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Toby Daniels is the Founder of Social Media Week, and the current CEO of Crowdcentric, a strategy firm that works at the intersection of media, communications, and technology. The company also owns and operates Social Media Week. Daniels has previous experience at ThinkSocial and Mint Digital. The Makegood recently spoke with Daniels about advertisers using content marketing as a crucial tool, as well as the 2014 Super Bowl.
The Makegood: Having just “celebrated” the Super Bowl, what did you find to be the most crucial social media platform? Did you experience a new kind of marketing on any of these social media platforms?
The Super Bowl is a marketer’s dream as it creates a playing field (pun intended) for social media campaigns to thrive and achieve stratospheric levels of reach and scale.
The promise of social media as a real-time amplification channel was highlighted in a significant way in 2013 through the now infamous Oreo “Dunk in the Dark” campaign. This year, the stakes were raised, and it was interesting to see how the different brands took a more integrated approach to their campaigns.
Real-time marketing is perfect for events on the scale of the Super Bowl, Olympics and World Cup, and it requires teams of people focused on every single imaginable social channel. But even more importantly, these events offer brands a way to deliver a message through content which then ignites a conversation through social media. We saw this year during this year Super Bowl with Coca Cola’s America is Beautiful ad, which sparked both controversy and conversion at a scale we’ve never seen before.
The Makegood: Content marketing is becoming more and more popular as advertisers try to strike an emotional chord in their viewers. Which content marketing did you find most successful before, during and directly after the Super Bowl?
It’s true that content marketing is becoming more popular, but it’s still very early for brands and most are still unsure of how to create and publish at the kind of scale they have typically expected from broadcast media.
With Vine, a platform we’ll be highlighting extensively at Social Media Week this February, few brands have been able to effectively master the tool, but I was impressed by Tide’s quick-thinking and effective Vine that questioned from @tide “Adding a puppy to the family @Cheerios? Beware of puppy stains. @Tide #GetsItOut #SB48”
Though it’s important to draw the distinction that Tide’s videos were pre-produced based on anticipated events, as opposed to what we’d call true real-time marketing.
Another ad that stood out to me came from Snickers, who bantered with JCPenney. They came across as witty, human and relatable. You also had Cheerio’s bold stand to support diversity, even in the face of backlash in the past. They use the Super Bowl to elaborate on what their brand stands for, and that’s something that is crucial for brands to understand in social media.
On the content marketing front, I do especially appreciate AdAge’s ranking of the advertising. As commercials roll out, AdAge takes the opportunity to highlight why ads were (or were not) successful.
The Makegood: What did you find to be the most important technology during this Super Bowl? In other words, which advertising and marketing technology succeeded most?
Technology platforms are designed to make executing on campaigns easier; it’s no longer a manual process. As many of you already know, these platforms are more tools in the marketer’s tool belt and can increase the reach and visibility. This Super Bowl for the first time, the use of Vine as a social media platform was a standout. Vine really got a big boost by the use of big brands like Tide, and we expect to see it become much more prominent.
Generally speaking, when it comes to content marketing platforms, I’m impressed by Social Media Week’s brand partner, Percolate. They help brands create and improve content across all channels at scale. This brings efficiency to real-time content creation efforts and enables them to leverage live events like the Super Bowl or the Olympics. In addition, they enable brands to legally and ethically source content from their supporters, which is crucial with any sustainability.
The Makegood: We also have the Olympics to look forward to. Do you believe, this event being held in a different country and culture, that the marketing strategies and advertising will be very different in tone and structure? Do you believe that content marketing has been successful for the Olympics as well?
I do think that there will be opportunities to leverage content marketing and social media around for the Olympics.
Twitter is interesting because it gives us an open channel of communications across geographic and cultural boundaries so that we can connect to other fans and directly to the athletes.
We’re seeing across all sports, including the Olympics, that athletes are already on Twitter and are using it to connect directly with their fans. As we build up to the event, we’re going to see the level of communication increase overtime.
Any marketing needs to be culturally sensitive and appropriate. Our friends at the IAB excel at educating marketers on this. So, with the Olympics, there will be the opportunity to focus on cross-cultural advertising. Given the political climate in Russia currently, I expect to see more brands taking stances on their core beliefs, like we saw with same-sex marriage recently in the United States or even with Cheerio’s on interracial marriage equality.
Given the time frame and length of the Olympics, content marketing will be crucial to any brand wanting to get involved. If we look back to the London Olympics, many brands were using content marketing. It’s important to remember that content marketing is just another tool and doesn’t have to be reserved for special occasions. Just as your brand should be using Twitter regularly, your brand should be engaging in content marketing.
The Makegood: Thank you, Toby.

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Athleticism‘s Daniel Kaplan confirms Byers’ reporting, say on twitter he was instructed, “Apple has certainly bowed out.” Whereas Apple was as soon as seen because the frontrunner in Sunday Ticket negotiations, talks between the iPhone maker and the NFL have dragged on in current months, with a November report of Athleticism indicating that Apple’s expectations didn’t match these of the NFL.
In keeping with Athleticism, the iPhone maker reportedly needed to safe the rights to facets not included in its Sunday Ticket deal, and in addition anxious about among the limitations that include the soccer package deal, similar to the truth that it can’t stream matches internationally. , nor can it entry video games from the market. Friday, a report of Sportico revealed that Apple needed to bundle Sunday Ticket with its $6.99-a-month Apple TV Plus subscription at no additional value, which journalist Anthony Crupi describes as “far too magnanimous a transfer” for the NFL.
This leaves Amazon and Google’s YouTube with the choice of reclaiming the Sunday Ticket rights. Each corporations are stated to have positioned bids on Sunday Ticket and have already made inroads into reside sports activities, with Amazon Prime Video Streaming Thursday Night Football and YouTube TV carrying a variety of sports activities networks. Whereas Disney-owned ESPN was additionally reportedly within the operating for Sunday Ticket, Byers doesn’t point out ESPN as a possible contender and says legacy media corporations “cannot justify the expense” to safe the package deal. DirecTV has owned the rights to NFL Sunday Ticket for practically three a long time, however these rights will expire on the finish of this soccer season.


