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It’s no surprise that New England Patriots star Tom Brady, the longest-serving NFL quarterback for one franchise, has a lot of endorsements.
Brady has a reported net worth of $180 million, much of that earned from off-the-field endeavors. Despite his high-earning status, the future Hall of Famer has less to his name than supermodel wife Gisele Bundchen, who reportedly is worth around $380 million.
Among Brady’s more recent endorsements are Aston Martin — he was signed to promote a car worth more than $200,000 — and Tag Heuer, the high-end watch company. Brady also has a deal with beer company Sam Adams, which released a limited-edition brew in honor of this season’s Super Bowl run.
In the footwear and apparel space, Brady has struck deals with well-known brands like Under Armour, Ugg and Foot Locker.
While the NFL’s jerseys are made by Nike, Brady takes to the field in cleats manufactured by UA. The specific model he wears is the UA Spine Fierce MC-B.
The Baltimore-based brand signed a multiyear deal with the quarterback in 2010.
“Tom Brady represents a lot of what Under Armour is all about,” founder and CEO Kevin Plank said in a statement announcing the endorsement. “He’s humble and hungry and continues to be focused on winning and getting better every single day.”
The 41-year-old teamed up with Ugg a year later, in 2011, when the brand aimed to break further into the men’s segment.
The five-time Super Bowl champion reportedly earned $14 million in 2019 through these endorsement deals. With his Patriots contract extended through next season, there’s still plenty of chances for him to sign new deals.
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The two Scandinavian brands, Rotate and Remain, are offshoots of the long-established brand Birger Christensen which has been trading for 150 years now. The younger labels have jumped into the metaverse, increasing their visibility across the 49 countries that Ifland now covers.
Ifland is one of the largest metaverse platforms in South Korea, second only to Zepeto. It was launched in July 2021 by the country’s biggest mobile provider SK Telecom and can be accessed from both iPhone and Google Play. It now boasts 12.8 million users, and in November 2022 moved into European markets – Rotate and Remain are the first fashion brands from outside of Korea to partner with the platform.
A unique opportunity
CEO of Birger Christensen Collective, Denise Christensen, said “The partnership with SK Telecom is a unique opportunity for Birger Christensen [brands] to be the first Danish fashion movers in the metaverse and strengthen our communication within the web3 sphere globally.”
There are 20 free digital fashion items in this collection, exclusively created for the Ifland, and there are more items due to be released over the rest of the year. The sister brands are currently available in more than 30 countries worldwide and can be found at Net-a-Porter and Selfridges amongst others.
Ifland has a huge presence in the digisphere, so this collaboration will serve as a useful trial for Rotate and Remain to gauge demand for its products outside of the metaverse before entering any new physical markets.
South Korea may seem like an odd choice, but its government and businesses are serious supporters of the metaverse. The Ministry of Science and Information and Communications Technology has pledged to spend $186 million to create a metaverse ecosystem for the country, and the Seoul Metropolitan Government is currently busy building Metaverse Seoul.

domain: news


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Over the weekend, developers created 15 new apps and services as part of Evernote and Honda's design hackathon. They were tasked with building apps that utilized Evernote's API, as well as APIs from the Honda Silicon Valley Lab for smart cars, gesture technology company Leap Motion, Pebble, and sensor platform for smart devices NODE.
Modern-day smartphones solved a lot of problems. It's easier to keep in touch with people, play addictive bird-themed games, and manage your calendar. But they also created a bunch of new problems like having to whip out your phone every time you want to check a new alert. And sometimes that can be pretty rude.
There are so many wearable devices already on the market, and many more soon to launch, it's becoming difficult to keep up. But all this enthusiasm among device makers for the wearables category misses the fact that there still aren't enough apps out there to really make wearables compelling for mainstream consumers.
Pebble, arguably the hottest smart watch on the market, is now accepting pre-orders for its high-end Pebble Steel smartwatch. The Pebble Steel, which will retail for $249, features the same e-paper display, a five-to-seven day battery life, and waterproof design. Pebble plans to start shipping the watch on Jan. 28.


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Shoppers are paying more for certain foods now than 12 months ago, a new report into the impact of inflation on shoppers has shown.
Overall, prices are just 0.6% higher than this time last year, but healthcare items such as cold medicine and vitamins are up 8%, tea and coffee is up more than 5% and frozen food is up 4.6%.
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While the price of frozen veg, chips, pizza and meat is up, staple dairy products like milk, cheese and yoghurts are down 2.2%. Vegetables and salads are also down 1.7% and fruit has seen a slight drop of 0.9%.
The easing of COVID restrictions means people are eating out more, which is a blow to supermarkets but a relief to the nation's restaurateurs.
Emer Healy, retail analyst at Kantar, the company that compiled the figures, said: 'It's a nuanced picture in the grocery market at the moment. The lifting of social restrictions and high vaccination rates mean shoppers are more comfortable going out and visiting physical stores, but they also mean people's social calendars are filling up again.
'More socialising means we're living less regimented lives, and with more eating at restaurants, pubs and on the go, the reliance which many had on supermarkets to get their meals last year is starting to fade.
'That is evidenced in the latest four-week-ending data, which shows supermarket trips are falling by 4.5% year-on-year and the amount bought per visit is also down 0.9%.'
Another side-effect of increased socialising is a renewed boom in online grocery shopping, which is up more than 7% in the past four weeks.
The further loosening of social restrictions on October 22 is not expected to herald major changes for the grocery sector.
Ms Healy added: 'The relaxation of restrictions in Ireland has been a gradual process and people have already been enjoying increasing freedoms, with knock-on effects at supermarket tills.
'We expect office workers to continue to work flexibly, which will mean a mix of both in-home and on-the-go eating at lunchtime. People are already back visiting pubs and restaurants too, so there shouldn't be a major change in that sector either.'
The arrival of a more open Halloween means pumpkin sales are up 32% compared to this time last year.
And as people get ready for the arrival of trick-or-treaters to their doors, confectionary sales are up more than 6% and share-bags of chocolate are up more than 15%.
The Kantar report said: 'Despite prices going up, consumer confidence is high. Dunnes was the only retailer to recruit new shoppers this period as it and Tesco found favour through more premium items.'
Ms Healy added that Dunnes typically has its most successful months in the autumn as shoppers favour branded items and take shelter from the unpredictable weather in its stores.
She continued: 'New customers contributed an additional €26.2million to its performance and Dunnes now accounts for 21.9% of grocery sales.
'Tesco's market share increased 0.5 percentage points to 21.4% and it also enjoyed success through branded items - it saw customers spend an additional €13million on well-known names this period.'
COVID has changed how people shop with almost one in five stores now offering a click-and-collect service, a study by the Central Statistics Office found.
Statistician Colin Hanley said: 'The COVID-19 pandemic has made enterprises across Ireland change how they do business. One in ten have set up a website to facilitate online sales while 18% provided a click & collect service.
'Almost one in five - 19% - have indicated that they have seen an increase in sales through websites or apps. One in 12 have set up a new social media account while 31% have increased their use of social media during the pandemic.
'In 2021, 82% of enterprises in Ireland have a website or a homepage.
'This compares to 79% of firms in 2020 and 2019.
'The most common facility provided by a business on their website or homepage were links to references to their social media profiles - 43% - followed by a facility to access online ordering or reservations, 27%.
'Four in ten enterprises conducted sales electronically. Large enterprises of 250-plus people had a higher proportion of firms selling electronically at 63% compared to 36% of small businesses. More than half - 54% - of enterprises made purchases electronically.
'A third 33% of enterprises received orders online from customers based in Ireland while 10% received orders from the EU.'


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By BROOKE WANSER
Downtown Franklin draws women looking for a boutique shopping experience. Ken Thwaits wants to change that.
“It didn’t have a men’s store,” said Thwaits, owner of the recently opened Franklin Road Apparel on West Main Street, referring to Main Street.
Thwaits, who has referred to his spacious spot as a “man cave,” first began selling men’s clothing a few years ago inside his business, Showtime Motorsports, in Franklin.
“We sold boots like once a month,” he said.
Well aware of the foot traffic the downtown area receives, Thwaits decided to move the apparel once he found an empty space. Bill Powell, the the owner of the building and a local preservationist, was reticent to lease to Thwaits at first.
“He goes, ‘Well, I don’t know, what do you want to do?’ So I took him to the shop,” said Thwaits referring to Showtime Motorsports, which houses his collection of new and vintage motorcycles, Chevrolet Camaros, and signs.
“He says, ‘You’re my man,’” Thwaits chuckled, “Bingo!”
The new home to Franklin Road Apparel at 508 West Main Street started out as a Chrysler dealership, then became a Ford dealership. More recently, though, the building was used as the headquarters for the Williamson County Rescue Squad for 20 years.
Thwaits laughed at the irony: he is the founder of an international auto consulting firm, Precision Dynamics International. And he races cars, recently winning Optima’s Search for the Ultimate Street Car in Las Vegas.
Elements of the fire department still exist in the building, like the names of officers painted on a shelf along the wall. Vaulted in the ceiling is an old radio tower that once stood on the roof.
“I still want to keep the spirit alive here,” he said.
A bar is in another nook, with kegerators from local brewer, Mantra Artisan Ales. Thwaits likes the hospitality aspect of being able to offer a customer a complimentary beer while they’re shopping.
“Our customer is a little upscale,” he said. “They need to be treated a little bit better than, ‘Can I help you?’”
Thwaits said his customer demographic is men in the 30 to 60 age range, trending on the younger side.
“Younger guys aren’t going to pay 200 bucks for jeans,” he chuckled. But men who are slightly older and more successful, Thwaits believes, want clothing that’s more upscale and different.
Growing up in Long Beach, California, Thwaits was heavily influenced by surfer style.
“Laid-back, casual, flannel, jeans,” he said, are all part of Franklin Road Apparel’s inventory.
Those who know Thwaits as a race car driver may be surprised to learn that he can wax about the virtues of Japanese denim. “I have never been in retail in my life,” he said.
But he’s a quick study, and soon began attending fashion industry shows, like MAGIC in Las Vegas, as well as shows in Chicago and New York. He picks up items at each show he goes to, which explains the stores large amount of inventory.
Beside flannels and jeans, Franklin Road Apparel offers a wide selection of shoes. No Vans here; think Ted Baker and Cole Haan. Leather accessories, grooming items and even skateboards can be purchased at the store.
Christian hip-hop artist TobyMac, who has a pop-up shop up the street, came in recently, as did the producer of the Hunger Games movies, who was in town for a wedding.
“If you’re going out on a date Friday or Saturday night, you get in here Thursday,” Thwaits advised. “Get your hair cut at Scout’s [barber shop, across the alley], come over here, and buy what you’re going to wear. And you’re all set.”


