer to eliminating insidious data mining techniques detrimental to consumers and companies alike
Miami, FL – Streamlytics today announced a company milestone, reaching 75 million data points since its inception. Grounding itself in community-driven, ethical practices that proactively engages consumers, this record brings the company closer to eliminating the current standard of insidious data mining and provides transparency that allows individuals to harness the power of their personal information.
Consumers are getting smarter in how they understand the ways their data is being utilized and monetized by companies and third parties alike. Because of this, Streamlytics uses its patent pending UDIF technology to unify disparate data on what people are watching, listening to and purchasing across some of the largest content and ecommerce platforms. Consumers are compensated for the amount of data they share on an ongoing basis and hold a unique data license that gives them ownership over their data.
“We’re extremely excited to have reached our first benchmark and get to 75 million data points,” said Angela Benton, CEO and Founder of Streamlytics. “This groundswell effect is truly putting humanity back into data allowing everyday people to benefit from owning their data which has, until now, been exploited for far too long.”
The only platform that sources accurate streaming data directly from the source, Streamlytics focuses on account level data used to interact with media vs. the device the media is displayed on and utilizes highly targeted, consumer facing applications to access media consumption from demographics that consume it the most.
Not only beneficial to consumers, Streamlytics provides valuable insights to brands as well – and now have over 75 million data points to use as a reference, providing clarity in decision drivers in purchase and content consumption behavior, giving historical and predictive perceptions, providing higher ROI for customer acquisition, advertising, omnichannel customer experience and more.
Streamlytics investors include Issa Rae, and have pulled data for Netflix, Hulu, Amazon , Google and more.
More information on Streamlytics can be found here: https://www.streamlytics.co/
Streamlytics provides ethical, people powered data, from today’s fastest growing communities across the United States spanning millions of data points. With Streamlytics, we unlock the power of actual usage data, reflective of how people create data today… across all types of platforms, simultaneously. Not by rigid panels or unethical tracking.
LinkedIn – Twitter


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L'Oreal to build large solar array in Kentucky
The Northern Kentucky plant will house what the company described as the largest commercial solar array in the state.
Cosmetics maker L'Oreal USA announced Tuesday that it will install 5,000 solar panels at its hair products plant in Florence.
The Northern Kentucky plant will house what the company described as the largest commercial solar array in the state at 1.5 megawatts. Construction is to start later this year. The company, in a news release, said the project will cut carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 1,195 metric tons per year.
That's about the same as eliminating over 2.8 million miles traveled by passenger cars per year, according to a news release.
By contrast, LG&E and KU Energy this year started operating a 45,000 solar panel located at the E.W. Brown Generation Station in Mercer County. That's said to be the state's largest solar array of any kind.
The 687,000 square foot plant, where haircare products are made for the Garnier, L’Oréal Paris, Matrix and Redken brands, is the company’s largest manufacturing site in the U.S. and its largest worldwide by tonnage of products produced, the company said. It has about 400 employees.
“With this project, our facility becomes an emblem of sustainable manufacturing,” said Eric Wolff, L’Oréal’s Florence plant manager. “We’re proud to be leading the way for commercial renewable energies in Kentucky.”
The company is also installing a solar array at a facility in Little Rock, Ark. Its goal is to reduce its carbon emissions by 80 percent and achieve 100 percent renewable electricity for its U.S. manufacturing.
Reach reporter James Bruggers at (502) 582-4645 and at email@example.com.


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The £16.9m recall of the drinks, one of Britvic's biggest brands, was sparked by a six-year-old choking on a ‘spill-proof’ plastic cap and saw the company withdraw product from Britain, France and other European export markets.
Britvic warned in its full-year statement, which posted a year-on-year pre-tax profit slump of 20pc to £84.4m from £105.1m, that the eventual financial impact could reach £25m.
Limited trade of Fruit Shoot following the recall dragged revenues at Britvic’s UK stills drinks unit down 8.4pc on 2011, offsetting the 3.1pc sales uptick in the company’s larger fizzy beverage division.
“In some respects, this has been a difficult year for the group and the progress that we made was more than offset by the impact of the Fruit Shoot product recall,” said Paul Moody, chief executive.
“Additionally, the negative macro-economic trends leading to weak consumer confidence and the cold, wet summer endured across most of our markets, weighed heavily on the soft drinks market and Britvic within it.”
The FTSE 250 company, which this month agreed a merger with Irn-Bru manufacturer AG Barr to create one of Europe’s largest soft drinks groups, said it on track to re-introduce the Fruit Shoot brand to the market, expecting to return to full production by January 2013.


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Expanding its portfolio of trucking companies, Eberhart Capital has acquired Omaha-based Poling Transportation for an undisclosed amount.
The temperature-controlled trucking company’s current management will remain intact.
Eberhart purchased Los Angeles-based Golden Drop Trucking in July and Twin Express of Rogers, Minn., in October. With the latest acquisition, Eberhart now has a fleet of more than 200 trucks.
"Poling reflects the passion and consistency of its founder, Gene Poling," Eberhart’s managing director, Dan K. Eberhart, said in a statement. "This transaction combines a great company with a positive reputation throughout the trucking industry by focusing on driver safety, consistent customer service, and implementing innovative trucking technologies." - Jon Ross


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Uber Technologies Inc. has spent millions of dollars fighting politicians and business lobbies trying to scuttle the app everywhere from New York to London. For Indonesian ride-hailing and food-delivery startup Go-Jek, the push back is coming from the lunch ladies at Jakarta Intercultural School.
The school banned Indonesia's first billion-dollar tech startup from delivering takeout lunches to its 2,400 students in August after dozens of drivers in Go-Jek's signature green and black jackets began bombarding the high school during lunchtime and diverting revenue from the cafeteria, run by food giant Sodexo SA.
The school's main gripe: Delivery meals create unwanted waste and are high in sugar and salt, says school spokeswoman Dyah Lestarina. Sodexo says it agrees with the school's decisions.
Students miffed about returning to cafeteria grub took to the school newspaper to make the case that they should decide what to eat -- not the school. They argued for options beyond Sodexo and The Booster Hut, a parent-run bistro and bookstore whose proceeds benefit varsity sports teams.
"The Go-Jek ban is unjustified," Nicky Hancock, from the class of 2019, was quoted saying, explaining some students don't feel like the "Sodexo and Booster Hut foods fit their needs."
The student uproar is just a small example of a bigger wave of protests unfolding around the globe as tech startups threaten big, established players.
London revoked Uber's license to operate ride-hailing services in September, which the ride-hailing app is appealing. Berlin cracked down on short-term apartment rentals like those through Airbnb last year. China recently outlawed new online micro-lenders.
What began with Uber undercutting traditional taxi companies that obtained expensive licenses and saw themselves as playing by the rules, has spread to hotels, restaurants, banks and other industries hit by an expanding suite of on-demand services.
JIS's Lestarina says the decision remains firmly in place, noting the delivery ban applies to all food delivery to students during school hours and isn't restricted to Go-Jek.
Go-Jek, which has 600,000 drivers and 100,000 merchants, has already expanded to 17 different types of services as varied as house cleaning, doctor visits, massages and hijab styling, part of its suite of "Go-Glam" offerings. The company claims to be the biggest food delivery service in the world, outside China.
"We haven't been a ride-hailing app for a long time, we are a bigger platform," says Go-Jek CEO Nadiem Makarim.
Backed by heavyweights including private equity firm KKR & Co. LP and Chinese internet giant Tencent Holdings Ltd., the company is valued at $1.8 billion, according to CB Insights. Last week, the CEO told Bloomberg News he intends to pursue an initial public offering.
Startups like Go-Jek are pouncing on the strong network effects that come with building a massive, loyal customer base, according to venture capitalist Phil Chen.
"Once you have the customers, you can go into any industry," says Chen, an adviser for Hong-Kong based Horizons Ventures Ltd. "Like Amazon became the Everything Store, Go-Jek will become the every service app."
Go-Jek spent years battling Indonesia's motorbike and taxi industry. It successfully fought alongside Uber and Grab to overturn a government ban on using private vehicles for public transport and quelled violent protests by taxi drivers who brought traffic in Jakarta to a screeching halt.
In January, Go-Jek forged the ultimate truce: An alliance with PT Blue Bird Group, Indonesia's largest taxi operator with more than 20,000 drivers. Go-Jek now lets users order Blue Bird cars right from the Go-Jek app.
While the ride-hailing giant declined to comment specifically on the Jakarta Intercultural School's ban, a spokeswoman said the company "always believes in collaboration."
--With assistance from Yoolim Lee
To contact the reporter on this story: Shelly Banjo in Hong Kong at firstname.lastname@example.org.
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Peter Elstrom at email@example.com, Robert Fenner
©2017 Bloomberg L.P.