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Stocks got off to a rocky start in October on the back of some worrisome U.S. manufacturing data and a deeper European slowdown. Still, the S&P 500 posted its strongest first nine months of the year in over two decades. Meanwhile, low interest rates could see Wall Street and investors continue to search for returns.
PayPal is a digital and mobile payment pioneer that officially spun off from eBay (EBAY - Free Report) in 2015. Last quarter, the firm’s total transactions jumped 28% to 3 billion, while person-to-person volume surged 40% to account for roughly 30% of total payment volume. Investors should pay close attention to the rise of P2P offerings, which has seen PayPal’s Venmo grow in a space that incudes giants like JP Morgan (JPM - Free Report) and Square’s Cash App.
PYPL has also invested hundreds of millions of dollars in Uber (UBER - Free Report) and expanded its partnership with the ride-hailing power. The San Jose, California-based firm also offers credit and debit cards. But its core digital-based payment system (for merchants and shoppers) is still its largest business.
In total, PayPal added nine million new active accounts in Q2 2019 to lift its global total by 17% from the year-ago period to 286 million, which helped its total payment volume pop 24% to $172 billion.
Square might not have been as early to the financial tech space as its peer. Nonetheless, the firm helped change the way many small businesses process payments back in 2009 with the launch of its first credit card processor. Today, SQ has expanded its offering in a more cashless society into everything from business loans to debit cards and cryptocurrency.
The San Francisco-based firm’s back-end infrastructure and wider array of product offerings have helped it become more attractive to larger businesses. For example, lager sellers accounted for 54% of total gross payment volume in Q2, up from 50% in Q2 ‘18 and 46% in the Q2 ‘17. Meanwhile, Square’s total GPV climb 25% to $26.8 billion.
The company’s P2P offering, the Cash App, saw its revenue skyrocketed from approximately $1 million in the second quarter of 2016 to $135 million last quarter—excluding bitcoin. SQ also boasted that 3.5 million customers used its Cash App-based debit card. Square Capital also facilitated roughly 78,000 loans, up 36%. And SQ announced that it will sell its food-delivery platform Caviar to DoorDash for $410 million as it tries to become more profitable.
Outlook & Earnings Trends
Looking ahead, our current Zacks Consensus Estimates call for PayPal’s adjusted Q3 earnings to surge 20.7% on 17.9% higher sales that would see it hit $4.34 billion. This would mark the firm’s strongest top-line expansion since sales jumped 23% in Q2 ‘18 and blow away last quarter’s 11.6% growth.
The company’s full-year fiscal 2019 earnings are projected to soar 30% on the back of 14.7% stronger sales. PYPL’s bottom-line is then projected to jump 11.3% higher in 2020 on 17.7% higher revenue. The company’s Q3 earnings estimates have remained unchanged over the last 90 days, while fiscal 2019 climbed on the back of a solid Q2 performance. PayPal has also topped our quarterly earnings estimates by an average of 10.4% in the trailing four periods.
Square’s third-quarter revenue is projected to surge 35.4%, with Q4 set to jump 32%. Both of these would represent a significant slowdown compared to Q2’s 44%. In fact, SQ’s sales had climbed by more than 43% for six straight quarters. However, prior to that impressive stretch, the fintech firm’s sales climb in a range between 21% and 36% for six quarters.
With that said, the firm’s adjusted fiscal 2019 EPS figure is projected to climb roughly 64% on 37.9% higher sales. Peeking further ahead, SQ’s 2020 sales are expected to surge 28% above our current-year estimate to help lift its bottom line by an additional 41%. Square’s earnings revision activity has been mixed recently but it has blown by our earnings estimates in the last four quarters.
The digital payment landscape is expanding quickly around the world, from India to China. Tech powers including Google (GOOGL - Free Report) , Apple (AAPL - Free Report) , and Facebook (FB - Free Report) are looking to expand their reach in the space that years ago some might have assumed banking and credit card giants like Visa (V - Free Report) or Mastercard (MA - Free Report) might have controlled.
Speaking of China, PayPal just became the first foreign company licensed to provide digital payment services in the world’s second-largest economy. Reports broke Monday that PayPal acquired a 70% stake in GoPay. Meanwhile, Jack Dorsey’s firm continues to face profitability concerns that have helped SQ stock plummet 37% in the last 12 months, against PYPL’s 18% climb.
Year-to-date, PayPal stock is up 22%, against SQ’s 10% climb. PayPal stock closed Tuesday down 16% off its 52-week highs at $102.53 per share, while Square shares hover 39% off its October 2018 highs. Both Square and PayPal are currently Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stocks, with high Growth grades.
Only growth-minded investors should really consider either stock at the moment since both have high valuations and don’t pay a dividend. In the end, Pay Pal and Square stock seem like solid growth-focused choices within the broader fintech space. Clearly, SQ has more room to run, but it is likely wise to see more of a resurgence before jumping on this once high-flying stock.
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LAHORE - The packed milk companies in a country, which is considered the fourth largest milk producing nation, have significantly dropped milk collection from the farmers and enhanced cheap powdered milk import for processing, as government has no heavy duty to stop this unbridled skimmed milk powder import to protect livestock sector.
They observed that big packaged milk companies have decreased their purchasing rate at milk collection centres across the province by almost 10 per cent to Rs32-35 per kg for the last couple of months, besides reducing collection by around 25-35 per cent, hitting the farmers hard. Zahid Rasool, livestock sector expert and consultant, said that while about 95 per cent un-processed milk is marketed in the country, just 5 per cent processing of fresh milk is now under treat due to lack of mechanism to halt import of powdered milk.
He said that milk powder in commercial food and confectionery business also increased to around 45 per cent. He said skimmed milk is used in preparing ice cream, dairy products and sweets, while dairy industries and sweet merchants also use butter fat milk powder.
He said 40 percent of powder milk import is from Ireland, 20 percent each from Holland and Sweden and the rest of the quantity is being imported from European countries.
He said that multinational companies do not print the prices on the tetra and powdered milk packs thus putting the consumers in the dark regarding the actual retail price. Retailers charge different prices as per their old and new customers. The national as well as multinational packed milk companies, presently buying fresh milk in very limited quantity at just Rs32 per litre and the same is sold for Rs80 to Rs90 per litre, as Dairy Queen one litre milk packet is available for Rs80 at retail shops, Haleeb’s for Rs85 and Milk Pack’s 1 litre packet for Rs90.
“Its unfortunate, the same companies are selling their mineral water’s one litre bottle as high as Rs40 to customers,” Zahid observed. He said that Punjab government, including its Livestock Department has turned out to be silent spectators and giving favour to private big milk processing companies.
It seems that the slogan of white revolution to enhance meat and milk production comes to an end, he stated and asked the government to impose ban on milk import, as it is a constant hurdle in the way of livestock and dairy sector’s development in the country.
Waqar Khan, another livestock industry expert, added that government should provide protection to the export of meat, chicken products and milk to Afghanistan and central Asian states, as these markets have been developed after a long struggle and efforts of Pakistani stakeholders of livestock and dairy sectors.
He said that sector is already hit due to low genetic stock and lower productivity. He said livestock contributes 12 per cent to Pakistan’s GDP compared to 8 per cent in India. Approximately 35 million people are involved directly or indirectly with livestock and the total value of milk produced is higher than our two major crops, wheat and cotton.
Waqar observed that industry finds it easier because instead of expensive collection of milk from far and wide areas, it could get powdered milk, as its rate has also been down by around 30 per cent. He said that farmers of Punjab are suffering the most because it produces 74 per cent of total milk supply.
Comparing the USA with Pakistan in milk production, experts said that Pakistan has 5 million milk-producing animals while the US is having only 3.4 million. But in contrast the US produces about 94.5 billion litres milk annually while Pakistan produces almost 33 billion litres per year. Per animal yield of milk in the US is 28.35 litres while in Pakistan it is just 3.15 litres, they added.


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Yahoo builds mobile muscle with Flurry buy
Published on Jul 22, 2014 6:45 AM
SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - Yahoo continued its quest for renewed relevance with the purchase of a startup specialising in analyzing and making money from mobile applications.
Yahoo did not disclose how much it paid for San Francisco-based Flurry, but online reports valued the deal in the hundreds of millions of dollars for the startup founded in 2005.
“Yahoo is committed to being a part of consumers’ daily life on mobile,” Flurry chief executive Simon Khalaf said in an online post.
“More importantly, Yahoo knows that it can’t do this alone.” The take-over will provide Flurry resources to ramp up platforms for developers to build applications, target users, and explore ways to make money, Yahoo said in a release.
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Atlanta, GA– Giant, gay-hating, fast-casual chain, Chick-Fil-A, has just unveiled their newest culinary creation – “The Self Loather.” It is a standard CFA chicken sandwich topped with a slice of Monterey Jack cheese and Carolina Reaper pepper infused garlic aioli. Dan Cathy, CEO and President of the homophobic restaurant describes it this way, “We wanted to have a chicken sandwich for all the LGBTQ people out there that love our food, but feel guilty about eating it. This new sandwich is the best of both worlds. It’s an incredibly delicious sandwich, but due to the extra spicy additions to our traditional, and incredibly bigoted sandwich, it leaves a burn that will remind any LGBTQers that partake of it that their taste buds have placed them firmly on the wrong side of history.”
Chick-Fil-A is also planning on unveiling a second gay-friendly chicken sandwich in the fourth quarter of 2018 they are tentatively calling “The LGBTBBQ.” We will report any updates on that story as they become available.


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A lot of that is probably Game Pass
Minecraft Dungeons has a lot to celebrate.
AlthoughMinecraft is still a huge IP, there was always a risk trying to get people involved in a spinoff, as a lot of folks generally will just keep playing the game they already know. Although it is available for non-Microsoft platforms, Game Pass significantly helped mitigate that risk.
Microsoft has confirmed that the game just hit “10 million players.” Note that they didn’t break down individual sales, or how much of that was Game Pass, or the standard edition of the release. As a result, they’re giving away a special cape and pet for “all players,” which will be added on February 24 for free as DLC.
The publisher touts that there have been 103 million multiplayer sessions across Xbox Game Pass, which were “80% couch co-op-based.” People still play couch co-op?! You don’t say! It’s almost like a huge portion of every console playerbase has been asking for more couch experiences for years.
They also remind us that more big DLC, including the Flames of the Nether pack, is on the way. That will hit on the same day on February 24 on “all platforms,” all of which have cross-play, by the way. That’s a feat!
Minecraft Dungeons [Twitter]


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Living in Gaborone, the capital city of Botswana are communication and infotech professionals and married couple, Tumelo and Duduetsang Mapila.
While always interested in farming, the two of them stayed away from the prospect of farming due to a perceived requirement for huge capital.
The first major Covid-19 lockdown affected lives all over the globe, and it had quite an impact on their lives as well. Three months down, Duduetsang and Tumelo realised that it had gotten harder and more expensive to buy provisions from the local supermarket.
They sensed that if they had to endure another lockdown or a similar shortage of food supplies, they’d need to fend for themselves. This pushed them into launching their farming endeavour.
The duo are now urban farmers, living and farming in the outskirts of Gaborone. They began with a small garden outside their own kitchen, and attempted growing different vegetables there. Due to limited space and inadequate lighting, they decided to try their hand at farming on a larger piece of land.
Equipped with the knowledge gained from their numerous previous attempts, they eventually expanded their operation to include a field, with furrows and open air farming techniques. They say, “The plants don’t thrive as much in the kitchen garden, as they do on the farm.”
On the field they have successfully grown butternut, sweet corn, red cabbage, cherry tomatoes, jalapeno, habanero chillies and various herbs. The kitchen garden, now not as important, houses a habanero plant that’s a year old, and some wild rocket.
“Layout of the garden affects productivity,” asserts the farming couple. “Especially when growing a variety of crops.”
Their initial farm layout wasn’t well-planned, but as they learnt more about themselves and their crops, they planned their farm better. The field is divided into blocks and sub-blocks in accordance with the crop rotation plan designed by the Mapilas. While developing the layout, the two kept in mind accessibility to the water source as well as paths to walk around across their field.
While, presently, vegetables sold in their markets are priced higher due to import restrictions and high demand, the Mapilas have reduced their monthly spending on vegetables due to fresh produce from their own farm.
“Growing your own food is one of the most fulfilling things… especially starting off with no prior experience in growing various crops,” they say.
Once their harvests reached a sizable quantity, the Mapila family started distributing and selling fresh fruits and vegetables among their neighbours.
What started out with a heavy reliance on Google searches, has now evolved into communications with Whatsapp-based farmer communities. In their opinion however, the greatest learning they have had, has come through in-depth research on each crop they have planted on their farm.


