Latest news with #GSX
Economic Times
09-06-2025
- Economic Times
Apple Event 2025: Liquid Glass meltdown? iOS 26 redesign explodes in memes and backlash — Here's why
Apple's unveiling of its all-new Liquid Glass design for iOS 26 at the WWDC 2025 event has triggered a wave of online chatter, with Twitter (X) emerging as the epicentre of global reactions. Billed as the most dramatic visual shift since iOS 7, the update marks a departure from Apple's long-standing minimalist aesthetic—but not all users seem redesign, which brings a glass-like transparency and a sense of spatial depth to the iOS interface, was introduced with much fanfare. However, the (Twitterverse) Xverse—often the first to deliver unfiltered verdicts—offered a mixed, and at times humorous, response. Apple claims the Apple Liquid Glass design aims to blend elegance with functionality, bringing fluid visuals across native apps and throughout the operating system. The design incorporates translucent layers that shift with movement, aiming to create a more immersive, intuitive user experience. Drawing inspiration from the recently launched Apple Vision Pro and paving the way for the upcoming 20th-anniversary iPhone, iOS 26 is being positioned as a visual leap Apple executives described the update as one designed to 'bring joy and delight,' many users appeared more amused than users quickly responded with a barrage of memes and tongue-in-cheek commentary. Battery health concerns and performance issues were among the top gripes. One user wrote, 'My 85% battery health iPhone 13 trying to run Liquid Glass on iOS 26.' My 85% battery health iPhone 13 trying to run Liquid Glass on iOS 26 — GSX (@GigaSyntax) June 9, 2025 Another popular tweet mocked Apple's focus, saying,'Market: 'we want AI.' Apple: best we can do is liquid glass display.' Market: "we want AI" Apple: best we can do is liquid glass display$AAPL #WWDC25 — Javelin Capital (@Jimmy_Javelin) June 9, 2025 Comments also took aim at usability, with one user stating,'The new liquid glass looks abysmal and is a perfect example of focusing on form over functionality. Like, what are we doing here?' the new liquid glass looks abysmal and is a perfect example of focusing on form/prettiness/design over of functionality/readability/practicality like, what are we doing here — puddi (@puddi) June 9, 2025 These sentiments were echoed by others who felt the redesign placed too much emphasis on aesthetics at the expense of readability and practical performance. "Liquid Glass" — Morning Brew ☕️ (@MorningBrew) June 9, 2025 So Apple is throwing accessibility to the wind with their liquid glass design? None of this looks easy to read especially for people like me with learning disabilities, specifically Dyslexia. What happened to universal design? #WWDC25 #WWDC2025 #UniversalDesign — Dani Alexandria (@DaniAlexMusic) June 9, 2025 Is it just me or does liquid glass make everything hard to read? #AppleEvent — Nick Godwin @ WWDC25 (@nickgdwn) June 9, 2025 Despite the criticism, a section of the Apple faithful praised the bold visual shift, calling it 'a breath of fresh air' and a welcome evolution from the flat, clinical interface that had defined iOS for over a decade. Some drew comparisons to the skeuomorphic-to-flat transition seen in iOS 7, noting that early skepticism back then eventually gave way to widespread experts have noted that Apple Liquid Glass design may signal a move toward more tactile, human-centric digital environments as hardware capabilities continue to grow. However, critics argue that such changes should enhance rather than complicate the user the public beta of iOS 26 expected in July and a full rollout planned for later this year, it remains to be seen whether Apple will refine aspects of the design based on user feedback—or if it will stick to its vision, betting that initial resistance will fade with then, Twitter remains a real-time forum for users grappling with the implications of translucent icons and shimmering menu bars—one witty post at a Glass is Apple's new design language for iOS 26, featuring translucent, glass-like interface elements that shift dynamically based on ambient light and device movement. It brings depth, spatial layering, and fluid visuals to the operating system. Apple unveiled the Liquid Glass design at its WWDC 2025 event, positioning it as the most significant iOS visual redesign since iOS 7.