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NEW DELHI: IT industry body Nasscom
wants to bury an acronym that the world has come to associate with India over the past decade, and replace it with one that it thinks is more appropriate for the industry’s current maturity level.
The acronym BPO
, for business process outsourcing
, Nasscom says, does not reflect the industry as it stands today. The apex body will henceforth use the term BPM
, or business process management
Nasscom president Som Mittal
on Wednesday said the industry had gone up the value chain, managing entire businesses processes of clients and not just outsourcing them. BPO involved shifting the delivery of business processes from high-cost destinations to low-cost ones, a shift that was enabled thanks to advancements in information and communication technologies. The model worked on labour cost arbitrage, and brought significant savings for clients.
But as the industry has matured and understood its clients’ businesses better, it has become more of a partner to the customers , doing increasingly complex work and taking responsibility for the business outcomes of its services. And the services are no longer delivered only from low cost destinations like India. They are delivered from different geographies, depending on the clients’ requirements and the skills of people in those geographies. Most major BPO, or shall we say BPM, companies now have delivery centres around the world.
"In this context we are looking at rebranding BPO with a new name. All stakeholders in the country and outside should realize its value. The rebranding communication will go out to all in the eco-system ," said Vikram Talwar, chair of the Nasscom BPO Forum
, which is currently holding its annual two-day BPO summit in Delhi.
The Indian BPO industry, he said, is moving from efficiency to effectiveness, while focusing on re-engineering themselves in order to deliver transformational impact to customers. “The industry is developing future-ready solutions by developing in-depth capabilities across verticals and creating customer impact through service delivery excellence. This is why despite the rise of several alternative sourcing locations, the Indian BPO industry continues to maintain its edge, accounting for over 37% of total global sourcing revenues,” said Talwar.
The BPO industry in India started with the call centre
business, with people taking on American names, speaking in American accents and trying to sell credit cards or insurance policies to Westerners. Chetan Bhagat’s bestseller One Night @ the Call Centre delightfully reflected this phenomenon.
But over time, the industry started doing other more complex backoffice work
, including designing marketing campaigns, analysing investment portfolios, advising credit card companies on collection strategies, securities market research, supply chain inventory optimization, budgetary planning.
Mittal said the BPO industry in India has been rapidly transforming itself, which is the single most critical factor that has helped the industry buck the current global downtrend and maintain its leadership position across the globe. “The industry has been able to successfully position itself as a partner to customers, has changed the way service is being delivered and has created a broader impact on clients,” he said.


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We all know that any system is only as strong as its weakest link. The overall number of cyberattacks in Bulgaria this year has been declining compared to last year, but they have been growing more and more powerful, the National Cyber..
Can there be a better way to start the day than with a smile? Before the age of the Internet and easy access to a host of jokes 24/7, it was newspapers that served a portion of cartoons every day. There is a Chinese saying that a picture is worth..
The start was given to higher engineering education in Bulgaria with the law establishing a Higher Technical School in Sofia, published in the Official State Gazette in June 1941. Classes started on 5, October 1942 and continued until the..
The past does not consist of official historical facts only. It is also the personal experience of the events. The project named My Bulgarian History aims at proving that thesis. Some little-known stories which have been left outside the..
Through the first of its kind platform in Bulgaria, named Digital Theatre, the Bulgarian communities abroad and the fans of theatre, dance and music can now enjoy Bulgarian stage art from the comfort of their home. The service kicked off..
The patriotic initiative linked with the publishing of the luxurious edition of Slavonic-Bulgarian History by Saint Paisius of Hylendar, dedicated to its 250 th anniversary, continues. Georgi Peshev who is part of the team which started the..
Actual ideas for the easing of city traffic jams do exist and those have been already implemented across several countries. For instance, more than one passenger per car is encouraged, within separate lanes, let’s say. Companies pay extra money to..
The incomes of the greater number of Bulgarian consumers are very limited and the major criteria when choosing goods and services are low prices. The National Association for Consumer Protection and the Sofia Chamber of Commerce and Industry have..
One way to prevent cavities or gingivitis is by regulating the diet and eliminating foods that favor the generation of tooth cavity-causing bacteria. A more radical option though is simply to remove such bacteria from the mouth. It seems that..
The telecommunication network spreads over the globe and in fact it is the largest and most complicated machine created by man. Data from the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) for 2014 show that the number of users of mobile services..
Email: email@example.comPhone: +359 2 9336 661
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen is on a visit to Bulgaria. Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov discussed with the guest the possibilities for..
Part of the nurses, who have been protesting in front of the Ministry of Healthcare for weeks, are expected to meet with Healthcare Minister Kiril..
Bulgaria does not support economic sanctions against Turkey over the military actions in Syria , this country’s Deputy Premier and Minister of Foreign..


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Is the world ready for yet another smartphone platform? Probably not – but it’s got until June to get prepped. According to Samsung, that’s when they’ll be launching the Wave, their first phone to be powered by Bada.
The good word comes after a handful of UK retailers started promising that Wave pre-orders would be filled in the next few weeks, implying that the handset would drop in April or May. Check out Samsung’s statement after the jump.
The comment from a Samsung Spokesperson, which was sent to TechRadar this morning: “The Samsung Wave is not currently available for sale in the UK, but we look forward to its launch in June 2010, at which time details of tariffs and stockists will be released by our operator partners.”
So what do you think? Are you dying to ride the Wave?


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Another day, another VR headset that you will never be able to buy.
Today at the IFA conference in Berlin, Qualcomm unveiled a reference design for an all-in-one headset built on the company’s new Snapdragon VR820 architecture.
The company’s Snapdragon 820 is already one of the most popular smartphone SoC’s on the market, but Qualcomm believes that mobile VR’s full potential isn’t being reached on the 820 because the headsets aren’t single-minded enough.
This headset design, built in partnership with Shenzhen-based Goertek, isn’t something that consumers are going to be able to try out, Qualcomm unveiled this as a reference design to entice OEMs to build all-in-one HMDs on the new VR820.
The design for this standalone headset includes integrated eye tracking with two cameras, dual front-facing cameras for inside-out positional tracking and four microphones. The system powers 1440×1440 per eye resolution being blasted at a rate of up to 70 frames per second.
Notably, this reference design also marks one of the first headsets from a major company that features eye-tracking baked-in. The company said it is using an existing company’s solution for this headset though they declined to comment on specific partners.
Eye-tracking can deliver a superior experience to users by giving them another way to interact with onscreen content. On the computing side, eye-tracking can also lighten system constraints through a process called foveated rendering, by which the full display resolution is only rendered at the center of your gaze, mimicking how the human eye actually works.
Most experts suggest that at such “low” resolutions (compared to say 8K per eye), foveated rendering really doesn’t do anything to lighten computing loads, but Qualcomm decided to include the feature on this reference design regardless.
All-in-one headset designs are a bit of a strange beast right now, most smartphones aren’t optimized for high-quality mobile VR experiences, that being said the price-of-entry is much lower for consumers who only need to purchase a cheap no-frills headset that houses their mobile device. Meanwhile these all-in-one headsets will likely sport exceptional price tags while not holding to the established quality standards on tethered headsets.
Intel showed off designs for its all-in-one Project Alloy VR headset a few weeks ago, and while there are some differences in capabilities, it’s clear that both companies see wireless VR as where the industry is headed. While Intel used its headset to highlight the power of its Real Sense positional tracking system, Qualcomm is interestingly the one looking to show off its chipset.
Qualcomm’s VR820 SoC is going to be available in Q4 of this year, and the company detailed that headsets utilizing the system architecture would be available soon after.