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High St squeeze as shoppers stay away
London is braced for a High Street bloodbath as rising interest rates slam the brakes on sales.
The London Retail Consortium (LRC) said sales in the capital were up just 4.5% in April - the worst monthly performance since 2005 as shoppers refused to splash the cash.
The bleak result came even before last week's rise in interest rates, which will now putmore pressure on household finances. Rates have gone up four times since August, leaving millions struggling to pay off mortgages, loans and credit cards.
LRC director Kevin Hawkins said: 'The squeeze on household spending is getting tighter, which the latest hike in interest rates will aggravate.'
Economists expect the Bank of England to raise interest rates again this year - possibly twice to as high as 6% - in a move Hawkins warned could cause serious problems on the High Street.
The warning came two days before Sainsbury's, Next and Currys owner DSG deliver trading updates or results in what the City has dubbed 'Super Wednesday'. Analysts will pore over the performance of the three in the search for clues about the health of the High Street amid growing fears consumer spending is coming under increasing pressure.
Results from pub company Enterprise Inns will tomorrow offer an insight into how much spare cash is sloshing around people's bank accounts.
Retail analyst Nick Bubb of Pali International said London had been bound to see a slowdown after experiencing-above average growth for the last 12 months.
'Beneath the surface is a slower trend,' he said. 'John Lewis figures every week are showing a slowing trend. The slowdown comes just as interest rates go up, which doesn't augur very well for the next couple of months.
'We are definitely going to pay for a good first quarter with a much slower second quarter.'
Last month's slowdown came despite a rise in wealthy tourists coming to the capital from western Europe, Russia and the Middle East.
Spending by American tourists is well below this time last year as a result of the weak dollar, which last month was worth just 50p.
The number of shoppers visiting the High Street has fallen in recent months and is now below the levels seen this time last year. Shoppers have been spending more on each visit but it is feared that with interest rates rising consumers will hold back over the summer.
There is already evidence that credit card spending is declining after a borrowing binge which has left many struggling to pay off debts.
Helen Dickinson, head of retail at KPMG, said: 'The London results for April were below the trend of the last quarter, which is exactly what we have seen across the rest of the UK. This could represent the beginning of a lower growth phase as the comparatives become much tougher and the outlook less favourable.'
Warm weather in April boosted sales of food and drink as well as summer clothes, but there was a downturn in spending on goods for the home.
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China Mobile, the country's largest mobile carrier, will develop its own company-branded handsets, while hoping to eventually strike a deal with Apple for the iPhone.
Qualcomm is preparing two new quad-core processors for the mainstream smartphone market, with support for several Chinese standards.
Although Google's Android has made some impressive leaps forward over the last two years, roughly half of its users aren't seeing those improvements because 50.8 percent of Android devices are still running Android 2.3, known as Gingerbread.
Android sales have declined in the U.S., helping iOS regain the top spot among smartphone platforms sold in the three-month period ending in October, according to the latest research from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech.
Smartphone shipments to retailers worldwide this year are expected to total 717 million, 45% more than shipped in 2011, IDC said Tuesday.
Apple has begun seeding iOS 6.1 beta 3 to developers this week, with bug fixes and improvements.
Hewlett-Packard has filed a complaint against display manufacturers Chunghwa Picture Tubes and Tatung Company of America, seeking to recover damages it claims it suffered as a result of their involvement in a price fixing scheme.
Mobile network operator Orange will install Lookout's Mobile Security application on some of the Android-based tablets and smartphones it distributes starting in 2013, aiming to protect millions of subscribers in the first year alone.
As Apple prepares to launch its iPhone 5 in China, some analysts expect the product to sell well in the country and possibly even top sales for Apple's previous iPhone models in the country.
Apple is set to launch its iPhone 5 in more than 50 additional countries including South Korea, Brazil, China and Russia this month, the company revealed in a press release today.
Apple's patent license agreement with HTC will not be put entirely under seal, except for the pricing and royalty terms, a court in California ordered in a patent infringement lawsuit between Samsung Electronics and Apple.
Samsung remained the most popular phone maker in the U.S. in the third quarter, but Apple is slowly closing in, the latest comScore MobiLens report finds.
Apple is planning to launch a new iTunes music streaming service called 'iRadio' in 2013, according to new reports.
There was. It couldn’t have been more different from the Apple of today, according to the man behind the iPod.
Samsung's Galaxy S4 and Note 3 could be the first smartphones to market with flexible displays.
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First impression on unpacking the Q702 test unit was the solid feel and clean, minimalist styling.
For work use, Microsoft Word and Excel programs pre-installed on the device are adequate for preparing short documents.
The Fujitsu LifeBook UH574 allowed for great mobility without being obnoxiously heavy or clunky. Its twelve hours of battery life did not disappoint.
The screen was particularly good. It is bright and visible from most angles, however heat is an issue, particularly around the Windows button on the front, and on the back where the battery housing is located.
My first impression after unboxing the Q702 is that it is a nice looking unit. Styling is somewhat minimalist but very effective. The tablet part, once detached, has a nice weight, and no buttons or switches are located in awkward or intrusive positions.
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A2 Milk recorded buoyant sales in China during ‘Singles day’.Unlike some key local competitors, A2 Milk has boasted of “strong growth in demand” for its infant milk formula in China as it posted a 290 per cent surge in interim earnings. Its result also benefited from buoyant demand for its milk products as it pushes into new markets in the US and UK.
Net profit surged to $NZ39.38 million ($36.8 million) in the December half, from $NZ10.1 million a year earlier, the dairy products maker said in a statement to the ASX today.
The company pointed to rising sales in China in the December quarter, indicating strong sales during so-called ‘singles day’ when online Chinese retailer Alibaba fosters a popular sales event.
“Whilst the growth in demand was evident across the half-year, there was a marked increase in infant formula sales in the second quarter corresponding with the phasing of key sales events in China and an increase in market share in both Australia and China,” A2 Milk’s managing director Geoffrey Babidge said.
“This was achieved whilst maintaining a prudent approach to the management of production and inventory in recognition of foreshadowed changes in regulations for infant formula sold in China.”
Revenues for A2’s infant formula product increased by 62 per cent and 348 per cent in Australia and China, respectively, and with the operating EBITDA doubling and soaring by 1021 per cent, respectively. Investors though were not impressed chipping 2.5 per cent off the company’s share price which closed at $2.36.
The rate of growth in part reflects inventory shortages experienced during the year-earlier period, it said.
Total sales from infant milk formula in the half reached $NZ184.5 million, compared with full-year sales of $NZ214.4 million in the year to June 2016.
Discussing the results, Mr Babidge re-iterated the close monitoring of sales channels in China to ensure inventory levels are held in check.
“We have been conservative in our approach to infant milk formula inventory.”
A concern in the future is the evolving regulatory climate in China, which could hurt the flow of product from China, Mr Babidge said.
“We are growing the business (in China) but in a very measured way and not just monitoring our business, but also the supply chain. We continue to develop the daigou channel. What we are doing is working.”
Daigou – pronounced dye-goo – are shopping agents who buy things for residents on mainland China that are unavailable or hard to find there – often students who are studying overseas, or people who have migrated from China to another country who want to help friends and family, or earn extra money.
A2 Milk chief executive Peter Nathan said there was a view in some parts of the market that “all you needed was to have a product” to win sales in China.
“We are by far the exception, not the norm. You need a significant investment in the business to succeed. We always knew it was a challenging market; only a few succeed,” he said.
The company said it has also had some success in expanding its footprint in the US, where its product is now carried in around 1800 outlets, mostly in the south west. It’s also won access to an estimated 1100 outlets in the south east of the US.
Analysts with Citi warned that risks continue to be skewed to the downside for A2 Milk, due to the risky transition period in China ahead of the new regulatory regime from 2018, rising dairy costs and potential adverse effects from Bellamy’s woes.


