4/13/21

Why Eco-Friendly Packaging Box?

With an estimated 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic circulating our oceans right now – and that number increasing by the day – plastic is a problem. Brands and packaging specialists are quickly turning their attention to materials that can replace plastic.

As mentioned earlier, single-use plastic effects are catastrophic and do not end or even begin with wastage treatment. Most customers are only aware of the process that happens at the end, but the truth is that serious harm is potentially caused at every stage of production, from being a raw material to transportation, manufacturing, and disposal.

Therefore, switching to eco-friendly packaging seems like a feasible solution to cut back on polluting our planet and endangering its inhabitants. And for this, the packaging industry and businesses have a major role in allowing environmentally friendly packaging to be part of the mainstream and, eventually, exponentially reduce if not eliminate plastic use.

Why Eco-Friendly Packaging Box?

12/19/15

Samsung and LG won't go with 4KHD displays in 2016, and maybe it's for the better

Sony being one of the top dogs in the display arena meant their desire to push the envelope on smartphones was no surprise. They were the first to bring 4KHD to a smartphone in the Sony Xperia Z5 Premium, and while that stat line sounds cool on paper it didn’t exactly bring the type of value we were expecting.

Namely, Sony later revealed that the display only goes into 4K mode when viewing 4K content, and stayed at 1080p at all other times. Still, it sounds pretty nice to have 4K on a smartphone, right?

Well, Samsung and LG don’t seem to think so, if DigiTimes is correct. The publication has heard from sources that Samsung and LG might opt to skip 4KHD for their 2016 flagship smartphones, which we expect to be the Samsung Galaxy S7 and all its variants, the Samsung Galaxy Note 6, the LG G5 and the LG V10.

There’s more than one reason why they decided against it:

The technology is too new, and there’s not enough content out to justify mass producing them yet.
Current implementation is not yet heat or power efficient.
Not enough other smartphone manufacturers have requested 4K displays, so mass producing it wouldn’t be cost efficient.
Those are all fine reasons that we can certainly agree with. Our biggest concern as consumers would be in the power efficiency department. It takes a lot of horsepower to constantly refresh that many pixels, and that could put an unnecessary burden on the chipset. It could potentially lead to performance issues if the display runs in 4K mode 24/7. And, well, you could say goodbye to even more of your beloved battery life.

And, really, do we even need 4K displays right now? While some may argue that the human eye can see past a certain pixel density, 4K at these small sizes provides way more room than most people need for normal usage. Sure, it might be nice for virtual reality uses where your eyes will be as close to the display as they’ll ever be, but QHD resolution already provides quite the immersive experience.

Someday these manufacturers will feel pressured to push the bar on display technology and start offering 4K panels in their smartphones, but if it doesn’t happen in 2016 we can’t say we’ll be sad about it. Let us know if you feel otherwise.

Molotov Signs Deals With LG And Samsung To Come To Your Smart TV

French startup Molotov wants to revolutionize your TV experience and it has partnered with most French networks. But software and content are nothing without a good distribution plan.

That’s why the company is partnering with smart TV makers to ship its app directly to your TV. Samsung and LG are both on board, and you can expect a Molotov app next to your Netflix app in the coming months if you live in France.

When it comes to LG, the company has been betting on webOS. Molotov will ship a webOS app for LG TVs.

As for Samsung, the startup expects to ship its app to Samsung smart TVs, tablets, phones and even a companion app for the Gear 2 watch. These TVs run Tizen, Samsung’s own operating system.

So it looks like Molotov is skipping ISP set-top boxes altogether to go with a combination of smart TV apps, mobile apps and a web interface — you can expect Android and iOS apps when the service launches early next year.

As a reminder, Molotov is backed by an impressive team with AlloCiné co-founder Jean-David Blanc, Canal+ co-founder Pierre Lescure, former TF1 executive Jean-Marc Denoual, and Gamekult and Sens Critique co-founder Kevin Kuipers. They already raised $11.2 million from Idinvest and a few business angels (€10 million) to build an over-the-top TV provider.

Molotov lets you watch live TV with a better interface. Instead of focusing on channels, the company focuses on content. It blends together catch-up services and live TV so that you don’t have to switch between multiple interfaces. Finally, it lets you search and bookmark content based on shows, topics, directors, etc.

With Molotov, you can record movies and TV shows on the company’s servers and watch everything months later. It’s also a great way to watch something on multiple devices. For instance, you can start watching something on your TV and finish it later on your phone. This is a promising product offering and something that could be quite successful in France.

Alphabet, Apple, and Samsung's Next Big Battle Could Be for the Ultimate Mobile Device

Am I the only one who wonders who gets the ticket when a self-driving car breaks a driving rule? Source: Alphabet/Google.

In a 2008 interview with Charlie Rose on PBS, Warren Buffett dropped an investing gem with his "three I's" theory. In all new markets, the Oracle said, there are three types of firms: the innovators, the imitators, the and idiots. And while the context of Buffett's quote was addressing the financial crisis and how we got there, the underlying premise is applicable to most new disruptive markets and their participants.