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It seems like El Salvador takes a strong shot of optimism every time Bitcoin begins its descent. As the crypto world is wrecked by yet another crash that has resulted in a significant fall in value, El Salvador is fuelling up for a supposedly bright future built on the foundation of the world’s biggest cryptocurrency. And to this end, they have bought the dip yet again. With this recent purchase, El Salvador now has a total of 410 Bitcoins which amounts to an estimated $14.8 million. El Salvador’s president who has been quite active in promoting Bitcoin announced via his tweet that the country has bought the dip yet again.
Nope, I was wrong, didn’t miss it.
El Salvador just bought 410 #bitcoin for only 15 million dollars 🥳
Some guys are selling really cheap 🤷🏻♂ https://t.co/vEUEzp5UdU
— Nayib Bukele 🇸🇻 (@nayibbukele) January 21, 2022
The Bitcoins were purchased for a total of $15 million. We still don’t have a clear answer for whether the funds used for procuring the coins were from the state fund or a private fund. The tweet received an immediate reaction from Twitterati with some applauding the move while others expressed displeasure. Given the constant decline of Bitcoin since its astounding rise last November, people are rather skeptical about the country spending such exorbitant amounts on an asset that is lined with certainty at the moment.
The What and Why
Although cynicism persists, there are also a group of crypto enthusiasts who are speculating on buying the dip just like El Salvador given the general crypto trend. Whether their expectation will become true remains to be seen. Coming back to El Salvador, Bukele has been rather enthusiastic and dedicated to promoting Bitcoin. It will not be an exaggeration to say that Bukele’s energy when it comes to Bitcoin is rather unprecedented. Well, the fact that the man has made a plan to build a “Bitcoin City” speaks volumes about this so-called enthusiasm. It cannot be denied that a city in the shape of a coin at the foot of a volcano sounds rather ethereal (if you sense sarcasm here, that is mere coincidence).
As you know, this is not the first time El Salvador is buying the dip. Last September Bukele made a purchase procuring up to 150 coins when the value fell by 10 percent. This optimism has made El Salvador a familiar name in Bitcoin discussion platforms. And it cannot be denied that the country’s embrace of cryptocurrency has been beneficial for Bitcoin as well. Bitcoin saw a significant rise in June when the country declared it as their legal tender. Whether this immense optimism and faith will be rewarded and whether we will see a “Bitcoin City” shaping up in the near future remains to be seen.


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Early Access multiplayer survival game The Stomping Land has been pulled from Steam after a month-long period of silence from its developers and no sign of promised updates. Priced at $24.99 when it was available, The Stomping Land challenged players to survive in a harsh island wilderness under...
Posted on Jan 27th 2015 8:15AM
Posted on Jan 26th 2015 11:00AM
Posted on Jan 26th 2015 10:00AM


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Triumph Motorcylces, the third global retro brand of motorcycles to hit India in recent years, will unveil its plans for the country on Thursday at Delhi’s Auto Expo 2014.
The company is the third to expand in India after the iconic brands Harley-Davidson and Indian.
British-owned Triumph has models starting at about Rs 590,000 in India, same as Harley-Davidson. In comparison, the cheapest Indian costs at least four times as much.
Triumph said it would unveil its product line up for India at the even at Auto Expo 2014. The company, which is present in markets such as Bangalore, Hyderabad and Mumbai, said it will also lay out its plans for 2014.
Auto Expo is billed as Asia’s largest auto show and will be held from 6 to 9 February.
Harley-Davidson has sold 4,000 of its bikes in India in the first three years of its operations in India. The company, which opened its first dealership in July 2010, opened its 12th showroom in the country in Panaji, Goa.


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Volkswagen Poznań has been named “Manufacturer of the Year” in the “CEE Manufacturing Excellence Awards” poll. The prize is awarded to the best manufacturing company in Central and Eastern Europe.
This prestigious distinction is confirmation of the success and achievements of companies from Central and Eastern Europe in terms of their perfecting various aspects of production organisation. Almost 400 representatives from various branches of industry took part in the event. In addition to the main prize, Volkswagen Poznań was also awarded a distinction in the categories “Sustainability and Environment” and “Excellence in Manufacturing Management”.
The prizes were accepted on behalf of the company by Robert Pleśnierowicz, Paint Shop Director at the new factory in Białężyce near Września. “The years 2014 and 2015 were strategic years in the development of Volkswagen Poznań. In June we started up production of new models – the Caddy 4 and the T6. In March of last year the VW concern announced its decision to locate a new factory producing the Crafter model in Września, about 50 km from Poznań. The value of the investment concerning the construction of the new plant is more than 800 million euros. About 3,000 workers will be employed in the new factory.
Historically, this is one of the largest foreign investments in our country. Another important aspect of the growth of our activities is the research and development department created in 2014, in which the target is to employ about 50 Polish engineers supporting the development of innovation, not only for our products, but also to increase the importance of R&D activities in the auto industry in Poland,” said Robert Pleśnierowicz in accepting the award.
Volkswagen Poznań has been operating on the Polish market since 1993, and manufactures various versions of the VW Caddy and VW Transporter models, which are sent out to car markets worldwide. Last year, employees of the Poznań factory produced 175,000 vehicles – 150,000 Caddy models and 25,000 Transporters, as well as almost 4 million components for car production. Production is currently under way in 3 locations in Poznań and nearby Swarzędz, and will soon also include Września, where more than 3,000 new workers are to find jobs. Already, Volkswagen Poznań, with employment at a level of 7,000 people, is the largest employer in Greater Poland. After the startup of the new factory in Września and the planned employment increase in the plant in Poznań, the company will employ a total of as many as 11,000 people and will produce almost 300,000 cars per year.


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The duo, which pitched together, will co-manage a four-month campaign running up to Christmas to raise awareness of healthy eating and exercise among eight to 11-year-olds and their parents.
'This age group is crucial because it is when children start choosing their own food,' said Brilliant Futures director Sarah Clarke. 'The PCT wants to motivate their behaviour rather than just tell children what to do.'
The Priory will promote a series of workshops called Fuel for Fun, where children learn about healthy food and make a meal. They will also design a healthy eating advertising campaign to take back to their primary schools and are joined by their parents at the end of the day to eat their meal.


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ShopAppy launch – a boost for local business
Shoppers and retailers in Swadlincote are being encouraged to get involved in a local launch for ShopAppy – a website that makes it easier for shoppers to support local retailers and enables independent shops to offer online sales, click-and-collect and home delivery services, helping them to compete with the national retailers
Already 37 Swadlincote businesses have signed up to the online service and several thousand shoppers have browsed the ShopAppy website. The official launch, which starts on 28 May and continues until 31 May, will feature…
- Competitions with £25 ShopAppy vouchers to be won each day
- ShopAppy-branded giveaways
- Town Crier announcements and photo-opportunities
- A ShopAppy market stall on The Delph as part of Swadlincote Market on 28 May
- Social media promotion with participating businesses
There are hundreds of products available from Swadlincote retailers, from fruit & veg and craft beer, to jewellery and homewares. It is hoped the official launch will raise awareness of the service and encourage more local shoppers to see what they are missing.
The dedicated Swadlincote page on ShopAppy can be found at www.shopappy.com/swadlincote where there are many familiar names from the High Street plus some great surprises. ShopAppy is backed by Visa and operates in over 140 towns across the country.
The introduction of ShopAppy to towns in Derbyshire is being supported by Derbyshire County Council and South Derbyshire District Council.
Councillor Steve Taylor, Chairman of South Derbyshire District Council Environment and Development Services Committee, said: “ShopAppy is a great service which encourages spending with local stores, showing loyalty to local retailers and supporting jobs and businesses in the town. It is also great for people who are short of time or who struggle to get out but still want to support small businesses. I hope that this launch brings ShopAppy to the attention of even more shoppers and contributes to a thriving local economy.”
24 May 2021