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The late 1910s were perplexing times for humanity. Even as the world celebrated the end of World War I, an invisible enemy was conquering Europe, the Americas, and other continents. By the time it dissipated and lost “steam”, Spanish flu had infected a record 500 million people worldwide and killed an estimated 17 million; some estimates put the number at 100 million! The UK alone recorded over 228,000 deaths.
In the years that followed, the UK witnessed frenzied economic activity, so much so that the next decade came to be known as the “roaring twenties.”
Many parallels can be drawn between the era-defining pandemic of the twentieth century, the Spanish Flu, and what is likely being called the defining crisis of our generation, the COVID19 pandemic.
Bank of England predicts that the UK will witness the most vigorous economic growth in the past 70 years at an incredible rate of 7.25%, firmly jettisoning its GDP to pre-COVID levels.
A Stronger UK Will Embark on a Spending Boom
The blistering pace of the UK’s vaccination program has been hailed as one of the most successful in the world. As the country’s soon-to-be virus-resistant population, whose potential has been stymied for well over a year, emerges out of the lockdown, they will try and make up for the “lost months.”
This attempt to catch up will manifest in the form of heightened activity. Production will witness a tremendous boost; businesses will double down on their marketing and client outreach efforts; conventions, conferences, and other business events will return with a vengeance; consumers will grab every opportunity to socialize with friends, family, and acquaintances.
As a consequence of all of this, consumer spending and business spending will touch new heights, unheard of even in the pre-COVID years.
Think of the mad shopping rush right before Christmas and normalize it for the entire year – that’s what the UK will see in the aftermath of the pandemic.
Birthdays, Anniversaries, Weddings, Food & Wine Festivals, and More
With nothing to do during pandemic lockdowns, UK consumers have saved a staggering £18.5 billion in January alone. That’s the money saved on transportation, fashion, food, drinks, parties, gifts, grooming, and so on.
When the consumers finally emerge out of their homes, they’ll have all this money and several months’ worth of suppressed desires. A spending spree will follow.
Every party that was shelved, every wedding that was postponed, every anniversary that was celebrated in the living room will find its way to restaurants, hotels, convention halls, and resorts. Many of us will be happy to have a reason for indulging in our guilty pleasures.
For businesses ravaged by lockdown restrictions, such as restaurants, event venues, and so on, the post-COVID spending spree will offer a golden opportunity to recover from their slump and register record growths.
Preparing for the Rise of Events
The latest data corroborates the above predictions. Photo booths, magic mirrors, and photography robots have witnessed a 400% growth in sales, according to photobooth.uk. The more enterprising event venues and restaurants are hiring photography robots on-demand to offer their guests a novel and exciting experience at events.
As the UK populace emerges from the lockdown, these slick machines will welcome them with their “exotic” appeal. We can already see signs of photography robots becoming the mainstay of hospitality businesses in the UK and the post-pandemic economic boom will make them a norm across the length and breadth of the country.
Is Your Photography Robot Ready for the Challenge?
The year 2021 will witness the photography robots evolve from novel party attractions to event prerequisites as event planners and customers increasingly demand their presence at their events. Hospitality businesses that intend to capitalize on growth opportunities offered by the post-COVID economic boom in the UK should make photography robots a big part of their game plan.


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Dexter Axle has acquired trailer axle, leaf spring and parts supplier Rockwell American, based in Azle, Texas, from American Industrial Partners Dexter parent DexKo announced today (Aug. 31) in a news release.
Rockwell has made trailer axles, leaf springs, fenders and other trailer components serving multiple market segments across North America for over 35 years, according to the release. Rockwell has five manufacturing locations and operates 16 distribution branches across the United States. Rockwell American will operate as a division of Dexter.
“We are extremely excited about the opportunity to bring the Rockwell American business under the Dexter / DexKo umbrella,” stated Fred Bentley, CEO of DexKo Global. “The acquisition of Rockwell complements and will be part of our Dexter business allowing DexKo to continue to accelerate our growth with great new people, products and segments. We continue to add strong brands to our portfolio and offer more quality products to our customers. Combining this with Dexter’s announcement extending our already industry leading warranty, shows our commitment to real quality and engineering solutions for our customers. It really is an exciting time to be part of the DexKo organization.”
DexKo Global and Dexter are majority owned by a fund managed by The Sterling Group, an operationally-focused middle market private equity firm based in Houston, Texas with $2.4 billion of assets under management.
“The team at Rockwell American is very excited by the opportunities afforded us through our new partnership with Dexter Axle,” replied Chris Dietemann, president of Rockwell American. “In the fast changing and increasingly competitive market we serve, it will give us access to Dexter’s world-class manufacturing expertise, enabling us to continuously improve product quality and to maintain our competitive position in the market.”


text: From today, citizens of four Guangdong cities can visit Hong Kong on their own - but few know how to apply for a visa Many residents of four Guangdong cities who can visit Hong Kong on their own from today do not know how to apply for a permit, a survey has shown. A poll conducted by the Democratic Alliance for Betterment of Hong Kong (DAB) found more than 60 per cent of people from Foshan, Dongguan, Zhongshan and Jiangmen would like to visit Hong Kong. But the study, which interviewed 1,228 people in the four cities, showed only 19 per cent knew how to apply for a visitor permit. DAB lawmaker Chan Kam-lam urged both Hong Kong and mainland authorities to promote the new arrangements for obtaining a visa. Mr Chan also suggested that a pass similar to the home-return permit for Hong Kong residents be designed so that mainland visitors could come and go as they pleased. Under the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement between Hong Kong and the central government, residents of the four cities will from today be allowed to visit Hong Kong on their own instead of as part of a tour group. The deal will extend to the whole of Guangdong province, Beijing and Shanghai next year. Under the scheme, residents of the four cities are eligible for two permits to visit the special administrative region, for a maximum of seven days each time. Most of those eager to visit said they were attracted by sightseeing and a chance to visit tourist spots such as Ocean Park, Repulse Bay and the Peak. About 48 per cent cited shopping, saying Hong Kong had more brands and the goods were of a better quality than on the mainland. About 36 per cent said they would spend between $2,000 and $4,000 in Hong Kong, while 35 per cent indicated they would spend between $4,000 and $7,000. Many of those surveyed had friends and relatives living in Hong Kong, and only 35 per cent said they would stay in a hotel. Hu Guo-jing, deputy general manager of Dongguan International Travel Services, welcomed the relaxation of travel restrictions. His company has designed various packages for solo travellers. 'Many people have been to Hong Kong before and they know the city very well,' he said. 'It is pointless insisting that they visit Hong Kong with a tour group.' Hong Kong Hotels Association executive director James Lu Shien-hwai predicted luxury hotels would have to wait for visitors from Beijing and Shanghai to see the benefits of the new policy. 'There is no sudden increase in the number of hotel bookings from Guangdong travellers,' Mr Lu said. 'The bookings should be coming in mid-August. The climax should be at National Day golden week holiday in October.' He said they would promote Hong Kong's hotels at roadshows in Beijing and Shanghai in October. 'Those from the two cities are ready to pay for good accommodation,' Mr Lu said. 'They care more about what we can provide than the money they have to pay, and since their cities are pretty far away from us, they will stay in Hong Kong for a relatively longer period, such as three to four nights.'


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This year, without a doubt, foldable smartphones have been one of the great technological trends in the mobile sector along with the development of 5G networks. In fact, during the Mobile World Congress 2019 held in Barcelona, we have seen how the folding mobiles of companies such as Samsung or Huawei have been the protagonists.
Following Samsung’s confirmation at its 2018 annual conference of the commercial launch of the Galaxy F, its first folding device, [Huawei also introduced the Mate X] (https://blogthinkbig.com/smartphones-plegables-huawei-2019), although We were expectant at the announcement of Xiaomi.
The company has not yet officially confirmed the date of its launch, but just a few months ago the Chinese social network Weibo showed the first renders of the company’s folding mobile.
New 3D Renders
The Xiaomi folding mobile was announced at the beginning of the year after the announcement of the rest of the companies, and in March it presented a design patent with sketches that showed a triple-screen device. LetsGoDigital experts have published 3D renderings of patents to analyze the characteristics of the next smartphone of the Chinese company.
First of all, as we knew, the design has a triple flexible and foldable screen capable of becoming a tablet and smartphone. When the device is deployed, the screen is 7.3 inches and we can see a vertical camera system in the back area with three sensors. However, we do not appreciate a selfie camera in the front, although that may mean that it is integrated into the screen itself.
On the other hand, in the back area, there is a USB-C type connection port although it does not have a headphone jack, something common in the latest smartphones in the market. Regarding its technical characteristics, the new Xiaomi device will include a 4,000 mAh battery with a 100-watt fast charge and will allow 5G connections.
We still do not know when they will announce the date of its launch, nor its price, but we assume that it will follow its marketing strategy and sell the folding device at a lower price than that of its competitors.


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Samsung teases Huawei for Google-less Mate 30 line
On Thursday, Huawei introduced the new Mate 30 series including the top-of-the-line Mate 30 Pro. As you most likely know by now, because the U.S. has banned Huawei from accessing its U.S. supply chain, Huawei's flagship series does not include any Google services or apps. Since the Mate 30 line is not going to be sold in Europe, that will prevent the company from surpassing Samsung to become the world's largest smartphone manufacturer, a goal that the company has been targeting for late this year. Originally, Huawei had hoped to deliver 300 million handsets in 2019 (versus the 206 million it shipped in 2018), but that figure is now off the table.
As Android Central reported, Samsung decided that now would be the best time to remind its customers in Latin America that unlike Huawei, its latest flagship phones run Google's apps and services. So to promote the Galaxy Note 10, the company sent out a wave of emails in the region that when translated reads, "Enjoy updates, apps and Google services." And the image included in the email is that of the Galaxy Note 10 with icons of several Google apps on the display including Search, YouTube, Chrome, Gmail, Photos, Maps, the Play Store and Drive. In other words, apps that won't be running on any Mate 30 phone. The email also includes a promotion that rewards a Galaxy Note 10 buyer with four free months of YouTube Premium, another service that won't be found on the Mate 30 or Mate 30 Pro.
Samsung trolls Huawei about the lack of Google's Android apps on the Mate 30 line
Now just in case you feel bad for Huawei, consider that such trolling is part of the business. Last year, the Italian Competition Authority fined Apple and Samsung the equivalent of $17.06 million; the manufacturers were accused of forcing those with older devices to install updates that slowed down these models prompting them to update their phones. Huawei's official U.K. Twitter account disseminated a tweet following the ruling made against Apple and Samsung. The tweet was sent to promote the just-released Mate 20 line and included the hashtags "BornFastStaysFast" and "NeverSlowDown."
Things that are NOT allowed:


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Kenya-US free trade talks are under way: what Nairobi must get right from start
The United States and Kenya formally launched negotiations for a free trade agreement last month and with the US gearing up for presidential elections in a few months, these talks may not draw much global attention.
The US is the third most important destination for Kenyan exports after Uganda and Pakistan, accounting for 8% of its total exports. Kenya exported goods worth US$ 527 million in 2018, primarily apparels, coffee and nuts. Its imports were mainly commercial aeroplanes and other spacecraft, polymers and medicaments. Kenya has a slim trade surplus that the US will probably be keen to balance.
For the European Union and China, the Kenyan agreement further signals America’s intent for commercial expansion and competition in Africa. The principal objective is to secure duty-free access for American industrial, apparel and agricultural goods in Africa.
US trade officials have described the Kenyan deal as a model for other African free trade deals. Terming Kenya a “strategic partner, regional leader and commercial hub” statements from both the US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and the US ambassador to Kenya Kyle McCarter highlight the seriousness with which Washington wants this deal done.
This vigor affirms President Trump’s strategy outlined by the 2018 US-Africa policy. But since the Kenyan deal is an initiative of President Trump, the palpable pressure to conclude agreement could be detrimental to Kenya’s interests. The pressure hampers Kenya more given the asymmetry of capacity between the two states.
Free trade agreements are protracted affairs which take more than a year to complete. The US-Morocco agreement, for instance, took 15 months. Talks with Peru (18 months) and Colombia (20 months) lasted even longer. The Kenya-EU economic partnership agreements took more than 10 years to conclude.
Additionally, there’s no guarantee that Trump will be in office come January 2021. For this reason, Kenya’s team in Washington should consider informally engaging the democrats in case the deal has to be concluded under President Biden.
From a political perspective, a trade agreement makes sense. It shields Kenya from the uncertainties over the extension of the African deal and the vicissitudes of political party changes in Washington.
More principally, whether democrats or Republicans win in November, the extension of the Africa market access law will depend on the extent to which sub-Saharan Africa states will be regarded as important flashpoints for US-China commercial competition in Africa.
If AGOA is not extended without a free trade agreement, Kenya’s three biggest exports to the US – apparels, macadamia nuts and cut flowers – would face duty increases of 5%, 0.5% and 4% respectively. This would undoubtedly negatively affect exports.
But if it is extended, and the US-Kenya agreement ratified by Congress, elimination of duties on Kenyan non-AGOA exports (mainly minerals) will not amount to much in terms of export enhancement.
Constraints to Kenyan exports to the US are not primarily tariff based. From Kenya’s standpoint, therefore, these trade talks are less about tariff and trade, than they are about attracting foreign investment into Kenya. The most useful potential outcome will be the extent to which Kenya draws manufacturing foreign direct investment from the US and other states, into its economic processing zones.
To achieve this, Kenya should negotiate for liberal rules of origin requirements. Such rules should not unduly constrain investors to use only US or Kenyan inputs for Kenyan exports to qualify for the duty free entry into the US. A rules-of-origin threshold of no more than 30% value add should be the target.
As an investment vehicle, the Kenya US agreement should be modelled on the Jordanian “qualified industrial zones model” which increased bilateral trade between the two states tenfold since its inception in 2001.
This model permits foreign owned companies situated in select export processing zones to qualify for duty free exports into the US market. With apparel as Kenya’s principal target export, the success of its negotiating dexterity will be judged on how well it integrates the inputs and outputs of its export processing zones. An agreement that considers all apparel exports “Kenyan” irrespective of ownership and input source for a reasonable duration should be the target.
Finally, the US will no doubt be keen on Kenya’s liberalisation of agriculture and services as part of its ambition to compete with the EU as preeminent agricultural exporters. Every country keeps a short list of goods that it is allowed to protect either for infant industry protection or security reasons. Kenya’s highly protected commodities include wheat, matches, rice and cement which can attract customs tariffs of up to 75% in the case of certain types of rice.
If properly negotiated the agreement has the potential to rapidly enhance Kenya’s foreign industrial investment and overall export volumes. To do so, Kenya must pay more attention to the role of this agreement as an investment attraction vehicle and not just a simple tariff centred ‘traditional’ pact.


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What Is Bitcoin Used For?
This article is will focus on a glance behind the veils of the price instability of the Bitcoin crypto asset.
A Meek Initial Phase
In the Global Financial Crisis’ exit on the 2008 Halloween, an individual or group, alias Satoshi Nakamoto issued the bitcoin whitepaper. Bitcoin was later globally released on Jan. 9, 2009. Anybody could download a replica of the user to host a duplicate of the circulated ledger.
The first transaction was to Hal Finney, four days later, on Bitcoin. Hal received 10 Bitcoins from Satoshi Nakamoto. Adoption continued gradually, spreading between 2009 and ’13. The world’s most famed Bitcoin acquisition was made in 2010 by Laszlo Hanyecz. Hanyecz offered to pay 10k Bitcoins for anybody who would buy him two pizzas.
At the time, the offered 10k Bitcoins were valued at nearly $30, which is currently worth $103.6m. History now has a famous procurement named Bitcoin Pizza Day. Other than the historic moment, the crypto was marking its mark as a medium of payment.
BitPay had 1,000 dealers signed up to use the service by the third quarter of 2012. BitPay refers to a payment processor that allows dealers to accept Bitcoin. Due to the Bitcoin’s anonymity proposal, it surfaced as a standard payment choice on the dark web.
The FBI, in 2013, apprehended Silk Road, a dark web site, collecting 26k Bitcoin as a result of the apprehension. Then, it seized another 144k Bitcoins from Silk Road’s founder and former owner, Ross Ulbricht.
Bitcoin’s history is beleaguered with narratives of different possible use cases. However, it’s true that the crypto still brawls with resolve. While stressing on the issue, critics claim that Bitcoin is making attempts to solve inexistent problems. And so are other cryptos, they say.
According to Bitcoin's advocates, the crypto is expected to unravel the globe's financial difficulties in the future. A decade after it’s outset, the use of Bitcoin remains to be theoretical, from tech hurdles to branding matters.
The Aftermath of Navigating Blindly
There are many potentials that Bitcoin gives for the future. However, the Bitcoin’s $185.7bn market cap is now fueled by slightly more than its investor’s faith. Optimistic Bitcoin estimates flood the crypto news empire. A 2019 issued article claimed that the crypto could see $20,000 by mid-July, and $100,000 by the close of the year.
Despite the fans' claims, neither the Facebook’s Libra nor the Bitcoin ETFs are substantially contributing to the worth of Bitcoin. Although there are emphases on the predicted price, little to no channel about how the worth gets, it is stated.
The only thing that’s mentioned is how the Bitcoin price will increase when individuals continue to purchase it at its current pace. The statement denotes the following words: if Bitcoin continues its parabolic course. For established stockholders, this kind of reasoning will never work. Why the market is performing in that manner is the key concern.
Having said that, conviction a resilient fuel. It’s the power source for the current currency, religions, and governments. Faith has even pushed the worth of Bitcoin to $10k. But with just a limited acceptance (below $150bn market cap), fueling the market with only conviction leads to pricing instability.
Left deprived of a usage case, the Bitcoin crypto asset mainly exists in two places, including federal exchanges and supporter’s taciturn storage wallets. These locations are widespread, however, because they let the Bitcoin community to practice its conviction via assumption.
Taciturn storage wallets uphold a specific supply of Bitcoin outside of the market. Federal exchanges, on the other hand, offer a ground that assesses faith.
At the time of the inscription, the twenty-four-hour USD Bitcoin trade volume is nearly $13.7 billion. Therefore, at $10,400 per Bitcoin, that approximately equates to almost 1.3 million Bitcoin under transaction during the 24 hours. That volume is comparable to the publicly traded market’s Planet Fitness. Relatively, the market cap of Planet Fitness is just 5.8 billion.
However, unlike the stock exchange that Planet Fitness operates on, the Bitcoin exchange is not controlled. This simply means that there are fewer guidelines on liquidating assets. For instance, a Planet Fitness board member wishes to sell off a lot of shares. This will have to be publicized to the market. Also, it is typically noted in the 10-K statements filed to the SEC.
Bitcoin whales, on the other hand, can liquidate shares at will. They would not require to give any clarifications. As a result, huge spikes down or up for Bitcoin values are more frequently seen than on the stock market. After all, whenever a stakeholder loses confidence, they can liquidate all their Bitcoin incognito and instantly.
The Constraints of Bitcoin as a Business Currency
Bitcoin was designed as a method of performing digital, coequal transactions. At this point, however, the tech is not accessible. It is dependent on proof-of-work, a technique used to verify that a deal happened.
The advantage of using this method is that Bitcoin network users do not require names or conviction. Also, they are not reliant on third parties as to the central authority that has an ultimate say on a deal.
However, the benefits come at a rate of speed, as the Bitcoin network can only handle seven dealings per second. For more information on the particulars of the proof-of-work speed matter, click here.
Besides, every ten minutes, a block of transactions (blockchain derivative) is confirmed. However, the issue is that the block is only huge enough to fit so many dealings. For instance, you are making a purchase at Starbucks with Bitcoin. Your coffee acquisition is placed on the next batch and is confirmed under ten minutes if they're kind enough just to take one proof.
Otherwise, if there are numerous dealings before you, your coffee transaction may not make it into the next batch. Thus, your purchase is queued up for the subsequent batch. This queue is referred to as the mempool. Therefore, you have to wait for another twenty minutes, and without a guarantee.
There are, however, risks linked with just accepting one proof. But we will not look deep into that in this case. All being well, by now, you understand the point. Also, I hope that you can see how incumbering it will become even to purchase a cup of coffee using Bitcoin.
However, if you transact on federal exchanges, you may think that Bitcoin speeds are near-immediate. It’s an illusion. Here, the entire Bitcoin is stored in one location. That is, my Bitcoin and yours are together. Based on every trade, the exchange only manages a record and deducts a record of the Bitcoin you hold. Thus, the Bitcoin maximalist’s argument that you don’t actually own it lest you pocket it. So, you’re open to risk if it’s on an exchange.
One day, the exchange might vanish with all of your coins. Or, it may just flat-out refuse to offer you the coins you acquired.
Bitcoin as a Stock of Worth
In Bitcoin's current state, I trust that it's the only meaningful use case that it possesses a stock of worth, identical to gold. Although it has a potential of future value, it is an uncertain asset, for it has no practical worth. While a few people might trade short-term to hedge alongside the Bitcoin potential, the majority of individuals with it hold it for that bet.
As a stock of worth, Bitcoin has numerous promising properties. First, it can be possessed and simply stored. Bitcoin, unlike gold, irrespective of the quantity you own, it may be stored in a USB stick. Gold consumes physical space, and holding it in large amounts is noticeable.
Also, Bitcoin has a fixed amount. Globally, the number of accessible Bitcoin will be more than 21 million. While rare, gold endures to be mined, and the supply is continuously rising. Besides, Bitcoin is rigid to duplicate.
Even though scammers can vend to unaware purchasers, Bitcoin can't be forged. On the other hand, a cultured purchaser is in a position more likely to spot counterfeit Bitcoin. They can even spot it better than fake gold or money. How? The purchaser can just check the blockchain, which keeps a public database of each Bitcoin inflow.
Lastly, Bitcoin is gaining an extensive understanding due to public curiosity. According to the Google Search trends, there is three times more popular today in the search for the term Bitcoin. That is in comparison to the keyword search as it was in 2016. The late 2017s indicated peak popularity during the most current bubble.
While it is still far-off from status to gold, Bitcoin’s popularity is increasing. Besides, as more individuals start procuring Bitcoin, its rank as a stock of worth becomes more reliable.
As the Bitcoin community always develops more tech to layer on top of the Bitcoin blockchain, the usage cases for the digital cryptocurrency might grow in the future. For the time being, it remains an unscalable and a theoretical asset that is presently held as a stock of worth.


