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Growing TruAudio to Open New Facility
Architectural loudspeaker manufacturer TruAudio, saying it has outgrown its current Salt Lake City headquarters, will soon move into a new 55,000-square-foot facility in St. George, Utah.
Shipping from the facility will begin on June 4. Because inventory and personnel have already been transitioning to the new location, the vendor expects dealers will not encounter service interruptions. Both facilities will operate “at the same time for a while to ensure everything is settled in,” said the company.
TruAudio said the St. George site features “a state-of-the-art design center, a complete training facility, an interactive Home Cinema and Whole House Music structure where dealers can do hands-on learning” and a “huge” warehouse.
“This is a huge step for TruAudio,” said TruAudio President Brent Howard. “We are obviously excited about the new facility and the move, but the bottom line is that we will be able to service our dealers even better. We’ll have more breathing room immediately, with a much larger warehouse as well as some cool, high-tech design and training centers. It also gives us the capacity to grow further and not have to worry about broadening the products and services that we offer.”
“A facility like this makes us more flexible,” added TruAudio CEO Ron Davies. “We have always been a company that innovates, keeps customer service as job one, stocks strong inventory levels and is very competitive on price. As we add engineering, sales and support staff as well as new products, this allows us to improve in those areas even more and not be limited.”


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At last week’s World
Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Marrakech, one interesting
announcement largely flew over Western heads: Intel
Capital has made large-scale investments in three Jordanian and
Lebanese VoIP firm Nymgo
received their first infusion of Intel cash, while Jordanian social
networking site Jeeran and
entertainment portal ShooFeeTV
got their second rounds of Intel funding in two years. Intel Capital
is the microchip giant’s investing arm, with a self-proclaimed
mission of “mak[ing] and manag[ing] financially attractive
investments in support of Intel’s strategic objectives.”
The exact amounts of the investments
were not disclosed. Local tech site Startup Arabia sardonically
noticed that this was “as always for the region,” but that
the investments came out of a $50 million Middle
East and Turkey fund set up by Intel Capital.
Intel Capital’s interest in the Middle East region coincides with WEF meetings in the area–a 2009 conference in Jordan was marked by a similar round of investment. The mere fact that Intel is exclusively going after internet portals and communication facilitators will have an effect on the shape of the local start-up scene: Newly minted investors and techies will naturally want to go where the money is.
According to Intel Capital Middle East
and Africa Director Feroz Sanaulla, “We trust in local talent and
believe that Arabic providers should be fully equipped to supply
regional content. By investing in such companies that inspire, create
or deliver local content, we are on the right path toward a positive
future in the Middle East.”
While this is Intel Capital’s first
major Middle East investment push in 2010, an educated guess on the
cash involved can be made by looking at the firm’s two other recent
region-specific investments. In October, Intel invested
$17 million into Chinese e-commerce firm OkBuy.com along with $23
million in investment in three Indian firms in March. However,
Intel Capital’s India Technology Fund has over $250 million in
funding compared to the $50 million allotted for the Middle East.
Intel Capital’s Middle East and Turkey
Fund currently handles eight regional startups. Apart from the most
recent funding recipients, other interesting fundees include
animation firm Vertex Studios
and hotel automation service provider Pulse.
Both are based in Dubai.
The fund’s prior investments in both
Jeeran and ShooFeeTV were both previously
announced at a WEF conference. Funding for both was provided in
2009 at a conference in Jordan. Intel’s World
Ahead program is also
active in Jordan, where they work on a variety of infrastructure
and training projects.
ShooFeeTV’s setup is the most interesting out of the three cash
recipients. They intend to offer interactive program listings for
satellite television throughout the entire Arab world, including
diaspora communities in North America and Europe. Due to government
censorship in much of the Middle East of broadcast programming,
satellite television is wildly popular among all economic classes
region-wide. ShooFeeTV’s twist is to offer highly customized television
listings for all users–regardless of national borders — along with
large doses of online-viewable programming.
Nymgo, a Lebanese-British firm, plans
to use Intel’s funding to accelerate infrastructure development,
enhance functionality and to subsidize advertising and promotions. A
scrappy newcomer to the VoIP field, Nymgo has made a name for
themselves recently through cut-rate
calls to Indian mobile phones and land lines. In comparison to
larger competitors such as Skype, Nymgo has instead opted for a
low-functionality model that offers cheap calls in exchange for a
lack of video and computer-to-computer dialing.
Jeeran is one of the Arab world’s
largest social networking-only sites. They offered some
of the region’s first web hosting services and, with their 2000
start-up date, are relative old-timers in the Middle Eastern internet
scene. As of 2010, they have more than 1.5 million members, 650,000
active websites and 150,000 active blogs. However, their user base is
currently centered on Jordan and the Persian Gulf with relatively
little penetration elsewhere. Jeeran has announced their intent to
launch a series of city portals across the Middle East.
The biggest challenge for smaller
regional specialist sites such as ShooFeeTV and Jeeran are the
multi-use portals. Middle Eastern web users largely opt for
all-in-one portals such as Yahoo’s
Maktoob and various local sites in national markets like Egypt
and the United Arab Emirates. Intel’s investment in the region is
interesting–and their choice of investing exclusively in internet
media providers is even more interesting.
[Image: Arvind Sodhani, President Intel Capital. Photo by John Cole/still-images.net, copyright and courtesy World Economic Forum]

domain: news


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When we talk about fast charging technology, a company which automatically comes into mind is Oppo. Yes, the company has been leading the market for fast charging tech for a while now.
Oppo 125W Fast charging solution teased.
The company was one of the first companies to introduce a 30W, which is being used in many midrange Realme smartphones and not to forget 65W SuperVOOC which is the fastest fast charging solution available in the market, which can charge a 4000mAh battery in just 31 minutes. Well, if 65W was any less, Now Oppo will showcase a whopping 125W fast charging solution on July 15.
Oppo posted a teaser video on twitter to announce the 125W fast charging solution. We expect the company to brief or showcase the tech to media in China about this tech. though we don’t expect oppo to launch a smartphone with it however we might get s timeline on when this tech will be available commercially.
Well on the other side, Vivo’s sub-brand IQOO also announced a 120W solution for its phone. As per the company, it will soon launch a smartphone with a 120W fast charging solution. IQOO claims that the device can charge upto 50% in just five minutes & 100 % in fifteen minutes. So in that sense, we expect Oppo 125W fast charging solution to be slightly better.
Well, fast charging with 100W or above may sound wonderful but they could also have their own disadvantages as we saw in case of Xiaomi, which faced many technical problems with 100W like major battery degradation over time, safety etc
It will be interesting to see how the company work this tech out. What will be internal architecture & Cooling also addressing the problems like battery degradation, safety etc.


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Spot on- why pay anything when you can get away with nothing.
There is also another aspect to it of course, in so much as many Cypriot households are up to their eyeballs in debt and paying back their mortgage or car repayments is going to put a serious dent in their disposable income, which will have a huge knock on effect on the economy too.
Despite the utterances of Harris Georgiades the fundamentals of the economy remain a complete mess and the only thing that stopped it collapsing entirely was the appalling passport scheme, which may be about to turn sour.
Cypriots borrowed way too much money to buy houses and cars that their basic incomes could not afford and those basic incomes are still too low to service their debts (although not in all cases). Someone really ought to have explained the running costs of a Mercedes to a lot of Cypriots before they borrowed a pile of money to buy it (or used one off windfalls from selling land to do so)


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Drugmakers can't get a break in Europe these days. Bad debt in Greece and Spain. Price cuts not only in troubled southern Europe, but Germany and France, too. And now, a report shows that U.K. spending on new drugs is set to drop through 2015.
According to a forecast from the National Health Service, requested by the pharma association in Britain, drug spending as a whole is expected to increase, but spending on branded medications is set to grow at a lower rate. That means branded products will see their share shrink as the NHS allocates more spending on generics.
Drug spending overall will grow by 3.7% annually through 2015, compared with 3.5% from 2007 to 2011, the report says. Spending on new branded drugs will rise by only 1.3% a year. And by 2015, drugs launched over the next three years will account for only 2% of total drug spending.
"These figures show our spending on the newest and most advanced medicines is declining in real terms," ABPI chief Stephen Whitehead said in a statement. "This spells bad news for the discovery of new life saving medicines." The report comes as the NHS and pharma industry prepare to negotiate a new value-based pricing plan.
- read the ABPI release
- get more from PharmaTimes
Witty: EU can avert drug-supply disaster in S. Europe
U.K. pharma balks at value-based pricing ideas


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Redfall didn’t exactly have a great time of it at launch, releasing to pretty negative critical reception and a legion of upset fans due to bugs and underwhelming gameplay. Despite this, Redfall managed to garner a prettty respectable peak player count of 6,124 players on Steam close to launch, but fast forward five months and things are looking very bleak.
First reported by PCGamesN (thanks VGC), Redfall’s concurrent player count sometimes drops so low that it’s actually impossible to play the game with a full team of players on Steam. At it’s worst ever moment, Redfall’s player count dropped to just three players on September 29, which is disastrous for a title that was sold as a team-based shooter. You can see the stats for yourself via the game’s Steam DB page.
Not only that, but Redfall’s player count has been dropping into single figures consistently for the past two weeks. It’s hasn’t dropped below four players since September 29, but the game’s player count has been dropping below 10 during off-peak hours every day for a while. Even at its best, Redfall is struggling to get over the 40 player mark these days, which is dismal considering the game isn’t even half a year old at this point.
Of course, it’s worth noting that not all of Redfall’s player base is on Steam. Not only does Microsoft have its own app for its users to play games on PC, but we also have console players to take into account, and both sets of players have access to Xbox Game Pass on those platforms. It’s still not great viewing for Xbox and Arkane though, and is an indicator that the player count on all platforms is more than likely pretty subpar. It would be surprising if Redfall has a thriving Xbox console community.
It was a shame that Redfall didn’t pan out for Arkane, as it’s admirable for a developer to venture outside of its comfort zone. Fortunately, for fans of Arkane’s previous work like Dishonored and Deathloop, it appears as though the developer will be going back to its roots. An absolutely massive leak from the FTC v Microsoft case revealed that Arkane is currently working on another Dishonored game, though Phil Spencer came out afterwards to state that some of the plans from the leak have changed.
Either way, it’s nice to see that Arkane hasn’t completely abandoned Dishonored now that it’s a Microsoft studio, and that there’s a chance we may see Corvo and friends in the near future. Let’s just keep our fingers crossed it turns out a bit better than Redfall did
Next: Nintendo Switch Sports Should Have Been An All Time Classic