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Android 3.2 becomes officialBy Hanleigh Daniels 18 July 2011 | Categories: news
As expected, Google has announced the latest version (3.2) of its Android mobile operating system (OS), along with its updated software development kit (SDK) toolset.
According to an Android Developers blogpost by Xavier Ducrohet, Google’s Android SDK tech lead, this is “an incremental release that adds several new capabilities for users and developers. The new platform includes API changes and the API level is 13.”
New user features
Some of the new features that users can expect include optimisations for a wider range of tablets. These include a variety of optimisations across the system in order to ensure an enhanced user experience on a wider range of tablet devices.
The latest update introduces a new compatibility zoom mode, which gives tablet users a new way to view fixed-sized apps on larger devices. This new mode provides a pixel-scaled alternative to the standard UI stretching for apps that are not designed to run on larger screen sizes, the likes of tablet displays. The new mode is accessible to users from a menu icon in the system bar, for apps that need compatibility support.
On devices that support an SD card, users will now be able to load media files directly from the SD card to apps that utilise these. A system facility makes the files accessible to apps from the system media store.
New features for Android developers
Besides the new functionality that will become available to users via this update, Android developers can also look forward to some added features. Android 3.2 introduces extensions to the platform’s screen support API, which provides developers with additional ways to manage application UI across the range of Android-powered devices.
The API includes new resource qualifiers and new manifest attributes that give them improved control over how their Android apps are displayed on different screen sizes, as opposed to relying on generalised size categories.
Google’s latest Android platform also delivers a new zoom compatibility mode, which renders the user interface (UI) on a smaller screen area, then scales it up to fill the space available on the display.
Developers can start to develop and test apps for this new platform, by downloading it into their SDK using the Android SDK Manager.
Google also recently announced the local launch of its Student Ambassador Programme, set up to empower the African academic community with knowledge, infrastructure and the tools to access information easily and effectively.
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What new tech or developments are you most anticipating this year?


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RISHI Sunak will put rocket boosters under the UK economy to launch a post-coronavirus recovery.
Urgent measures including relaxing Sunday trading laws and a car scrappage scheme could be unveiled.
Plans could be rolled out by the Chancellor next month amid fears unemployment could grow by two million.
Boris Johnson hosts Cabinet on Tuesday to give the green light for non-essential shops to reopen.
Clothing, betting shops and furniture stores will all open their doors if vital tests ensuring the pandemic is under control are met.
Relaxing hours for larger supermarkets and DIY stores on a Sunday were backed by business groups and follows a long-running Sun on Sunday campaign.
British Chamber of Commerce director-general Adam Marshall said: “Businesses need to be given every opportunity to start to generate sales.
“If there are rules that can be relaxed to give more companies a fighting chance to trade their way through this crisis without compromising safety, ministers should make it happen.”
Tory MP Nus Ghani, who has been fighting for the move, said: “This will be a very welcome boost to the economy as we leave lockdown, and reduce the pressure on shoppers and staff as they adhere to social distancing guidelines.
“Sunday trading laws are outdated as we live in the new Covid world.”
But Labour said last night they saw “no justification” in relaxing Sunday trading.
Shadow business minister Lucy Powell said: “This plan would hit the High Street the hardest.
“It is wrong because big supermarkets have seen increased trade, while small shops have suffered most.”
Officials are also discussing a car scrappage scheme worth £1.5billion.
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders are in talks with Government over the plan or an alternative stimulus package.
Ministers are considering a £2,500 reduction off the price of a vehicle, which could put 600,000 new cars on the road.
But a senior MP last night said the plan shouldn’t be limited to electric or hybrid cars.
Tory Robert Halfon said: “Any scrappage scheme must not simply include environmentally friendly or hybrid cars but petrol and diesel vehicles White Van Man drives.”
Discussions are also taking place to remove the 28-day planning rule that holds up moves for restaurants and cafes to serve outside.
And Ministers are working on an apprenticeship plan for young people hit by Covid.
A Whitehall source said any measures were yet to be confirmed.


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Singapore: StarHub has opened a 58,000 square feet innovation centre and converged operations cockpit named Hubtricity. The new facility acts as a foundation to accelerate service innovation and co-creation with partners and customers.
Thailand: DTAC ACCELERATE’S Batch 5, which is now open for applications, introduces a new track in search of heavyweight start-ups with global potential.
Singapore: It’s the second year in Singapore for Australia-born accelerator Muru-D and eight startups formed its second cohort, which graduated in a demo day event.
India: Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM) today announced the top three winners of its first edition of the Qualcomm Design in India Challenge (QDIC), which was launched in December 2015, in association with NASSCOM.
Philippines: The country’s leading telecoms and digital services provider PLDT recently opened its newest Innovation Laboratory (Innolab) at the Makati CBD which takes to a higher level its pioneering commitment to define the future of telecommunications in the Philippines.


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Wakefield Beasley turned to diverse staff to find opportunity outside U.S.
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- Randy Southerland, Contributing Writer
When the red-hot building industry collapsed in the wake of the Great Recession, architectural firm Wakefield Beasley & Associates found new sources of business in international markets. Tapping into the expertise of its diverse staff, the company has reached out to nations ranging from Dubai to India to Panama.
Over the past two and a half years, the company’s Panama City office has found opportunity in the economic boom sparked by a massive project to widen the Panama Canal. Panama is in the midst of a $5.2 billion project to build a third set of locks that will allow bigger ships to traverse the canal by 2014. The 50-mile canal connects shipping moving from the Pacific and Atlantic oceans and could not accommodate newer, larger vessels, which instead loaded and unloaded at West Coast ports.
Wakefield Beasley’s Panama office, which generated $2 million in revenues in 2011, is part of a diversification program designed to make up for the loss of business caused by the recession. In addition to adding other building types to its design portfolio, such as jails, educational facilities and high-end homes, the company is becoming an international player. The first effort was work on a 2 million-square-foot shopping mall in the Middle Eastern nation of Dubai.
“At the time we were working on the project in Dubai everything was rolling here in the economy from a standpoint of design and construction,” said John Beasley, president of Wakefield Beasley. “We had more work than we needed. Our marketing plan consisted of sitting by the phone and waiting for developers to call and they called often. It wasn’t a real strong push toward international work.”
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Nokia’s Lumia 520, a device meant to woo the masses to the Windows Phone fold has the enviable title of the most popular and successful Windows Phone device ever. There are figures to show for it. The question in everyone’s mind is which Windows Phone device will eventually take over from the 520? We thought that that device may be the Lumia 525. However that did not turn out to be the case. Save for the increased RAM (doubled actually), the Lumia 525 is pretty much a grown up 520 and nothing more. This is why rumours of a possible Lumia smartphone with the model number RM-977 should light up some faces. The device is expected to be a direct upgrade of the Lumia 520.
A listing on Indian logistics site zauba.com (the same place where we saw the SM W750V) shows that the mysterious RM-977 could be a dual-SIM Windows Phone. We’ve heard something about a dual-SIM Windows Phone through leakstar @evleaks; that it will be codenamed Moneypenny. Well, this could be it afterall. Maybe not. That makes all this feel awkward. Could this device be an Asha? No. The specs touted like a 4.5 inch touch screen put it much closer to a device like the 4.7 inch Lumia 625 than an Asha device.
Maybe the RM-977 is Nokia’s own Moto G (wasn’t the Moto G, Motorola’s -and Google’s- own Lumia 520?) since it is expected, if it turns out that indeed it exists, to be a cheap device just like the Lumia 520 is.
Incase it happens to be what we think it is, expect the RM-977 to pack some mid-range specs while still maintaining the affordable price that the Lumia 520 spoilt the market with.


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BELGIUM: Coke makes move for Chaudfontaine Monopole
Chaudfontaine Monopole, part of the Belgian soft drink group Chaudfontaine Distribution, owns the soft drink brands, Lim' Oh and Parasol, as well as the Calidi juice brand and Duke mineral water. The deal, the financial details of which were not disclosed, is subject to regulatory approval.
Although Chaudfontaine is a relatively small player in the Belgian market, Coke has plans to develop the company in a bid to mount a challenge to Groupe Danone, Nestle SA and Belgian company, Spadel SA, which dominate the Belgian mineral water sector.
Chaudfontaine is thought to have 1% of the sparkling sector and 3.5% of the still mineral water market in Belgium. Annual sales are in the region of €47m against Spadel's turnover of €241m. In 2001, Chaudfontaine reported a loss of €4.25m.
Nestle Waters has finally reached an agreement with the CGT trade union over restructuring plans for its Perrier bottling plant....
Danone has announced plans for a joint venture in India with Japan's Yakult Honsha Co. ...
France's Groupe Danone said on Friday that it had finally reached an agreement with The Coca-Cola Company to amend their existing deal regarding the distribution of retail bottled water products in No...
Nestle Waters is to launch a range of sugar free water drinks under its Vittel water brand in time for summer....
French food giant Danone is willing to buy the 44% it doesn't already own in its Spanish subsidiary for €1.8bn, Spanish newspaper Cinco Dias has reported....
Groupe Danone is keen to follow other global food and drink companies into Russia's bottled water and beverage market, according to local reports....
A poor start to the year in France is expected to hit Groupe Danone through to the middle of 2005....
UK bottled water sales rose 0.5% to 2.08bn litres in 2004, translating into GBP1.2bn of retail value, according to figures released yesterday (31 March)....
- Diageo NA head on Trump, Millennials, Bourbon
- Has Millennial-mania drowned out elder consumers?
- Interview - Loch Lomond GTR head Andre de Almeida
- Trump, local spirits and the IR role - The Analyst
- Absolut and Smirnoff's conflicting Millennial view
- Beam Suntory opens global headquarters in Chicago
- Diageo wine assets integration head to leave TWE
- Absolut not "sufficiently focussed" on Millennials
- Molson Coors names UK & Ireland managing director
- TWE renames Blossom Hill fruit wine range


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SB Realtors, the agency in charge of marketing Parota Center Commercial & Business, has launched a direct financing campaign for the sale of the last commercial premises and business offices.
This campaign offers several financing plans that consist of making down payments ranging from 30 to 50 percent with the rest deferred 12 or 24 months without interest. Likewise, there are special prices for cash payments.
Due to its location on Avenida Francisco Villa, in one of Puerto Vallarta’s most dynamic areas, Parota Center Commercial & Business has become the ideal place to invest or start and/or expand your own business.
Currently, several businesses of different commercial lines are already in operation, and it is expected that services such as dental and cosmetology clinics, pharmacies, spas, Pilates and yoga studios, as well as Guadalajara franchises such as cafeterias, restaurants and bars, will soon be incorporated.
Some of this shopping center’s amenities are a large free parking lot, a panoramic elevator and a garden that focuses on endemic species, as well as the center’s emblematic tree: an ancient parota.