Motor Trend
27-05-2025
- Automotive
- Motor Trend
A-Body Brothers In Arms: The Buick GS 455 vs. Oldsmobile 442 W-30
[Editor's Note: This article first appeared in the Winter 2011 issue of MotorTrend Classic] Imagine the Indianapolis Colts playing the New York Giants in the Super Bowl. Payton versus Eli, Manning-a-Manning. It could have happened, but now it probably won't. It did happen with two other brothers, not in an NFL game, but on streets and dragstrips. Oldsmobile 4-4-2 W-30 versus Buick GS 455 Stage 1, A-body brothers each considered the 'gentleman's musclecar.' Sibling rivals from the era when GM divisions competed more with each other than with Ford, Chrysler, or AMC. John Z. DeLorean started it all with a third brother, the 1964 Pontiac GTO. Olds dropped a 400-cube, four-barrel dual exhaust into the Cutlass to create the 4-4-2 a few months later. When the 1965 Buick GS arrived within a year, it technically violated GM's 400-cubic-inch-displacement limit for A-body cars. Badged as 400, its Wildcat V-8 was a 401-cube 'Nailhead' V-8. GM replaced its 1964-'67 A-bodies with new 1968 models, with new sheetmetal scheduled for every two years. Through '69, the GTO was GM's preeminent musclecar, and the 4-4-2 was its more refined brother, with better handling. The subtle, more relaxed GS wasn't a contender. GM did away with its 400-cube limit for the 1970 model year, and Buick was ready, especially after the 1969 Opel GT launch. 'The increase in showroom floor traffic when the GT went on display early in April was almost unbelievable,' reads the Buick Engineering Production Information Department's outline of the 1970 GSX. 'Some Buick dealers reported 5000 people through their showrooms in one weekend.' Paul Haddock, owner of the 1972 Buick GS 455 Stage 1 on these pages, sent a copy of that report. He also owns a 1970 Stage 1 hardtop and a 1971 GS 455 convertible. The GSX, a 455-cubic-inch Buick A-body with 'mod' graphics typical of the era, would be the Skylark's halo model, which Buick hoped might help close the model's 50,000-unit annual sales gap relative to the Olds Cutlass. When torque came to shove, it wasn't the GSX, with un-Buick-like flat black stripes on deep-yellow paint, that gave the GS street cred. It was the Stage 1 455. 'It's the car that beat the Hemi 'Cuda,' allows Mike Bivins, owner of the 1971 Olds 4-4-2 W-30 sharing these pages with Haddock's Stage 1. Like Manning versus Manning, the Olds versus Buick musclecar rivalry would be short-lived. Car insurance rates were rising steeply by the late '60s, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, established in December 1970, enacted immediate restrictions on leaded premium fuel. Stricter regs were due in 1975. Olds and Buick lowered the compression ratio on their blueprinted 1971 W-30 and Stage 1 engines from 10.5:1 to 8.5:1 and complied with a mandated switch from SAE gross to net horsepower reporting. By 1972, the Hemi 'Cuda that Buick beat in '70 was gone, and the Plymouth pony's top engine was a 260-hp, 340 cubic-inch V-8. A year later, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries staged their first oil embargo. 0:00 / 0:00 'Despite the almost total demise of the high compression/premium fuel engine, the '71 Super Cars have managed to retain their essential vitality,' A.B. Shuman wrote in the October 1970 issue of Motor Trend. In Shuman's story, the Buick GS 455 Stage 1 edged a '71 W-30 prototype with a four-speed stick and '70 sheetmetal, recording a 6.5-second 0-60 run to the Olds' 6.6. It was quicker than the GTO, Chevy Chevelle SS 454, Camaro Z28, and Plymouth Road Runner. Shuman asked Olds for an automatic W-30 to see what effect its combo of torque converter and different valve timing would have. It beat the Buick with a 6.1 second 0-60. Motor Trend's test of the '72 GS Stage 1 was a sidebar to a June 1972 comparison entitled 'Sayonara Supercar.' 'The amazing thing, considering all that's happened just in the area of emissions controls,' Shuman wrote, 'is that a car that runs like the GS Stage 1 could still exist.' It was faster than the manual GTO and W-30 automatic of 1972, beating the latter by 0.8 seconds in 0-60-mph times and by 0.4 second and 5 mph in the quarter. Haddock's 1972 Stage 1 exists only because a 1971 United Auto Workers strike delayed GM's 'Colonnade' A-body replacements by one model year. Ad huckster 'Dr. Oldsmobile's' 4-4-2 was a separate model from 1967 to '71, then became an option package on Cutlasses again in 1972. The '72 face-lifts were minimal, with chrome headlamp surrounds as on Bivins' car on the '71 Olds and Buick, flat black surrounds as on Haddock's car on the '72s, and tweaked grille meshes. Bivins' Olds doesn't have the two vertical pieces that split the taillamps into thirds like the '72 models. Black rubber trim surrounds the taillamps on Haddock's 1972 GS, but not on his '71. The Olds is the epitome of Bill Mitchell's organic 'fuselage' surfacing, with a large, split grille and a sleek fastback with strong, muscular rear shoulders. The Buick is sublime with two small ram air intakes near the center of the hood, where the W-30 has two gigantic golden scoops. Side surfacing is more creased, lending the GS a kind of abstract Coke-bottle shape. Haddock has restuffed his driver's seat, so you sit high in the Buick. Both tachometers are hard to read behind thin-rimmed steering wheels. The Oldsmobile's tach is of the tick-tock variety, and Bivins' car features a Hurst dual-gate shifter, with a separate gate for 'manual' shifting. It's easier to simply set either Turbo-Hydramatic in 'drive' and put your foot to the floor. The steering in both cars has more play than a kindergarten gym. Neither has the kind of lean or wallow most contemporaries would display even on gentle turns. Though it feels slightly quicker, the GS has less squat and tighter, more refined body control. Those huge ram air intakes on the W-30 makes the Oldsmobile feel bigger from behind the wheel. Its engine warmed, the W-30 starts immediately. The Stage 1 needs a quarter-throttle. Haddock put '70 Stage 1 10.5:1 pistons in his '72 because, 'Why wouldn't I?' Both are stronger cars than other '70s musclecars, their power coming on strong at the mid-range, with a NASCAR growl that would do a modern car proud. Don't take my word for it. I ask Mike and Paul to trade keys. 