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It’s been barely a week since the BitLicense was released, and it has already driven a bitcoin startup out of New York.
ShapeShift.io, a bitcoin startup that allows people to quickly exchange digital currencies without an account or arduous signup process, has completely cut off service to New York in response to the state’s new regulatory policy for digital currency businesses. The BitLicense, which was finalized last week, sparked fear among the bitcoin community during its revision process over the past year, and now that it is out, has courted criticism for the various licenses and approvals it requires of companies that store and transmit money for customers. It is seen as too stringent and restrictive of innovation.
The BitLicense backlash began last week with official statements and responses from bitcoin startup executives as well as policy pundits. ShapeShift is the first business to promptly ‘get out of dodge’ in response to the policy. (Bitcoin wallet provider Xapo moved its headquarters to Switzerland last month, but stated that it was not out of fear of regulation.)
The company has suspended service to all users in New York State, and is redirecting its homepage for Internet visitors there to PleaseProtectConsumers.org, with a long note about the issue of identity theft and how bitcoin and the blockchain can prevent it.
A blunt passage toward the end of the text reads: “Bitcoin and blockchain technology have enabled a new standard of financial privacy and consumer protection… Unfortunately, in spite of the technological achievements that now protect consumers, some jurisdictions have legally mandated the continued extraction of sensitive private information.” Then it lists those jurisdictions; they are New York State and North Korea. That likely isn’t the company, in terms of privacy law, New York wants to keep. ShapeShift is inviting other digital currency companies to do the same: cut off service to New York and redirect its web site there to the PleaseProtectConsumers page.
It is quite a statement by a buzzy startup and a big name in the bitcoin community.
While Shapeshift has so far raised only a seed round of just under $1 million from Roger Ver (nicknamed “Bitcoin Jesus”) and Barry Silbert (founder of the Digital Currency Group), CEO Erik Voorhees is a widely followed voice in the digital currency world who founded Coinapult and worked at BitInstant. Vorhees founded ShapeShift and ran it using an alias at first until he came out as its CEO in March.
When the Bitlicense was announced last week, Voorhees tweeted that “California is winning.” ShapeShift investor Roger Ver, meanwhile, tweeted a longer screed:
“Since New York has mandated unethical and dangerous data collection of users, we have no choice but to suspend service to that territory,” Voorhees said in a strongly worded public statement on Thursday. “We hope other jurisdictions will be less reckless with the private information of their residents. Finally digital commerce can be safe—if only regulators would let it happen.”
The chief architect of the BitLicense, Benjamin Lawsky, superintendent of the NY Department of Financial Services, announced last month that he would step down from his post at the end of June. Before he went out the door, he found time to release his regulatory policy. Many in the bitcoin community are hoping his yet-to-be-named successor might later come up with a friendlier one.
As for ShapeShift’s big move, the NYDFS had this to say, in a statement sent to Fortune: “We always recognized that there is going to be some part of this community that is against even pretty standard financial regulatory oversight measures, such as anti-money laundering controls and other consumer protections. That said, one digital currency company has already received a license from NYDFS and a number of others have stated they intend to seek BitLicenses shortly. Ultimately, we believe that prudent regulation will be important to building greater consumer confidence in digital currency and sparking wider adoption.”


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Keep up on the latest news and opinions about NFTy Arcade and Web 3 Gaming!
We cover tips and tricks, p2e news, and ways you can be involved in our guild.
Aurory has the potential to be a worldwide success.
Nyan Heroes is a promising game that combines a few of our favorite things.
Welcome to the island of Mavia—but this won’t be a vacation!


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Australian social and digital analytics technology company Digivizer has announced it is taking on the Asia-Pacific esports and online gaming market with a new venture.
Digivizer has formed a separate company called goto.game – a media hub run by gamers, for gamers, designed to connect great content, events, activations, competitions and influencers within the one ecosystem.
Digivizer and goto.game CEO Emma Lo Russo said the gaming space is not new to Digivizer.
“We’ve provided social and digital insights and services in this market for clients that include Lenovo and Intel over the past three years,” she said.
“We’ve engaged some of the biggest influencers and esports teams in the APAC region, generating highly successful activations, streams, content and sponsorships, providing gaming and non-gaming brands with opportunities to be involved in the lucrative esports market.
“Our analysis of the market, and our work at events such as PAX, RTX and this year’s Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) esports event in Sydney makes it clear that there is a huge opportunity to fill a gap in the market.
“Over seven million live views of IEM and 92 million in-content views for a single event represent audiences almost double those of mainstream TV viewing numbers, including the major traditional sporting AFL and NRL grand finals.
“And we have seen this market grow, in size and in the number of engaged fans who influence each other.”
Russo said the strategy for goto.game is to bring these three groups – gamers and influencers, their fans, and brands – together in a new ecosystem that treats everyone with equal respect, adds expertise and value at every point in the engagement, and uses real-time data to understand what’s working and where to go next.
“Gamers and esports teams want to connect with commercial sponsors without compromising their values,” she said.
“Brands want to understand how to work effectively in what for many remains unfamiliar territory. And fans want to enjoy their gaming without selling out to anyone. Goto.game meets these needs. This is a gaming destination run by gamers for gamers.
“And our experience shows that using data and advanced analytics, combined with the best possible understanding of this very specialist marketplace, is the only way to deliver value and meaningful engagements to all.
“For fans, influencers and brands, this is about creating a win-win-win, with content and contexts that matter to them.”
Goto.game will be led by Digivizer’s gaming team specialists, Phid Oldfield and Jack Hudson, and supported by a team of gamers including their advertising specialists.
The company is already talking to top-tier gamers and esports teams, and launches with clients AKRacing, Intel, and Legion by Lenovo.
Goto.game aims to identify new sponsorship opportunities for brands, influencers and gamers, provide a web portal for news, opinions and reviews, develop and stage new esports events, and create and run social media activations.
The website will publish original and aggregated content from brands and gamers, and provide site take-over opportunities for brands seeking to ‘own’ the website for marketing programs.
B2B marketers could learn a thing or two from their B2C colleagues, argues WP Engine VP APAC sales Mark Randall in this guest post. It surprises me how many B2B organisations are not quite hitting the mark when it comes to reaching their audience. When talking directly to businesses, many brands are missing an opportunity […]
The majority of adverts uploaded to Facebook aren’t created for Facebook as its priority. This is causing huge inefficiencies and poor performance for brands, many of whom are facing up to shrinking budgets. Tom Phillips (main photo) managing director at Connecting Plots shares lessons from 12 campaigns they optimised for auto brands… It’s no secret […]
On Wednesday, 21 October 2020, the PR industry was bolstered by the launch of the Public Relations Institute of Australia’s (PRIA) first University Mentoring Program in New South Wales, adapting the traditional face-to-face program to a virtual format for the first time. In collaboration with the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), the PRIA NSW Young […]
JCDecaux has developed a dynamic digital campaign with live timetable data where commuters can access their money from MyPayNow while waiting for the bus. In an exclusive nationwide Out-Of-Home campaign, JCDecaux’s SMARTFRAME digital assets are broadcasting bus arrival times, letting commuters know how far away their next bus is – and just how easy it […]
Rokt has today announced an investment of US$80M. The capital will help accelerate research & development and support the expansion of its client base into new verticals and geographies as Rokt continues to make e-commerce smarter, faster, and better. The funding round was led by Rokt’s largest institutional shareholder TDM Growth Partners , and supported […]
PayPal Australia and Buy From The Bush have joined forces to launch a new online marketplace to showcase rural Australian small businesses in time for Christmas. The expanded partnership aims to build stronger connections between bush businesses and Australians in cities and suburbs across the country. The new Buy From The Bush Marketplace is an […]


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Burlington to open new store on Concord Pike
Shoppers on Concord Pike looking for deals at department stores will soon have a new option near the Concord Mall.
On Friday, Sept. 8, Burlington will open its fourth location in Delaware at 1100 Rocky Run Parkway in the space across from the Concord Mall formerly occupied by The Sports Authority.
“We are thrilled to open a new Burlington in the Wilmington community, bringing even more jobs to the neighborhood and providing local residents with a valued shopping experience,” Tom Kingsbury, President, CEO and Chairman of Burlington Stores said in a release.
The off-price national store, which has locations in Dover, Newark and Claymont, will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 9:30 a.m. on opening day. Additionally, the following day, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., the first 500 customers will receive a free Burlington tote bag.
STORY: Peter Kate, popular women's boutique, moves from Greenville to US 202
Burlington said it has hired 75 associates for the new store, which is over 42,000 square feet.
The company, which has seen a rise in its stock price in recent years, operates 608 stores in 45 states and Puerto Rico. The Fortune 500 company had revenues of $5.6 billion in fiscal year 2016.
Burlington came under fire earlier this year due to its handling of Ivanka Trump products, which were removed from the company's website in February.
Contact Jeff Neiburg at (302) 983-6772 or email@example.com.


