With the latest iOS 8 update, Apple has introduced a whole new slew of tips and tricks to improve your productivity. From e-mail enhancements, to messaging and battery consumption improvements, I chose some of my favorites to feature here today. Check it out!
Reply to texts without leaving your current app
If you receive a text message while you’re on the home screen or in an app, try pulling down the notification when it pops up. You’ll be able to type and send a reply, all without leaving the app you’re currently using.
Minimize e-mail drafts
Now you can minimize your e-mail drafts and save them in separate tabs on the bottom of the screen. This is useful if you ever wanted to check or reference another e-mail when you’re in the middle of a draft. Just swipe down on the e-mail draft to minimize it, and tap on it to open it back up.
E-mail thread notifications
For all those important e-mail threads you need to keep a close eye on, you can set up an alert to notify you as soon as someone replies. Tap on the flag icon on the lower left corner on an e-mail message, and then choose “Notify Me…” Repeat the process to stop any future notifications.
Improve your battery life
iOS 8 has introduced a new utility to help you find out which apps are sapping the most juice from your phone’s battery.
Go to Settings > General > Usage > Battery Usage
Try shutting down any unnecessary apps by tapping your Home button twice. You’ll see a list of apps that are currently open. Just swipe up to close them.
Autofill credit card information
Your iPhone’s camera can now autofill credit card forms for you. For example, if you’re shopping on Amazon on your phone's web browser, a new option to “Scan Credit Card” or "AutoFill Credit Card" will now appear on top of the keyboard when you have to input your credit card information. Tap it, and your iPhone will switch to its camera to scan your card. After your card has been positioned accordingly, your phone will automatically fill in the form for you. If you use mobile banking to deposit checks, this feature might seem familiar to you.
iOS 8 is now available for iPhone 4S and above. To update your phone, go to Settings > General > Software Update
Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow for more iOS 8 tips and tricks, and let us know what you think by voting in the survey below.
BAKERSFIELD, CA - With the goal of continuing to bring unique flavor profiles to market, Bakersfield, California-based Grapery has begun to test-market small quantities of new grape varieties to debut with commercial production in the coming years. These new experimental varieties are being produced by International Fruit Genetics and have been bred for great flavor, Grapery CEO, Jim Beagle tells me. Not yet named, these grapes are currently being grown in the company’s test plots in Kern County and are sold in Grapery’s Flavor Pops packaging.
“Flavor is our most important criteria in choosing a new variety, and we have some exciting new varieties in development that will take several more years to become commercial, but definitely have the potential to be as popular with consumers as Cotton Candy,” Jim notes.
When I ask Jim what his goals and ambitions have been when developing these grapes, he tells me it’s flavor and innovation. “We are trying to change the consumer’s perception of how great grapes can taste. Many consumers feel grapes lack consistency of flavor. Sometimes they are pleased with great flavor, and sometimes disappointed, so they don’t always trust that they’ll enjoy eating the grapes that look the best in the store. So, we are building a reputation as a company the consumer can trust every time they taste a grape under the Grapery label,” Jim notes.
With new varieties in its pipeline, Grapery is continuing to innovate for the consumer experience. Be on the lookout for the next Cotton Candy grape.
SAN JUAN BAUTISTA, CA - Earthbound Farm has been named as a finalist for the 2014 PMA Impact Awards in Excellence in Packaging for two of its products, Kale Italia and PowerMeal Bowls. Check out our previous product showcase featuring Kale Italia by clicking here.
The new PowerMeal Bowls are ready-to-eat, complete, plant-based meals. They are available in 3 unique varieties - Chia & Soba Noodles with Asian Greens; Tomatillo & Black Beans with Baby Lettuce; Blueberry & Quinoa with Baby Spinach.
Although it is a small segment of the fresh-cut salad category, single-serve, ready-to-eat salad bowl purchases are highly incremental. Additionally, those who purchase single-serve, ready-to-eat salad bowls, like these new PowerMeal Bowls, eat up to two times more salad than the average salad shopper. Stocking single-serve, ready-to-eat salad bowls attracts a high volume salad purchaser to the salad set, driving higher ring and incremental sales.
Each PowerMeal Bowl is packaged to include master packs of ingredients that are contained within an inset tray that sits above the more delicate greens to protect them from the weight. The inset tray will double as a convenient top when flipped over, which allows the consumer to mix all of the individual elements together by shaking. This packaging is used exclusively for the PowerMeal Bowl products at this time.