'Are they going to be diplomatic, or truthful?' Mike's wife, Laurie, asks. Mike Bivins: 'That one was right smooth going down the highway, smooth shifting. Seemed like it had a bit hotter cam. Good driving car. I didn't stand on it, because I didn't want to have to buy Paul a new motor. It has more brakes.' Paul Haddock: 'I was surprised at the similarities between the cars. They both kind of feel the same. Set up the same. The hood feels awfully long on that W-30. I like the dual-gate shifter. I think Buick was playing to a more conservative customer. The Olds looks more aggressive.' Diplomatic indeed. 'Well, we're gentlemen, right?' Haddock says. 'The Olds and Buick guys are gentlemen.' 1971 Oldsmobile 442 W-30 Ask The Man Who Own One Mike Bivins owns Tri-Tech Incorporated, a handrail and metal fabrication manufacturer in Austell, Georgia ( He bought his W-30 in 2002, five years after he offered to purchase it from a fellow Oldsmobile Club of America member and has since sold his first collectible, a 1967 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme sport coupe. Why I Like IT: 'Its sportiness. I like that it's a big-block car and a ram air car.' Why It's Collectible: 'Only 920 were made, and probably half are gone. It shows what GM could do 40 years ago and how advanced they were, and when performance and sportiness were critical.' Restoring/Maintaining: 'Drive it pretty regularly, especially with ethanol fuels. I use an additive to try to help with that. Change the oil regularly, and an Oldsmobile engine will last.' Beware: Clones. Local Olds Club chapters can help tell if you've got an authentic W-30. Its carburetors have unique jets. Bivins has even found 'W-30' stamped on the end of his car's camshaft. 'Buy one that's all but done. You're going to save money in the long run.' GM A-bodies are known for leaky front and rear windows. Expect To Pay: (W-30 coupe) Concours-ready: $39,950, Solid driver: $21,000, Tired runner: $11,550 Join The Club: Oldsmobile Club of America ( Our Take Then: 'The car made top marks in standing start acceleration, though it couldn't match the four-speeds in the passing range.' —A.B. Shuman, MotorTrend, October 1970 Now: The 4-4-2 W-30 is a stylish Belle Epoch musclecar, a quick and refined step up from the Pontiac GTO. 1972 Buick GS 455 Ask The Man Who Own One Paul Haddock owns Fairclough & Company, a men's fine clothing store in Charlotte, North Carolina ( His father drove LeSabre and Wildcat company cars in the '60s and '70s. Haddock bought the '72 Stage 1, one of his three GS models, about 15 years ago. He drove it unrestored 'just for fun,' then restored the car about eight years ago. Haddock repaired bodywork from front and rear window leaks, replaced the radiator support and battery box, rebuilt the engine and transmission, and replaced a front fender that had a rusted-out support. He traded a Chevy Suburban for the paint job. Why I Like It: 'I love a Buick because it's a sleeper. People just don't really get it most of the time, and it's got all the horsepower and torque you need.' Why It's Collectible: 'It was the underrated musclecar of the era. People are just beginning to understand in the last 10 or so years what they really are and were. Buick fans always knew.' Restoring/Maintaining: 'Driving the car is the best thing you can do to maintain it. General use keeps the battery up and gas running through it; so use is your friend. I mix racing gas in, from time to time—gets the octane up.' Beware: 'If you want a true, investment-grade Stage 1, get the documentation that it's a numbers-matching car. Make sure you have the correct engine, the correct transmission for the car. Guys drive a Stage 1 hard and blow a motor and throw another Buick motor in. Contact the GS club of America to check VIN codes. GM A-bodies catch stuff in the lower fender wells; the battery trays rust and corrode. All those can be fixed if it's not a totally right car.' Expect To Pay: (Stage 1 coupe) Concours-ready: $44,450, Solid driver: $23,400, Tired runner: $12,850 Join The Clubs: Buick Club of America ( Buick GS Club of America ( Our Take Then: 'In the final analysis, Buick builds a pretty good car, because, on top of everything else, it is quiet, smooth, and rattle free.'—A.B. Shuman, MotorTrend, June 1972 Now: It's a clean, trim, upper-middle premium intermediate with more power than more common contemporaries.
Martechvibe
07-05-2025
- Business
- Martechvibe
Sinch Partners with OneReach.ai
To combine global messaging capabilities with AI agent orchestration, Sinch has partnered with Staff Writer 40 minutes ago Sinch, known for its Customer Communications Cloud, announced a strategic partnership with a player in the Forrester Wave and Gartner Magic Quadrant for Conversational AI. This partnership will empower businesses worldwide to rapidly deploy customised agentic AI experiences across the communication channels their customers use most. As companies increasingly embrace AI to scale personalised engagement, this collaboration combines Sinch's enterprise-grade global messaging, voice, and email capabilities with Generative Studio X (GSX)—an end-to-end platform that enables organisations to build, deploy, and orchestrate AI-native applications. Together, Sinch and aim to set a new standard for making it easy to incorporate agentic AI in customer communications. ALSO READ: Sinch Launches Smart Conversations GSX helps businesses to rapidly develop and orchestrate AI agents capable of handling complex, omni-channel interactions that leverage real-time data, coordinate across systems, and improve over time. With over 1,000 pre-built components and a composable architecture, GSX helps organisations automate workflows, reduce costs, and increase satisfaction across both customer and employee touchpoints. 'At Sinch, we're relentlessly focused on helping businesses create personalised, relevant, and timely experiences on the channels that matter most,' said Robert Gerstmann, Chief Evangelist and Co-Founder at Sinch. 'Our partnership with expands on that mission – combining our intelligent global communications infrastructure with their powerful AI agent orchestration platform.' He further added, 'This is one of many collaborations where Sinch is powering the next generation of agentic AI through our enterprise-grade architecture, scale, and global presence.' ALSO READ: Sinch Partners With Salesforce For Messaging Solution With open architecture and extensive library of pre-built integrations—including CRM, ERP, and IT Service Management systems—enterprises can add communications to existing business processes, ensuring data flows freely and AI agents can act with full context and precision. 