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It’s a Thursday night and a group of friends are about to enjoy dinner at a corner pizzeria. But, the pizza pie is still baking, so the only thing there is for them to do is pick up their phones. Browse, tap, tweet, swipe. Repeat. They’re launching their favorite apps. It’s just a stroll down the mobile land of news feeds, Facebook and Twitter. We all do it. No big deal, right? Even if you prescribe to the practice of unplugging once in awhile, the fact is undeniable: We love our mobile devices. Mobile is a big deal. Just take a look at the evidence. For example, a recent Facebook survey revealed that people tend to care about their mobile devices. Perhaps a little too much.
The study revealed that in an average month, there are 51 million posts, comments, likes and shares on Facebook about lost phones in the U.S. And there’s this: News organization have seen a recent boom to mobile traffic, prompting many newsrooms to pay closer attention to the mobile audience and mobile platform development. Marissa Mayer, the current president and CEO of Yahoo, has recently highlighted the potential innovations in the realm of mobile search. It’s exciting stuff. As you can see, mobile is a big deal.
So, where are you?
While developing a new app for you business may be out of the question at this time, it’s important to take note of your mobile friendliness. If you’re already on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Yelp and other social media sites, you’re on the right track for garnering a following, especially with those whose demographic for smartphone ownership is the highest: the 18-34 age group. And the technology will only improve. Location-based alerts, smart searches, mobile pushes, reminders, social media elements. The list goes on for what a mobile presence might be able to do for your company. But if you haven’t quite made it into the Apple Store, your webpage is still a valuable portal to your business and services. So make sure it’s tuned up to meet your clientele base’s needs.
So, ask yourself this: Are people seeing what you think they see on your website?
Google’s mobile emulator allows you to see what your visitors actually view when they’re on their various types of phones or devices. This is an important tool and will allow you to find trouble spots. Perhaps your web developer has already taken this step, but it never hurts to check. Remember, first impressions go a long way. Go here for more info. Thinking mobile first might be the way to go, but, for some, maintaining a smart and easy-to-use desktop site is the priority. But remember that your website is being viewed on multiple platforms. For more information about how to ensure that your site is optimized for mobile, check out Google’s Multi-Screen Resources. And if you would like help building a new website to make it more mobile-friendly, feel free to reach out to us.


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Beauty giants are making sure that the brands in their portfolio are entering the lucrative Chinese market and investing in up-and-coming domestic brands specializing in specific sectors.
This trend showcases global beauty firms’ optimism about the long-term development of China’s beauty market. But instead of seeing the Chinese market simply as a sales growth engine like in the past, they are now paying more attention to the emerging brands that can tap into segmented needs as the market matures.
— Read more in Why is Estée Lauder investing in Chinese perfumer Melt Season? at Jing Daily.


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Incroyables by Melissa May Spring 2009 Fashion Show
Melissa May, one of Denver's most talented local fashion designers, will be premiering her retro beach inspired Spring 2009 line tonight at 9 p.m. at the Colorado History Museum, 1300 Broadway.
Followers of the Denver fashion scene will no doubt have seen May's work by now, but this is her first solo show in Denver. She is known for her feminine frocks with gorgeous detail and I for one cannot wait to see what she has to show us. Tickets to the event are $10 at the door. For more information, click here.
-- Aubrey Shoe
Get the ICYMI: Today's Top Stories Newsletter Our daily newsletter delivers quick clicks to keep you in the know
Catch up on the day's news and stay informed with our daily digest of the most popular news, music, food and arts stories in Denver, delivered to your inbox Monday through Friday.


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In an especially intense competitive landscape, @OnePlus succeeded in capturing attention for its brand and driving conversation and video views for its #OnePlus6T launch. @OnePlus’s results show why Twitter has become the go-to platform for successful debuts.
Over the week leading up to the launch, @OnePlus achieved over 31 million brand impressions, and its share of voice (SOV) increased by 4%. On launch day, @OnePlus saw its share of voice (SOV) and talkability double. As the conversation blossomed over those 24 hours, it included over 120,000 mentions of @OnePlus’s brand. Sentiment analysis showed 97% positive-neutral conversations.
The #OnePlus6T launch event boasted five million video views. Live viewers made up 60% of those views, with the remaining 40% watching on replay. The valuable, hard-to-reach younger audience (35 and below) made up 57% of the #OnePlus6T launch viewership.
A Nielsen Brand Effect Study showed that @OnePlus saw sustained lifts in key brand metrics after promoting the #OnePlus6T launch on Twitter. People who were exposed to @OnePlus’s Tweets showed a 12 pp (percentage point) lift in Tweet recall and an 18 pp lift in brand awareness. And those who recalled Tweets showed a 16 pp lift in purchase consideration compared to those who did not. Meanwhile, people who engaged with @OnePlus’s Tweets showed a significant 55 pp lift in Tweet recall, along with a 45 pp lift in brand awareness, and a 17 pp lift in intent to purchase the #OnePlus6T in the next six months.


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The 2014 version of the NAB Show made it clear, if anyone was still doubting it, that ultra high definition will be the point at which manufacturers will concentrate for years to come.
All companies showed 4K products. Some with significant advances of the developments presented in 2013 and others caught up and presented for the first time their equipment under this technology. There was a lot to be surprised and learned.
But within the framework of all these advances, there is a question that I heard several times among the attendees of the fair in Las Vegas and that is whether today you really have a standard that allows a channel to produce in 4K. The truth is that yes, several manufacturers have their workflows that allow them to make a production, but each one is different, there is no standard and that could generate some conflict for the channels when it comes to the technological update.
As far as Latin America is concerned, 4K will still take a few years to arrive, because many channels are still recovering their investments to adopt high-definition technology, in addition to the difficulties that would arise at the time of transmission due to the bandwidth required.
The aspects that remain to be defined about 4K are normal in a process of developing a standard that will impact the industry in general, as is this one. And with industry efforts focused on researching and deploying ultra-high definition, they will surely be resolved in a short time.
I await your comments on the television industry in firstname.lastname@example.org


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An overall potential performance of the price of XRP, which is now trading at around $1, has fuelled much speculation, with most users observing that it is just a matter of time before it starts to compete with the leaders by the market capitalization. As of today, 12 February 2018, Ripple overtook Bitcoin Cash and now ranks No.3 among the leading cryptocurrencies.
Over the past few years, a rise in the XRP to USD price has been witnessed, with a number of experts predicting that XRP could soon catch up with the current market giant – Bitcoin. But the big question that everyone should ask themselves is whether Ripple could soon replace Bitcoin and if the price is expected to hike.
A year ago, in January 2017, Ripple’s XRP was being sold at Bitcoin exchange at just $0.0065 per one token. This would be followed by a period of one whole year that witnessed this virtual coin skyrocket to an all-time high of $3.84 on the 4th of January 2018. This represented an increase of almost 64,000%. The month of December 2017 was a banner month for Ripple and its native asset, XRP. The first rise was seen between 12th and 13th of December when Ripple leaped from $0.27 to an incredible $0.51, which translates to an 84% rise. It continued to grow, and at one point reached a resistance barrier around the mark of $0.75.
Various crypto experts have been sharing their predictions on this matter, with some predicting that XRP could soon rise above Ethereum’s ETH coin to be crowned as the second largest cryptocurrency based on the market capitalization. This is expected by the end of 2018. Although Ripple has been hit just like other cryptocurrencies during a severe market correction, here are some of the reasons why the explosion of XRP’s price is still expected.
The Media and Various Partnerships
Ripple is one of the virtual currencies that has truly demonstrated that thriving in this market does not only depend on customer acquisition and partnerships. At the moment, Ripple has close to 100 commercially deploying consumers. But besides creating that huge customer base, Ripple has been able to generate a buzz in the market by properly utilizing its strategic partnerships. A perfect illustration is its partnership with Amex that was announced in December 2017.
Ripple has also not slowed down on its efforts with the media. It just acquired former Facebook’s corporate communication manager, Tom Channick as its head of communications.
Its Consumer Grasp and Functionality
If there is one thing that will lead to the skyrocketing of Ripple’s price, then it has to be its great functionality and customers’ awareness. A number of coins currently on this market are purchased and sold based on absolute cogitations. What this means is that such currencies are backed up by public beliefs and ideas, and that should not be the case.
Ripple has been strategically placed on the multi-pierced solution that most financial organizations are looking for. This is why Ripple has risen to become one of the most useful products currently on this market. With its low transaction fees and a four-second transaction speed, Ripple has continued to receive much adoption from general consumers. The manner in which Ripple itself works has also contributed to the rise of XRP’s price. Being a pre-mined coin, which XRP is, goes contrary to the ethos that is used in this industry. This has also been criticized by a number of competitors since it creates lack of mining opportunities.
It is also very imperative to note that Ripple retains close to 20% of what XRP supplies to the market. Based on the reduced number of XRP coins, Ripple may still enjoy a price rise even if there is a major decline in the rates of major cryptocurrencies.
Major Support From Asian Market
Asia has been a major contributor in the entire crypto market, especially on this new sensation called Ripple. Ken Rapoza, a renowned expert in this field, once said that crypto consumers from Asia are soon going crazy for Ripple. But looking at this claim keenly, it has some facts to support it. Just some few months ago, SBI Holdings partnered with Ripple to create SBI Ripple Asia that would serve various markets in Taiwan, Korea, Japan, and China. It would also extend its services to the ASEAN countries by creating a professional engineering and sales group, which will have the responsibility of installing and selling solutions needed for cross-border bank payments.
According to Polymath’s CEO, Trevor Koverko, many consumers feel comfortable with the title ‘Ripple’ without forgetting its great technology. Many consumers in this vast Asian market have begun to notice how beneficial Blockchain technology can be to businesses. This is what has made Ripple the top winner in this region.
Before the news of Bitcoin futures trading at CME and CBOE, the virtual currency experienced a $10,000 crack. The attention that has been created by the mainstream and social media has drawn a new breed of traders to this market. Most of these newbies have begun their crypto walk by investing in the three competing currencies like Ethereum, Bitcoin, and Litecoin, contributing to the price rise of all altcoins. The rise of Altcoins is one of the reasons why the price of Ripple’s XRP is also expected to go high.
XRP Could be the Next BTC
On the first day of February 2018, Ripple’s XRP traded at $2.93, the price that a group of experts has predicted to rise to $5.06 before the end of 2018. However, according to Mr. Fred Schebesta, the outlook must be more unsheltered for Ripple than what is predicted. His market cap prediction when it comes to Ripple is that they can continue making more coins, which will, in turn, lead to the rise in the market cap. He also suggested that this might lead to the fast burning of coins.
Ripple has for sure proven to be one of the most growing virtual currencies and one that is fascinating to watch. However, based on the natural velocity issue that the coin is currently dealing with, there is actually no best objective model for valuation that can be used for XRP. It could even rise five times before the predicted time! Who knows?
Photo via Pixabay


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MARGIELA FOR H&M
Margiela x H&M collaboration photos and UK launch date revealed.
The much anticipated Maison Martin Margiela for H&M collaboration is set to launch in stores on Thursday 15th November. The campaign photos which were released last week, feature models showcasing various pieces from the collection in suburban Paris.
The collection includes both men’s and womenswear, with a sharp focus on the silhouette and cut of the garments, reflecting the French label’s signature look. The clothes embody classic Margiela, with oversized silhouettes and deconstructed styling.
The collection will be available to buy online and in major H&M flagship stores, so make sure you’re ready for this season’s must have collaboration pieces!
View photos from the campaign and the advert below.