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By Nathan Ham
With special safety measures in place, the nearly 30-year tradition of the Avery Fine Arts and Master Crafts Festival will proceed as planned on the weekends of July 17-19 and August 14-16.
The event, sponsored by Famous Brick Oven Pizzeria, will be happening at Sugar Mountain Resort and will feature some wonderful works of arts and crafts from local artists and crafters as well as other artists from all across the country. Sugar Mountain Resort is a new location for the festival. Everything will be set up in the parking lot below the resort lodge.
Melynda Pepple, the Executive Director of the Avery County Chamber of Commerce, says that the festival will begin at 1 p.m. on Friday, July 17.
Sugar Mountain Resort will also be open during this time with golfing, mountain bike activities, the chair lift ride, and dining throughout the weekend.
“We will have over 55 vendors showcasing their unique wares from wood to beautiful paintings, watercolor, oil, jewelry, and all types of different products from all over, not just our North Carolina folks,” said Pepple.
The event is free to attend and organizers are taking all the proper safety measures with masks and social distancing.
“We are falling the “Wash, Wait and Wear” procedures and there will be sanitation booths throughout the festival so people can sanitize. We are also working directly with the county for some sanitation and disinfecting measures that they have,” Pepple said.
Parking will be plentiful and booths will be able to be spread out to meet all social distancing requirements. Every vendor will be in single rows with no vendors having to share back-to-back spaces.
“This gives people a chance to get outside and shop safely. We have a lot of folks up here and we’re expecting a good turnout,” Pepple said. “Sugar Mountain has opened their arms to welcome and partner with the Avery Chamber of Commerce to make the Avery Fine Art and Master Crafts Festival happen.”
Sugar Mountain Resort is located at 1009 Sugar Mountain Drive. For more information, visit the Avery County Chamber of Commerce website at www.averycounty.com or call 828-898-5605.
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Great Wall Motors, the Chinese automaker, has unveiled the Ora iQ electric sedan at the Auto Expo 2020. GWM launched the Ora brand in 2018 and introduced three models – iQ, R1 and R2 (announced) – all formed on the ME pure electric platform.
Great Wall Motors displayed a wide array of cars at the Auto Expo 2020 and the display included the Haval Concept H plug-in hybrid electric SUV. The Concept H made its global debut at the expo and will be one of the first models that will be launched in India under the Haval brand.
Great Wall Motor (GWM) has unveiled the Haval vision2025 electric sports utility vehicle at the Auto Expo 2020. The concept premiered at the Auto Shanghai last year as a “a global intelligent SUV in the new era.” Haval is GWM’s brand that specializes on SUVs.
China’s Great Wall Motor (GWM) will unveil the Haval vision2025 electric SUV at the Auto Expo 2020. The concept, that lacks a tailpipe, was presented at the Auto Shanghai 2019 as a “a global intelligent SUV in the new era.”
The R1 is decently equipped with features like a large central touchscreen that controls everything from the air conditioning to the navigation & entertainment, and safety features like 4 airbags, TCS and ESC.


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RBI slashes repo rate: Big relief to small businesses but more support needed; move to revive demand, say industry bodies
The benchmark repurchase (repo) rate was cut by 40 basis points to 4 percent, the lowest since the benchmark came into being in 2000, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das said.
The government needs to give a direct push to MSMEs to ramp up the export of consumer goods to reap the benefits of its comparative advantage over products made in China in the post-pandemic world, a report said
Apparel exporters seek Narendra Modi's intervention for stimulus package; say overseas buyers cancelling orders
He said that about 70 percent of the apparel units are in the MSME sector and it is imperative to note that the member-exporters strictly comply with national and international norms.
Ind-Ra revises outlook on textile sector to negative from stable; key raw material prices to remain low in 2020-21
Ind-Ra expects withdrawal of incentives under the merchandise exports from India scheme (MEIS) to affect export players of made-ups (home textiles) and garments.
The Registry of Sarees is generating new interest in the garment through documentation, combining traditions
The Registry of Sarees in Bengaluru has now opened a Resource and Study Centre, enabling design, curatorial and publishing projects in the area of hand spun, hand-woven and hand-worked Indian textiles
Malayalam superstar Mohanlal lands in legal trouble for spinning a charkha in advertisement for textile brand
Mohanlal has been sent a notice by The Kerala Khadi and Village Industries Board for misleading people through the advertisement.
On the other hand, India's imports of textile and apparel have increased by 17 percent from $6.3 billion in 2016-17 to $7.3 billion in 2017-18
India can become a one-stop sourcing destination for textiles for brands, retailers from ASEAN, says Smriti Irani
India has potential to become the one-stop sourcing destination for brands and retailers from ASEAN, Textiles Minister Smriti Irani said on Tuesday.
The FDI inflow from the island nation was at $84.74 million in the fiscal 2006-07, the report titled 'India Japan Roadmap Towards Realising Vision 2025' said.
The textile industry is growing exponentially in the country, with FDI having tripled in three years, Union Minister Smriti Irani said on Thursday.
Weaving culture: Hyderabad designers and revivalists hope to popularise handloom textiles once again
How did handloom textiles — so woven into the warp and weft of Indian culture, go into decline?
Around 5,000 textile producing units and retail shops and more than 20,000 power looms in the district remained closed for the fifth consecutive day
A PIL seeking for a direction to punish officials concerned for failing to take action against the management of a textile showroom here, which was gutted in a fire two days ago, for the construction of its building in violation of rules and allowing it to function for years.
Jaitley said that the core problem of NPAs was with "very large corporates", predominantly in the steel, power, infrastructure and textile sectors
Over 350 resellers from these sectors came together to explore trade opportunities through e-commerce and mobile technology
The company has opened its first Taneira store at here that has a collection of handwoven sarees and ethnic wears from across the country with products ranging up to Rs 2.5 lakh.
Employment generation was a key priority of the government and the 12th Five Year Plan projects five crore new job opportunities to be generated in the non-farm sector besides also providing skill certification to an equivalent number of people
As per the real time data from Forbes, net worth of Ortega stands at $78 billion as on Friday and that of Gates at $77.4 billion
Some of the experts ask why did it take two years for Target to raise the issue. A few others feel this means the problem is systemic and Welspun cannot sit out waiting for the audit report to come out
The measures approved include additional incentives for duty drawback scheme for garments, flexibility in labour laws to increase productivity as well as tax and production incentives for job creation in garment manufacturing


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Huawei Cloud, the cloud computing arm of the Chinese smartphone maker Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd., has announced its partnership with Polygon and other blockchain firms to form a Web3 and metaverse alliance. The announcement was made at the company’s Asia-Pacific partner summit held in Bali, Indonesia, last week.
As part of the partnership, Huawei Cloud will integrate blockchain into its cloud services, with Polygon, Deepbrain Chain, Morpheus Labs, and Blockchain Solutions being its Web3 partners. The company also unveiled its cloud-based Web3 solutions at the summit.
Since launching its blockchain services in 2018, Huawei Cloud has been exploring the potential role of 5G in metaverse developments. In April 2022, the company also launched its non-fungible tokens (NFT) collection and trading platform, further expanding its presence in the blockchain industry.
This move by Huawei Cloud comes amid a growing trend of Chinese tech giants expanding their Web3 ventures overseas.
In December 2022, Alibaba Cloud, the cloud computing branch of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., launched a blockchain node service in Singapore. Tencent Holdings Ltd. also introduced a cloud-based toolkit for metaverse developers last week.
The Chinese government has also shown its support for emerging technologies such as blockchain, artificial intelligence, 5G, and cloud computing.
Chinese President Xi Jinping highlighted these technologies’ significance in developing the digital economy and international competition during his January 2023 speech.
The Huawei Cloud partnership with Polygon and other blockchain firms is a significant step towards the development of Web3 and metaverse technologies.
By integrating blockchain into its cloud services, Huawei Cloud is well-positioned to support the growth of Web3 applications, including NFTs and decentralized finance (DeFi).