'We chose to add Sinch as a partner to amplify the reach of our AI Agent Orchestration Platform, particularly given their global leadership in CPaaS and RCS,' said Robb Wilson, CEO at 'With GSX, we're enabling enterprises to transform customer and employee experiences by combining our strengths in intelligent automation with Sinch's strength in global communications infrastructure, offering unmatched flexibility in deploying sophisticated agentic solutions.' Sinch's approach to AI is rooted in intentional intelligence – leveraging the right tools and partnerships to deliver smarter, safer conversational experiences. As a provider across industries like financial services, healthcare, and telecom, Sinch supports agentic AI through enterprise-grade architecture, significant scale, and a global reach. Together with partners like Sinch is helping companies to connect with customers at every step of their journey. ALSO READ: Cognigy Launched Agentic AI The Martechvibe team works with a staff of in-house writers and industry experts. View More Locala's omnichannel advertising platform leverages granular insights and cutting-edge AI to help marketers plan, activate, and measure campaigns that are personalised to the local consumer. It specialises in transforming complex mobility and consumer data into actionable audience insights, fueling advanced media strategies. 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Some of the criteria for its API endpoints include Backlinks, Organic & Paid Traffic, SERPs, Website health score and more. VISIT WEBSITE StackAdapt is a multi-channel programmatic advertising platform, enabling digital marketers to customise their strategy. It offers open and flexible DSP (Digital Signal Processing) capabilities for executing tailored ad campaigns. Furthermore, its ad previewer lets marketing teams preview video, display and native ads on desktop or mobile across 500+ publishers, covering 23 verticals. VISIT WEBSITE Rakuten is a global affiliate ad technology company, enabling advertisers to optimise their marketing strategies with data-driven insights. It offers AI-powered forecasting and benchmarking capabilities and dynamic multi-touch commissioning tools, allowing advertisers to customise their campaigns. It also supports first-party data collection integrations for both B2B and B2C marketers. VISIT WEBSITE Nielsen offers Nielsen Ad Intel, a cross-platform advertising intelligence platform with actionable insights to identify prospects, analyse brand strategies and learn from past advertising campaigns. It offers various advertising intelligence features such as ad spend monitoring, competitive benchmarking, global competitive insights and expert data harmonisation. VISIT WEBSITE Magnite is an independent sell-side advertising technology provider, enabling publishers to monetise their content across all screens and formats. It offers Magnite Streaming, a singular supply-side platform that merges technology from the Magnite CTV and SpotX platforms. Utilising this functionality, marketers can identify their potential audiences to restructure their targeting strategies. VISIT WEBSITE IBM offers a comprehensive suite of Watson Advertising to agencies and marketers. With Watson Advertising's AI-powered assistant, advertisers can customise their advertisements, based on real-time ad results. It also supports functionalities of cookieless advertising, ad fraud management and brand safety measurements. VISIT WEBSITE Google features a comprehensive list of AI-powered Ad tools under its Google Ads offering. Some of its popular tools include Keywords Planner, Ads Editor, Reach Planner, Ads Mobile App, Insights Finder, Ads API, and Recommendations Page. Additionally, it offers Google AdMob to help businesses plan their in-app revenue generation strategy. VISIT WEBSITE Criteo is an all-in-one connected commerce media platform, enabling marketers and agencies to scale their digital and physical assets. Leveraging the capabilities of its AI-powered technology, brands can develop strategies for intent-based product recommendations, multi-prolonged accessibility, contextual advertising, and more. VISIT WEBSITE Basis Tecnologies (formerly known as Centro), is a programmatic advertising platform, offering ad management tools for search, social and site direct via a single interface. Its flagship products are Basis Assistant and Basis Automate+. Basis Assistant is a Chrome extension, connecting 20+ platforms and tools, and Basis Automate+ is a digital advertising automation tool for simplifying campaign process. VISIT WEBSITE AppsFlyer is a mobile attribution company, helping mobile advertisers to identify their ad network. It offers a measurement suite, giving app marketers full visibility into their customer journeys while preserving their privacy. Utilising its AI-powered Creative Optimisation platform, marketers can formulate their creative strategy. VISIT WEBSITE Adtriba is a cross-channel digital marketing management platform based on data-driven attribution modelling. Its solutions include Adtriba Triangulation, enabling advertisers to witness the integration of diverse measurement methods, such as Marketing Mix Modelling (MMM), Multi-Touch Attribution (MTA) and Incrementality Testing. VISIT WEBSITE Adobe Experience Cloud offers connected advertising solutions with its natively integrated Adobe Advertising platform. Its consultancy-based reporting options come with AI-powered optimisation features, helping advertisers analyse their ad performance via 200+ measurement metrics. Utilising its connected TV (CTV) and search, social, and commerce tools, marketers can optimise their customer acquisition strategy. VISIT WEBSITE specialises in Conversational AI, generating autonomous conversations that appear human-like. These conversations form the foundation of brand engagement. Their AI-powered, no-code Dynamic Automation Platform manages around two billion conversations from a multitude of channels in numerous languages. VISIT WEBSITE Sprinklr offers a comprehensive suite of 250+ AI-intent bot templates for various industry verticals to accelerate bot development. Its specialised AI and compliant rule engine enables marketers to modify and automate their promotional campaigns for better engagement via suggestion-based personalised bots. VISIT WEBSITE Meta's new class of generative AI features and creative tools allow users to create and share custom stickers or update the visual style of their photos with a simple text prompt. They can also chat with 28 different AIs and get unique perspectives on topics like travel, games and food. VISIT WEBSITE is a UI-based platform that allows marketers to create a chatbot quickly and deploy it easily on multiple