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Qihan Technology Company has introduced a multi-service platform system (MPS) for its cloud-enabled humanoid robot, Sanbot.
The system includes a centralized management system that allows businesses to control and monitor their fleet of interactive Sanbot robots from anywhere. Users can create customized tasks for Sanbot’s open API to upload and share marketing content such as PowerPoint presentations, audio, video and text files.
Qihan says the ability to remotely manage hundreds of robots in the field will allow for a new way for businesses to interact with customers and employees. Sanbot works as a marketing tool or information robot for retail, hospitality, education and healthcare.
The new system can capture and analyze data to help better understand online and offline marketing programs. Businesses also can capture Sanbot’s interactions with customers, which apps and what functions are used in order to personalize the robot to better help with future strategies.
Other features of the system include the ability to live stream and record interactions with customers, set security settings to detect specific movements and detect unauthorized actions, which are sent to a smartphone or PC to alert business owners.


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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — There’s a new pop-up store opening downtown just in time for the NFL Draft.
The Klutch Athletics by New Balance pop-up store is a partnership between the athleticwear company and Rich Paul. Paul is a sports agent and founder of Klutch Sports Group.
The store is located at 1380 Main Street in the Power and Light District and will be open from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. beginning Wednesday.
The store is open to the public on Thursday from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. following a private function.
To celebrate the launch, Klutch Athletics plans to host a community event and field day with Washington Commanders defensive end Chase Young.
Dozens of Kansas City children from the Boys and Girls Club will be invited to the event.
Klutch Athletics also plans to work with Good Sports to donate sports equipment to the local Kansas City Boys and Girls Clubs and will unveil a new mural to help inspire young athletes.


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Bain Capital agreed to buy Blue Coat Systems Inc., a provider of Internet security software, for $2.4 billion from private equity firm Thoma Bravo.
Bain is paying all cash, according to a statement Tuesday from Sunnyvale, California-based Blue Coat. The company expects the transaction to be completed in the first half of 2015.
Investment firms are seeking to profit as companies turn to Internet security providers to protect against a growing threat of cyber attacks.
The recent attack on Sony Pictures, the movie studio of Sony Corp. (NYSE: SNE), which resulted in the illegal downloading of millions of copies of Sony movies, including “Fury,” served as a wakeup call for many companies. Investors are taking notice. For more, see Hacked Sony Movies Highlight Opportunities for Buyers of Cybersecurity Firms.
Passport Capital, a hedge fund run by John Burbank, told investors last year that one of its key investment themes is cyber security, after a wave of attacks targeted Home Depot Inc., JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Sears Holdings Corp.’s Kmart discount chain.
Private equity investment in Internet services companies has almost doubled to $115 billion in the past three years, from $60 billion in the previous three-year period, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
Thoma Bravo acquired Blue Coat Systems in 2012, taking it private in a $1.3 billion transaction. Founded in 1996, the company makes software to increase Web security and run faster video applications.
One of Blue Coat’s biggest technologies is Web gateways, which are devices through which companies funnel their Internet traffic to scan for hacking threats. The appliances, which are also used to authenticate users accessing corporate networks and manage the sending of encrypted data traffic, are part of a segment of the security industry expected to grow 8 percent this year to $2.5 billion, according to Gartner Inc.
Bain, which oversees about $80 billion, invests across private equity, venture and credit markets. The firm, which former U.S. presidential candidate Mitt Romney left in 1999, finished raising $7.3 billion last year for its 11th main buyout fund.
Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and law firm Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati advised Blue Coat. Bainreceived advice from Jefferies Group LLC, Ropes & Gray LLP and PwC LLP.


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The games industry moves pretty fast, and there's a tendency for all involved to look constantly to what's next without so much worrying about what came before. That said, even an industry so entrenched in the now can learn from its past. So to refresh our collective memory and perhaps offer some perspective on our field's history, GamesIndustry.biz will run a monthly feature highlighting happenings in gaming from exactly a decade ago.
The Lionhead Sleeps Tonight
Earlier this week, Microsoft announced the impending closure of Lionhead Studios, the developer behind the Fable franchise. If one were to summarize the Internet's collective reaction to the closure, the general sentiments would be, "Sad news, great studio, Microsoft is the worst." And yes, you could make a pretty sound argument for all of that.
But around this time in 2006, if you had told the developers what the fate of the studio was going to be, they might have taken that with a smile on their face. Exactly 10 years and one day before Lionhead's closure was announced, the studio axed 50 people and cancelled multiple projects after its latest PC games--The Movies and Black & White 2--posted disappointing sales figures. Studio co-founder Peter Molyneux was said to be on the hunt for a buyer. Later in the month, at the Game Developers Conference in San Jose (yup, San Jose), the scuttlebutt was that Microsoft was closing in on a deal to acquire Lionhead, having edged out a furious Ubisoft, who "thought they had it in the bag."
So as much as we might mourn Lionhead's fate as a Microsoft-owned studio who spent a decade churning out a handful of similar games in one franchise, is the idea of an Ubisoft-owned Lionhead who spent 10 years churning out 10 games in one franchise any more appealing?
The Golden Age of E3
Much like Lionhead, there's been a lot of doom and gloom surrounding the Electronic Entertainment Expo of late, what with the biggest party in the console gaming world getting back "decline with regrets" RSVPs from Electronic Arts, Activision, Wargaming, and Disney Interactive. Unlike Lionhead, the show was booming 10 years ago, so much so that they announced in March that the show floor had been completely sold out. And not just the West and South Halls that are used these days; they were packing exhibitors into Petree Hall and even the part-time parking garage Kentia Hall as well.
And as if that weren't enough, E3 also hosted a two-day business conference and workshop program, full of GDC-like talks and panels covering all the big issues facing the industry. The last time E3 had anything of that sort was in 2008, when Texas governor and future presidential candidate Rick Perry delivered the show's keynote address to about two dozen people in a cavernous 1,000-seat auditorium.
Getting Ahead of Ourselves
Sometimes you make a prediction about the future and you get everything right except the timeline. In March of 2006, Electronic Arts' European VP of sales Dr. Jens Uwe Intat told GamesIndustry.biz that downloadable entertainment media would completely replace physical within a decade, and "CDs, DVDs and boxed games will be as antiquated as cassette tapes and vinyl records." He also looked ahead and saw that this switch to digital would lead to the rise of complementary business models that add supplemental revenue to the up-front payment model that was the standard back then.
Granted, these sorts of insights were well on their way to becoming conventional wisdom at the time. That same month, GamesIndustry.biz cited development sources close to Sony Computer Entertainment with the first details of the company's massive push into digital distribution. Though it was months before the PS3 would launch (Sony would that month announce that the system was delayed from Spring 2006 into the following November), the company's vision for digital was already clear. Sources said Sony wanted to sell PSone and PS2 games digitally to PS3 owners (which they did), and even tipped us off to the company's plan to stream PS2 titles to PS3 owners, an idea that would only be realized with the PS3 launch of PlayStation Now last May.
How Not to Catch Lightning in a Bottle
Nintendo president Satoru Iwata delivered the keynote address at the 2006 Game Developers Conference. Our proper write-up of the event lives here, but it misses some interesting details that were preserved in our live blog. (Also, 10 years ago this month, live blogs were on the cutting edge of games journalism.) One such detail is an anecdote Iwata gave regarding development of the first Brain Training title for the DS, where he explained that the handwriting recognition technology for Brain Training was created with no real idea of what it would be used for in a game.
While it certainly paid off in that instance (the series had sold more than 5 million copies in Japan by the time Iwata gave his keynote), that approach of creating technology without clear applications can be at least partly blamed for the company's current struggles. The Wii Vitality Sensor, Wii U Game Pad, and even the 3DS' glasses-free 3D screen were all interesting advances that have little, if any, software to justify their existence. In the case of the Vitality Sensor, the lack of compelling software applications is the reason the product was shelved before it actually shipped in the first place.
10 Years Ago This Month...
...Sony finally ended production of the original PlayStation after selling more than 100 million systems. It launched in Japan in December of 1994.
...Blizzard indefinitely postponed its long-awaited console spin-off Starcraft Ghost. It would not make another console game until Diablo III hit the PS3 and Xbox 360 in 2013.
...a post-launch mandatory patch for Dead or Alive 4 on Xbox 360 sparked fears that console developers would begin shipping games before the bugs were completely ironed out. (Psssh, as if...)
...THQ astutely acquired the upstart Austin-based studio Vigil Games, creators of the Darksiders franchise.
...Microsoft celebrated its 5,000th patent. A US Patent and Trademark Office search this week found the company now controls nearly 32,000 patents.
...Grand Theft Auto maker Rockstar Games announced its first game for the new generation of consoles: Rockstar Table Tennis