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REDWOOD CITY — Reporting a slump in its recently acquired hardware businesses, software giant Oracle (ORCL) on Thursday posted sales for its first fiscal quarter that were lower than most analysts had predicted. But its earnings were in line with Wall Street’s expectations.
The company said its sales for the three months ended Aug. 31 totaled $8.18 billion, down about 2 percent from the same period a year ago. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters on average had expected sales to be $8.4 billion.
However, Oracle’s quarterly $2.03 billion profit was up 11 percent from the first quarter last year. It earned 41 cents a share — or 53 cents a share, excluding one-time financial items — which was what the analysts had predicted.
Given the company’s continued growth in software sales and orders for its hardware products, “the business is just extremely strong,” President and Chief Financial Officer Safra Catz told analysts during a conference call.
Trip Chowdhry, who tracks Oracle for Global Equities Research, also voiced enthusiasm about the company.
“What investors need to focus on is, are they losing market share?” he asked. “Our answer is ‘no.’ And is their research-and development-pipeline strong? Yes.”
Before announcing its earnings, Oracle — which also issued a 6-cent-per-share dividend to shareholders — saw its stock price drop 52 cents, or nearly 2 percent, to $32.26 at the official close of trading. But its shares gained a nickel in after-hours trading.
Oracle is one of the world’s biggest sellers of business-oriented database programs and other software. It recently has bought several companies to bolster its offerings of Web-based software applications to help companies better manage their businesses. But it has faced growing competition from other software firms providing similar services.
In addition, Oracle has had only modest success with its hardware. Those products consist primarily of server and storage equipment, which it acquired by buying Sun Microsystems last year in a $7.4 billion deal the companies said was worth $5.6 billion after accounting for Sun’s debt and nearly $2 billion in cash reserves.
While Oracle’s software sales for the first fiscal quarter totaled $5.7 billion, its hardware sales were just $1.35 billion. But analyst Chowdhry said Oracle has been trying to shed some of the less desirable hardware it obtained from Sun and that its newer hardware products look promising.
A similar optimistic note was issued this week by Jefferies analyst Ross MacMillan, who said he has heard of “strong new customer interest” in Oracle’s Exadata product line, which combines hardware and software for high-performance data processing.
MacMillan added that he expects Oracle to unveil an updated version of Exadata, which competes against products offered by Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) and IBM, at the company’s Oracle Open World event in San Francisco later this month.
In recent months, Oracle has been battling with several corporate rivals in court.
On Aug. 2, German software rival SAP announced it will pay Oracle at least $426 million in damages and legal fees stemming from allegations that one of its subsidiaries illegally used Oracle’s software.
But Oracle also has had some legal setbacks. On Aug. 1, a Santa Clara County Superior Court judge ruled that it had violated a contract with Hewlett-Packard. And in May, a federal jury rejected most of Oracle’s claims that Google (GOOG) had misused its software.
Contact Steve Johnson at 408-920-5043. Follow him at Twitter.com/steveatmercnews.


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TORONTO (PRWEB) August 24, 2019
Marketcircle, developers of the popular small business CRM, Daylite, surveyed entrepreneurs and recently published a report concluding that a majority of entrepreneurs – 78% to be exact – have Chronic Email-Checking Disorder.
Marketcircle surveyed entrepreneurs about their work habits and email habits, including how many hours on average entrepreneurs work per week, how many emails they get in a day on average, their stress levels, as well as how often and where they check their email.
The findings proved to be quite interesting:
78% of entrepreneurs have Chronic Email-Checking Disorder. These entrepreneurs check their work email throughout the entire day, compared to a minority of entrepreneurs that schedule specific time in their day to check their email, like the 13% that said they check their email first thing in the morning. A staggering 87% of entrepreneurs said they regularly check work email while on vacation.
Another interesting finding was that 76% of entrepreneurs surveyed have Obsessive Working Disorder, regularly exceeding 40 hours a week. The bulk of entrepreneurs surveyed (58%) said they work 41-60 hours per week, 14% work 61-80 hours per week, and 4% said they regularly exceed 80 hours per week.
To view this report and take a quiz to find out if you, too, have Chronic Email-Checking Disorder or Obsessive Working Disorder, visit Marketcircle's report here.
Based in Toronto, Marketcircle is a software company that develops the award-winning Mac CRM, Daylite, available exclusively for Apple devices. Daylite is used today by thousands of small businesses in over 100 countries to keep track of client communication, follow-ups, and organize all the moving pieces in projects and deals all in one place.
For more information about Daylite, visit their website http://www.marketcircle.com.


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Something is going on regarding production of the Ford Fusion. The midsize sedan is suffering from slowing customer demand due to the popularity of SUV’s and crossovers.
Automotive News reported that Ford will end North American production of the car by the end of this decade. For the U.S. market, they are current put together at a plant in Hermosillo, Mexico.
That prompted reports that production might be shifted to China, and then Ford said it has “no plans” to make that move and that more information about the Fusion will be released “at a later date.”
It also said the Fusion/Mondeo are an important part of its auto lineup, according to Motley Fool, thereby throwing cold water on the idea it might discontinue the model. The Mondeo is the European version of the Fusion.
All we can say is, stay tuned.
WardsAuto is out with its annual 10 Best Engine/Drivetrains list:
150-kW Electric Propulsion System (Chevrolet Bolt EV)
3.6L Pentastar DOHC V-6/PHEV (Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid)
2.7L Twin Turbo DOHC V-6 (Ford F-150)
5.0L DOHC V-8 (Ford Mustang GT)
130-kW Fuel Cell/Electric Propulsion System (Honda Clarity)
2.0L VTEC Turbocharged DOHC 4-Cyl. (Honda Civic Type R)
3.0L Turbocharged DOHC V-6 (Infiniti Q50)
2.0L Turbocharged DOHC 4-Cyl. (Jaguar XF)
3.3L Turbocharged DOHC V-6 (Kia Stinger)
2.5L Atkinson DOHC 4-Cyl./HEV (Toyota Camry Hybrid)
Ward’s tested 32 engines and electric propulsion systems and four of the latter made the list.
While three are obvious, the fourth was the Toyota where Ward’s said interaction between the 2.5 liter four cylinder engine and electric motor is an “elegant, seamless, high-tech ballet.”
“We certainly didn’t set out to find four electrified drivetrains to honor this year. These four belong on our list because they are extremely efficient while at the same time fun to drive,” said Drew Winter, WardsAuto senior content director.
Subaru has announced pricing on two of its limited production performance cars that will debut next spring.
The WRX STI Type RA will start at $48,995 plus $860 for delivery. It comes with a 2.5-liter turbo four with 310 horsepower and a six-speed manual. (But of course!)
And the BRZ tS will be offered at $33,495 plus the same $860 for delivery. It offers suspension upgrades, 18” wheels, Brembo rotors, rear spoiler, and some Alcantara upholstery.
Feeling the urge to get away? A new Enterprise survey shows that 85 percent of respondents plan to escape on a weekend trip in the New Year. That is up from 78 percent in the previous report.
When asked why they want to escape more in 2018 than 2017, the top reasons are stress (43 percent), news (39 percent), the current political climate (38 percent) and social media (24 percent).
Those who plan to spend $1,000 or more on that getaway doubled from last year. Most are going to a beach.
In line with that, AAA says 107.3 million of us will travel over the upcoming holiday period. This would be the highest year-end travel volume on record and a 3.1 percent increase from a year ago.
The majority will travel by motor vehicle, the rest on trains, boats or in the sky. AAA said drivers will experience the greatest amount of congestion on Wednesday, Dec. 20 and Thursday, Dec. 21.
Orlando, Florida and Anaheim, California are the top two holiday destinations. I like numbers four, five and six – all are in either Hawaii or Jamaica.
The 1 millionth Toyota Corolla has rolled off the production line in Blue Springs, Mississippi.