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Quality African businesses with growth prospects that seek funding can now raise capital via an innovative crowdfunding platform, GoGetta. Local and international angel and venture capital investors can now select vetted opportunities and invest quickly and securely amounts of just R1000 or more to own shares in various African businesses.
Sthembiso Zwane, co-founder of GoGetta explains, “Quality African businesses are struggling to raise capital using traditional financiers such as banks. Crowdfunding is a billion-dollar global industry and it’s time for Africa to weigh in. GoGetta is a solution to these funding issues and unlocks the potential of Africa’s entrepreneurs. Africa is an exciting growth story for investors and our platform showcases some of the best investment opportunities from across the continent.”
GoGetta actively seeks attractive businesses to list on the platform that want to raise investments between R1.5 million and R10 million in exchange for stakes in their businesses. All businesses featured on the platform must satisfy a due diligence process carried out by GoGetta’s experienced investment committee before a services and fundraising agreement is concluded. Only African businesses can list on the platform, but investors can be located anywhere.
GoGetta is powered by one of South Africa’s most respected administrators in the small-cap alternative investment space, Grovest. With a track record of over 10 years in entrepreneurship funding, Grovest has assets under administration of over R3.5 billion.
“GoGetta is regulated by the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA), giving investors confidence in our top-notch compliance and governance capability. Africa’s go getters will also benefit from guidance in formalising their businesses with a smarter way to access capital to fund growth while retaining control,” says GoGetta co-founder and CEO Jeff Miller.
GoGetta is sector agnostic and welcomes applications from all businesses across several sectors in exchange for shares. Sectors include fintech, agriculture, consumer, energy, enterprise, healthcare, retail and more.
“We have already signed up qualifying businesses in South Africa and we are seeing significant interest from businesses on the African continent which are ready for investment,” says Leat Sacharowitz, GoGetta co-founder.
To qualify for the platform, businesses need to submit audited financial statements, year to date management accounts, three-year financial forecasts and a detailed business plan. Initial listing fees are low and compliance and reporting fees only become due when the business reaches its target funding.
Other than transaction fees, investors pay no fees. The minimum investment is R1000 and investors receive quarterly reports to track the performance of their investments. GoGetta provides comprehensive information to assist investment decisions. These include financial information, a company pitch deck, and more.
GoGetta has launched with three investment offerings, with more to be released soon.
Umoya! – a business which operates in the telecommunications sector providing affordable data and improved internet connection to under-serviced communities in South Africa. Umoya! believes in the power to change lives through connectivity.
Shuthuka – a well-established macadamia farming operation in Kwa-Zulu Natal. The farm benefits from an off-take agreement with a nut processing facility to purchase a minimum of 90% of the nuts produced by Shuthuka. The macadamia nuts are then processed and exported to the US and Europe.
Naked Cuber Rentals – an art project and business run by a local entrepreneur, Rubik’s cube artist and holder of the rights for art pieces made of Rubik’s cubes in South Africa.The business was born out of his shared love of art and puzzles.
Zwane continues, “Equity-based crowdfunding is particularly attractive in the African context, where traditional community investing is common and formal financial institutions have low penetration. Digital finance and mobile money enjoy massive adoption in Africa, where the younger population is taking the lead in the digital economy. GoGetta’s platform is a simple and safe digital gateway to quality opportunities for both investors and businesses seeking funding.”
For further information go to www.gogetta.africa.


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We’ve now opened a brand new Chopstix store in Nottingham, inside the Intu Victoria shopping centre, making it our second location in the city.
Our first established site in the city is located at 7 clumber street; just a stone’s throw away from its new sister restaurant in the biggest shopping centre in Nottinghamshire.
The secondary store opening is part of our ongoing expansion plan for 2019 which will see us open several more stores across the UK both in shopping centres, motorway services stations and the nations high streets.
Having recently opened a store in Birmingham our expansion plans are well underway and we’re looking forward to bringing our FASTER, FRESHER, TASTIER brand to more customers across the country.
Chopstix now has over 40 stores in the UK and Ireland and the opening in Nottingham marks the continued expansion of our fast-growing brand, which has seen outlets treble in the past 3 years.


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Ramblings about entertainment, lifestyle and travel
I’m lucky enough to be working with file-transfer service, WeTransfer, and as part of its ongoing creative partnership with Penguin Books, they’ve now officially unveiled the global artwork for Will Self’s new book, Shark on the platform.
Shark is a mind-bending novel, centring around an incredible real event – the largest ever shark attack in human history, when nearly 600 men were killed after the sinking of the US naval vessel that delivered the bomb that would be dropped on Hiroshima. And if you’re familiar with Will Self, you’ll know that the story will be made even more intense by Self’s writing style.
On top of the striking artwork that can be seen above, there’s also an excerpt of the book available to read (absolutely free!), which is exclusively available to WeTransfer users.
The book officially launches in September, so it’s a good way to get a bit of a preview. Shark by Will Self is published by Penguin on 4th September and is available for pre-order on Waterstones.com now.
Nalden, Chief Marketing Officer and Co-founder of WeTransfer, said: “Striking imagery has been a mainstay of WeTransfer; showcasing the work of exciting artists is an integral part of our user-experience. Likewise, Penguin has continuously enlisted adventurous designers with a strong vision to bring its publications to life, showcasing that printed books are still a canvas for creativity.
“As design enthusiasts ourselves, Penguin is a company we have always admired, not only for their timeless designs but also their innovative approach to digital communication. One of the previous covers we displayed achieved more than 25,000 clicks to Penguin’s online store in 27 days, so whilst we’re delivering stunning imagery on our platform, we’ve shown our global user-base obviously enjoy these books covers as much as we do.”
Celeste Ward-Best, Campaigns Executive at Penguin Books UK, said: “We’re delighted to partner with WeTransfer to unveil the daring cover of Will Self’s, Shark. WeTransfer is one of the most exciting and progressive online businesses out there and we’ve long admired their commitment to showcasing timeless and innovative design.”
To read the first excerpt made available from the book, please visit:
And enter: wetransfer


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Cloud Propels Microsoft Past Wall Street Estimates
Microsoft earned $33.72 billion in revenues for its fiscal fourth quarter, a 12% gain, as well as earnings per share of $1.37.
The company announced its latest quarterly earnings on Thursday. Its stock rose by more than 1% in after-hours trading on the results, which beat financial analysts' expectations. The earnings number was non-GAAP; the GAAP figure was higher due to a net income tax benefit of $2.6 billion for the quarter.
The most closely watched number for Wall Street this quarter was Microsoft's Azure growth metric. Microsoft reported that Azure was up by 64% compared to the year-ago period. Microsoft doesn't report Azure revenues, but the company's rate of growth has been slowing over the last few years as the company's total Azure revenues increase. For example, in the fourth quarter of 2018, Microsoft reported an Azure growth rate of 89%, and in the fourth quarter of 2017 it was 97%.
Combining Microsoft's commercial clouds by revenue did, in fact, yield a big number. "Q4 commercial cloud revenue increased 39% year-over-year to $11.0 billion, driving our strongest commercial quarter ever," Microsoft CFO Amy Hood said in a statement in Microsoft's earnings release.
For the full year, Microsoft revenues hit $125.8 billion, an increase of 14% over fiscal year 2018.
By business unit for the quarter, the Intelligent Cloud unit had the fastest growth, up 19% to $11.4 billion in revenues. That unit comprises server products and cloud services, which includes Azure, and Enterprise Services.
The Productivity and Business Processes unit grew 14% to $11 billion. That unit includes Office Commercial, Office Consumer, LinkedIn and Dynamics. Among the highlights for the unit were Office 365 Commercial revenue growth of 31%, an increase in Office 365 Consumer subscribers to 34.8 million, a 25% bump in LinkedIn revenues and a 45% gain in Dynamics 365 revenues.
The slowest-growing business unit was More Personal Computing, which reached $11.3 billion on 4% growth. Windows OEM revenue was a positive for the unit, with a 9% increase, and Surface revenues were up 14%. Gaming revenue, however, was a drag with a 10% drop.
Meanwhile, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella took up a theme he's expressed in previous earnings calls this year -- that major customers are becoming more like partners, with roles as crucial to Microsoft as the historic OEM relationships.
Describing "deep partnerships with leading companies in every industry," Nadella said, "Every day we work alongside our customers to help them build their own digital capability -- innovating with them, creating new businesses with them, and earning their trust. This commitment to our customers' success is resulting in larger, multi-year commercial cloud agreements and growing momentum across every layer of our technology stack."
In a statement released just before Microsoft's earnings, John Dinsdale, chief analyst and research director for Synergy Research Group, called Microsoft the clear No. 2 (after Amazon Web Services) in cloud infrastructure services and a very clear market leader in the fragmented Software as a Service (SaaS) market.
For cloud infrastructure, Dinsdale noted, "[Microsoft's] revenue growth rate is way above the overall market growth rate, so it is gradually gaining market share -- 9% in 2016, 11% in 2017, 14% in 2018 and 16% in the first quarter of 2019."
Posted by Scott Bekker on 07/18/2019 at 3:00 PM