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23 Mar BLXCKIE: APPLE MUSIC UP NEXT ARTIST
The Rise of Blxckie
Apple Music announces the launch of its spotlight platform Up Next in South Africa. The Up Next program highlights the work of emerging artist across the globe. Durban-born producer and rapper, Blxckie has the distinct honour of being the inaugural South African artist featured in this initiative.
Blxckie was extremely elated over the news sharing that:
“In my short journey in this industry, I have learnt that supporters and fans are EVERYTHING! This is amazing for a young artist, and I’m so honoured to be the first Up Next South Africa artist! Masihambeni!”
The 21-year-old’s current single ‘Stripes‘ (featuring Flvme) is playlisted on Apple Music’s Mzansi Hip-Hop, African Hip-Hop, Africa Rising and The Plug playlists. Furthermore, Blxckie is featured alongside a bevvy of burgeoning talents from around the world in the Up Next playlist.
The wide-ranging global Up Next roster of past talent includes 6lack, H.E.R., Khalid, Billie Eilish more.


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Activision and Treyarch have released a new trailer for Call of Duty Black Ops 4, dedicated to its PC version. Publisher Activision Blizzard claims it is putting a lot of energy into the PC version of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. According to the companies, the game will be fully optimized on the PC and will support ultra-wide screens and multi monitors, is designed for mouse and keyboard, and will support 4K resolutions and uncapped framerate.
Another interesting thing to notice is that the game will no longer be available on Steam but on Battle.net. Black Ops 4 will be fully integrated with all of Battle.net's social features, including friends lists and the ability to talk to other players across other Battle.net games. The PC version of the game will be released 12 October 2018.


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The classic and iconic brand Ralph Lauren has finally decided to tap into streetwear. The all- American signature polo shirt, coupled with a pair of crisp chinos has been the signature for preppy summer attire for decades. The brand is now ready to embark on a new journey; partnering with London based skate brand Palace.
Last Thursday, images of billboards in Tokyo’s Shibuya district—towering navy blue posters with the Polo logo in the center above the Palace logo—started making the rounds on social media. Lev Tanju, Palace’s founder, and co-owner Gareth Skewis said that the collection is centered around pieces they grew up wearing, and they talk reverently of their new partner. “It’s the only brand that you can wear to a board meeting, a funeral and go to the football in—and all in the same day,“ Skewis told BoF.
According to Hypebeast, the collection is available November 9 on Palace’s web store, and will also be available via the Ralph Lauren app in North America, in addition to select RL, Palace, and Dover Street Market brick-and-mortar locations.


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NEWNow you can take heed to Day by day Submit articles!
Fb whistleblower Frances Haugen is launching a nonprofit group that can search options to harms created by social media, she mentioned on Thursday.
The previous product supervisor at Fb, since renamed Meta Platforms, made headlines final yr after popping out because the supply of hundreds of leaked inside paperwork, which she mentioned detailed the social media firm’s failures to guard teen women on Instagram and clamp down on vaccine misinformation.
Fb has persistently mentioned it disagrees with Haugen’s characterization.
Her nonprofit, Past the Display screen, will create an open database to doc ways in which Massive Tech corporations are failing their “ethical obligations to society” and description doable options, in response to a press launch.
It would accomplice with Venture Liberty, a corporation working to construct a brand new working protocol for social networking, and Frequent Sense Media, which advocates for protected media content material for teenagers.


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Unsplash has released its own official plugin for WordPress
Unsplash has released its own official plugin for WordPress-Co-developed with the group at XWP. The plugin connects Unsplash’s 1 million+ free image library together with the WordPress editor.
Users can easily search Unsplash directly and add pictures with alt and attribution description info automatically packed with. The images enabling users the trouble of having to leave their dashboards to search, download, and upload pictures added and are download to the WordPress media library.
Instant Images – One Click Unsplash Uploads
Instantly upload photos from Unsplash to your website without leaving WordPress!
Instant Images is the fastest and easiest way to upload high quality FREE photos from unsplash.com directly to your media library.
Unsplash has released its own official plugin for WordPress.Instant Images, a plugin that boasts searchable Unsplash uploads, is currently the largest competition to the adoption of this plugin with over 50,000 active installs. Many different plugins also have included some kind of Unsplash integration. Chesser said his team has loved seeing the range of software developers have created by using their API and they were hesitant to create their own plugin.
After developing the plugin, Unsplash and XWP took feedback from publishers and planned to improve on how existing plugins handled pictures. After testing it, I discovered the search feature was quick and setup was a breeze. The plugin manages everything for the consumer invisibly in the background and its integration with the block editor makes it feel like a part of WordPress.
Unsplash Aims to Raise Its Audience
Since Unsplash seems to establish a new financial model around photographs, WordPress-powered sites are a major consideration, because the platform powers more than 37 percent of Alexa’s leading 10 million websites. Seven years after it began as a Tumblr website, Unsplash is moving to monetize the website by working with brands to produce photos that will show up in search results. “Unsplash for Brands” launched in December 2019 as a reply to the inquiry of how the Unsplash will make money. Companies pay to get their branded images to show up prominently in search outcomes alongside visually position images that fit users’ queries.
As it sets people pictures in front of a larger audience with customers searching directly inside the editor, launching an official WordPress plugin can be a tactical move for Unsplash. Lots of publishers didn’t have the tools to produce their very own integrations Even though the company continues to push out new qualities to this Unsplash API.
The initial iteration of the plugin mirrors the flow and features which a user could have while navigating unsplash.com while keeping the author inside the editor. Now that Unsplash is integrated into the WordPress publishing stream, the chance to add capabilities that are more interesting is seen by Chesser. Open sourcing the plugin has the potential to boost the viewer of Unsplash as programmers extend its center attributes.


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LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The Las Vegas Motor Speedway has announced that it is canceling the remaining racing events for 2020.
The speedway made the announcement on Twitter. It said that the races have been canceled “due to the new statewide restrictions announced by the state of Nevada.”
This includes this week’s Thanksgiving Bracket Nationals, the Dec. 5-6 Jr and Bracket Series races, the Dec. 11 O’Reilly Auto Parts Midnight Mayhem, Import Face-Off, and the U.S Legends Cars/INEX Silver State Road Course Series. pic.twitter.com/B9pzrBzITx— Las Vegas Motor Speedway (@LVMotorSpeedway) November 24, 2020
Those races include this week’s Thanksgiving Bracket Nationals, the bracket series races on Dec. 5 and 6, the O’Reilly Auto Parts Midnight Mayhem on Dec. 11, the Import Face-Off, and the U.S. Legends Cars/INEX Silver State Road Course series.
Gov. Sisolak announced a statewide pause that affects many businesses and large events on Sunday. The statewide pause went into effect at 12:01 Nov. 24.
RELATED: Gov. Sisolak puts Nevada on 3-week statewide pause, businesses react


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A measure aimed at helping people who need to drive for work to cope with rising fuel prices should be included in France’s long-awaited spending power bill, the finance minister has said.
Bruno Le Maire said during an interview on France Inter this morning (July 4) that the aid would be targeted at people who earn less than €1,500, €1,600 or €1,800, for example.
“It has not [yet] been decided, [but] I am putting the proposal on the table,” he said. “It is a type of compensation which will concern all those who work and are obliged to take their cars.
“It must be concentrated on those who are on a low or medium income.”
Carburant : "Nous regardons si nous pouvons mettre en place une indemnisation plus généreuse pour tous ceux qui sont obligés de prendre leur véhicule pour aller travailler", déclare le ministre @BrunoLeMaire. "Ce serait évidemment en fonction du niveau de revenu"#le79inter pic.twitter.com/Li61mqoJJ4— France Inter (@franceinter) July 4, 2022
Mr Le Maire added that he is proposing food product promotions of up to 50%, while at the moment they cannot exceed 34%.
Since 2018, the loi Egalim forbids supermarkets to offer more than 34% discount on food promotions, to protect the margin made by local producers/farmers but equally to keep competition between supermarkets fair.
Only in some cases, where food products are nearing their expiry date, can supermarkets go above this 34% limit, but the discounts will depend on the specific store.
Food prices are to be controlled, and Mr Le Maire said: “We will not let profiteers make the most of the inflation crisis.
“We are going to make checks across the whole sector, to see if from the factory to the distribution depot, via transport and storage, any shocking margins are being made.
“Those who are profiting from [the situation] will be penalised.”
Inflation : des contrôles vont être menés, "filière par filière", pour éviter "les marges révoltantes" dans le secteur alimentaire, explique @BrunoLeMaire. "Nous ne laisserons pas passer les profiteurs de la crise inflationniste" #le79inter pic.twitter.com/hP9bg4l7w2— France Inter (@franceinter) July 4, 2022
He also announced that government-guaranteed loans for businesses affected by the war in Ukraine will now be extended until the end of 2022, while the scheme had originally been intended to end on June 30.
Soutien aux entreprises affectées par la guerre en Ukraine : le prêt garanti par l'État (dit "résilience") sera "poursuivi jusqu'à la fin de l'année", annonce @BrunoLeMaire #le79inter pic.twitter.com/fZ4W5XLsJx— France Inter (@franceinter) July 4, 2022
The spending power bill is set to be presented to France’s Conseil des ministres cabinet at the end of the week.