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By Stephen Ubanna
Former President Muhammadu Buhari, who retired to Daura, his home town in the north western state of Katsina , which is about eight Kilometers to Niamey, Capital ,of Niger Republic, RT200, scheme meant to raise the conscious of Nigerian export-oriented companies and other categories of exporters appear to have made appreciable impact on the economy over the last one year.
The Value News findings shows that the apex bank has made a disbursement of N144 billion to the Nigeria exporters between January and April, 2023, barely one month before Bola Ahmed Tinubu , a former governor of Lagos state governor on the platform of the All Progressive congress, APC, was sworn in by Justice Olukayode Ariwola, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, as the President and Commander –In-Chief , C-In-C, of the Nigerian Armed Forces, to encourage the export –oriented companies to put more efforts in their export drive.
Godwin Emefiele Emefiele, a former governor of the CBN, who is being investigated by the Department of State Security, DSS, at the instance of the Lagos state born Nigerian President was said to have supervised the disbursement of the funds to the Nigerian export –oriented Companies and other non- oil exporters.
Informed sources told The Value News that the money was allegedly disbursed to the exporters of semi and finished, goods wholly or partly processed and manufactured in Nigeria that are permissible and excluded under the export prohibition list as rebates in the life of the RT200 non – oil rebate scheme. The source had revealed that at the last quarter of 2022, the bank had paid the sum of N25.04 billion to the, exporters as each exporter was said to have receive N3.23 billion to boost their export trade.
The Katsina born Nigerian President was said to have introduced the scheme as a way ‘’ to incentivize the exporters in the non-oil sector of the economy and ‘’to encourage repatriation and sale of their export proceeds into the CBN, forex market.
The scheme was said to have been anchored on a five –point agenda with a view to raising $200 billion in forex earnings in the next five years by developing new strategies that will enhance the country’s forex inflow, diversify sources of the forex inflow, increase the level of non-oil exports, ensure the stability and sustainability of the forex inflows and equally support the export-oriented companies to expand their export operations and capabilities.
Going by the payment structure approved for the scheme of the RT 200 scheme by the then Federal Executive Council, FEC, under the chairmanship of Buhari, the then Nigerian President, the CBN, was mandated to pay N65.00, for every North American country of the United States, US, $1, repatriated and sold at the investors’ and Exporters ‘ window for third party utilization and N35.00 for every US , $1 repatriated and sold for the exporters’ own use on eligible transactions only .
On May 10, 2023, barely 19, days for the Buhari’s Administration to wind up and for Tinubu , to step in, O.S Nnaji, the apex bank Director of Trade and Foreign Exchange Department , at the instance of Emefiele had issued a statement that ‘’exporters of raw and unprocessed items, will be paid a rebate of N25.00, for every dollar of non-oil export proceeds sold to third parties at the importers and exporters window while N15.00 will paid for every US $1 repatriated and sold on the investor’ and exporters’ window for own use . The bank was said to have backdated the payment to April 1, 2023. The CBN Director had said that’’ the rebate was part of the benefits under the non-oil export proceeds repatriation rebate scheme’’, urging dealers ‘’to ensure strict compliance to the rebate’’.
The payments, according to an informed source to the export oriented Companies on a quarterly basis. It was not surprising why N144 billion, was paid to the benefiting export-oriented companies in the first quarter of 2023, for he alleged export of Ginger, Cocoa butter, Rubber, Palm Kernel oil, Textiles and garments, Gallstone , Sesame seed, Garlic and Yam tubers.
Other items allegedly exported by the companies to earn forex sold in the CBN, investors and exporters window as well as the importers’ window included Charcoal, Cotton, Cassava floor, Cashew Nuts, Honey, Shrimps, Snail, Chili Pepper, Fruit juice, Poultry, Cosmetics, soap, wigs and hair attachments to earn forex and repatriate into the country forex market .
The government may not have helped matters for the exporters as it was said to have prohibited the export of rice, cement, magerine, palm kerne/palm oil products, vegetable oils, meat and processed meat products, Poultry chicken, eggs, turkey , private air –planes and jets, wheel barrows, roofing sheets, Headpans, Metal boxes and containers and Enamelware by the interested export-orientate companies as recommended by the CBN, under the leadership of Emefiele.
Other processed and manufacture items prohibited by the Nigerian government for export included steel drums, steel pipes, Iron rods and reinforcing bard, Wire mesh, steel nails, security and razor wine, Wood particles board woven fabrics clothes, plastic and rubber products, polypropylene granules, cellophane wrappers, soap and panels, wooden door, toothpicks, glass and glassware, Kitchen utensils and tableware.This is in addition to tiles-vitrified and ceramics, soap and cosmetics, tomatoes and tomatoes pates .
Until his arrest and detention by the DSS, the former CBN, governor, who had described the RT 200 Programme, as a huge success had said that a total of $1.7 billion was repatriated between January and May, this year , noting that $790 million was sold at the Investors and Exporters window.
According to the embattled immediate past governor of the apex bank, the balance of the repatriated US dollar, which run into millions, by the exporters has ‘’remained in the exporters’ domiciliary accounts’’. An insider told The Magazine that Nigerian exporters before now sold their dollar proceeds at the Parallel market.
Indeed, the success of the RT 200 scheme, over the last one and half years, may have informed why Emefiele, had given his words that that the CBN, under his Leadership , would continue ‘’to engage the Nigerian Customs Service, NCS, the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, and the Nigerian Export Promotion Council, NEPC, to increase the volume of the country’s non-oil exports, believed to be the most sustainable source of forex to any country’’, particular, the US and the Asian country of China.
This may have informed why he has called the enactment of unconventional, innovative m supportive and complementary microeconomic policy actions that are inclined toward a market-based financing system to tackle the economic challenges of the country but that was how far he could.
Recall that when he was still calling the shot at the CBN, he had said that the collaboration with the Bankers’ Committee identified RT200scheme and export promotion in general is a critical tool for attaining sustainable and stable external balance and safeguarding the value of the local currency in both the official and parallel forex market.
During is electioneering Campaign , incumbent President Tinubu, had promised that if elected as the next President of Nigeria, after the February 25, 2023, Presidential election, his Administration would pay more attention to export of locally processed and manufactured goods and import less in order to earn more foreign exchange to strengthen the naira.
This may have informed why he has promised to industrialise the south east of Abia to make it one of the major exporters of manufactured goods in Nigeria. The former Lagos state governor who had described the popular Aba market in the state, as one of the largest in the west African sub-region, had said that he sees the Aba becoming a major exporter of all types of manufactured goods to Asia, north and south America , including Europe.
Many believe that if he could fulfill his promise to promote export of locally processed and manufactured goods, Nigeria’s economy would be on the path of growth as the demand for forex for importation of foregn goods would drop considerably.


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Isn’t it funny how things can stay the same for such a long time, then all of a sudden change in an instant? This is the case with recent consumer computer hardware releases from all of the major players, after a humongous chip shortage that sent prices soaring above Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price (MSRP). With the announcement of new products coming from Intel, AMD and NVIDIA all in quick succession, we thought it would be apt to cover how the different devices stack up against each other and what this might mean for gaming.
Starting in chronological order, NVIDIA were the unfortunate souls to have gone first in the new tech product launch lineup with the announcement of their RTX 4000 series of graphics cards, with top-end RTX 4080 and 4090 coming on October 12th. The RTX 4090 has significantly improved ray tracing performance, 24GB GDDR6X VRAM, and delivers an impressive 83 teraflops of processing power with a 450 watt Thermal Design Power (the power draw under maximum load). It will start at an eye-watering MSRP of $1,599, with all other model’s pricing and performance falling beneath that. NVIDIA also announced a number of other smaller features, including Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) that claims to boost performance and frame rate in games by up to two times.
Following immediately on the tail of NVIDIA’s announcement with their own product launch was AMD. AMD announced the release of their upcoming Ryzen 7000 series of CPUs that feature an entirely new CPU socket deemed AM5 (notably, AM5 will be a “land grid array” style of processor, rather than a “pin grid array” style that was used in AM4 and previous generations). The flagship Ryzen 9 7950X comes with a price tag of $699 and AMD claims it is the fastest CPU in the world — it can actually be purchased right now. AMD also teased the release of their upcoming RDNA 3 architecture for their next series of GPUs, slated for release in late 2022. AMD has a big reputation to uphold with this release, after they claimed the performance crown from Intel for the first time in decades with the current generation. Not to be outdone by Team Red (AMD), Team Blue (Intel) thought it could be a good idea to steal some of AMD’s stolen NVIDIA limelight with their own product announcement a mere day after AMDs next-gen lineup went up for sale. That’s right, Intel just announced their 13th-generation “Raptor Lake” series of CPUs. The top-of-the line i9–13900K CPU comes in at $589 with 24 cores and increased energy efficiency and performance. Intel didn’t stop at announcing their latest and greatest CPUs, though, opting for a double-whammy in the release of their long-awaited ARC 770 GPU, coming October 12th (sound familiar?). The ARC 770 GPU will be the top-of-the-line Intel GPU, but comes with a price tag of just $329, or 80% less expensive than the RTX 4090. Which begs the question: with all these new products soon to be out there, which is the best for you?
For starters, no gamer actually needs an RTX 4090 today. The RTX 3090 is already a beast of a graphics card that can reveal CPU bottlenecks in even the mightiest of systems. There is also the fact that, at 450W (with transient spikes in energy consumption up to 2x the rated TDP), the 4090 is even more power-hungry and therefore may warrant consideration of a new power supply — yet another expense to tack on to the $1,599 price tag. In that light, perhaps it would be better to consider picking up a cheaper RTX 3000 series card if the latest and greatest Ray Tracing technologies (which aren’t even implemented in the majority of games) aren’t something that you require, especially given that the VRAM capacity is the same between the two generations. When it comes to AMD, the initial benchmarks from their Ryzen 7000 series of CPUs point to a strange fact: that their last-generation 3D VCache technology is actually the gold standard for gaming performance, with those 3D VCache CPUs outperforming their current-generation brethren in many gaming tasks. With that said, AMD is likely to release Ryzen 7000 CPUs with 3D VCache in the future, so once again, a wait and see strategy seems most appropriate here unless you have workloads that require the additional multithreaded performance that Ryzen 7000 can offer. Finally, Intel. The ARC GPU launch has been nothing short of a disaster for Intel, with delays and unoptimised drivers that have really made people second guess whether Intel is the GPU market saviour that many had predicted. However, with such competitive prices, this GPU is sure to be one to watch. Intel and AMD have been trading blows in the gaming CPU race for a few years now, and the 13th-generation Raptor Lake CPUs are certainly turning up the heat on AMD. Without definitive benchmarks, we have to take performance numbers with a grain of salt.
Long story short, this most recent round of product launches from the big three chipmakers has been a bit of a strange one. Normally, these companies would wait until they have an actual product to sell you before making bold announcements so soon after their competitors. There really is no clear-cut top performance king, based on the numbers provided by the companies. This dynamic has made it difficult for prospective consumers to compare between next-generation and current-generation hardware during a time of atrocious macroeconomic conditions that could lead to reduced demand for these products.
What does that mean for gamers? Unless you have an actual need for next-generation hardware, you probably should wait for prices to come down a bit. Once all of these new products have hit the shelves, combined with a flood of used GPUs that were previously used for Ethereum mining, you can expect to see more consistent pricing across the board. When you have AMD claiming that Moore’s Law is dead and Intel claiming that it is not, now seems like a good time to mention that even mid-range current-generation hardware is already perfectly capable of maxing out the frame rate and resolution of most modern displays.