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What Drives US Entrepreneurship?
How does running a business differ around the world? In a new series, the BBC News Website is speaking to successful entrepreneurs from around the globe about the secrets of their success, and the challenges they have faced. In the first instalment, three US business people explore what drives American entrepreneurship.
BBC News online 30/01/12


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After breaking from Antarctica, the massive iceberg could drift toward South America and threaten shipping lanes.
A fully revamped, and much improved Fanatical 2 for Mac has launched with new features galore. Herein lies the tip of the iceberg.
Shrinking at a rate of 300 feet each year, the Pine Island Glacier alone is responsible for an incredible 7 percent of the world’s recent sea level rise.
Other places have weighed cell phone radiation warning laws, but most are waiting to see how the legal battle between San Francisco and the CTIA unfolds.
A well-known international hacker was caught on the lam in Romania and brought to U.S. federal court for allegedly stealing 44,000 credit card numbers.
Toshiba is prepping the world's thinnest and lightest tablet and laptop for CES, and that's just the tip of its technological iceberg.
New to iPhone? Welcome to the party! No doubt you've already stocked up on well-known apps like Angry Birds, Facebook, and Netflix, but those are just the tip of the app iceberg.
Samsung has demoed a video game on its Samsung Apps platform for TVs controlled by a separate app on a Samsung smartphone, but insists this is just the tip of the iceberg.
iPhone Security Flaw Is the Tip of the Iceberg
Facebook has had auto-tagging of photos for a while now, but where is it all going? We explore the possibility of facial recognition and geo-locational data in those party pictures you took last weekend.


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Black Friday Deals | Cyber Monday | ASOSCheck out the best Black Friday deals on Xbox One bundles and runs until the following Monday November 27, when you can take advantage of Cyber Monday deals. To ease.
Cyber Monday bargains and deals - BT
EPR Retail News | Argos kicks off Black Friday bonanza on
Cyber Monday UK. Deals. Lego Deals. Gift Ideas. Alibaba Singles Day Deals UK.Here are a few you should definitely evaluation out on Hot UK Deals when 25th. available correct up until the later of Cyber Monday.After Black Friday, retailers launch Cyber Monday. retail stores from the Argos Distribution. launching Cyber Monday deals to capitalise on the.
Black Friday 2016 UK - Argos launches new deals on. black friday ad apple black friday and cyber monday deals bed bath and beyond deals for black friday.Here are a few you should definitely check out on Hot UK Deals when 25th. available repair up until the final of Cyber Monday.
Beats Headphones Black Friday ArgosThe Vivoactive HR is the sporty smartwatch successor to the Vivoactive, bringing a new design, more sports tracking.
Latest news headlines from the United Kingdom and around the world: Argos Black Friday 2017. The best Cyber Monday and Black Friday 2017 deals from Amazon.Cyber Monday was kicked-started by leading retailer in the US after they found many shopper continued looking for deals following their time-off over Thanksgiving.Cyber Monday 2016 UK deals: Best offers from Tesco, Amazon and.Argos has already started its countdown to Cyber Monday 2014, which is huge deal in the U.S. but has only started to gain traction in the UK over the past.Kits For Building A Shed - Garden Sheds Argos Kits For Building A Shed Resin Storage Sheds Cyber Monday Deals Old Fashioned Outhouse Garden Shed.Black Friday and Cyber Monday tech round-up: Deals from eBay, Maplin, Game, Bitcoin and Amazon.
Here are some of the best Tesco Cyber Monday UK deals for 2013.Top 25 Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2016 Deals in the UK. Top 25 Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2016 Deals in the UK. Argos wants to sell you one for about 40.
Argos’ extend Black Friday bonanza to 13 days
So which UK retailers are taking part in Cyber Monday this year and what are they. Argos. Argos is continuing.
Black Friday & Cyber Monday Deals: Best Amazon, Argos
Best Black Friday deals UK 2016 at Amazon Tesco Argos andBlack Friday weekend 2016 is here - your ultimate guide to all the best deals, what UK shops are taking part and your rights.
Black Friday 2017 – Argos, Currys, Amazon and Tesco salesYour complete Black Friday UK is right here. aka Cyber Monday.
The best Cyber Monday UK deals 2016. By. tnl-November 29, 2016. 88. 0. Share on Facebook.
EPR Retail News | Tag | ‘Cyber Monday’Best Argos Black Friday Deals UK 2016: All the top deals, sales and discounts from Argos this Black Friday and Cyber Monday in one handy place.
Black Friday: Rumours, deals and speculation at retailersTop UK Black Friday Deals: Amazon, Asda, Argos,. are going to start their Black Friday 2015 and Cyber Monday deals at different.September 18th 2017, Monday. °C ___ TEMPERATURE °C | °C.
Black Friday 2016: How are UK retailers optimising searchHere are some of the best Tesco Cyber Monday UK deals for 2013. Tesco UK Cyber Monday deals.
Cheap Deals on Laptops & PCs | Go Argos
The best Cyber Monday deals 2016: all of the best UKThe leading retailer will once again offer deals galore on thousands of products across.
Argos UK Black Friday Cyber Monday coupons coupon codesApple Cyber Monday 2015 deals: Best UK sales for cheap iPhones, Macs, iPads, iPad Pro the Apple Watch and more - at Tesco, Argos, Currys PCWorld, John Lewis, eBay and.
Argos Black Friday 2015 deals on iPhones, PS4s, GoPros
29 best Black Friday-Cyber Monday 2017 UK images onBest Cyber Monday Deals UK 2016: Best early deals and all you need to know This year Cyber Monday falls on Monday November 28, and as it inches closer and closer.Bookmark this article to see the latest Cyber Monday deals from the UK as we regularly update this page. Argos has continued its Black Friday deals acorss the.
After Black Friday, retailers launch Cyber Monday deals
We always have a incredible response to our Black Friday and Cyber Monday UK deals pages with lots of you.


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At long last — after 35 months, three public hearings, hundreds of public comments, two presidential administrations, and 17,536 utterings of the phrase, "It isn't easy being green" — they've arrived: The U.S. Federal Trade Commission's proposed "Green Guides," the federal government's definitive guides to green marketing.
The document, released today (a summary can be downloaded here - PDF), is an update to the original "Green Guides," published in 1992, then updated in 1996 and 1998. A lot has happened since then, marketing-wise: claims related to carbon-neutral and other greenhouse gas emissions; biobased materials, including packaging and textiles from bamboo and other plant matter; renewable energy; and the introduction of hundreds of eco-logos and certifications, some highly authoritative and credible, others decidedly less so.
The FTC is seeking public comments on the proposed changes until December 10, 2010, "after which it will decide which changes to make final."
The updating of these guides for the first time in 12 years has been greatly anticipated, seen as a watershed event, one aimed at curbing what some see as a veritable tsunami of greenwashing. (I'm not one of those. See my thoughts on greenwashing here and here.) Nonetheless, “We’ve seen an explosion of green claims,” as FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz put it in today’s press conference.
In brief: The guides are a common-sense set of rules about what claims a company can and can't make, and what kind of substantiation and disclaimers are required for specific types of marketing messages. The original guides were intended to prohibit or clarify vague claims ("all-natural," "non-toxic," "safe for the environment") and curb the use of claims that, while technically true, were generally misleading — a "recyclable" product or package that hardly anyone could actually recycle, for example.
Some of this has been clarified or more fully defined in the new version. It also adds guidance on three new claims: “made with renewable materials,” “made with renewable energy” and “carbon offsets.”
Like their predecessors, the proposed updated guides represent a low bar, intended to eliminate outright misrepresentation and fabrications. Their updating do not herald a new era of green marketing. Despite some near-hysterical predictions, they aren't likely to "radically reshape how far marketers can go in painting their products, packaging or even corporate images green," as Advertising Age recently speculated.
For green marketers, it is not the end of the world as we know it. They won't likely change the landscape much, and most definitely won't eliminate critics' charges of "greenwashing."
It still isn't easy being -- well, you know.
The new guidelines, while in great need of a freshening up, don't really keep up with the world of sustainable business practices. I had a brief window into this in early 2008, a few months after the FTC first announced that it would update the guidelines. I was invited by the commission to meet in DC. At the time, the commission staff was focusing on packaging, in preparation for a workshop to be held in late April of that year.


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Home décor and drinkware featuring the classic game to debut in early 2016.
Vandor will unveil the line of "Tetris" home décor, drinkware, seasonal items and collectibles this fall with retail and e-tail debut planned for January 2016.
“We are continuously looking for the best licensee partners who can bring high-quality Tetris-inspired products to market for fans to enjoy,” says Maya Rogers, chief executive officer, Blue Planet Software, agent for the "Tetris" brand. “Vandor’s long-established reputation as a leader in licensed hard lines–based on many of the biggest pop culture icons of all time–makes it a perfect fit for our brand.”
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It wast a giant iPhone, nor was it a full laptop replacement. The iPad has always been something involving for almost a decade, but every iPad wants to be a Surface.
Microsoft even famously went in with Apple eyesight of touch-friendly computing and went a little too much with Windows 8. However, exactly what the iPad did supply was a motive for the Surface line to be created. Microsoft Surface devices have always comprised optional keyboards that connect to change the tablet into more of a notebook.
Apple introduced a new 10.2-inch iPad on Tuesday, made to be the cheapest (aka, default) iPad that customers will purchase. These changes imply the iPad Pro, iPad Air, and iPad all encourage the Smart Keyboard for the very first time. Apply newest iPad might not be enough to change that immediately, but it definitely positions the tablet closer to Chromebooks and reduced priced Windows laptops, even if you factor in the $160 price point for the Smart Keyboard that will bring the bottom iPad price closer to $500. Apple even briefly compared its new iPad into the top-selling Windows notebook on stage , clearly identifying the iPad target market in the face of withering Android tablet competition.
Apple whole 10.2-inch iPad site is also devoted to its advantages over a PC.
Much like Chrome OS, Apple iPad OS is made to be easy and secure while running modern programs. Those are key advantages over more economical Windows-powered laptops that run legacy desktop programs.
Coupled with a number of the bigger changes in iPad OS coming later this month, is apparent the iPad is moving towards more laptop-like tasks than ever before. . Now every huge iPad supports a computer keyboard were a step closer to seeing precisely where Apple will take this device in the future. The software that forces the iPad is steadily moving away from the smartphone roots, and the hardware is offering iPad fans a means to transform the device into something outside a tablet.
Microsoft and Apple are in the front of the race to offer pills that combine notebook tasks.
The search for the perfect 2-in-1 device has been going on for almost 10 years. Now it appears within reach. One of them, or a mix of approaches, will ultimately address the requirements of most.