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Valve is launching a major new Steam sale to help celebrate the Lunar New Year. The sale will cut the prices on thousands of PC games from the service from now until Feb. 12.
This is the first time Valve has held a Lunar New Year's sale event, and it appears to be on the same scale as its popular Christmas and summer sales. The Steam site also has its own adventure story to play through, with different choices to make along the way. The choices lead to games that are on sale and is basically a different way to find games in general on Steam.
Which game or games will you be getting during Steam's Lunar New Year's Sale? Let us know in the comments!
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Britain’s largest union has issued a roadmap for the UK car industry to embrace electric vehicles
Unite, the UK’s biggest union, has urged the British government to embrace electric vehicle technology.
In a report, the union laid out its plan to retain skills and jobs during the transition from petrol and diesel to electric technology. Unite claimed that government inactivity was the biggest barrier to investment and innovation in the fledgling industry.
“Unite is clear. We want investment in new sustainable technology. We want to see high-skilled secure jobs on decent pay and for the UK automotive sector to hold its own against Germany, the United States, Southern Asia and China,” said Unite general secretary Len McCluskey in the report.
In addition to advocating for more investment in R&D and infrastructure, Unite called for a national car scrappage scheme to promote the adoption of electric vehicles.
The union wants to see more incentives for electric vehicles, including grants from local authorities to taxi drivers.
Appropriately, the union also called for trade union rights and legal protections for workers. These include legally backed safety standards for driverless vehicles and defending the role of drivers in the transportation industry.
The union also backed solidarity with trade unions in places where the materials for lithium batteries were produced.
“The cost and scarcity of these critical metals could prove a major hurdle, raising supply issues for industry and ethical issues for trade unions,” the report stated. “Unite demands a commitment from manufacturers that supply chains must be ethical, transparent and free of any child-labour abuses. Cobalt and Lithium should be treated like gold or diamonds from conflict zones, with independent supervision and strict regulation of supply, including trade unions from the global south.”
Unite wants the UK government to secure Britain’s capacity to produce electric vehicles and their components. “While BMW’s new electric Mini will be assembled in Cowley from 2019, the fact the electric powertrain and electric batteries will be imported from Germany shows the urgent need to develop UK capability,” said Unite assistant general secretary for manufacturing Tony Burke in the report.


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At Salesforce Commerce Cloud, we are laser-focused on helping our customers connect with their customers in a whole new way, bridging the gap between online and offline, across devices, and enabling retailers and brands to engage with their customers on a true 1:1 level.
So we’re thrilled to be recognized by DealCrunch for this work, earning its Editor’s Retail Choice Award for Multi-Channel Sales Unification.
In announcing the award, DealCrunch noted that, “Through predictive intelligence and machine learning, Commerce Cloud provides actionable insights from consolidated data that was once spread out across multiple channels and was often inaccessible. Commerce Cloud is also integrated with social media sites like Facebook and Instagram and even employs a recommendation engine to show shoppers products they may like on those channels.”
Indeed, more than 100 retailers have already implemented Product Recommendations powered by Commerce Cloud Einstein, the AI engine embedded into Commerce Cloud Digital. These customers have seen an increase in revenue of between 7-16% per visitor.
DealCrunch also noted that, “With Commerce Cloud, businesses can use machine learning and social media integrations to develop personalized relationships with consumers.”
Delivering a Unified Shopping Experience
My colleague Rob Garf, Vice President of Strategy and Insights at Commerce Cloud, told DealCrunch that the key to delivering a unified customer experience is not in consolidating technology systems, but consolidating data – in the cloud – that has historically been siloed in multiple channels and systems.
According to DealCrunch, this approach “allows enterprise and mid-market retailers to move their businesses into an increasingly connected marketplace with relative ease.”
We understand how challenging it is to connect in-store channels like point-of-sale terminals to ecommerce platforms. The fundamentally different approach taken by Commerce Cloud is that we unify the content in these systems to create a more relevant, satisfactory customer experience.
“When businesses act on insights to personalize journeys across both digital and physical channels, friction is reduced dramatically,” says DealCrunch. “Salesforce Commerce Cloud follows customers across multiple channels — from discovery to purchase to service — to ensure they have a positive brand experience and continue their journey with a retailer.”
And that’s what it’s all about. We know that retail today is not just about the transaction. It’s about every interaction, pre and post-sale, that a consumer has with a brand. The Salesforce intelligent Customer Success Platform, encompassing marketing, sales, commerce, service, and more, enables retailers and brands to deliver a connected retail experience that their shoppers love.
We thank DealCrunch for recognizing our accomplishments. We’re only just getting started.


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VOL. 127 | NO. 212 | Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Sandy Unlikely to Damage US Economy, Analysts Say
CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABER & MARTIN CRUTSINGER | AP Economics Writers
WASHINGTON (AP) – Airlines canceled thousands of flights and stranded travelers. Insurers braced for damages of up to $5 billion. Retailers expected shrunken sales.
Hurricane Sandy is causing disruptions for companies, travelers and consumers. But for the overall economy, damage from the storm will likely be limited. And any economic growth lost to the storm in the short run will likely be restored once reconstruction begins, analysts say.
Preliminary estimates are that damage will range between $10 billion and $20 billion. That could top last year's Hurricane Irene, which cost $15.8 billion.
If so, Hurricane Sandy would be among the 10 most costly hurricanes in U.S. history. But it would still be far below the worst – Hurricane Katrina, which cost $108 billion and caused 1,200 deaths in 2005.
"Assuming the storm simply disrupts things for a few days and it doesn't do significant damage to infrastructure, then I don't think it will have a significant national impact," Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Analytics, said Monday.
The economic impact could be more severe if the storm damages a port or a major manufacturing facility such as an oil refinery, Zandi noted.
Here's how the storm has begun to affect areas of the economy:
– Air travel in the Northeast is all but stopped for at least two days. Airlines canceled more than 10,000 flights for Monday and Tuesday from Washington to Boston. The disruptions spread across the nation and overseas, stranding passengers from Hong Kong to Europe. Carriers could suffer a short-term hit to earnings as they spend more to shuffle crews and planes.
– The nation's major retailers are expected to lose billions of dollars, and the losses could extend into the crucial holiday shopping season. Sales at department stores, clothing chains, jewelers and other sellers of non-essential goods are expected to suffer the most.
– Power outages and disruptions in major East Coast cities "may take a toll on demand unlike anything we have seen before," Phil Flynn, a senior market analyst for Price Futures Group, wrote in a report. Some of the biggest oil refineries in the Northeast were closed, and others were running at reduced capacity. As businesses closed and drivers staying home, demand for gasoline was expected to fall.
– The cost to insurers is expected to rival the insured damage from Hurricane Irene last year. Damage from Irene cost insurers roughly $5 billion, according to Sterne, Agee & Leach Research. Because the storm is hitting a highly populous region, with "one of the highest concentrations of wealth in the world," the damages are likely to run into the billions, say analysts at Morgan Stanley.
Hurricanes, like other disasters, can cause big losses but also big spikes in economic activity, once homes and buildings are rebuilt or repaired. And Americans may spend more before the storm when they stock up on extra food, water and batteries. Spending can also rise afterward as households restock.
The overall economy expanded at an annual rate of 2 percent in the July-September quarter. Zandi said he isn't changing his forecast for similar growth in the current October-December quarter of 1.9 percent.
Economic activity in October and November might slow if factory output declines and some workers are laid off temporarily and seek unemployment benefits. But the economy could strengthen in December as companies rebound.
CoreLogic, a private data provider, estimates that there are 284,000 homes worth about $88 billion in the hurricane's path.
The airline cancellations have already surpassed those from Hurricane Irene last August and are on par with those from a major snowstorm that socked the East Coast early last year.
The Airports International Council, a trade group for airports worldwide, said that even if storm damage is minor, it could be a week before operations are normal at major East Coast airports.
The retail industry is entering the holiday shopping season, when many companies record up to 40 percent of their annual revenue. The retail industry, excluding restaurants, could lose at least $25 billion in sales this week, estimates Burt Flickinger III, managing director of retail consultancy Strategic Resource Group.
Even home improvement chains and grocers that will benefit from shoppers stocking up on emergency supplies before the hurricane and cleaning and repair items afterward could lose sales in the long run if overstretched consumers feel they must scale back.
"If you're spending $400 on a generator, that could hurt discretionary purchases," said Brian Sozzi, chief equities analyst at NBG Productions.
Flickinger now estimates that holiday sales in November and December will rise 2.1 percent over last year instead of the 3.2 percent he had originally predicted.
A better idea of how Hurricane Sandy is affecting the retail business will come Thursday, when some major retailers like Target Corp. and Macy's will report sales figures for October.
AP Business Writers Matthew Craft, Anne D'Innocenzio and Samantha Bomkamp in New York, Joshua Freed in Minneapolis and Tom Krisher and Dee-Ann Durbin in Detroit contributed to this report.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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This morning, Vancouver’s HootSuite announced that it has hired Jeanette Gibson as vice president of community.
Gibson hails from Cisco Systems, where she was the senior director of social and digital marketing, a role through which she led a team of 50 digital marketers and social innovators across digital content and site strategy, community development, social platform and innovation, customer listening, and measurement and analytics.
Now Gibson will lead HootSuite’s community team and drive strategy and global outreach for the rapidly growing communities of the social media company’s Free, Pro and Enterprise users.
“Jeanette will add tremendous value to our customers community,” says Ryan Holmes, CEO of HootSuite. “She is a social business leader who understands how to drive widespread adoption across a global diverse organization. I am pleased to welcome her to our executive team.”
“I’m thrilled to join HootSuite at such a time of incredible growth,” says Gibson. “It was no small feat for HootSuite to create the community that’s in place today, and this gives us an amazing base of customers from which we can extend into new high growth areas of enterprise business, brand awareness, and user engagement.”
Gibson is replacing Dave Olson, who is currently on medical leave. HootSuite says that Olson will return to the company.
HootSuite says it now was 370 employees.