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Bolt, the leading European transportation platform, has closed an investment round of €100m as it continues to scale all of its product segments from ride-hailing to micromobility and food delivery in Europe and Africa.
The investment comes from Naya Capital Management, the global investment manager founded in 2012 by Masroor Siddiqui, a former partner at The Children’s Investment Fund, and brings Bolt’s total funds raised to more than €300m.
Bolt currently operates its ride-hailing services in more than 150 cities across Europe and Africa. In the last months, Bolt has accelerated the expansion of its Bolt Food delivery service to cover 12 countries and launched Business Delivery, a service to aid vendors in need of a distribution partner and offer same-day delivery.
It also launched Bolt Protect, a service primarily aimed at essential workers that still need to move around, with cars that are fitted with protective plastic sheeting installed between the passenger and driver seats, limiting the airflow between the driver and riders inside the car.
Markus Villig, CEO and co-founder, Bolt said, “Even though the crisis has temporarily changed how we move, the long-term trends that drive on-demand mobility such as declining personal car ownership and the shift towards greener transportation continue to grow.
We are happy to be backed by investors that support our long term view and don’t buy into the mindless spending that’s become so common in Silicon Valley. I am more confident than ever that our efficiency and localisation are a fundamental advantage in the on-demand industry. These enable us to continue offering affordable transportation to millions of customers and the best earnings for our partners in the post-COVID world.”
Masroor Siddiqui, Managing Partner and CIO, Naya Capital Management said, “We are delighted to have the opportunity to invest in Bolt at this stage in the company’s growth story. Under Markus’ leadership, Bolt has established itself as one of the most competitive and innovative players in global mobility.
“We believe that Bolt is helping drive a fundamental change in how consumers interact with the transport infrastructure of their cities and look forward to the company’s continued execution on its strategic vision.”
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SumUp, a British-German mobile point-of-sale startup, is today announcing its expansion to Scandinavia for the first time, launching in Sweden. That is notably where iZettle, arguably its main competitor in the space in Europe, was conceived.
Stockholm-based iZettle recently raised a sizeable €60 million round to pursue further growth, while SumUp brought its total capital raised to €50 million with a €10 million round from BBVA Ventures, Groupon, American Express and others.
With today’s launch in Sweden, SumUp is now active in a total of 14 countries, including Germany, the UK and Brazil.
With its PIN+ Card Terminal, SumUp emphasises that it will be the first company to offer a proprietary card terminal to small businesses in Sweden - the company develops everything in-house, from the software and the payment services to the physical terminals.
That makes SumUp rather unique, as stressed by the company's CEO, Daniel Klein, when we caught up with him recently in Berlin for a video interview.
Using its card terminal with their smartphones or tablets, SumUp says Swedish merchants will be able to accept all major credit cards, including MasterCard, Visa and American Express, with the company netting a fixed 1.9% fee per transaction.
Says Klein in a press statement: “Swedes pay more frequently by card than any other European nation; this makes Sweden a very interesting market for us. We are excited to provide Swedish merchants with a simple and easy-to-use card acceptance experience that is so intuitive hat even those who have never accepted card payments before can start selling immediately without having to read a manual."
SumUp says it will announce 'strategic partnerships with big players in Sweden' soon.


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Apple today announced an expansion of its mobile payments service Apple Pay in two new countries, Australia and Canada, for owners of American Express cards. CEO Tim Cook broke the news on Apple's fourth-quarter earnings call today, saying the company wanted to bring Apple Pay to more "key global markets."
Apple Pay, which lets users make payments either online or in-store using iPhones and iPads with a fingerprint sensor, has been available in the US since its launch in October 2014. The service was extended to UK users in July of this year, and Apple is now increasing the speed of the rollout. Following Australia and Canada, American Express plans to bring Apple Pay to card owners in Spain, Hong Kong, and Singapore starting in 2016. It's unclear when Apple will expand Apple Pay to more banks and credit cards for these countries considering it supports almost every major financial institution in the US and UK.
Restricted to American Express owners for now
The adoption rate of Apple Pay is an open question as the company has kept usage numbers under wraps, though the company has said the service is seeing "double-digit growth in transactions month after month." There has been speculation that the service isn't spreading fast. According to market researcher Phoenix Marketing International, only 14 percent of US households with credit cards have signed up for Apple Pay, up three percentage points from February.
While Apple Pay isn't catching on too quickly with US users, the ones that have signed up use it over competitors like Android Pay and PayPal. According to Accenture's 2015 North America Consumer Digital Payments Survey released last week, Apple Pay represented 68 percent of all in-store mobile payments.


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MG Motor India has tied up with CHARGE ZONE. The collaboration is ostensibly intended to help build an accessible and efficient EV ecosystem in India.
MG and CHARGE ZONE will jointly establish charging stations across key locations, including highways, cities, and MG dealerships. As part of the collaboration, the two will structure a preferential offer exclusively for MG customers. These charging stations will be open for public use by all EV owners and will seamlessly integrate into the CHARGE ZONE app, providing a unified platform for users to locate, access, and pay for charging services conveniently.
'This strategic partnership reflects our commitment to sustainable mobility and our dedication to providing our customers with a seamless electric vehicle ownership experience,” said Gaurav Gupta, Deputy Managing Director, MG Motor India, in a release.
Our meaningful industry associations and partnerships, including this substantive collaboration with CHARGE ZONE, underscores our steadfast focus on building a charging infrastructure that supports the evolving needs of electric vehicle owners, providing them with convenient, efficient, and reliable charging solutions.”
C, 'In the realm of electric mobility, the need for a reliable high-speed charging infrastructure is paramount. Our partnership with MG Motor India signifies a shared vision to overcome the challenges that accompany this transformation. Building a nationwide network of charging stations is not merely a task; it's an investment in the future of sustainable transportation.
“By joining forces, CHARGE ZONE and MG are laying the foundation for a connected and electrified India, where the charging experience is as reliable and forward-thinking as the vehicles it supports,' said Kartikey Hariyani, Founder and CEO, CHARGE ZONE.
MG Motor is accelerating its commitment to establish an Electric Vehicle (EV) ecosystem in India with the introduction of a 6-way charging solution. This aids in facilitating convenient EV charging options for its customers. So far, the car-maker has installed a network of over 12,000 chargers.


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Microsoft has officially announced the Windows Phone 7 operating system. Nine new handsets from different manufacturers that will use Windows Phone 7 OS are also unveiled at the event. Microsoft’s CEO Steve Ballmer made a keynote to introduce their operating system.
Steve Ballmer, chief executive officer at Microsoft said “We have a beautiful lineup in this first wave of Windows Phone 7 handsets,”.”Microsoft and its partners are delivering a different kind of mobile phone and experience – one that makes everyday tasks faster by getting more done in fewer steps and providing timely information in a ‘glance and go’ format.”
What challenges Microsoft is going to face in the smartphones and mobile OS business???
The very first and the very big challenge is to compete with Apple’s iPhone which is doing great, probably because of its iPhone device and not because of its iOS. But still it has turned itself into a brand and its complicated to compete with Apple.
On the other hand, we have Android Operating System, which is rapidly gaining the growth in the smartphone share. Most of the new high end handsets are moving towards Google’s Android operating system.
Now let us see what Microsoft has planned to compete with the above mentioned smartphone giants. The good news for Microsoft is that AT&T will be a carrier partner for Windows Phone 7. AT&T has introduced three new devices that will support Windows Phone 7 OS. The devices include the HTC Surround, the LG Quantum, and the Samsung Focus. Other two big network carrier Verizon and Sprint will also start offering Windows Phone 7 devices in 2011.
Microsoft has also posted Ballmer’s keynote from the event.


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EnterpriseDB Corp. Monday came out of stealth mode to challenge for the title of best enterprise-class database company.
The Edison, N.J., company also announced the availability of the beta version of its flagship product, EnterpriseDB 2005. EnterpriseDB 2005 is based on the open-source PostgreSQL database and supports high-volume applications and update-intensive situations, said Andy Astor, chief executive of the company. Astor, who joined the company three months ago, previously ran the standards and Web services efforts at webMethods Inc.
The EDB public beta period begins immediately, with general availability expected this summer—around July, Astor said. When the product becomes generally available, EnterpriseDB will then offer a subscription model with various tiers of support, Astor said. However, during the public beta period, commercial-grade technical support will be provided free of charge.
“Enterprises are faced with a tough choice—paying exorbitant prices for proprietary software, while open-source alternatives have been generally underpowered and not ready for the enterprise,” Astor said.
“Were taking PostgreSQL, the most advanced open-source database on the planet, and along the way making it compatible with Oracle and SQL Server,” Astor said.
Meanwhile, although acknowledging that the competing MySQL open-source database is a capable system, Astor said, “It is known in the industry as a very fast database for lightweight applications. But the need in the industry we are trying to fill is for an enterprise-class database. MySQL is not it.”
Astor said PostgreSQL has long included such enterprise-class features as triggers and stored functions, and ensures data integrity and delivers scalability and performance for OLTP (online transaction processing).
The EDB product includes EDB Database Server, the RDBMS engine; EDB Studio, a graphical console for developers and database analysts; and EDB Connectors, which provide access to EDB from JDBC, ODBC, .Net, ESQL/C++, PHP, Perl and Python.
Phillip Merrick, an investor in EnterpriseDB and former CEO of webMethods, said he decided to invest in EDB because “I think theres a very large hole in the open-source market. … If you look at the choices for an enterprise-class database, there really wasnt one.”
Merrick, who also is an EnterpriseDB board member, said he bought into the company based on the technology, the opportunity and because “Andy is a very, very capable manager.”
“I voted with my wallet,” said Gary Long, another EnterpriseDB investor and board member, and a former consultant with Gartner Inc. “If you think of the open-source stack people are building now, there is Linux and Apache, but the enterprise database slot is up for grabs.”
Long dismissed the so-called LAMP—or Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP (Perl, Python)—stack.
“MySQL is there, but its not enterprise-ready,” he said. “We hope to change LAMP to LEAP—Linux, EDB, Apache and PHP,” he said.