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100 electric scooters arrive in Sacramento, West Sacramento
One hundred electric scooters were added to Sacramento and West Sacramento streets Friday.
Uber rolled out 50 scooters in Sacramento and 50 in West Sacramento. They're known as JUMP scooters -- just like the JUMP bikes seen on downtown streets.
The scooters will cost 15 cents a minute to rent -- or $9 an hour. They are not allowed on sidewalks, and the speed limit is 15 mph.
Sacramento police released a list of rules that scooter users need to be aware of before hopping onto a JUMP scooter:
Who can ride the scooters?
Users need a drivers's license or an instructional permit. JUMP requires users to be at least 18 years old. Only one user can be on the scooter at a time.
Are helmets required?
Yes, if you are under 18 years old. JUMP requires all users to wear a helmet
Are users able to ride on the sidewalk?
No, unless users are leaving or entering a nearby property. Electric scooters are prohibited by law to be on sidewalks.
Where should the scooters be parked?
Scooters are not allowed to be left lying on their sides on the sidewalk. Scooters should be parked on the sidewalk so they are not blocking the walkway.
What are the rules for riding on the street?
Users must obey all traffic laws. Electric scooter riders should ride on the street and on the right side, staying in the bike lane when one is available. Electric scooters are only allowed on streets with a speed limit of 25 mph, unless operated in a Class II bike lane or Class IV bikeway. The scooters can be used on trails and pathways.
Can you get a DUI when riding an electric scooter while intoxicated?


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New Delhi: Tata Motors is exploring possible stake sales for its luxury car arm Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), reports Bloomberg.
The company is expected to hold preliminary discussion with potential advisors as sales of the company decline and dented carmakers profitability. .
Earlier in February, the company also suffered $4 billion loss which had credit investors worried. The company’s liquidity has also deteriorated in last two years, dropping to around 4.4 billion pounds.
However, the possibility of Tata to keep control of JLR still lingers as they seek investors. According to the report, JLR options vary from minority stake sale to the possible joint ventures.
As per some sources, Tata’s deliberations on Jaguar Land Rover is still at an early stage and they may not lead to a transaction.
In December 2018, there were some speculations of Tata Motors selling JLR’s stake, which the company’s Chairman, N Chandrasekaran declined.
Brexit has been one of the major headwinds in JLR’s way, resulting a steep decline in sales. Moreover, JLR continues to perform worse than other luxury brands in China which further is taking a toll on Tata Motors spending.
Satinder Bajwa, senior vice president and Head of Sales and customer care, and Harish Lalchandani, VP, Marketing, Mahindra Automotive, have quit the organisation, three people aware of the matter informed ETAuto on condition of anonymity.


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Veo Robotics Inc., which is building technology to make industrial robots safer around people, today announced that it is partnering with Calvary Robotics as its first certified systems integrator partner.
Waltham, Mass.-based Veo Robotics uses advanced computer vision and 3D sensing to give standard industrial robots the ability to perceive and respond to their surroundings so they can work safely alongside humans. By providing safe interactions between humans and robots, manufacturers can build more fluid, efficient, and flexible production lines, said the company. Veo currently partners with the four major robot manufacturers: FANUC, Yaskawa, ABB, and Kuka.
Webster, N.Y.-based Calvary Robotics was founded in 1994 in Rochester, N.Y., and said it designs and develops custom turnkey automation, robotic platforms, and material handling systems. The company also has experience in tooling and fabricated components, product development, and commercialization, and large-scale repetitive manufacturing. Calvary has more than 280 employees and serves many product markets including medical, automotive, consumer goods, electronics, energy, and food and beverage.
Calvary to carry Veo Robotics' FreeMove
Calvary Robotics will include FreeMove, Veo Robotics’ flagship product, as part of its offerings. FreeMove is 3D safeguarding system designed to turn standard industrial robots into machines that can safely work with humans. Veo said its team will provide training to the Calvary team on how to install FreeMove in various manufacturing settings.
“We are thrilled to partner with Calvary Robotics as our first certified systems integrator,” stated Patrick Sobalvarro, co-founder and CEO of Veo Robotics. “This partnership will help us establish strong customer relationships with manufacturing engineers and improve flexibility in manufacturing so they better incorporate safe, dynamic, and effective human-robot collaboration.”
“Veo Robotics has created a first-of-its-kind safeguarding system that significantly reduces the cost and complexity of human-robot collaboration,” said Joe Gemma, global vice president of sales and marketing at Calvary Robotics. “We are excited to offer their FreeMove system as part of our solution.”
Veo Robotics said this is the first of its systems integrator partnerships enabling the company to provide its FreeMove system to customers in markets such as automobile manufacturing and durable goods manufacturing.
“This partnership is the first in our certified systems integrator network,” said Molly McCarthy, vice president of sales and business development at Veo, in a blog post. “We look forward to announcing more soon.”


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Organic doesn't go far enough
Two biodynamic farmers have waded into the organic argument, claiming that organic standards “don’t go far enough”.
Biodynamic farmers Ian and Denise Bell say that they are not surprised the Food Standards Agency found that organic meat has no greater nutritional value than non-organic meat.
The pair, who run Heritage Prime in Dorset, say that organic food standards are not strict enough and may mislead the public
“Even organic farmers are permitted to use certain chemical herbicides on their crops or use antibiotics on their animals. This will have a huge impact on their nutritional value and purity,” said Ian Bell.
“We’ve been using biodynamic methods at Heritage Prime for the last 18 years, and we’re certain of our grounds for understanding nutrition. The resilience and vitality of the plants and animals in our care speaks volumes for our methods.”
Biodynamic sheep, pigs and cattle are raised without the use of pharmaceutical chemicals, pesticides or fertilisers, and any ailments are treated with homeopathic remedies. Instead of using chemical fertilisers, biodynamic farmers use a lunar calendar and make sure they sow and cut vegetation at the best possible time to retain nutrients.
Bell added: “Biodynamic food is beyond organic and can become available to everyone. But first we must collectively gain the strength to source our food directly from those who grow it, and get to know exactly what they are up to.
“We can be sure that, where supermarkets are concerned, the public are not told the whole truth about what goes into their food.”


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WITH the new A-League season just a week away, check out what each team will be wearing for the 2016-17 campaign.
The A-League champions have changed kit manufacturers this season, moving from Kappa to Macron, but will continue to play in a predominantly red strip.
The new kit features navy blue and yellow trim around the sleeves, socks and the inside of the collar, which also features the club’s establishment date.
- (15 points, 9th)Suncorp Stadium(42 points, 2nd)Visit Match Centre
- (34 points, 4th)Westpac Stadium(26 points, 7th)Visit Match Centre
- (20 points, 8th)ANZ Stadium(33 points, 5th)Visit Match Centre
- (51 points, 1st)HBF Park(41 points, 3rd)Visit Match Centre
- (10 points, 10th)Central Coast Stadium(31 points, 6th)Visit Match Centre
The 2016-17 strip also features several nods to the Red’s title win last season. The 2016-17 kit will be the first to sport a unique ‘A-League champions’ patch, which appears in place of the standard A-League logo on the right of the chest, while the kit also features a silver star above the club’s crest to signify last season’s title.
The club’s away kit will be all black, with red accents on the sleeves, shoulders and shorts.
It’s difficult to miss Brisbane Roar’s bright orange kit, but it’s the subtle touches on this season’s Umbro strip that make it stand out.
Embossed detailing on the sleeves resembles the seats at Suncorp Stadium, a subtle nod to the club’s home ground.
Another touch pays homage to a famous moment in the club’s history – just above each player’s name on the back of the shirt is an image of a sound wave. That specific sound wave was from the noise created by the crowd inside Suncorp when Erik Paartalu scored the last gasp equaliser to send the 2011 Grand Final to penalties, which Brisbane eventually won. The latitude and longitude of the stadium also appear on the inside of the jersey below the Umbro logo.
CENTRAL COAST MARINERS
Central Coast are another team to move kit manufacturers this season, switching from Kappa to Umbro. Aside from that, the first thing you notice about the new Mariners kit is that it (thankfully) doesn’t feature the palm tree silhouette like last season.
It is replaced by a far simpler kit, one that features a yellow shirt and shorts with both featuring a navy blue stripe down the side, matching the socks.
Similar to Brisbane’s Umbro kit, the Mariners shirt features the co-ordinates of the club’s home ground, Central Coast Stadium and a pattern “inspired by the waves of the idyllic beaches on the Central Coast” according to the club’s website.
The ‘iconic’ palm trees haven’t been completely removed, featuring far more subtly on the back of the shirt.
The kit that Tim Cahill will be sporting this season is an offering from Nike, where the home kit is plain and simple, but the away kit is a bit crazy.
Despite wanting to join other members of the City Football Group family in playing in a predominantly sky blue strip, Melbourne City will again wear an all-white kit, with sky blue sleeves and socks.
While the home kit is not that memorable, the away strip is sure to turn some heads. Like previous iteration, the club’s away kit will be red and white in a nod to their previous incarnation as Melbourne Heart. The fading design makes the white of the shirt look pink, like it’s the result of someone accidentally throwing a red sock in with a washing load of the home strip.
Victory’s new Adidas home kit features a departure from their usual design.
Gone is the solid white ‘V’ which has become synonymous with Victory’s home kits, replaced instead with a more subtle chevron which features five stacked blocks which fade into the club’s traditional navy blue.
“This is the first time in the club’s history that any colour other than white has been used in the home jersey chevron, with the stacked blocks representing a club which is continuously evolving and pushing the boundaries in football,” a statement on the club’s website read.
The shirt’s material features a watermark throughout which reads ‘Melbourne boys are still number one’, a nod to the classic Melbourne Victory fan song.
The strip will feature an ‘all navy’ look, with the deep blue shirt matching the shorts and socks.
While not having a new home kit for the 2016-17 season – although their jersey sponsor has changed to Chinese company Ledman, who now own the club – Newcastle will be sporting a new away kit.
The strip features a predominantly gold shirt, similar to the one the club wore in the early years of the A-League, with blue shoulders, shorts and socks.
As well as unveiling a host of new players, including Socceroos international Rhys Williams, Perth have also unveiled a striking new yellow away strip for the upcoming campaign.
The Macron kit features black trim, as well as a pattern where the yellow fades to black honeycombed stripes at the bottom of the shirt. The asymmetrical teardrop collar is also a nice touch.
The kit represents the state colours of Western Australia, with Williams saying at the launch: “I like the contrast of the state colours and the black swan on the neck line, so I think it will bring the fans, members and the city of Perth together.”
Glory will also be releasing a Heritage Jersey for their round one clash with the Mariners at nib Stadium.
The Sky Blues have unveiled a new, navy blue third kit as well as a slightly tweaked white away kit for the new campaign.
The alternative shirt is the opposite of their home kit – a navy shirt with sky blue trim and accents.
The team from across the ditch will feature new home and away kits this season.
The home strip will remain predominantly yellow with black accents and a fading vertical pinstripe.
The away kit is a new design, a grey number featuring a checkerboard pattern and dark diagonal stripe across the chest.
In addition to these strips, the Nix will also be sporting a special edition 10-year anniversary ‘All Black’ kit this season.
“[The kit] will contain a marine and wind feature celebrating the club’s Wellington origins, a map of New Zealand that reinforces the Phoenix’s status as the only professional football club in the country, and most significantly the names of 93 players who have represented the side over the past decade, carefully etched into the predominantly black shirt,” a statement on the club’s website read.
The All Black kit will be revealed in December before being worn for the first time in the match against Western Sydney Wanderers on 17 December.
WESTERN SYDNEY WANDERERS
Beaten grand finalists Wester Sydney will have new home and away kits this season.
The home strip of red and black hoops paired with black shorts remains, although with some subtle differences. Gone are the black hoops on the sleeves, which will this season be all red, while the red of the shirt is more bright and electric than the deeper crimson of previous seasons.
The new away kit represents a change from the usual white and grey hoops. This season, Tony Popovic’s boys will feature in an all-white away strip, with bright red sleeves and socks giving the kit a splash of colour.