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Alo Yoga has made its move.
The ath-leisure brand — which has found its way onto the likes of Gigi Hadid, Kendall Jenner and Alessandra Ambrosio — is its parent’s fastest-growing label and today opens a more than 7,000-square-foot space that’s a cross between a store, yoga studio and small café in Beverly Hills. The move marks the first of what’s expected to be many doors for the yoga brand, which could scale to around 20 stores in the next few years, according to cofounder Danny Harris.
Pricing range from $50 to $60 for sports bras and leggings starting at $70 up to $110 with the company catering to a mostly Millennial customer, aided in part by its heavy presence on social media. The Alo Yoga business, to date, has grown largely through wholesale distribution in stores such as Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and Bloomingdale’s as well as CorePower Yoga and Equinox. The company also has a three-year-old catalogue business, although Harris said that’s mainly seen as a marketing maneuver more than a major source of revenue.
“We are interested in being able to design what we want to design and be able to produce what it is we want,” said Harris said of the company’s philosophy when it comes to wholesale and other growth in general.
Alo Yoga is owned by Los Angeles-area company Color Image Inc., which has a multibrand portfolio that includes Bella Luxx, and employs a workforce of about 800 at its headquarters, which not surprisingly boasts a yoga studio, workout facility, tea bars and meditation gardens.
One could say the new store is a slice of the Alo Yoga headquarters or “lifestyle” the brand aims to be. The store’s lower level is where all the merchandise is housed, with a mix of men’s and women’s apparel, along with candles, soaps, shoes and items from other brands. The back of the store serves organic Stumptown coffee, Kombucha on tap and juice from Raw Juicery. Food from Café Gratitude is also available.
Upstairs takes visitors to a rooftop deck and yoga studio where classes will be held.
The company — owned by founders Harris and Marco DeGeorge — searched for real estate for nearly two years, eyeing spots on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, Santa Monica and as far out as New York before settling on Beverly Hills at 370 North Canon Drive.
“What I like about this street is if you were to look around, it’s so much about culture,” Harris said. “We have restaurants all over. It’s not Rodeo Drive where it’s store after store. I really liked this building and I liked this street and I didn’t want to just be like all the other retailers and open right next to a Lululemon or a Gap — not that there’s anything wrong with that. It’s just that we like to do things a little different.”
Alo Yoga’s foray into brick-and-mortar also helped give it the confidence to get back into men’s, a business it tried its hand at about five years ago with the market reaction mostly tepid. In company-owned stores, it will be easier to control the presentation and product offerings for not just men but it’s entire assortment, Harris said.
Men’s relaunched with a small collection of what Harris called the “core basics” consisting of shorts, pants and tank tops.
As for Alo’s future, much of the energy is on retail with the next set of doors likely to be relatively close to home in places such as Santa Monica, Laguna Beach and San Diego.
As the company scales brick-and-mortar, it will experiment with different store formats, meaning not all will be as sizable as Beverly Hills. Some may be smaller, serving mainly as showrooms and more focused on greater synergies with online ordering.
Harris and DeGeorge started Color Image 24 years ago out of high school and remain its sole owners with no outside investors. “It was always about being different,” Harris said.
“[Alo Yoga] was our smallest brand. It’s not anymore, but this brand really speaks to our culture, who we are [and] this lifestyle that we live here in Los Angeles,” he said. “A lot of these things that we apply to Alo we apply to our other brands as well, just the idea of sustainability and transparency and so on. As the Millennial becomes more powerful they can influence buying decisions and as a result of that, it’s really made our company grow significantly.”


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- Japan will accelerate public-private investment, focusing on the fields of science and technology/innovation, among others.
- Japan’s digital transformation plans include the metaverse and NFT services.
- The Japanese government is already issuing NFTs to local authorities to reward their work.
During the speech, Kishida outlined Japan’s digital transformation plans, which include accelerating public-private investment focusing on the fields of science and technology/innovation, among other sectors.
As part of its ongoing digital transformation, the Japanese government is already issuing NFTs to local authorities to reward their work. In September, seven mayors received NFT awards recognising their digital economy-related ideas for their cities.
The mayors’ proof-of-attendance (POAP) NFTs were issued via Hazama Base, the platform that Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party Youth Bureau previously used to generate and distribute NFTs. The NFT awards are non-transferable and cannot be sold on the secondary market.
Since Kishida took office in October 2021, Japan has been taking steps to ramp up its efforts in the Web3 market. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) recently set up a Web3 policy promotion office, which will be responsible for business-related concerns such as funding, taxation, business entities (vehicles), content, sports, fashion, and art in Web3.
The Web3 policy promotion office will strengthen the system for examining business environment issues related to Web 3.0 based on blockchain, in cooperation with related ministries and agencies such as the Digital Agency.
In April, Kishida launched a task force – led by politician Akihisa Shiozaki – which published an “NFT White Paper” which said that Web3 is “the new frontier of the digital economy” and outlined plans to advance Japan’s Web3 strategy.
Kishida’s crypto-friendly outlook has spurred investments and crypto-related movements in the Japanese Web3 market over the last year. Notable ones include Japanese blockchain gaming startup Double Jump, which recently raised $24 million in funding. Animoca Brands Japan, a strategic subsidiary of Animoca Brands, raised $45 million from its parent company and Japan’s largest bank MUFG.
In September, Japanese investment banking giant, Nomura, launched its crypto VC unit, Laser Venture Capital, focusing on digital assets.
Stay up to date:


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U.S. stock futures point to a lower Monday open as fallout from the U.S. crackdown on China's Huawei weighed on sentiment.Morning Briefread more
Google has suspended business activity involving the transfer of hardware, software and key technical services with Huawei. Analysts say that could be a big blow to the...Technologyread more
Global dividends reached a first-quarter record of $263.3 billion, rising 7.8% despite concerns about the world economy, according to new reach Monday.Marketsread more
Trump's threat, posted on Twitter, comes amid rising international tensions in the Middle East as the U.S. has dispatched a carrier strike group and bomber task force to the...Politicsread more
Huawei Technologies will immediately lose access to updates to the Android operating system, a source close the matter told Reuters.Technologyread more
The firm upgraded the stock to equal-weight from underweight ahead of the company's earnings on Wednesday.Marketsread more
Huawei claims it has developed its own operating system for smartphones and laptops for "extenuating circumstances."Technologyread more
Yardeni Research's Edward Yardeni recommends investing in U.S. companies with exposure to China.Trading Nationread more
Current geopolitical tensions are making it harder and harder for oil-producing nations to make decisions that will help stabilize crude prices, Russian Energy Minister...Oilread more
Robert Smith announced that he and his family would set up a grant to pay off the nearly 400 graduating seniors' student loans. The total gift is estimated at $40 million.Educationread more
Deutsche Bank denied a report that said some of its executives rejected the advice of the bank's own anti-money laundering specialists and prevented some transactions...Financeread more
Apple's decision to roll out its more expensive iPhones before its lower-priced model will pay big dividends for the company, according to Needham.
On Wednesday Apple announced its new iPhone XR model, priced at $749, will be released on Oct. 26. But its iPhone XS and XS Max phones, priced at $999 and above, will be available five weeks earlier, on Sept. 21.
This approach, while not completely comparable, is similar to the way the entertainment industry releases films, first through movie theaters, then a while later through the less-expensive rental market and then on to television, the analyst said.
"For the first time, the most expensive iPhones are available 5 weeks before cheaper iPhones, which is a release windowing strategy the movie industry has used for decades to maximize total revenue," analyst Laura Martin said in a note to clients Thursday.
Apple shares closed up 2.4 percent Thursday.
Martin reiterated her buy rating and raised her price target to $260 from $220 for Apple shares, representing 18 percent upside to Wednesday's closing price.
Apple shares are significantly outperforming the market this year. The stock is up 31 percent year to date through Wednesday versus the S&P 500's 8 percent gain.
Last month Apple became the first publicly traded U.S. company to reach $1 trillion in market value.
— CNBC's Michael Bloom contributed to this story.