The innovators are able to create value by bringing a new product or service to market or significantly improving upon an existing one. Next come the imitators, who are able to create value by mostly copying the innovators. Finally, you have the idiots, who follow the other two but end up embarking on a value-destructive endeavor.

These designations seem particularly appropriate when it comes to the nascent plans in Silicon Valley toward disrupting the car market. With Samsung's (NASDAQOTH:SSNLF) admission that the South Korean electronics conglomerate plans to enter the industry, who's the potential innovator, imitator, and idiot of the future tech-car industry? This is early, and subject to change, but here are the apparent "three I's" at this juncture.

Alphabet seems to be a clear leader
Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) (nee Google) appears to be a clear leader here. The company is quite aggressive in its supposed moonshots, and this is one that may land right in investors' pockets. The company has been working on the project since 2009 and even provides reports on the progression of the program on a monthly basis, with 53 vehicles -- including 30 prototypes -- on the road as of last month.

Of course, the innovation appears to be Alphabet's autonomous technology. As of last month, the company had booked over 1 million self-driving miles since project inception. It appears the company is increasing in scope, as it's reporting 10,000 to 15,000 autonomous miles driven per week at the midpoint, good for 650,000 miles per year. It seems Alphabet will be the first to market and boast game-changing technology, but could this be due to the company's transparency on this project?

Apple is both an imitator and an innovator
It's often said that Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) doesn't create products; it re-creates them. The former appears to be true in this case, but it could be due to a difference in transparency. Unlike Google's openness on this project, with a dedicated website, Apple has been mostly tight-lipped about the project, with analysts given only a trail of hires and unnamed sources with which to figure out Cupertino's plans.

In fact, major outlets The Wall Street Journal and Reuters differ as to whether the car will be autonomous or a conventionally driven electronic vehicle, with WSJ recently reporting that the car will not initially be autonomous in time for its 2019 projected ship date.

In this case, Apple may bring a product to market earlier, and Apple's always an innovator when it comes to design, but it seems the true disruption -- driverless cars -- is not on the docket initially. In the end, it seems Apple is destined to be the imitator here. But that's OK, as imitators can still do well and add value to the company's bottom line.

Samsung appears to be the idiot in this regard
It appears Samsung gets the unfortunate moniker that's left. While Alphabet already has over half a decade of car-building experience, and Apple is heavily rumored to be on track to deliver a product in three years, Samsung's recent disclosure that it will enter the space seems late ... and forced. More recently, Samsung's been faulted for copying Apple in both products and design, and this seems no different.

Of course, the devil is in the details. Reuters' report centers on the company's initial focus on in-car entertainment, satellite navigation, and autonomous-driving technologies. This approach suggests that the company is looking to pair with traditional carmakers -- perhaps its South Korean brethren Hyundai -- which could speed its development and adoption time at the expense of full control and full monetization. If some of this sounds oddly familiar, it's because it's eerily similar to the converse of its smartphone strategy, where Alphabet's Android provides the operating system for Samsung's devices.

That said, it seems the next large battle between these technology giants could be for the ultimate mobile device: the car.

Something big just happened

I don't know about you, but I always pay attention when one of the best growth investors in the world gives me a stock tip. Motley Fool co-founder David Gardner (whose growth-stock newsletter was the best performing in the world as reported by The Wall Street Journal)* and his brother, Motley Fool CEO Tom Gardner, just revealed two brand new stock recommendations on Friday. Together, they've tripled the stock market's return over 12+ years. And while timing isn't everything, the history of Tom and David's stock picks shows that it pays to get in early on their ideas.

Whirlpool Accuses LG and Samsung of Dumping Washers

Whirlpool Corp. is asking the U.S. government to impose duties on washing machines made by Korean rivals Samsung Electronics Co. and LG Electronics Inc. in China.

In a petition filed with the government on Wednesday, the Benton Harbor, Mich.-based appliance maker alleges that the Korean companies have grabbed a bigger share of the U.S. market by selling washers at less than they cost to produce.

The petition from Whirlpool comes less than three years after the U.S. Commerce Department imposed duties of about 9% to 13% on washers made by those companies in Mexico and South Korea for export to the U.S. Whirlpool says LG and Samsung responded to those duties by shifting production to China, circumventing the duties.

A Samsung spokeswoman said the company was confident U.S. authorities would find it hadn’t violated trade rules. An LG spokesman predicted the investigation would “show that LG’s washers have not been sold unfairly in the U.S. market and have not been causing any injury to the U.S. industry.”

Whirlpool’s petition covers full-size top-load and front-load washers, along with certain washer parts, made by the Korean companies in China. Many of those washers retail for between $500 and $1,000 in the U.S.

Using estimates of production costs, the Commerce Department will have to rule on whether the Korean companies are dumping these products, or selling them at unfairly low prices. Another U.S. agency, the International Trade Commission, would determine whether the pricing practices are injuring Whirlpool and other U.S. manufacturers.