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10:32 a.m. Feb. 16, 2018
- By Mark Hulbert
Why commodities and gold won’t protect you from inflation’s punch Traditional inflation hedges fail to live up to their reputationTraditional inflation hedges fail to live up to their reputation, writes Mark Hulbert.
1:44 a.m. Jan. 23, 2018
- By Maria LaMagna
Trump may hate sharks, but these animals cause more deaths each year It’s not alligators either.It’s not alligators either.
2:10 a.m. Jan. 22, 2018
- By Tomi Kilgore
GE’s stock plunge puts 110-year run in the Dow industrials at risk GE shares suffering worst 5-day stretch in nearly 9 years, are now less than 1/20th the price of the highest-priced Dow stockGeneral Electric shares extend slide to more than 6-year low, and to a price that is less than 1/20th the highest priced Dow industrials stock, which increases the risk that GE’s 110-year streak as a Dow member may be near an end.
1:42 a.m. Jan. 12, 2018
- By Alison Sider
Oilman T. Boone Pickens to close hedge fund after two decades The ‘past year has not been good to me, from a health perspective or a financial one,’ Pickens writes in letter T. Boone Pickens, a famous oilman and investment manager, said he is closing the energy-focused hedge fund he has run for the last two decades as his health declines.
9:14 a.m. Dec. 15, 2017
- By Cody Willard
Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies are the new asset class to guard against Riot Blockchain is a good example of a company with mile-high risksRiot Blockchain is a good example of a company with mile-high risks. By Cody Willard.
4:37 a.m. Dec. 13, 2017
- By Kari Paul
Would you pay a ‘climate tax’ on red meat? Charging 40% more for beef would lead to a 13% drop in consumption, according to a new studyCharging 40% more for beef would lead to a 13% drop in consumption, according to a new study.
5:57 a.m. Nov. 21, 2017
- By Kevin Corkum
Warm and affordable, a Brazilian town is ideal for this retiree Since his youth in Canada, the author wanted to retire in a place that wasn’t coldNanuque, Brazil, seemed like just the place to retire to Kevin Corkum, after years of working in the freezing North Atlantic.
4:55 a.m. Nov. 13, 2017
Tyson Foods earnings beat on strong beef demandStrong domestic and foreign demand for beef drove revenue and profit growth at Tyson Foods Inc. Tyson, the largest U.S. meat company by sales, said the pork market also helped results as a price increase offset a volume decline in the company's fourth quarter. Tyson said it now expects sales to increase 7% in its fiscal 2018, which began in October, to about $41 billion, helped by a recent acquisition and higher chicken prices.
5:41 p.m. Oct. 31, 2017
- By Ese Erheriene
Nikkei, Kospi jump more than 1% to lead Asia-Pacific stock gains Meanwhile, New Zealand stocks dive 1.3%Equities markets mostly began November on a strong note after big gains in October, but New Zealand stocks were a noted laggard even with a much-stronger-than-expected jobs report.
7:00 a.m. Oct. 27, 2017
- By Myra P. Saefong
October’s best commodity performers include nickel, copper, hogs and gasoline 17 out of 24 S&P GSCI Index components up for the monthThe commodities market has seen overall gains so far this month, with nickel, copper, lean hogs and gasoline leading the pack.
2:53 a.m. Oct. 24, 2017
Eli Lilly exploring spinoff of ElancoEli Lilly & Co. said Tuesday it could spin off or sell its animal health business, a segment that contributed 15% of the pharmaceutical company's revenue last year but has been pressured in recent years by competition.
4:59 a.m. Sept. 25, 2017
- By Paul Vigna
‘Fear the Walking Dead’ season 3 episode 12: ‘Brother’s Keeper’ Troy Otto brings ‘Biblical’ vengeance down on the Broke Jaw RanchTroy Otto brings ‘Biblical’ vengeance down on the Broke Jaw Ranch.
2:19 a.m. Sept. 12, 2017
- By Victor Reklaitis
Tired of the FANG gang? These 2 tech stocks look like they’re in the same class ASML Holding and SAP are leaders with room to run, says fund manager who also advises avoiding Nokia and EricssonASML Holding and SAP are pacesetters with room to run, according to Benjamin Segal, portfolio manager for the Neuberger Berman International Equity fund.
9:45 a.m. July 28, 2017
- By James Ledbetter
Why gold buyers are so susceptible to fraud Strong beliefs about the intrinsic value of gold can block our more skeptical impulsesStrong beliefs about the intrinsic value of gold can block our more skeptical impulses, says author James Ledbetter.
5:57 a.m. July 11, 2017
- By Katherine Hyunjung Lee
Japan-EU trade agreement may hurt U.S. meat producersA trade agreement reached between Japan and the European Union has many U.S. meat producers concerned about future exports.
3:53 a.m. July 11, 2017
- By Jurica Dujmovic
Will this be the next ‘green’ fuel powering our vehicles? Formic acid, renamed hydrozine, is cheaper than hydrogen University of Technology in the Netherlands is testing a bus fueled by formic acid, renamed hydrozine, which is cheaper than hydrogen.
3:35 p.m. June 22, 2017
- By Jacob Bunge
USDA suspends Brazilian fresh-beef imports U.S. cites recurring safety concernsThe U.S. Department of Agriculture suspended imports of fresh beef from Brazil, citing recurring safety concerns.
10:48 a.m. May 12, 2017
- By Ryan Vlastelica
Livestock ETN rallies on government export deal with China ETN on track for its highest close in more than a yearThe largest exchange-traded product to track livestock futures rallied on Friday, extending its strong recent gains after the Trump administration announced an agreement with China that is aimed at improving the access of American beef producers, among other industries.
12:02 a.m. May 12, 2017
- By Kevin Brass
6 odd roadside attractions, and how they stay in business The business of promoting one-of-a-kind odditiesCorn mazes. Barbed-wire museums. Carved houses. Keeping them in the black can be tricky.
10:00 a.m. April 7, 2017
- By MarketWatch
The Liquidator: From Flipping Pickled Peppers to Coffins Jeff Schwarz, known as "The Liquidator," joins Catey Hill and Quentin Fottrell to talk about his many efforts to buy and sell merchandise -- from coffins to pickled peppers.
2:55 p.m. April 3, 2017
- By Michael Kahn
These three commodities are showing that the economy is improving ‘Dr. Copper,’ an oft-used barometer for the economy, gets forecasting help from these less followed commodities‘Dr. Copper,’ an oft-used barometer for the economy, gets forecasting help from these less followed commodities, says Michael Kahn.
3:56 a.m. March 30, 2017
- By Jason Notte
Partisan politics is even infecting the craft beer industry A boycott group rises up against Ballast Point Brewing and, alas, they’ve got it all wrongA boycott group rises up against Ballast Point Brewing and, alas, they’ve got it all wrong, says Jason Notte.
9:08 p.m. March 29, 2017
- By William Mauldin
Trump administration mulls tariffs on Perrier, Vespas over EU-beef disputeThe U.S. is considering imposing tariffs of 100% on Perrier mineral water, Vespa motor scooters and Roquefort cheese in response to the EU’s longstanding ban of American beef from hormone-treated cattle.
12:53 p.m. March 15, 2017
- By Jacob Bunge
Tastes like chicken? Lab-grown ‘clean meat’ wins taste-testers’ approval Some say startup’s new product could revolutionize meat industryA Bay Area food-technology startup says it has successfully developed the world’s first chicken strip grown from self-reproducing cells without so much as ruffling a feather.