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Is the RAM TRX better than the Ford Raptor?
RAM 1500 TRX vs Ford F-150 Raptor: Which has More Power?
The 2021 model year is shaking things up in the auto industry. With Ford introducing the Bronco to compete with the classic Jeep Wrangler, both companies are fighting to tap into a specific market. The same goes for the performance pickup segment. For a long time, the F-150 Raptor was the only serious racing-ready truck. However, on August 17th, 2020, RAM officially revealed the 2021 RAM 1500 TRX performance truck.
That begs the question: is the TRX better than the Raptor? Let’s take a look.
Get Answers to More FAQs
Which is Better: TRX or Raptor?
2021 RAM 1500 TRX exterior frontal view
At the time of publication, the 2021 RAM 1500 TRX is the undisputed performance winner. With more than 250 horsepower and 140 lb-ft of torque over the Raptor, it’s not even close. However, the 2021 Ford F-150 Raptor details have not been revealed. Rumors have been circulating since early 2019 that the last F-150 Raptor model of the current F-150 generation will be getting the 700-horsepower 5.2-liter supercharged V8 that powers the Mustang GT500. The 2021 production year is expected to be the last of the current F-150 generation. With current info, if you’re looking for a performance truck, the 2021 RAM 1500 TRX is the way to go.
*2021 F-150 Raptor details have not been officially announced by Ford.
**Rumors of the 2021 Raptor getting the 700-hosrepower 5.2L supercharged V8 found in the Mustang GT500 have be teased but not confirmed.
Want to Upgrade Your Truck?
Sick of your old truck? Want something new? Consider selling us your truck. And take a peek at our big selection of high-quality, used trucks to see how affordable a mint condition truck can be.


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Tencent Tech, 10/14/11
Jack Luo, CEO of Beijing-based digital home entertainment company Beijing Eedoo Technology, a subsidiary of Lenovo (0992.HK), said recently that the company will begin limited sales of its iSec gaming console priced at approximately RMB 3,000 in December.
Luo denied earlier reports claiming an exodus of founding employees from Eedoo after the company diluted their shares, a lack of product release dates, and fleeing partners. Of the original seven Lenovo staff who founded Eedoo, six remain at the company, which has grown to 130 employees with a turnover rate under 5%.
Regarding the rumored share value adjustments, Luo said that Eedoo has adopted a variable interest entity (VIE) structure in preparation for an IPO, and that registering the offshore parent company in the Cayman Islands took time. Luo said that early stock incentives offered to employees by the domestic company were calculated in RMB, and the VC requirement that all stock option agreements be redrawn after the establishment of the foreign-invested offshore company resulted in decreased share holdings for all employees.
Luo added that Eedoo has continued to form partnerships with a number of new developers.
Editor's Note: For more information on this topic, please see "Rumor: Employees Flee Game Console Firm Eedoo," MD 10/13/11 issue.


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Americans Can’t Afford It.
Last week, an article was published by Jeremy Malcolm, senior global policy analyst for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, under the appropriate title, “How Big Pharma’s Shadow Regulation Censors the Internet.” Basically, Jeremy explains that due to drug company money and political influence in the United States, there are activities going on both in plain view and behind the scenes that are meant to curtail and even end access by Americans to lower cost medications being sold on the Internet.
I’ve been writing about this – albeit in less Internet policy, theoretical terms – for years and testified before and warned Congress in 2013 on this issue. About a month ago, I published an article on Circle ID, a source of news and opinion about Internet policy and governance, describing the actions of drug companies to dominate the Internet. My hope was to reach people just like Jeremy Malcolm at organizations like the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). EFF is a non-governmental organization, founded in 1990 to defend civil liberties in the digital world. They champion “user privacy, free expression, and innovation through impact litigation, policy analysis, grassroots activism, and technology development.” Read about its awesome work and history here. (more…)
Tagged with: Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies, Center for Safe Internet Pharmacies, Electronic Frontier Foundation, jeremy malcolm, LegitScript, NABP, shadow regulation, voluntary agreements
Depends where you buy it online…
This question was posed in the New York Times Ask Well blog this week. We were pleased that PharmacyChecker.com was recommended as an information source for finding credentialed international online pharmacies that sell Pfizer’s brand name Viagra. On the other hand, we were frustrated that the Times answered this question wrongly by writing “In short, no.” Fact: Lawfully manufactured and distributed generic Viagra – sildenafil citrate – is available in Canada and at Canadian pharmacies. Just go to Health Canada’s drug database and you’ll find it – right here [Type in Sildenafil and hit search]. And it has been sold as a generic in Indian pharmacies, lawfully, for a very long time.
So the answer to the blog post’s question is – in fact – yes.
Prices? The price of a Pfizer branded Viagra 100mg pill in many U.S. pharmacies is $50, compared to $7-10 from many safe international online pharmacies. The generic pill sells for as little as a buck. (more…)
Tagged with: ask well, catizone, generic viagra, NABP, sildenafil citrate, Viagra
PharmacyChecker.com has been mentioned and recommended in many articles and news stories over the years, but it’s really gratifying when a medical professional/writer recommends us, even if they recommend the other guy first! Here’s why.
In an article published in VeryWell.com, called “How to Find an Online Pharmacy You Can Trust,” Michael Bihari, MD, writes: “Several organizations, including the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) and PharmacyChecker, evaluate online drugstores for the quality of the services they provide. Both organizations reject the majority of Internet pharmacies.” [Emphasis added]. Indeed, according to sources cited by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), there are about 35,000 Internet pharmacies. The PharmacyChecker.com Verification Program has 75 and the NABP’s program has 64 approved pharmacy websites. (more…)
Tagged with: assurance, NABP, trust, verywell, VIPPS


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HTC One M8 is the Best Mobile of the Year Experts Agreed
While Apple and Samsung dominate the mobile phone market as of late, these tech giants must step their game up as HTC One gained the "Phone of the Year" award in the recently concluded T3 awards two years in a row. T3 editor Tom Dennis said that the awards this year is their most prestigious and popular to date as it combines all the judges from the industry to decide the greatest of the greats in the world of technology. The glamorous ceremony also honored Sir James Dyson, the billionaire British inventor who was crowned Tech Legend by the gadget magazine.
The HTC One M8 which was released early this year beat its tough competition iPhone 5S, Samsung Galaxy S4 and Google Nexus 5. The Android device wowed customers with its high-spec features and premium build quality. The HTC One M8 features better camera, a twisted design and a stunning 5-inch full HD display.
Bigger and Better HTC One M8
HTC announced it will release HTC One M8 Eye, a variation of M8 which will feature similar design. The only difference is the 13MP main camera, which is a major enhancement over the 4MP units. While its weight hits the scale of 157 grams, physical measures are at 146 × 70.6 × 9.4 mm. Its waistline matches the original. It will be launch next week, October 8 in an HTC event called "Double Exposure". The company will also introduce actual camera action at the event.
Expect this powerhouse smartphone to continue to harvest awards thanks to innovations like BoomSound, BlinkFeed, zero-gap aluminum body and the UltraPixel camera.
Tags : HTC One the new HTC One HTC One M8 HTC One M8 the new phone HTC new phone HTC One M8 M8 the new HTC One phone HTC One M8 HTC latest phone HTC One M8 the new phone in the market HTC One M8 review the new HTC One M8 review


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In late 2013 and earlier this year, we reported on YouTube’s rumoured subscription service that would launch by year end. Today, YouTube officially announced Red – the site’s $9.99pm ad-free subscription service.
The benefits of subscription won’t be limited to that, however; YouTube Red will bring additional benefits to those who are willing to part with their cash; subscribers will be able to save videos locally for offline viewing as well as the ability to play content in the background.
YouTube has confirmed that Play Music subscribers will be given automatic entry to Red.
However, Red will only offer subscribers access to user-submitted videos; the company released a statement today clarifying that “YouTube Red benefits won’t work on videos that you pay to view, such as paid channels, movie rentals, and pay-per-view purchases.”
The site’s likely strategy in this regard is to highlight the service’s own entertainment and celebrities, including Felix Kjellberg (PewDiePie) who netted a cool $7 million USD from the service earlier this year.
Users in the US will be able to try Red for a one month free trial from October 28th, with Google yet to release details on Red’s global launch and pricing.
What are your thoughts on YouTube Red? Does the service offer enough to entice users to pay for what has previously been free? Let us know in the comments below!