The sealed film cover over the clamshell enables the shopper to view the greens and master pack ingredients. This tamper evident package also includes a fork so it’s ready for folks to simply open and enjoy. Earthbound’s passive Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) maximizes freshness, and product appearance, reducing shrink at shelf. The package is sealed with a specially designed film as part of this innovative process.
Earthbound Farm was the first in the industry to make its clamshell salad packages from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic, according to the company. They require less energy and water to produce and generate fewer greenhouse gasses than virgin plastic, using about 90% fewer resources and diverting reusable materials out of the waste stream. In addition, the clamshell is made from green recycled plastic, which there is not as much use for currently.
Earthbound Farm will be at Fresh Summit at booth #830.
Congratulations on the nomination, Earthbound Farm!
ORLANDO, FL – Produce for Kids' new Power Your Lunchbox Pledge garnered over 20 million social media impressions and 15 million media impressions with a media value totaling $600,000. The poweryourlunchbox.com website encouraged consumers to pack healthier lunchboxes and featured RD-approved, kid-friendly lunchbox ideas and tips, as well as coupons from companies supporting the program. 7,067 families took the pledge, which started August 11 and ran through September 15.
“As a parent of two boys, I can vouch for the challenges parents face packing a healthy lunchbox that their kids will actually eat. The Power Your Lunchbox program was designed to provide parents with resources to overcome this hurdle,” said Trish James, Vice President, Produce for Kids. “We partnered with likeminded companies who were able to support the program and help us raise funds to educate kids in the classroom about making healthier food choices.”
Products from the partner companies were also regularly promoted throughout the program to more than 45,000 Produce for Kids social media fans and followers. There was also a Twitter party on August 20 where Produce for Kids shared lunchbox tips using #PowerYourLunchbox.
Produce for Kids’ partners supporting Power Your Lunchbox Pledge included AMC Direct South African Summer Citrus, Define Bottle™, GROW by Organics Unlimited, Laptop Lunches® Bento-ware and Pero Family Farms®. For every pledge that families or individuals took, participating produce companies made a donation to DonorsChoose.org to fund health and wellness classroom projects around the country. The program ultimately raised $5,033.50 to support health and wellness classroom projects through DonorsChoose.org.
Produce for Kids plans on running the Power Your Lunchbox program again during the 2015 back-to-school season.
CHESHUNT, ENGLAND - Like many members of the British retail industry, Parliament has some questions it wants answered regarding the recent Tesco £250 million ($408 million) profit report overstatement case. These questions only became more pressing in light of reports published in The Independent claiming that Tesco has lacked a CFO since the departure of former Finance Director, Laurie McIlwee.
The retail and finance communities had been under the impression that McIlwee had been serving Tesco on a part-time basis until it had found a suitable replacement, but Tesco Chairman Sir Richard Broadbent revealed otherwise during a media conference call.
“He’s not in the office because, as I said, he was not directly involved and has not been directly involved in the recent days and weeks,” Sir Richard explained.
“Tesco stated on the 4th of April that until he officially left the company in October, Laurie McIlwee would be available to carry out transitional activities and support handover with colleagues as required,” the company further explained in an official statement. “During the transition period, Laurie has in fact not been called upon by Tesco and has not been involved or had any input to any financial matters or held any position of responsibility in the company.”
Investors are understandably asking if the lack of an official finance director facilitated the $408 million profit overstatement controversy which led to the suspension of four top Tesco executives. According to the Independent, Tesco has explained that a group of “senior finance personnel” has been manning the helm in McIlwee's absence. The question remains however: was that enough?
Parliament may be looking to find this out for itself. According to the Daily Mail, Adrian Bailey, Chairman of the Commons' Business Committee, has said he plans to ‘keep a close eye’ on the matter and that MPs are strongly considering calling on Tesco executives to give evidence on this train of events.
Regardless of what actions Parliament decides to take, CEO Dave Lewis will be tested by this episode. While Lewis, who only took over the position of CEO on September 1st, according to BBC, was not in charge at the time this fraud took place, he will have to nonetheless strive to restore Tesco's place in the retail community.
According to the Daily Mail, Tesco has lost $3.25 billion in market value and 40% of its share value in the wake of this news.
Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow for future updates on the ongoing investigation into these Tesco executives.
ORLANDO, FL – The National Mango Board (NMB) has named the winners of the Mango Mania Display Contest.