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Do you know how much money is lost in annual sales of liquors in the US? Capton, a provider of liquor-monitoring technology, estimates that $7 billion is lost from bartenders. The RFID Journal reports that the company has developed the Beverage Tracker system currently tested at a Las Vegas Hotel-Casino which uses tags to keep tabs on liquor.
Read the complete story here. (Technology Trends)


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Designer News is where the design community meets.
over 8 years ago from Wouter de Bres !, Psychologist turned product designer
Congratulations! I was SO looking forward to this :)
Where the design community meets.
Designer News is a large, global community of people working or interested in design and technology.
© 2023 Designer News Ltd.


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Aging is malleable! These findings are amplified by the media, often erroneously due to a lack of clear understanding of the implications of journalists AmbroSina SkinCare’ basic research or sensationalism, other times due to the irresponsibility of the researchers themselves, who see the opportunity to promote itself thanks to the diffusion acquired through the media.
Maybe science is not there yet, but the dietary supplement industry goes further than science itself to sell us, treatments that promise to keep us young forever. There are strict regulations on what the pharmaceutical industry can sell.
First they must demonstrate with facts, in a controlled AmbroSina SkinCare, verifiable and reproducible way, the safety and effectiveness of the product, a long and expensive process.


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Apple is in dispute with major record labels again, this time over the pricing of its yet-to-be-announced music streaming service.
The company is said to be preparing a relaunch of iTunes that incorporates and rebrands the Beats Music subscription service.
However, according to a new Billboard report, Apple is running into opposition with regard to the pricing of this new streaming component.
The report claims that “labels are standing firm on pricing,” and are unwilling to stoop to the $7.99 fixed monthly charge that Apple wants to make.
The music industry’s firm stance has apparently led Apple to back down over these plans, and reinstate a standard $9.99 charge. That’s the same monthly fee as services such as Spotify charge for unlimited music access, robbing Apple of a vital differentiating factor.
Of course, Apple could always set a lower price anyway and absorb the loss in a bid to get an advantage, but that’s not generally how the cash-rich company operates.
Of course, one other area that Apple could look to for differentiation is exclusive content, but again, industry sources claim that this will cost the company considerably.
Read More: Beats Solo 2 review
Apple’s biggest bargaining chip here could be the sheer volume of paying customers it should be able to attract. For all Spotify’s strengths, its 15 million subscribers figure is seen as a fairly low number, with far more people opting to use its limited free service.
One thing Apple can do better than any other company is to convince its customers to splash additional cash. Apple might be struggling to get its music subscription service off the ground, but Spotify’s position at the head of this fledgling market is far from unassailable.


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At the ongoing IFA event in Berlin, AMD displayed one of the first derivatives of its Bobcat low-power x86 processor architecture, codenamed "Ontario". This Fusion APU (accelerated processing unit), which is a combination of an x86 CPU and a DirectX 11 compliant GPU is built for low-power devices such as netbooks, handhelds, and tablets. AMD also showed off the chip package itself, which is roughly the size of a 1 Euro coin. The package, like AMD's mobile Athlon/Phenom processors, has no integrated heatspreader (IHS), but like the Intel Atom, uses a ball-grid array (BGA) to permanently fix itself to the system board.
AMD claims that the chip offers "mainstream performance" at less than half the die area (in this case, below 100 mm²), and a fraction of the power. Speaking of which, the "Ontario" Fusion APU has a TDP of 9W, while a higher-performance APU codenamed "Zacate", which is probably competitive with Intel's CULV processors, and is built for ultra-thin notebooks, nettops and slim all-in-one PCs, has a TDP of 18W. AMD claims that the two will ship (to OEMs, because these are not end-user products) in Q4 2010. For the desktop, AMD is developing the "Llano" Fusion APUs that are of a different form-factor and package altogether.


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FREE at-home Covid-19 testing kits are now available to collect from Tameside’s 8 local libraries.
Covid-19 rates across Tameside and Greater Manchester are rising rapidly, and adults are urged to do regular home testing even if they don’t have symptoms and even if they have had one or two doses of the vaccine to play their part in stopping the spread of the virus.
Rapid lateral flow tests take just 30 minutes to be processed and are available to all adults in Tameside.
Members of the public are able to pick up a free test kit which contains seven tests, as part of the ongoing plan to help find those who may have COVID and be infective, but don’t yet know it.
As well as libraries, tests are also available at pharmacies throughout Tameside. Data shows that the vast majority of the population is less than 20 minutes away from their nearest pharmacy meaning they are one of the most convenient locations for people to access.
To find the nearest lateral flow device collection / testing site go to: https://maps.test-and-trace.nhs.uk
Tests can also be ordered online for home delivery, to order a Covid-19 home test kit online go to: www.gov.uk/order-coronavirus-rapid-lateral-flow-tests
Cllr Eleanor Wills, Tameside Council’s executive member for adult services, said: “One of the key pillars of strengthened support to combat rising COVID rates in Greater Manchester is the continued expansion of testing in the borough. We have been working continuously on how to make Covid tests as easily accessible as possible for our residents.
“By making tests available at well-used and easily found public spaces like libraries we are taking down barriers that could otherwise prevent someone from knowing if they have Covid.
“I encourage everyone to take up this offer of free rapid testing to help protect loved ones and the wider community, and would also like to remind everyone of other vital measures – getting vaccinated when eligible, socialising outside, social distancing, washing hands and wearing masks.”
Locations of libraries supplying rapid testing kits:
- Ashton Library, Market Place, Ashton
- Hattersley Library, The Hub, Stockport Rd, Hattersley
- Denton Library, Town Hall, Market St, Denton
- Hyde Library, Town Hall, Greenfield St, Hyde
- Droylsden Library, Manchester Rd, Droylsden
- Mossley Library, George Lawton Hall, Stamford St, Mossley
- Dukinfield Library, Concord Way, Dukinfield
- Stalybridge Library, 1A Trinity St, Stalybridge
Find their opening times here: https://www.tameside.gov.uk/libraries/Covid19#OpenLibs
More about rapid testing in Tameside: www.tameside.gov.uk/rapidtesting


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This week on the Worn & Wound podcast, Blake Buettner, Blake Malin, and Zach Kazan run down the week that was in watches, and talk about a topic that’s certainly of interest to almost anyone reading this: purchasing watches online. More than ever, many of the biggest watch manufacturers are doing what the small brands have been doing for years: selling directly to consumers. We talk about how that’s impacting the hobby, the changing landscape of buying watches online, and our own experiences buying watches in almost every way you can imagine. We also discuss the culture of the limited edition, and how a quick sell-out can help a brand or retailer in the short term, but have unintended consequences in the long run.
And, of course, we cover all the big watch news and releases of the last week, including our own reviews of an iconic Grand Seiko, and a special Zenith chronograph.


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Today, through a new report from Digi Times, we get to know that the South-Korean company LG Electronics is expected to increase its ODM smartphone orders to Taiwan-based production partner, Arima Communications. This unit will produce 3-4 millione units in 2015 compared to the 1 million units from this year.
At the moment, LG has placed orders for two entry-level Android Smarphones with Arima, devices that will arrive on the emerging markets from Southeast Asia, Latin America and Africa. This partnership will continue in 2015 too, a year when according to the sources, LG will order 3 or 4 million smartphone units.
As you may know, in the 3rd quarter of 2014, LG managed to ship 16.8 million smartphones, the company’s highest quarterly smartphone shipments. Also, the sources that revelead the information to DigiTimes said that ODM orders from LG will account 30% of Arima’s total smartphone shipments in 2015, and the rest of 70% will be orders for Sony Mobile.