Whirlpool estimated in its petition that the washers made by LG and Samsung in China accounted for 31% of the U.S. market in this year’s first nine months, up from 6% in 2012.

“Samsung and LG replaced their dumped washers from Korea and Mexico with dumped washers from China,” Whirlpool said. The company expects the Commerce Department to make a preliminary ruling by July.

The Korean companies, offering sleek designs and sophisticated control panels, have gained share in both kitchen and laundry appliances. Samsung’s share of the U.S. market for major appliances in dollar terms surged to nearly 13% in the year ended June 30 from 0.7% in 2006, according to estimates from Stevenson Co.’s TraQline service. In the same period, LG’s estimated share jumped to 13% from 3.4%.

Whirlpool said it has 15,000 manufacturing workers at nine plants in the U.S. The company said its plant in Clyde, Ohio, is the world’s biggest manufacturing location for washers.

In a separate case, the U.S. International Trade Commission in 2012 rejected Whirlpool’s demand for tariffs on refrigerators made by Samsung and LG. The Korean companies denied the allegation.

Samsung takes Apple patent battle to US Supreme Court

Samsung's taking its suit against Apple all the way to the Supreme Court -- if the justices will consider the case, that is.

The South Korean electronics giant on Monday filed a request with the highest court in the US, asking it to re-examine the decisions made in the patent infringement lawsuits pitting Samsung against Apple. The trial, which ended in 2012, cast a bright light on the designs behind some of the most popular smartphones, and it resulted in Samsung ultimately having to pay Apple $548 million.

"While Samsung prefers to compete in the marketplace, not the courtroom, the company feels that it is important to appeal this case to the US Supreme Court on behalf of all US companies, big and small, that could be affected if this legal precedent stands," Samsung said in a statement.

If the Supreme Court decides to take the case, its eventual decision could have a ripple effect on the technology industry and the kinds of gadgets you'll be able to buy. Samsung and some of Silicon Valley's biggest players, including Google and Facebook, have argued that the lower-court ruling as it stands may have a "devastating impact" on the introduction of new products because of a heightened fear of legal challenges. Apple said all along that it was doing what was necessary to defend its intellectual property and the value of its blockbuster iPhone franchise.

It's unclear whether the Supreme Court will consider the case. It hasn't looked at a suit involving design patents since the 1800s. Those cases involved a spoon handle, a carpet, a saddle and a rug. Since that time, a lot has changed, including the introduction of electronic devices like the ones Apple and Samsung make. Samsung wants the Supreme Court to give guidance on what's covered by design patents and what damages can be collected.

Asking the Supreme Court to hear a case "is always an uphill battle," said Mark Lemley, an intellectual property law professor at Stanford Law School. "But this is a very high-profile case."

The original trial, which pitted two of the world's largest tech companies against each other, captivated Silicon Valley and the tech industry because it exposed the inner workings of two notoriously secretive companies. It was just one of many trials around the world as the two rivals sparred both in the marketplace and in the courtroom. At issue were design patents for a black, rectangular, round-cornered front face; a similar rectangular round-cornered front face plus the surrounding rim, known as the bezel; and a colorful grid of 16 icons.

Apple and Samsung last year agreed to bury the hatchet in their overseas cases, but their US suits have continued. Earlier this month, Samsung said it would pay Apple the $548 million that the courts have ordered it to pay, and its Supreme Court request won't change that unless the justices come back with a ruling that reverses earlier decisions.

One of the questions the Supreme Court could potentially settle is the penalty for infringing upon a design. Instead of damages being based on the specific value of the item infringed, they're determined by the profits for the overall device. In the case of smartphones, that could be the difference between pennies and hundreds of dollars per device.

While a big company like Samsung can afford lawyer and court fees, it also fears copycat lawsuits by so-called patent trolls. The broader concern is that smaller companies facing a pricey lawsuit may have to scrap their entire operations, depriving you of their next killer gadgets.

"It's bad for innovation, and it's bad for competition," a Samsung representative told CNET. "We're dealing with a really old law, and we need a sensible interpretation for modern times, the modern marketplace and modern products."

Apple declined to offer a comment on the Supreme Court filing. It referred instead to its statement at the time of the 2012 ruling, when it said that the decision sent "a loud and clear message that stealing isn't right."

The Supreme Court likely will decide by February whether to take the case, Lemley said.

Samsung Pay works with 19 more banks in the US

Samsung has signed a deal that'll get its smartphone-based payments system accepted with 19 more banks in the US. The agreement means that you'll now be able to use your Galaxy smartphone as a substitute for a PNC Visa and KeyBank MasterCard credit and debit card. In addition, the partnership means that plenty of regional issuers are now signed up, including TCF Bank, Utah Community Credit Union and USC Credit Union. If you've yet to make a splash into the realm of Samsung Pay, you'll need to grab a Galaxy S6 variant or a Note 5 and download the app from Google Play and dash to your nearest franchise coffee house.