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DAVOS: Eyeing India as a long-term growth market, US-based retail giant Walmart says it is currently focussing on expanding its wholesale retail business in the country and would wait for further clarity on rules for entering the multi-brand retail business.
"We are excited about India and we continue to be so. We see the potential of the country and we have a long term view. At the moment we are focussed on cash and carry business under our Best Price brand," Walmart President and CEO Doug McMillon told PTI in an interview here.
"We will continue to serve the shopkeepers, kiranas and farmers using that format and grow our that business in India," said McMillon, who is here to attend the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting.
When asked about registering a new company in India earlier this month, he said that Walmart is positioning itself for the future, but the focus for the moment remains on Best Price cash and carry format.
The retailer has registered a new company called 'Wal-Mart India Private Ltd' in the country.
Asked about possible timeline for multi brand entry, McMillon said it is not possible as of now to predict any timeline as it would depend on the decision taken by the "people of India and the government of India with regard to the regulations for foreign direct investment."
"We will respecfully wait, answer all questions and try to demonstrate that having Walmart in India is a good thing for the country," he said.
After parting ways with Bharti group in October last year, Walmart had said it was studying the feasibility of India's foreign direct investment (FDI
) policy in multi-brand retail before finalising plans to enter the segment.
To a question whether Walmart was in a wait-and-watch mode because of upcoming general elections, he evaded a direct reply and said, "We continue to monitor the situation every day. We have a team in India and they are monitoring the things."
"It is my desire to be in India and it is also the company's desire to serve customers and we have a long term view on India," he said.
"Every stakeholder has responded very well to this format and we hope that as time goes on, the retail regulations are completed in such a way and the foreign investment rules are decided in such as way that we can help serve people of India even further and move into multi brand retail as well," he said.


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Greenpeace has been watching the IT industry for several years, and has returned to CeBIT again in 2008, where it releases the results of its electronics survey, "Searching for Green Electronics"
Executive summary: "Green IT" became the buzzwords of 2007. Hardly a day went by without one IT company or another proclaiming its intent to slash energy consumption, reduce waste or take some other bold action to green its operations or products. This race for greener electronics has seen dizzying changes sweep across the industry.Greenpeace has been charting this race in our "Guide to Greener Electronics". We also decided it was time to test the companies' promises, determining whether their promises were matched by real action in making green products available on the market.Our survey is based on voluntary participation by those companies wishing to submit their products to our critical evaluation. Assessed against their use of hazardous substances, energy efficiency, recyclability and upgradeability and other innovations such as their visibility and energy-use during prodution, we tested the "greenest" models submitted by 14 companies and present our findings in this report.
Num. pages: 20


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Advertiser Disclosure: FrequentFlyerBonuses.com has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. FrequentFlyerBonuses.com and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.
Starting on May 7, Marriott Gold and Platinum Elite members will have free Internet access at nearly 450 locations across the U.S. and Canada. The benefit will be available at Marriott Hotels & Resorts, JW Marriott’s and Renaissance Hotels. All other brands will continue to offer free Internet to all guests.
The move comes after Starwood Hotels announced that their elite SPG members would be receiving free Internet access.


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Kicked off Facebook by his parents, Zach Marks, 12, of Melbourne Beach enlisted the aid of his siblings and created his own kid-friendly ? and safe ? site called GromSocial.com (MALCOLM DENEMARK/FLORIDA TODAY)
(FLORIDA TODAY) -- Last year, 11-year-old Zach Marks of Melbourne Beach earned the ire of his parents for going behind their backs and playing on Facebook.
When they discovered Zach's actions and his exposure to some of the more unseemly elements of the popular social network, he was banned from Facebook.
So like any intelligent youth up-to-date on technology and in touch with his peers' interests, Zach, now 12, enlisted the aid of his siblings and created his own kid-friendly - and safe - version of Facebook called www.GromSocial.com. Grom, by the way, is a young surfer, which pretty much describes Zach and his five brothers and sisters. They created all the characters on the site and direct most of the content.
Zach's father, Darren Marks, founder of an energy drink and food company based in South Florida, immediately saw the potential for GromSocial in the multibillion-dollar social media market and officially registered it as a company in March.
After officially launching nearly three months ago, GromSocial has 6,800 members around the world. The site gets about 2,000 unique visitors a day and 6,000 or so page views. In the vast online world, that's a modest amount perhaps. So far, it's built on modest marketing, mostly word of mouth. "It has just started to catch on," Darren Marks said. "It's amazing how this is all happening and taking off."
He and wife, Sarah, let the kids be in charge of the creative side while they, as watchful parents, work to ensure that it meets all the standards for safety. The latter includes complying with, and mostly exceeding, safety requirements established by the Federal Trade Commission's Children Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA.) GromSocial also received an "A" rating by the Electronic Trust Foundation, an international organization that promotes privacy and security in the online community.
Facebook has restricted users younger than 13, though it's considering lowering that to attract more users now that it's a publicly-traded company. However, underage users can easily work around that policy and many parents even assist their children in creating Facebook accounts.
READ MORE HERE: Page 2


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Advanced Messaging By T-Mobile
”Advanced Messaging” will be something similar to the application Whatsapp, and T-Mobile is now supporting it.
Fans of mobile gambling apps and people who spend a lot of time on their smart phones will love T-Mobile’s venture into new areas. According to AndroidPolice, from now on, T-Mobile will be the only carrier to offer “Advanced Messaging.” That is, until other carriers join the communications revolution based on Rich Communication Services, or RCS.
We already know how RCS works; Whatsapp and Hangouts are based on the same principle. So what is T-Mobile’s concept? Well, their solution for “Advanced Messaging” will feature group messaging, being able to see when a message is delivered and read, being able to share high-quality photos and videos (up o 10 MB.) According to AndroidPolice, they also state that “T-Mobile Advanced Messaging is built to work across all devices, markers and operating systems – and wireless operators.”
Advanced Messaging available for everyone…
…once everyone’s carrier adds Rich Communication Services to their menu, that is. If a person from T-Mobile tries to use RCS with somebody whose carrier does not offer RCS, they will hit a roadblock. Something that iPhone gaming enthusiasts are familiar with: they can only send iMessages, for example, to those, who have iPhones. Which, of course, can be incredibly irritating.
So, how will people gain access to Advanced Messaging by T-Mobile? As AndroidPolice reports, “The first T-Mobile phone with support for Advanced Messaging is the Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime, which is launching today.” However, software updates, which will be coming out for the Galaxy S5 and S6, will also support Advanced Messaging. There will also be at least around 12 devices released by the end of this year that will offer the service, too. Until other carriers (and more devices) support Advanced Messaging, it will be a privilege for the few.


text: The first part of my report on the overnight evaluation I did last week on the hydrogen powered Ford Focus is up on AutoBlogGreen right now. There will be three more parts coming out in the next few days along with a video. You can also vote for the article on Digg. This million dollar Focus was definitely the most expensive car ever in my garage. Next up will be my opportunity to drive the Honda FCX fuel car.


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A former Chief Information Officer (CIO) at industry leader Hewlett-Packard (HP) has answered the alluring call of an Internet start-up. Mei-lin Cheng, a 25-year HP veteran, has signed-on to become the new Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and Vice President of Engineering for WineryExchange.com, the premier online global business-to-business marketplace for wine growers, wineries, suppliers and retailers.
Ms. Cheng will be joined at WineryExchange by several of her former HP colleagues. Ted Morris and Michael Schmidt, two experienced senior executives who worked with Ms. Cheng at HP, will be assuming the roles of Director of Technology Operations and Director of Product Development at WineryExchange. Other former colleagues of Ms. Cheng who will be joining her technology team at WineryExchange include Noe Gonzales, Supply Chain Product Manager; Patti Hutchison, Product Development Manager; and Byron Lai, Senior Architect.
As CIO for one of four HP businesses, Ms. Cheng was responsible for a $500 million budget and more than 400 employees. She and her team are widely credited with re-engineering HP’s supply chain management for the Internet age, transforming the way billions of dollars of HP revenue are processed. A true celebrity in the often-overlooked world of engineering management, Ms. Cheng, along with her team, was the subject of both an extensive profile in Fortune Magazine and a frequently cited business school case study.
“The greatest contribution my team and I made at HP was re-organizing how customers and vendors interacted. We showed that we could bring technology, organizations and people together to fundamentally re-design business processes. It was also personally gratifying for me to see the influence it had on people — we created an organization that was passionate about continuous learning,” said Mei-lin Cheng, explaining her recent appointment as CTO of WineryExchange. “We now face a similar challenge at WineryExchange, where we are re-inventing how business is transacted in the $100 billion wine industry. My team and I accepted this challenge for the opportunity to overhaul the business practices of an entire industry. It’s going to be even more fun than overhauling a single enterprise.”
“I’m already looking at wine differently,” added team member and WineryExchange Supply Chain Product Manager Noe Gonzales. “Now at dinner I see the bottle, the label, the cork, as well as the wine — and wonder which vendors and what transactions brought them together for my enjoyment.”
At WineryExchange, Ms. Cheng and her team will be developing a comprehensive online business-to-business commerce site for wine industry participants. The WineryExchange web site will offer a marketplace for direct transactions between buyers and sellers of bulk wine, grapes, winery supplies, industry services, wine market information, and more. The company has already established strategic relationships with the wine industry’s largest wine broker and with the industry’s most respected market analyst.
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“By any measure, Mei-lin and her colleagues are a world-class team. They have an incredible track record of implementing innovative, large-scale trading systems,” said Peter Byck, president of WineryExchange. “This engineering team is going to introduce the biggest technology change to affect the wine business since the invention of the corkscrew.”
WineryExchange.com is a neutral B2B marketplace serving winegrowers, wineries, suppliers and retailers. Founded in 1999 by leading wine industry, financial, and technology executives, the company provides products, services and real-time market information for every link in the wine industry value chain — from the dirt to the bottle. The Web site is also the premier forum for discussion, research and news affecting the wine industry worldwide. WineryExchange has received financial backing from venture investors Venrock Associates, 3i, and vTraction, and from prominent angel investors including Draper Richards and Fred Warren, founder of Brentwood Associates. Transactions will begin on the WineryExchange Web site in the second quarter of this year.