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Self-assessment website PhysioWizard which diagnoses muscle and joint problems boosted by £250k funding
Funding: Kirsten Lord says her website could take pressure off GPs
A self-assessment website for muscle and joint problems, which is designed to replicate a physiotherapist's diagnosis and recommend treatment, has been boosted by £250,000 funding and is launching with a large health insurer imminently.
Founder Kirsten Lord, who has 26 years' physiotherapy experience and in 1992 started The Physio Centres, Scotland's largest private physiotherapy group, said that PhysioWizard has been clinically proven to be 93 per cent as effective as seeing a health professional.
The platform is currently for people who have a back problem preventing them from going to work.
It takes 15 minutes to complete and then tells the user what action they should take and what kind of health professional they need to seek help from.
Lord plans to develop it further to address other muscle and joint issues.
Companies that need to manage staff with back pain will guide sufferers to the website on the day they call in sick.
She said: 'People often turn to Dr Google. It takes hours to research and often they reach the wrong conclusion. Back pain is our first module. It is very complex.'
Back pain accounts for 12.5 per cent of work absence and costs the economy about £17 billion a year.
Lord said: 'I'm hoping the NHS will be interested. Fourteen per cent of GP caseload is for treatment of lower back pain.
'We could divert people away from GPs so they see people they need to see. It's taken us six years to get to this point.'
PhysioWizard attracted £250,000 from Scotland's biggest angel investment syndicate, Archangels.
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The Open Markets Act, which might drive Apple to permit side-loading on iOS, has superior out of the Senate Judiciary Committee and can now go earlier than the complete Senate for a vote.
Members of the Judiciary Committee authorized the laws in an almost unanimous 21-1 vote on Thursday, in line with media reviews. Sen. John Cornyn was the one committee member to vote no on the antitrust laws.
The passage of the Open App Markets Act out of the Senate Judiciary committee brings us one step nearer to having this laws signed into legislation. This invoice will let individuals obtain apps immediately from exterior corporations fairly than being compelled to undergo official app shops.
— Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) February 3, 2022
The Open Markets Act is an antitrust invoice that may place extra restrictions on giant expertise corporations like Apple and Google. It might ban these corporations from prohibiting side-loading — or downloading apps from exterior an official app retailer — on their platform. In Apple’s case, it could permit customers to obtain apps from locations aside from the App Retailer.
Moreover, the laws would additionally bar corporations from requiring builders to make use of their first-party fee techniques and bans the apply of huge tech giants utilizing personal info to compete with different apps.
“By establishing new guidelines for app shops, this laws will assist stage the enjoying subject and guarantee an progressive and aggressive app market,” mentioned Sen. Amy Klobuchar, one of many invoice’s essential sponsors. “Now that it has handed the Judiciary Committee with sturdy bipartisan help, we’re one step nearer to it passing the Senate and being signed into legislation.”
Apple has been a vocal critic of the laws, penning a number of letters to members of the Senate Judiciary. In response to Apple, the invoice would do hurt to person privateness, safety, and selection until amended.
The Cupertino tech big has railed towards side-loading. Apple executives have mentioned that side-loading on iOS would create a “gold rush” for malware. It has additionally issued a number of reviews explaining why it thinks side-loading can be unhealthy for iOS customers and builders.
Forward of the vote on Thursday, the invoice’s development from the Senate Judiciary Committee appeared possible. Nonetheless, the laws will face a harder battle when it goes up for a vote earlier than the complete Senate.


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Retailers reported the “best day of trading in years” today as shoppers braved the wintry weather to reach the high street.
On what was expected to be their busiest weekend before Christmas, many stores feared the Arctic conditions would seriously dent sales.
But though Brent Cross, one of the UK’s biggest shopping centres, was forced to close early yesterday, customers turned out in force today.
Meanwhile, Capital Shopping Centres (CSC) said car parks around the country were nearly full by midday, with coffee bars, cafes and restaurants at full capacity by lunchtime.
This came after shadow chancellor Alan Johnson suggested the big freeze could knock the economy as demand fell while people stayed indoors.
Many online purchases have already fallen victim to the snow after…


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Like most of you here, I enjoy some daily racing action on various platforms, the latest of which being EA’s Real Racing 3 for Android. Unlike most PC and console games, I find it rather easy to follow and play during the busiest of days. Show More Summary
Four days after performing onstage for the first and only time as Android Amaker, Seattle musician and Oklahoma native Brent Amaker checked into a plastic surgery clinic for a neck lift and a procedure on his eyelids. In a sense, it was just part of the show for Amaker. Show More Summary
Why won't Google patch two serious flaws in Android? And how can these flaws affect you?
Pushbullet isn't new, but since I installed it maybe a year ago, it has sneakily gotten a lot better, especially for Android phones. And as I used to it to text from my browser for the umpteenth time yesterday, it struck me how great it's really become. So maybe you've heard already but let me fire off a reminder: You should download this app. Read more...
Mobile lens startup Moment has spent the last year trying to help smartphone users take beautiful photos. It got started with a couple of interchangeable lenses that could be mounted onto iPhone and Android phones. Read More
Samsung may release several accessories that add extra functionality to the Galaxy S6 rather than loading the phone itself with a ton of different features, according to blog Android.com/pl (via Sam Mobile). The Polish blog says Samsung...Show More Summary
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Regular readers will know that I’m a fan of Pushbullet’s Android, desktop and Chrome apps that allow you to push files, mirror notifications, control your phone and more between your different devices. Now, it’s the turn for Apple device owners, as the app is now available on iOS, Mac and as a plugin for Safari. Show More Summary
Parallels has been helping people toggle OSes for years with its virtualization software, and even lets mobile users access their PC-based files with apps for Android and iOS. This year, the company launched Parallels Access 2.5 to help unify the exp...
Microsoft today announced its business intelligence tool Power BI is being relaunched as a freemium product. The new version is available today in preview for free to anyone with a U.S. business email account, and Microsoft plans expand to the scope internationally “in the future.” The company didn’t say when it plans to bring Power […]
I know the PC gamers out there have been sitting in class or on a bus before playing a game on their Android tablet or smartphone and wished they could actually be playing one of their…
Dozens of Chinese technology companies have created iPhone 6 look-alikes that run Android and cost a lot less than Apple's smartphone. Most of these knockoffs, however, look and feel a bit cheaper and come with low-end hardware compared to the iPhone. Show More Summary
Meanwhile, Android and Google Play are approving weed apps within minutes.
Fuse, an Oslo and now Palo Alto-based startup offering a iOS and Android app development platform, emerged from stealth today while also announcing $2.8 million in new funding as it heads to launch. The funding was led by investor Northzone, a Nordic firm and Spotify backer. Show More Summary
Since around March of last year, Pushbullet has done a damned good job of forwarding messages and notifications from your Android phone to your Mac. Today, Pushbullet gains support for iOS — and while they’re at it, they’ve launched a dedicated Mac app and raised $1.5M. Read More
Wireless speaker company Sonos is launching a beta version of their Sonos Controller Android app with a number of new features, including a faster rooms menu and an improved tablet app. The beta app also includes some changes and improvements based on user feedback from previous versions of the Sonos Controller app.
Twitter has today announced two new features coming to the micro-blogging service. Group messaging and video upload support will be rolling out in an update for official apps on both iOS and Android.
The iPhone has always been, the consensus goes, the rich man's phone. iOS customers earn more than Android users. They spend more on apps and on in-app purchases. And advertising rates are higher. But new figures show that this prevailing...Show More Summary
Android: Plex is one of the best personal media streaming services with one of the more confusing purchasing models. Today, the company is simplifying it to one, simple app on the Play Store. Read more...


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There has been a lot of innovation in the smartphone industry of late. First came foldable phones, then came swiveling ones, and now it seems that Xiaomi wants to take things even further. According to a patent spotted by Lets Go Digital, the Chinese electronics maker has filed a patent for a foldable smartphone that also slides vertically. According to the document, the patent was registered on April 8 and approved today.
As seen in the image of the patent below, Xiaomi plans for the tentative folding device to have a slim internal screen which will open up into a large square, much like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 devices. To spice things up, there is an external display on top of the inner screen. This outer display slides down to reveal what appears to be a speaker and dual cameras on the top right corner.
The main camera unit is housed on the back of the left half of the phone which doesn't have the sliding display. There appear to be a bunch of lenses, four in total, and two mysterious vertical slots. The volume and power buttons are on the right side of the phone when folded and on the left once the device is opened up to a square orientation.
Apart from the resemblance to the Galaxy Z Fold2, Xiaomi's patented concept folding phone also bears similarities to the LG Wing which sports a swiveling screen on the front. The only difference is that instead of a swiveling screen, the Beijing-based smartphone maker has opted for a sliding display.
Since this is a freshly approved patent, it is likely that Xiaomi will take some time to actually share details about its plans for the concept phone. If and when it does become a reality, the company will probably share further information about the smartphone with the public. For now, all we can do is place our bets and hold our horses.