channels. Leveraging the capabilities of its conversational builder, enterprises can build the Dialogflow using dialogue messages. Some of its popular offerings include XO: Experience Optimisation and GALE(Beta). VISIT WEBSITE IBM watsonx Assistant is an interactive virtual agent that utilises natural language and AI, enabling users to set it up on their app and website. It offers fast and accurate responses to customers, enhancing their overall experience and satisfaction with its adaptive learning capabilities. VISIT WEBSITE Haptik helps enterprises manage their customer lifecycle with generative AI-powered conversational solutions to boost marketing and sales. It offers Contakt and Interakt to enhance overall CX, where Interakt enables marketers to send hyper-targeted and personalised campaigns to drive customers to take action on WhatsApp. VISIT WEBSITE Dialogflow is an all-in-one platform for developing chatbots, voice bots, and virtual agents using natural language understanding and Google AI. It helps marketing teams create conversational agents that can handle common customer requests and issues, such as FAQs, and order status at scale. VISIT WEBSITE Dialpad is a fully integrated unified conversation intelligence platform that utilises ongoing ML(Machine Learning) algorithms and does not require coding to configure a chatbot. It offers real-time insights and tips, helping marketing teams customise their approach for every customer. VISIT WEBSITE is a low code-no code, enterprise-grade generative AI platform offering readily available LLMs for CX transformations. Its omnichannel reporting and analytics suite for marketing enables organisations to streamline their customer journeys. VISIT WEBSITE is a global conversational AI technology provider optimised for operational efficiency at scale. It offers self-learning AI capabilities that emphasise Natural Language Understanding (NLU) along with intent suggestions. VISIT WEBSITE Avaamo is an all-in-one conversational AI platform for enterprises offering a suite of industry-specific skills developed to automate and resolve common use cases. It offers Outreach, which enables marketers to educate and engage with customers across existing touchpoints through proactive and personalised communication. VISIT WEBSITE Amazon Lex offers fully managed conversational AI interfaces with advanced natural language models to design, build, test, and deploy conversational interfaces in applications. It enables sales and marketing teams to automate user tasks in their applications like the CRM and across any digital channel. VISIT WEBSITE Zendesk is an AI-powered customer feedback software provider, offering customer satisfaction (CSAT) software to businesses across multiple industries. Its marketplace offers 1600+ apps and integrations, enabling marketers to create a complete customer feedback system. VISIT WEBSITE UserVoice provides product feedback management software for SaaS businesses. Its UserVoice Validation tool delivers actionable user insights to inform roadmap strategy. From testing ideas to ensuring satisfaction with released features, it helps research and marketing teams gather quick user feedback throughout the entire product lifecycle. VISIT WEBSITE Twilio provides integrated Mindful Feedback functionality within its Flex offering, enabling marketers to automatically take action based on real-time customer feedback. It automatically collects customer feedback after Flex interactions by capturing feedback over post-call voice IVR, outbound voice IVR, conversational SMS, Web SMS, email, and web surveys. VISIT WEBSITE Trustpilot offers ML and AI-powered feedback management tools, helping marketers build trust and loyalty through customer reviews. Its AI-driven Review Insights tool enables marketers to identify growth areas from negative feedback, whereas its Image Generator tool lets them enhance social media engagement. VISIT WEBSITE Survey Monkey is a global online survey and forms tech stack provider, offering AI-fueled market research solutions to businesses. Its enterprise feedback management program provides 250+ templates with the capabilities of customisation, allowing organisations to build tailored survey forms. VISIT WEBSITE Sprinklr is a unified customer experience platform (CXM), offering AI-powered feedback management capabilities with its flagship product: Sprinklr Surveys. It integrates solicited customer feedback with unified-CXM data, enabling brands to derive meaningful, actionable insights. Utilising its genAI-powered survey builder, marketers can create conversational surveys to streamline their NPS strategies. VISIT WEBSITE Salesforce is a comprehensive customer-oriented technology provider offering a feedback management suite. Salesforce's survey responses help marketers create personalised surveys based on their existing customers' data. Some of the supported applications of its feedback management platform are genAI-powered survey form development and sentiment-insights-based survey collections. VISIT WEBSITE QuestionPro is an online feedback software provider, offering ready-made survey templates to businesses across 40+ countries. Leveraging the capabilities of its customer satisfaction templates, advertisers and marketers can create and gather tailored questions. VISIT WEBSITE Qualtrics is an all-in-one customer experience solution provider, offering website & app feedback tools for organisations to collect customer feedback efficiently. Its digital experience analytics capabilities combined with DXA integrations, bring together verbal and behavioural data for in-depth analysis of user feedback. VISIT WEBSITE HubSpot is a one-stop marketing platform, providing customer feedback software under its Service Hub offerings. Its pre-built APIs include net promote score (NPS), customer effort score (CES), and customer satisfaction (CSAT) surveys, allowing marketers to strengthen their customer loyalty strategy. VISIT WEBSITE Medallia is a comprehensive platform, enabling marketers to capture feedback from all customer touch points. Some of its popular feedback management software capabilities include Sense360 for analysing consumer spending, Medallia Video to automatically extract meaningful insights from customer's feedbacks and Agile Research for creating branded surveys in real-time. VISIT WEBSITE Zeotap lets brands integrate, unify, segment and orchestrate customer data, fostering a cookieless future. It offers a 'Non-Customer Entity Data' feature that helps marketers to integrate both customer and non-customer entity data. VISIT WEBSITE Twilio