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Suggestions that Bitcoin - the grandparent of so-called alternative currencies - might experience a fork in the next few days have generated much comment. Reactions to the possibility that Bitcoin might split into two currenices vary from bafflement to pragmatism.
“Forks are usually bad,” says David Siegel, chief executive officer of Twenty Thirty AG, a Swiss-based blockchain innovation company . “Forks are generally philosophical bordering on political, and they create bad will among the different "camps" of the cryptocommunity.
“This obviously doesn't help the overall image of the industry,” he goes on. “Even if one fork "wins" and is called Bitcoin, it's a blow to gaining the confidence of people around the world who deserve a better monetary system.”
Nothing to fear
The Bloomberg Prophets service carried a headline stating there is nothing to fear. Author Aaron Brown then delivers a cogent argument to justify that statement. He compares and contrasts the Bitcoin experience to traditional government-backed currencies.
He observes that most of the 140 physical currencies that existed a century ago “evaporated without significant payment to holders”. Of those that have not evaporated, the British pound has lost 98% of its value and the US dollar 95%.
Even the mighty Swiss franc has lost 75% of its value, he calculates. Bitcoin enjoys much greater protection against the risks of hyperinflation, government default, expropriation or losing a war, he states.
“Forking hell...the Bitcoin split” is the attention-grabbing headline to a piece penned by Chris Skinner. Revered in a number of quarters in the world of international finance, Skinner has a winning way with words. Until it comes to the minutiae of explanation.
He sets out the issue in much greater technical detail than falls under the www.capital.com remit. Astrophysicists looking for something to while away the time waiting for a cup of coffee to be prepared might care to look here.
An email from digital currency platform Coinbase to its customers refers specifically to the user activated hard fork (UAHF) as a proposal to increase the Bitcoin block size, scheduled for 1 August (also known as, ironically, given the comments above, Swiss National Day).
UAHF breaks Bitcoin rules
Coinbase adds that the UAHF is incompatible with Bitcoin rules. If it proceeds, it will create a separate blockchain. Should that happen, Coinbase says it will not support the new blockchain or coin.
To this cryptocurrency sceptic that sounds very much like default or at the very least devaluation. This would seem to be in direct breach of one of the cornerstones of Bitcoin, that only a finite amount will ever exist.


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Four years for Booze raid
A man who robbed a Bargain Booze store in Congleton, Cheshire in June has been jailed for four years. Shane Meddings, 27, from Congleton was sentenced at Chester Crown Court on July 24, after pleading guilty to robbery. He and an accomplice had threatened a member of staff with a kitchen knife before taking cash from the till. An 18-year-old from Liverpool has been arrested and is currently on police bail.
Tax plan slammed
The British Retail Consortium has dubbed proposals to give councils the power to tax businesses to fund local projects "naive". The Communities and Local Government Committeee's report on supplementary business rates says councils should be able to charge businesses tax on top of business rates. The BRC said it was unacceptable to charge retailers more and said the tax would be "open to widespread abuse".
Under-age sales cost £480
Two Select & Save employees have been fined £180 and ordered to pay £300 costs after pleading guilty to selling alcohol to under-18s at their shop in Welland, Peterborough. Sajid Amin Yousaf and designated premises supervisor Nasir Amin Yousaf were fined £80 and £100 respectively. They were ordered to pay the fine at Peterborough Magistrates' Court on Aug 2.
Links effect for malt whiskies
Carnoustie and K Club are the latest single malts to be released in the Bruichladdich Links series. Carnoustie features Graeme Baxter's painting of the 15th hole while K Club features his painting of the 16th hole of the famous Irish course. Both whiskies, created by Jim McEwan, are aged for 14 years in Quercus Alba Bourbon casks.
Wine Rack from the ruins
A former Thresher Wine Shop in Henleaze, Bristol, that was damaged by fire in May has reopened as a Wine Rack. The shop will reopen on Aug 11 with a party including a wine tasting, food, and prize draw to win a Veuve Traveller case. Area manager Jessica Wright described the store as "the jewel in the crown for the Thresher Group - the store manager and his team are so proud of their new store".
Laphroaig's spirit of the age
Beam UK is adding two super-premium Laphroaig Scotch whiskies to its single malt range. Launching in October, the 27-year-old 1980 vintage will be a limited addition to the range with a minimum recommended retail price of £500, while the Laphroaig 25-year-old, available in the UK from July, has a minimum RRP of £150.
Partida tequila is distributed by Inspirit Brands in the UK, not by Cellar Trends as reported in OLN's July 27 issue.


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A collaboration agreement between Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Safe Food for Growth Project (SAFEGRO), will help to develop safe and sustainable agri-food value chains in Hanoi.
|At the signing ceremony. Source: Canadian Embassy in Vietnam
The National Agro-Forestry-Fisheries Quality Assurance Department together with the Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Rural Development on August 11 held a signing ceremony and kicked off the implementation of the coordination plan “Support Hanoi in building and developing sustainable agro-forestry-fishery value chains”.
SAFEGRO is a 5-year $13.5 million technical assistance project supported by the Government of Canada that aims to improve food safety in Vietnam by improving the performance of central and local governments in enforcing food safety regulations; increasing the competitiveness of Vietnamese agricultural products domestically and internationally; and empowering consumers to increase demand for safe and affordable agri-food in Vietnam.
Hoang Thai Ninh, SAFEGRO project manager said that the goal of the coordinated plan is to assist Hanoi in building and developing a number of sustainable agricultural, forestry and aquatic value chains. Since then, contributing to the effective implementation of the program of coordination to ensure food safety, improve the quality of agriculture, forestry and fishery, and trade between Hanoi and other provinces in the 2022-2025 period.
The plan aims to support the construction and development of a number of sustainable agricultural, forestry and fishery value chains (expected from 7-8 chains); building brands, organizing communication, connecting and promoting some products of the chain; improving the capacity of food safety quality managers for Hanoi and the provinces and cities associated with the program implementation.
The elements of gender equality, women, the young generation, and poor farmers will be concerned and integrated in the implementation contents. This will be a driving factor to create changes in the construction and development of sustainable agriculture, forestry and fishery value chains.
|Brian Allemekinders, Head of Cooperation, Embassy of Canada to Vietnam, said the project not only solves food safety issues but also helps to improve and enhance people’s livelihoods and health, contributing to increase the commercial value of Vietnamese agricultural products. Photo: nongnghiep.vn
According to Brian Allemekinders, Head of Cooperation, Embassy of Canada to Vietnam, SAFEGRO is a project funded by the Government of Canada and the results will be used by the Government of Vietnam.
Allemekinders expressed his belief that both the Government of Canada and the Government of Vietnam are committed to promoting gender equality by considering it a cross-cutting issue. Therefore, gender equality will be mainstreamed in all project activities regardless of location.
In addition, the project is important not only in terms of food safety for development, but also in helping to improve and enhance the livelihoods and health of people in Hanoi and other provinces. In addition, the project will contribute to enhancing the commercial value of Vietnamese agricultural products in the international arena, especially in the context that Vietnam has signed multilateral and bilateral trade agreements with countries around the world, including Canada.
Nguyen Nhu Tiep, Director of the Agro-Forestry-Fisheries Quality Management Department, who is also Deputy Head of the Project Steering Committee, expects the project will achieve unexpected successes; ensuring food safety for domestic consumers and for export, creating sustainable livelihoods for people.


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Tesla Model 3 orders opening next week, along with release of dual motor and performance version specs
In a recent confirmation about the upcoming availability of the Tesla Model 3 electric vehicle for orders, Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk informed that Model 3 orders will be accepted by the automaker next week.
Musk also added alongside that the opening of the Model 3 orders will come in conjunction with the automaker’s next-week release of the specifications of the vehicle’s dual motor and performance version.
Musk’s disclosure about Tesla’s plans to open Model 3 orders next week evidently indicate that the automaker will look to create a backlog of orders for the vehicle before it commencing the production of the vehicle in July 2018. Already, Tesla has been guiding deliveries at 4 to 8 weeks for Model 3 reservation holders who are being invited to configure their vehicles.
With Musk also confirming that Tesla will be releasing the specs of Model 3’s dual motor and performance version next week, the reservation holders of the vehicle will get to know about some of the specs and pricing information for those two versions of the vehicle.
Presently, the Model 3 is being produced by Tesla only with the Long Range battery pack, rear-wheel-drive, and the premium interior package. The automaker’s move to limit the vehicle’s option is aimed at streamlining production while it is still trying to ramp up its manufacturing capacity.
In a move which marks the latest electrification effort by UPS, the parcel delivery giant has placed an order for 1,000 electric delivery vans with Ohio-based truck manufacturer Workhorse.
In a move which marks a noteworthy partnership between an automaker and a technology company, luxury carmaker Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) -- owned by Indian conglomerate Tata Motors -- will be using Canada-based BlackBerry’s automotive technology in i
US electric vehicle maker Tesla Motors has hit a new milestone --- the company has now deployed more than 10,000 Superchargers across the world.
In a recent Twitter post, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has apparently announced that the automaker’s Model Y electric car is likely to be revealed next year, on “March 15.” This disclosure by Musk has come in response to a query from a Twitter user.
In a recent tweet on the official company Twitter account, electric-vehicle startup Nikola Motors has announced that customers can now reserve the company’s hydrogen-electric trucks -- the Nikola One sleeper semi-truck and the Nikola Two day cab -
In a move which will apparently enhance the overall appeal of the small Jaguar E-PACE 2018 SUV, the automaker has recently introduced some notable new updates to the vehicle.