“Since we began the Mango Mania Display Contest we have been impressed with the amount of creativity amongst the stores,” said Megan McKenna, Director of Marketing for the NMB. “This contest is such a great way to pump up mango sales and increase mango movement and our results reflect it; having mango volume increase 138% in participating stores over the same period in 2013 is huge.”
The contest was designed to help stores boost mango sales while showcasing creativity and educating shoppers. The Point-of-Sale materials available to the participating stores featured cutting, selection and nutrition messages as well as easy recipe ideas for mangos. Stores were asked to create their most creative and effective displays and leave them up for at least seven days during the month of July.
The top winners in each category include:
Up to 50 Stores, 7 or more registers
- 1st Place, $1,000 prize: Garrett Fowden, Payson Market, Payson, UT
- 2nd Place, $750 prize: Doug Dallo, Foodland, National City, CA
- 3rd Place, $500 prize: Raul Rivera, Save A Lot Mercado, San Diego, CA
Up to 50 Stores, 1 to 6 registers
- 1st Place, $1,000 prize: Jodie Murdock, Fresh Market, Richfield, UT
- 2nd Place, $750 prize: Michelle Heneby, Marvin’s Food Saver, Dewey, OK
- 3rd Place, $500 prize: Robert Earls, CV’s Family Foods, Danville, AR
More than 50 Stores, 7 or more registers
- 1st Place, $1,000 prize: John Jaworski, Price Rite, Chicopee, MA
- 2nd Place, $750 prize: Jeff Picchioni, Price Rite, Seekonk, MA
- 3rd Place, $500 prize: Vincent Venditti, Price Rite, Johnston, RI
More than 50 Stores, 1 to 6 registers
- No entries were received for this category
The entries were judged based on the creativity of the display, visual appeal and effectiveness in educating shoppers about mangos.
Congratulations to all of the winners!
CHARLOTTE, N.C. and DUBLIN, IRELAND - A newly revised merger agreement between Chiquita and Fyffes will now give the former a greater stake in the combined company. The proposal states that Chiquita shareholders will own a 59.6% stake in ChiquitaFyffes, up from 50.7% under the previous agreement, while Fyffes shareholders on the other hand will now own approximately 40.4% of the merged business, according to a press release.
The updated deal comes just one week before the upcoming shareholder vote on the proposed merger, set for October 3. Cutrale-Safra, the competing private Brazilian companies bidding for control of Chiquita, are also scheduled to complete due diligence that same day and submit their best offer.
Cutrale-Safra quickly fired back with a statement of their own on the new agreement, accusing Fyffes of trying to “hoodwink Chiquita investors” and calling the combined group “highly flawed and fraught with risks for Chiquita shareholders.” They further claimed that the revised transaction values the merged company at $11.82 a share, “well below the $13 all cash certain Cutrale-Safra proposal,” the statement read.
According to Wall Street Journal, Cutrale-Safra had originally offered roughly $625 million in cash for Chiquita last month.
Research analyst Luke Tribe at WH Ireland tells Financial Times that though the revised deal gives Chiquita a greater share of the combined entity, it also gives Fyffes the right to terminate the deal, and with it, a potential termination fee if Chiquita enters into another deal within the next nine months. “I think this encourages both parties to work through the regulatory approval, and for Chiquita to reject another approach from Cutrale-Safra,” he said.
Speaking on the revised binding agreement, David McCann, Fyffes Executive Chairman, said that it “reinforces our conviction that the Combination is the value-maximizing opportunity for both companies’ shareholders.”
Chiquita CEO Ed Lonergan agreed, noting, “The Fyffes transaction is a natural strategic partnership that brings together two complementary companies to create a combined company that is better positioned to succeed in a highly competitive marketplace, while driving strong performance and value for shareholders as well as immediate benefits for customers and consumers worldwide.”
With the shareholder vote just days away, it looks as though Cutrale-Safra is committed to submitting a new offer to prevent the Chiquita-Fyffes merger. However, will it be enough to dissuade Chiquita from proceeding with the deal?
As of 2:19 PM EST, Chiquita's stock increased $0.33 to $14.33, up 2.36%. Fyffes' stock increased $3.00 to $86.00, an increase of 3.61%.
Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow for our continuing coverage on Chiquita and Fyffes.
ROCKY FORD, CO – The Pink Pumpkin Patch Foundation is ready to welcome breast cancer awareness month with a new partnership with Bake it Happen™ and plenty of pink pumpkins from its partnered commercial growers, Future Farmers of American (FFA), and nationwide 4H chapters.