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In recent years, the metaverse has become a popular topic of discussion, with numerous industries exploring its potential applications. One such industry is the automotive sector, with Nissan taking the lead in pioneering Web3 integration. The Japanese car manufacturer has filed several Web3-related trademarks and established a virtual store called "Nissan Hype Lab." This article will provide an in-depth analysis of Nissan's foray into the metaverse, highlighting the implications for the automotive industry and the potential opportunities presented by this exciting new frontier.
Nissan's Web3-Related Trademarks
Nissan, a prominent Japanese car manufacturer, has recently filed four new Web3-related trademarks in the United States for its Nismo, Infiniti, and Nissan brands. This move signifies the company's commitment to exploring the metaverse and its potential applications within the automotive industry.
The primary goal behind filing these trademarks is to test sales within the metaverse. Nissan has disclosed its intentions to establish a marketplace for NFT (non-fungible token) trading and minting, further expanding the possibilities for digital asset transactions in the automotive sector.
In addition to filing these trademarks, Nissan has ambitious plans to create a wide range of virtual products, including cars, toys, clothes, and headgear. These digital items will be made available for users to purchase and utilize within the metaverse, opening up new avenues for brand engagement and customer interaction.
Moreover, Nissan aims to offer metaverse advertising services and entertainment services. These services encompass various forms of digital content, such as artwork, online videos, audio, music, sounds, and trading cards. By providing a diverse array of entertainment options, Nissan can cater to different user preferences and enhance its presence within the virtual world.
To support its metaverse initiatives, Nissan intends to develop non-downloadable digital wallet software, enabling users to securely store and manage their digital assets. The company also plans to launch a dedicated website providing information on its proposed NFTs, ensuring that users have access to comprehensive and accurate details about these digital products.
Nissan's Metaverse Initiatives and Virtual Showroom
Nissan's foray into the metaverse has already begun with several innovative projects. The company's Japan unit is running a three-month trial of its virtual store, "Nissan Hype Lab." This immersive online sales office allows customers to build personalized avatars and explore the store, available 24/7 via a smartphone or computer. Through this virtual platform, customers can order automobiles and finalize purchase contracts in a novel and engaging environment.
In addition to the Nissan Hype Lab, the company has announced the creation of a virtual showroom that replicates its Tokyo-based Nissan Crossing Gallery. The showroom leverages an augmented reality (AR) interface called Invisible-to-Visible, enabling users to virtually launch cars and participate in a variety of events. This unique and immersive experience showcases Nissan's commitment to utilizing cutting-edge technology to engage customers and enhance its brand presence.
Automotive Brands' Growing Interest in NFTs and the Metaverse
Nissan's recent trademarks and metaverse initiatives have spurred other automotive brands to explore the potential of NFTs and the metaverse. In October 2022, Nissan filed five trademark applications for its key vehicle models, including the GTR, Z, and Skyline. This move has prompted car manufacturers such as Porsche, General Motors, and Ford Motor Company to take a keen interest in NFT-related filings and activities.
For instance, Porsche has recently released its own NFT collection, while General Motors has applied for trademarks for its Cadillac and Chevrolet brands. Ford Motor Company has been preparing for its entry into the world of NFTs and the metaverse since September 2022, further exemplifying the growing interest in this emerging technology.
Despite the ongoing crypto winter and bear market, automotive brands continue to show interest in NFTs, signifying a shift toward exploring new sales methods and embracing the digital future. Nissan's metaverse initiatives demonstrate a commitment to innovation and adapting to changing market trends, paving the way for other companies to follow suit and capitalize on the opportunities presented by the metaverse and top blockchain games.
Nissan's pioneering efforts in integrating Web3 technology and exploring the potential of the metaverse signify a new era in the automotive industry. The company's trademark filings and innovative projects, such as the Nissan Hype Lab and virtual showroom, demonstrate a forward-thinking approach and a willingness to embrace emerging technologies like NFTs.
As automotive brands like Porsche, General Motors, and Ford Motor Company follow Nissan's lead and delve into the world of NFTs and the metaverse, it's evident that the industry is shifting toward novel sales methods and digital experiences. These innovative strategies and developments in top blockchain games and the metaverse are not only transforming the way customers interact with car brands, but also paving the way for a more immersive and engaging future for the automotive industry.


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A whopping 98% of products that are advertised, labeled or packaged as “green,” are not telling the complete truth about their environmental friendliness and are potentially misleading consumers with their claims, according to (pdf) research from TerraChoice Environmental Marketing.
A recent multi-country survey and analysis of so-called “environmentally friendly” products in the toy, cosmetic, cleaning and baby-product categories found that advertising for these products has increased dramatically in the last several years:
Availability of such products in the US and Canada has similarly increased between 40% and 176%.? But while there are more items claiming to be “all natural,” “organic,” or otherwise green, nearly all of them are committing at least one of – what TerraChoice dubs – the “Seven Sins of Greenwashing.”
Greenwashing is defined by the company as the act of misleading consumers regarding the environmental practices of a company or the environmental benefits of a product or service.
The seven sins of greenwashing and their frequency in the US, according to TerraChoice:
- The Sin of the Hidden Trade-Off? occurs when one environmental issue is emphasized at the expense of potentially more serious concerns. In other words, when marketing hides a trade-off between environmental issues. Paper, for example, is not necessarily environmentally preferable just because it comes from a sustainably-harvested forest.
- The Sin of No Proof happens when environmental assertions are not backed up by evidence or third-party certification. One common example is facial tissue products that claim various percentages of post-consumer recycled content without providing any supporting details.
- The Sin of Vagueness occurs when a marketing claim is so lacking in specifics it becomes meaningless. ‘”All-natural” is an example of this Sin. Arsenic, uranium, mercury, and formaldehyde are all naturally occurring, and poisonous. “All natural” isn’t necessarily
- The Sin of Worshiping False Labels is when marketers create a false suggestion or certification-like image to mislead consumers into thinking that a product has been through a legitimate green certification process. One example of this sin is a brand of aluminum foil with certification-like images that show the name of the company’s own in-house environmental program for which there is no explanation. This sin has been added to TerraChoice’s list since it’s previous report in 2007.
- The Sin of Irrelevance arises when an environmental issue unrelated to the product is emphasized. One example is the claim that a product is “CFC-free,”? since CFCs are banned by law.
- The Sin of Lesser of Two Evils occurs when an environmental claim makes consumers
feel ‘green’ about a product category that is itself lacking in environmental benefits. Organic cigarettes are an example of this phenomenon.
- The Sin of Fibbing is when environmental claims are outright false. One common example
is products falsely claiming to be Energy Star certified.
“The good news is that the growing availability of green products shows that consumers are demanding more environmentally responsible choices, and that marketers and manufacturers are listening,” said Scot Case, VP of TerraChoice. “The bad news is that some marketers are exploiting consumers’ demand for third-party certification by creating fake labels or false suggestions of third-party endorsement.”
In addition to looking at products in the US and Canada, the report also investigated the state of greenwashing in the UK and Australia, including an examination of nearly 1,000 products. Results revealed that greenwashing continues to be an international challenge.
“The final piece of good news is that eco-labeling is on the rise,” added Case. “Legitimate eco-labeling is nearly twice as common as it was in our 2007 survey, increasing from 13.7% to 23.4% on all ‘green’ products.”
About the study: In November 2008 through January 2009, TerraChoice researchers were sent into category-leading big-box retailers in the US, Canada, the UK, and Australia with instructions to record every product making an environmental claim. For each, the researchers recorded product details, claim(s) details, any supporting information, and any explanatory detail or offers of additional information or support. In the US and Canada, a total of 2,219 ‘green’ products were recorded. Claims made bny products were tested against best practices found in guidelines provided by the FTC Canadian Competition Bureau, Australian Consumer and Competition Commission, and the ISO 14021 standard for environmental labeling. The report is available here.


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What a difference a weekend makes.
Late last week, Apple and Samsung (at Apple’s initiation) resumed their courtroom battle as Apple filed its renewed request for a permanent injunction. Apple was once again arguing that Samsung’s ability to sell “infringing devices” is detrimental to Apple’s bottom line.
“Samsung’s claim that it has discontinued selling the particular models found to infringe or design around Apple’s patents in no way diminishes Apple’s need for injunctive relief,” Apple argued in Thursday’s court filing. “Because Samsung frequently brings new products to market, an injunction is important to providing Apple the relief it needs to combat any future infringement by Samsung through products not more than colorably different from those already found to infringe.”
But according to a breaking report in the Korea Times this weekend, the two tech giants may ready to resolve this matter once and for all.
Despite a two-year legal battle that appeared to have no end in sight, Apple and Samsung have started discussing the possibility of inking a royalties deal and putting an end to all of their litigation, an official at the Korea Fair Trade Commission told the Korea Times in a report published on Sunday.
CNET reports that the talks are in their “working-level” stage right now. Apple and Samsung are “attempting to reduce differences over royalty payments.”
We’re told that reaching a deal as expeditiously as possible is a high priority for both parties.