provides, Twilio Segment, an AI-powered CDP, enabling marketers to streamline their personalised customer engagement journeys. It brings together clean, consented customer data for real-time insights with 450+ pre-built connectors. VISIT WEBSITE Syntasa provides data-ready CDP capabilities, equipping marketers with essential tools to prepare their customer data. It offers real-time sentiment analytics capabilities, helping enterprises derive behavioural insights from unified user profiles to foster hyper-personalised experiences. VISIT WEBSITE SAP is a company-wide customer data management platform, helping marketers improve engagement, conversion, and retention. It offers a genAI-powered data model, enabling enterprises to unify their B2B and B2C customers' profiles to reach their personalisation goals. VISIT WEBSITE Oracle is a global database management company, providing CDP solutions, under its flagship product: Oracle Unity. Its AI-powered models enable marketers to create hyper-personsalised campaigns with predictive insights by streamlining real-time customer data from heterogeneous sources. VISIT WEBSITE Growthloop is a composable CDP platform, allowing marketing and sales team to action their data at scale. It offers GrowthLoop Audience Builder, enabling marketers to initiate their lead generation functions. VISIT WEBSITE Adobe Experience Cloud offers a real-time CDP, letting users create high-value audience segments for B2C and B2B use cases across their marketing funnel. It follows a cookieless marketing approach to automatically unify customer data across various online and offline channels in real-time. VISIT WEBSITE ActionIQ is a composable CDP platform that offers audience segmentation, acquisition marketing, and Customer 360 capabilities. It integrates analytical tools, enabling marketers to collect and analyse their first-party customer data at scale. VISIT WEBSITE Zoho CRM leverages automation and comprehensive analytics to empower any sales team, fostering stronger customer loyalty. Ideal for both small businesses and enterprises, this software enables enhanced productivity and tailored solutions through predictive intelligence. VISIT WEBSITE Zendesk offers Zendesk Sell, an easy-to-deploy CRM platform that is simple to deploy and navigate, catering to businesses of any scale. Its mobile-friendly Sell app has the functionalities of geolocation, helping sales and marketing teams. Offering an all-in-one CRM platform, organisations can implement use cases like prospecting, engagement, lead generation and communication capabilities. VISIT WEBSITE SugarCRM is a global CRM software provider, helping marketing, sales, and service teams improve efficiency through automation, data, and intelligence in near real-time. It offers Sugar Market, an all-in-one marketing automation platform that helps marketers to automate their campaign with higher ROI. VISIT WEBSITE Salesforce is a one-stop sales and support CRM software that regularly updates customer records, tracks emails and calls, and creates organised support processes for quicker customer responses. Its simple and scalable infrastructure is ideal for businesses of all sizes. VISIT WEBSITE Pipedrive stands out with its emphasis on automation, tailorability, and seamless integration. Purposefully built to enhance the efficiency and productivity of sales professionals, this CRM solution has an intuitive setup and robust capabilities. It facilitates lead generation, comprehensive sales analytics, and seamless business expansion. VISIT WEBSITE Oracle NetSuite CRM, a component of Oracle's business software suite, is for all midsize and booming businesses that want a comprehensive, integrated CRM solution with ERP capabilities. Using it, customers and partners can directly interact with the platform, freeing the additional work load for their sales team. VISIT WEBSITE Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales represents a robust cloud-based CRM solution brimming with features such as pipeline assessment, relationship analytics, and conversational intelligence. It utilises AI-powered insights to provide actionable intelligence via predictive analytics, lead scoring and sentiment analysis. VISIT WEBSITE Less Annoying is a CRM software that utilises a straightforward search feature within its contact management system, making it easy to track contacts. It is ideal for small-sized businesses and offers a highly intuitive and user-friendly interface. VISIT WEBSITE Insightly offers CRM software solutions for enterprises looking to understand their audience data across various marketing functions. It integrates seamlessly with third-party apps, streamlining workflow automation, including bulk emailing and report generation. VISIT WEBSITE HubSpot's sleek dashboard with consolidated CRM tools simplify complex customer data, further transforming it into meaningful insights. Complementing typical CRM functionalities, HubSpot provides tailored options, including conversation intelligence and email monitoring. VISIT WEBSITE Apptivo delivers adaptable and web-based CRM solutions, enabling marketing and sales teams to streamline all customer service requirements across various devices and browsers. Despite its focused feature set, it encompasses over 65 interconnected applications alongside a robust sales pipeline management tool, ensuring efficient tracking of potential leads without any downtime. VISIT WEBSITE Sitecore offers composable cloud solutions with its flagship products, Sitecore Experience Platform(XP) and Sitecore Experience Manager (XM). They help marketers to overcome scalability challenges. Some of its features include intuitive visual editing, headless delivery, marketing automation, scalable personalisation, data and machine learning capabilities. VISIT WEBSITE Salesforce Experience Cloud is a platform that helps enterprises link clients, partners, and employees to securely exchange information and documents. Built on its Customer 360 platform, Salesforce's DXP ensures seamless integration with any solution in the Salesforce ecosystem. VISIT WEBSITE Oracle Cloud offers a comprehensive suite of platform-based marketing automation solutions for personalised B2B and B2C automation campaigns. Some of its featured products are Eloqua Marketing Automation, CrowdTwist Loyalty and Engagement, and Unity Customer Data Platform. VISIT WEBSITE Optimizely is a digital experience platform (DXP) provider that offers Optimizely One, an easy-to-use and fully integrated suite. It provides a single, unified workflow with thoughtfully embedded AI and machine-learning