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Lucie says 'I do' to opening new bridal shop in Mansfield
A Mansfield woman has opened a new bridal studio after falling in love with helping brides after purchasing her own dress there seven years ago.
Lucie Gumise has opened a brand new bridal studio in Mansfield town centre, after the bridal shop where she purchased her own gown closed down during the pandemic.
Opening the doors of Prestige Bridal Studio, on Queen Street, was a dream come true for the mother-of-two, after working there part-time for the past six years.
The shop has undergone a full refurbishment and has been filled with a range of new gowns to fit every budget, something that Lucie said was really important to her.
The forty-year-old said: “I bought my own dress there when I got married in 2014, and fell in love with bridal styling.
"I started working there part-time and found it to be a real release from my corporate role during the week – I often found myself looking forward to the weekend when I could help brides find their perfect dress.”
When Lucie heard that the shop was closing during the pandemic, she decided to take the plunge, and Prestige Bridal Studio became a reality.
The shop stocks more than 80 gowns with prices ranging from £200 to £1,200, enabling brides to get their dream dress for a fraction of the cost of many other shops.
"I wanted to stock designer gowns but wanted to ensure brides could have the dress they had always dreamed of, within a reasonable budget, so I opted for discontinued lines and sample dresses which are in fantastic condition,” she continued.
"My brides can try on dresses from Justin Alexander, Sincerity Bridal and Kenneth Winston for a fraction of their usual cost, some with more than £1,000 off their recommended retail price.
"We want to deliver customer service that exceeds all expectations, and be somewhere where people feel both at home, but special too.
"It really is a dream come true for me and we couldn’t wait for the shop sign to go up and for the doors to open.”
The shop also stocks veils, tiaras, bridal jewellery and bridesmaid gifts - and even has a bridal jumpsuit if people fancy something a little unconventional.
Ben Bradley, MP for Mansfield and leader of Nottinghamshire County Council, was on hand to open the shop on Friday.
He said: “I was delighted to be asked to officially open Prestige Bridal Studio with Lucie.
"It is really great to see new businesses opening in Mansfield since restrictions have been lifted.
"It is really important we support local business and the dresses were absolutely beautiful, so if you are getting married pop down and have a look.
"I wish Lucie every success in the new business and it was an absolute pleasure to go and open it.”
Daryl McGreade, from Mansfield Business Improvement District said: “It is wonderful to see Lucie open her business in Mansfield town centre and we look forward to helping her where we can.
"I have no doubt that she will be a huge success.”


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Jaguar’s SVO skunkworks is officially up and running, and as statements of intent go, the nutty Project 7 will do nicely for starters. How does a 0-62mph time of 3.9 seconds, an 186mph top speed, and a resounding 567bhp grab you? All wrapped up in a roadster body that worships at the altar of the mighty D-type?
Project 7 is officially one of the fastest and most powerful Jaguars ever, but more than that, it suggests that Jag is deadly serious about its plans to create instantly collectable limited edition specials. We’ll see the XE saloon in a few months’ time, which is set to double the size of Jaguar’s business. But, backed by a brand new 20,000sq m ‘remote facility’ set-up at an as-yet undisclosed location, SVO’s team will be up to all sorts around the edges. Think AMG or BMW’s M division, but with a healthy dose of inspired British lunacy.


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Boost Mobile today announced its own promotion aimed at converting customers from competing carriers to Boost. Boost says AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon Wireless customers who port their numbers to a Boost Mobile family plan can see monthly savings up to 50%. Boost is offering 10 GB of high-speed data per line starting at $60 for two lines, $85 for three lines, and $110 for four lines. Further, Boost says it will provide a free phone (or $50 discount) for every line ported to Boost Mobile from AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon. Customers can get up to four free phones when activated with a new family plan. Boost Mobile said this offers will be available for a limited time, but didn't set a specific end date. Boost Mobile's parent company, Sprint, has offered a similar promotion for several months.
these promotions that boost keeps running are getting old i work at one of the authorized retailers for 2 years and this is how long boost has been doing these types of promotions. this is getting so old free phones on prepaid should never exist people should relize they have to pay full retail for the phones. Maybe Boost Mobile aka Sprint should work on byod especially for the nexus devices still cant activate one on Boost mobile at all.
You work for a Boost dealer but don't seem to realize that the Nexus phones are GSM, and Boost is a CDMA carrier ? That's never going to happen unless Sprint get's bought by TMo or ATT, because Google isn't going to make a CDMA phone. Maybe it could... (continues)


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Disneyland Shanghai will be one of the largest foreign investments ever made in China.
The Walt Disney Co. will break ground on the Shanghai theme park this week with CEO Bob Iger. After 10 years of negotiations with China government, “the $3.7 billion initial phase of construction expected to begin Friday will cover 1.5 square miles, with construction on a theme park and two hotels, and will reserve an additional 1.1. square miles for further development,” said China’s Xinhua news agency. Disneyland Shanghai plans to open in 2016 in the Pudong district made famous by the World Expo in 2010, will be Disney’s sixth theme park around the world, third in Asia after Tokyo and Hong Kong and first on China’s mainland. It will be about 1/26 the size of Walt Disney. Alan Gould, an analyst with New York-based Evercore Partners, said: “Compared with Disney’s land acquisition in Florida, the Shanghai park provides Disney with a powerful business partner (the Chinese government) and a blueprint for business expansion to fully exploit the surging domestic consumption in the fastest-growing economy in the world.”
Gould of Evercore estimates that Disneyland Shanghai will generate management fees of $65-70 million in its first fiscal year of operations, 2016, and grow to more than $200 million in 10 years “assuming the park reaches 15 million in attendance.”
The ownership of the park in Shanghai — a city of roughly 20 million people about halfway between Hong Kong to the South and the capital Beijing to the north — is reported by Chinese media to be 57 percent by Shanghai Shendi Group and 43 percent by Disney, exactly the same as Hong Kong Disneyland. Since it opened in 2005, Hong Kong Disneyland has experienced lower-than-expected attendance with 42 percent of its guests last year coming from the mainland, according to the park’s statistics.
Disneyland Shanghai is expected to draw 7.3 million visitors its first year. “The park has ambitions to be both authentically Chinese and authentically Disney, and exemplifies the global power of the Disney brand portfolio,” Greg Brown said, an analyst with Memphis, Tenn.-based equity research firm Wunderlich Securities. “The Chinese government will be the majority owner of the park and arguably will benefit from the expansion of the Disney brand, the awareness of Disney content and the protection of Disney’s intellectual property in China,” Gould said.


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Hackers have begun adapting tried-and-true computer infections to work on internet-enabled smartphones that are all the rage with consumers.
Global smartphone shipments topped 54 million in the first three months of this year, a 57 per cent jump from a year ago, according to research firm IDC.
The cyber-underground took notice.
Download the wrong wallpaper application for your Google Android phone and you could get one that will harvest the phone and voicemail numbers, and data that can be used to disclose your location.
Mobile security firm Lookout discovered 80 such Android web apps in late July, which have since been taken down by Google, said John Hering, Lookout's CEO.
The information was being transmitted to a website based in China.
The wallpapers, showing ponies, basketball scenes and other innocuous images, were downloaded more than a million times.
Hering and other security experts attending the Black Hat and DefCon cybersecurity conferences in Las Vegas recently say such hacks underscore the potential for spreading malicious web apps on Android handsets, iPhones, BlackBerrys and Windows Mobile phones.
"Smartphone usage is going mainstream," Hering said.
"And so the bad guys are looking at web browsing and the downloading of web apps as two primary attack vectors."
In a more pernicious attack, a scammer has pioneered a way to trigger premium-rate phone calls from infected Windows smartphones.
The attack, discovered by Mikko Hyponnen, senior researcher at Finnish antivirus firm F-Secure, begins by spreading infections via a popular 3D game delivered as a web app.
Infected smartphones initiate expensive calls to far-off locales, such as Somalia.
But the calls are cut off before they're answered.
The crook is using a system to collect most of the charge for the call, Hyponnen said.
Hyponnen said smartphone web app infections are rare compared to the deluge of malicious programs to compromise Windows PCs.
"From the criminal's point of view, the low-hanging fruit is elsewhere, so we only have a handful of these problems," Hyponnen said.
The richest target for cybercrooks remains consumer and commercial banking and other accounts that run on Windows XP computers, which remain the most widely used device to access the internet.
There are some 40 million known malicious programs for internet-connected computers verses less than 600 for smartphones, Hyponnen said.
However, as much more secure Windows 7 PCs begin to replace older XP machines and hacking becomes more difficult, cybercriminals inevitably will turn their attention to smartphones and mobile devices like the iPad.
"It will happen sooner or later," Hyponnen said.