algorithms, accelerating work across the entire marketing lifecycle. VISIT WEBSITE OpenText offers a cloud-native, scalable platform for enterprises to streamline their marketing functions. It provides fully composable content management, digital asset management, creative workflows, personalisation, targeting and customer data technologies in one place, ensuring a holistic approach to B2B, B2E and B2C experiences. VISIT WEBSITE Neptune DXP is a PaaS(Platform-as-a-Service) provider, helping marketing teams build custom apps based on modular, reusable application building blocks. The company offers flexible environments to businesses across different verticals, further providing personalised digital solutions at scale. VISIT WEBSITE Magnolia is a composable DXP that comes with no-code connector packs and low-code micro-frameworks for third-party integrations. It also offers an open-source version alongside its commercial plans enabling enterprises to build tailored use cases. VISIT WEBSITE Liferay DXP helps marketers deliver personalised and connected digital experiences across a broad range of channels, including customer portals, websites, intranets, mobile apps, and connected devices. It offers intuitive CMS, user analytics, and site management tools that businesses need to launch, test and optimise digital experiences for faster go-to-market. VISIT WEBSITE Powered by IBM Consulting, IBM iX offers a composable DXP, providing a comprehensive solution to make enterprises' systems future-ready. Utilising its data-driven insights and intelligent workflows, marketers can design and deliver human-centred experiences across the customer lifecycle. VISIT WEBSITE HCL Digital Experience (DX), forms part of a wider HCL Customer Experience (CX) product portfolio, offering core capabilities such as content management, DAM, CDP called Signals, and low-code application development. It provides services in government, life sciences, insurance, financial services, and other verticals. VISIT WEBSITE Contentstack is a headless CMS and Composable Digital Experience Platform (DXP) solution provider that helps marketers gain a competitive edge. It recently launched into Google Cloud Marketplace, and is also available on Microsoft Azure and AWS. It seamlessly enables mid-market brands to adopt its omnichannel campaign engine to drive higher conversions and sales. VISIT WEBSITE Bloomreach Commerce Experience Cloud provides businesses an edge with its modular capabilities: Content Management System (CMS), Discovery features for search and merchandising optimisation, and Engagement tools such as Customer Data Platforms (CDP) for personalisation and analytics. VISIT WEBSITE Adobe Experience Cloud offers a comprehensive set of services specifically designed to address the day-to-day requirements for personalised customer experience at scale. Its platform helps manage different digital content and assets to improve customer satisfaction. Some of its products include Adobe Gen Studio, Experience Manager Sites, Real-time CDP, and Marketo Engage. VISIT WEBSITE Acquia offers DXP solutions, comprising of two main elements: Acquia Drupal Cloud and Acquia Marketing Cloud. It can be accessed in both platform-as-a-service (PaaS) and software-as-a-service (SaaS) with additional components such as Site Factory for multisite management, digital asset management (DAM), CDP, personalisation, and Campaign Studio. VISIT WEBSITE
Telegraph
20-04-2025
- Automotive
- Telegraph
The most (and least) popular classic car rentals, including an ‘oddball' Volkswagen Polo Harlequin
If you had the choice of renting a classic car, any classic car, and bringing a dream to life, or embarking on a special weekend away, what would you choose? A Jaguar E-type, an MGB or a quirky old VW camper, perhaps? All well and good, although we suggest that these three are a bit, well, obvious. According to the UK's largest collective of classic car owners hiring out their motors, the most requested vehicle is… a 1989 Nissan Bluebird 2.0i GSX automatic in silver. Yes, for those of you of a certain age, one of the very cars you'll have spent many a late weekend night in as it mini-cabbed you between bars, clubs and home three-and-a-half decades ago. Meanwhile, the least requested modern classic on the club's books is a 1996 Volkswagen Polo Harlequin. A what…? An initial eyeful of the oddball VW will provide an instant clue as to why classic car hirers steer clear of it: Harlequin by name, harlequin by nature: every panel is a different colour; hire it, and you'll need a certain type of in-built resistance to being stared at. Savvy classic car owners who want to make their indulgences as break-even or as profitable as possible join clubs such as Book A Classic, renting their cars to enthusiasts or the merely curious, who want a classic car experience but have neither funds nor storage to own one or, increasingly, for events and occasions ranging from weddings to photo shoots with celebrities. Claim to fame Yassin Kara, a telecare operator from west London, has owned a Nissan Bluebird for five years. It's a five-door automatic and costs £250 per day, self-drive. The model's main claim to fame is that it was the first wholly Japanese car to be assembled in the UK, in 1986. Kara said: 'It makes a popular rental, as people appreciate the analogue experience and its simplicity. Many hold a nostalgic connection to the Nissan Bluebird, reminiscing about cherished moments linked to the car or appreciating its design, which evokes memories from their younger days. 'My father owned one during my childhood and I vividly remember the thrill when we brought it home from the dealership. That experience sparked my fascination with the vehicle. 'It's sometimes associated with movies due to its unique design. Some say it looks like the Delorean DMC-12 from the Back to the Future film trilogy.' Of course it does… Acquired taste At the other end of the popularity spectrum – within a spectrum all of its own – is the Polo Harlequin owned by Jacob Kent-Ledger, 30, a company director from Hertfordshire. He has owned it since 2020. There are only 25 still running on UK roads. Probably rare because they were an acquired taste – and often resprayed a single colour by traders desperate to sell them on after the novelty faded. 'They are quite a collectable piece worldwide, but when new the story was very different. Dealers would strip them for parts or respray them a single colour just to sell them,' said Kent-Ledger. It costs £90 an hour with a £180 minimum, but must be chauffeur-driven. Sports car classic More predictable as a desirable classic experience is Nicki Williams's Lapis Blue Morgan +4, nicknamed Bertie, which she bought new in 2019. It looks like it's from a different era, but has modern underpinnings. Company director Williams, 59, from Worcestershire, said: 'Our Morgan is the last of the traditionally built Morgans before they changed to their more modern [aluminium] chassis. 'It has the same charm and appearance as Morgans have always had, but better suspension and reliability than if we had bought an older one. The biggest attraction for people hiring Bertie is the colour: brides just 'pop' against the blue bodywork.' It costs £320 an hour, whether chauffeur-driven or self-drive. 4x4 legend Guy Bottomley, 35, a fund manager from London, owns Randy the Landy. 'It was a wedding gift from my wife, Tara, and used as our own wedding car, we drove away in it for our honeymoon down in Devon and only broke down once… just outside Exeter with all the ribbons still on,' said Bottomley. 'A passing gang of Land Rover enthusiasts stopped and not only fixed the problem but also retuned the timing on the side of the motorway before sending us on our way.' Randy is a 1983 Marine Blue Series 3 90 which he has owned for five years, during which it has been fully restored. 'This exact spec was used in the latest James Bond film. They are rugged and unpretentious yet aesthetically gorgeous, so a perfect statement car for a country wedding or prop for a movie.' Randy has had his own moment of fame, recently appearing in promotional photos with Take That's Gary Barlow. The Land Rover rents out for £150 an hour, minimum £300 chauffeured, or £600 a day self-drive. German presence Amir Rao, 35, a building information modelling co-ordinator from south London, has a 1984 Mercedes-Benz 500SL in anthracite grey. He co-owns it with his father, Anis, and brother, Adil, and acquired it in 2018. It's chauffeur-only at £79 an hour, a minimum of £160. 'The most beloved car I have ever owned. It turns heads, gets thumbs-up, and even outshines the presence of a supercar. People have even pulled me over to ask if I'd sell it,' said Rao. He says that whenever clients hire it for weddings, fashion shoots or music videos, they always comment on its hue: perfect for avoiding colour clashes with the subject. A-Ford-able 1970s Fords are among the most reliable value-retainers in the classic car market. There's barely anybody in the country over the age of 50 who hasn't been exposed to one during their formative years. They are elite nostalgia-kick cars. This one is so rare and valuable it's chauffeur-drive only – at £140 an hour. Its proud owner is Ajit Dhillon, 64. As a police officer he'll know all about Fords and car chases, a big part of the brand's image-building being in classic television shows such as The Sweeney and The Professionals. He has owned his red 1972 Ford Cortina Mk3 GXL since 2003. More than a million Mk3 Cortinas were produced in the 1970s. Fifty years ago it was a common sight, but corrosion wasn't kind to them, so it's now one of the rarest of the five series of Cortina. 'The Mark 3 was the first Cortina model to adopt a 'Coke bottle' body shape with American styling. It almost defines what an icon of the 1970s should represent,' said Dhillon. 'Virtually everyone today either knows of someone, a friend or family member, who drove or owned one, with so many fond memories.' So if you're hankering for a nostalgia kick, renting a classic for hundreds of pounds rather than buying for thousands may be the answer. And you don't need to stop at just one, of course. Self-drive classic rentals need to be insured, of course, and specialists such as Classicline Insurance or Dayinsure offer rental-duration cover, although if you already own a classic your insurer may be able to add a car to your policy on a temporary basis.
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump reveals he has removed the Resolute Desk used by Biden and Obama from the Oval Office
Donald Trump has temporarily removed the iconic Resolute Desk used by his Democratic predecessors Joe Biden and Barack Obama from the Oval Office and replaced with the C&O desk. Crafted from the once-abandoned British arctic exploration ship the HMS Resolute and gifted to President Rutherford Haye by Queen Victoria in 1880, the Resolute Desk has been used by almost every U.S. leader in West Wing. The Resolute Desk marks one of six – along with the C&O, Theodor Roosevelt, Hoover, Johnson, and Wilson – that have been placed in the Oval Office since the room's construction in 1909 as a symbol of one's presidency, along with providing a practical workspace. Now, Trump has revealed that the Resolute Desk needs to be refurbished, and has instead opted to bring in a 'beautiful,' albeit 'temporary,' replacement. 'A President, after election, gets a choice of 1 in 7 desks,' Trump wrote on Truth Social on Wednesday, appearing to skew his figures. C&O stands for Chesapeake and Ohio Railway as the desk was originally built for the company's owners. It was donated by the GSX corporation, a mass rail transit company, to the White House in 1987. 'This desk, the 'C&O,' which is also very well-known and was used by President George H.W. Bush and others, has been temporarily installed in the White House while the Resolute Desk is being lightly refinished—a very important job. This is a beautiful, but temporary replacement!' Since 1977, the Resolute Desk has remained a firm fixture in the Oval Office and used by every president bar Georgie W. H. Bush, who opted for the C&O Desk. Bush Sr is the only president to use the C&O Desk, marking it as the shortest-serving desk to date. Other incumbents, such as Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan used the C&O desk in the West Wing Study. Only three presidents are believed to have not used the Resolute Desk at all in the West Wing: Lydon B Johnson, Richard Nixon and Ford, according to the White House Historical Association. The Resolute Desk was first used in the Oval Office by John F Kennedy in 1961. After JFK's assassination in 1963, which saw Johnson ascend to the Oval Office, he selected the Johnson Desk. After being retired, the Resolute Desk was then displayed in the Smithsonian between 1966 and 1977, when Jimmy Carter returned the Resolute Desk to the Oval Office. Most recently, the Resolute Desk was used by Democratic former presidents Biden between 2021 and 2025 and Obama between 2009 and 2017. Trump also used the desk in his first term between 2017 and 2021. The Independent has contacted the White House for more information.