Starting on September 26th, interested participants can visit the the Bake it Happen website to access recipes from Judy, the mother of the two sisters who founded Bake It Happen. After dying of breast cancer, Judy became the inspiration for the Bake it Happen campaign and the popular food blog My Judy the Foodie.
Throughout the month of October, the Pink Pumpkin Patch Foundation and Bake it Happen are encouraging people to bake Judy's recpies and share them with their loved ones. According to a press release, every time a recipe is baked, shared, and uploaded onto Facebook or a social media site of the user's choice with the hashtag #bakeithappen, an anonymous donor will donate money to the Pink Pumpkin Patch Foundation, through Bake it Happen.
“Although it won’t bring our mother back, my sister and I have found a small bit of comfort in creating a program that not only raises awareness but also directs funds to support research for this insidious disease, said Shari Brooks and Stacy Pagan, the sisters behind Bake It Happen. “We are thrilled to be able to contribute to the Pink Pumpkin Patch Foundation through our campaign efforts knowing that 100% of the money raised will be ear-marked for breast cancer research.”
“When the Bake It Happen team approached the foundation with this creative opportunity, we were honored to be the recipient of their efforts,” said Carol Holsopple-Froese, President of the Pink Pumpkin Patch Foundation. “As a breast cancer survivor myself, I am touched by this beautiful tribute to their mother which will help us make an impact in breast cancer research.”
As always, the Pink Pumpkin Patch Foundation will be working with a plethora of growers to make sure customers across the United States have access to the unique pink pumpkins the foundation is known for. In 2013, FFA and 4H chapters throughout the nation were offered free seed from Porcelain Doll seed distributor Seedway, as a way for students to meet their Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) requirement and contribute to this amazing cause at the same time.
This is a cause which I am sure is near and dear to the hearts of all of AndNowUKnow's staff and readers. The work these foundations are doing truly comes from the heart.
SALINAS, CA – Forbes and SVG Partners along with The Steinbeck Innocation Cluster will be hosting the “Forbes Reinventing America: The AgTech Summit” in Salinas Valley, California in July 2015.
The invitation-only event will bring together several hundred of the best minds in Silicon Valley and global agriculture in the Salinas Valley to address some of the world’s most critical challenges from biotech and precision farming to big data’s role in feeding a planet of eight billion people, according to a press release.
To request an invitation, e-mail [email protected]. In your invitation request, you will also need to include a 150-word bio as well as the following information: Name, Title, Company, Phone Number.
"This summit is a fantastic opportunity for the AgTech community to discuss real solutions in accelerating new technologies and capabilities in farming,” said Bruce Taylor, Chairman and CEO of Taylor Farms.
Mike Federle, Forbes Media Chief Operating Officer, said, “By leveraging the power of the Forbes brand to convene influential thought leaders, we’re excited to expand the ‘Forbes Reinventing America Summit’ series with the AgTech Summit next year.”
“The goal of the AgTech Summit is to find innovative solutions to some of the world’s most critical farming challenges, and there’s no better place for this event than in the Salinas Valley, where tech entrepreneurs from Silicon Valley and experts from the global hub of agriculture intersect,” Federle added.
Forbes magazine’s Reinventing America series has been covering innovation and disruption that has been taking place across America’s industrial heartland for the past three years. After the success of the inaugural “Forbes Reinventing America Summit” in Chicago, this AgTech Summit will be part of a series of summits taking place next year.
"We are delighted to partner with Forbes to create a global agriculture and technology summit that’s focused on twenty-first-century challenges and opportunities related to food, water, energy and innovation in sustainability,” said John Hartnett, CEO of SVG Partners.
“Forbes Reinventing America: The AgTech Summit” will also feature award winners from the Thrive Accelerator program formed by SVG Partners. The Thrive Accelerator is a highly selective, mentorship and investment program for technology-enabled startups in the Precision Agriculture space.
CORONA, CA – Veg-Fresh Farms is expanding business and launching the new consumer label Crystal Cove Berry Farms.
The new label will source strawberries throughout Mexico and California’s berry growing regions. Crystal Cove Berry Farms will be a consistent supplier of fresh berries to foodservice and retail beginning in spring of 2015, according to a press release.
The company will be using its long-term relationships with its tomato growers to drive this new label.
“Many of our tomato growers also grow strawberries and these established connections will allow us to increase efficiencies and add value for both our growers and our customers,” said Veg-Fresh Farms General Partner, Dino Cancellieri, Jr. “We are excited to continue providing top quality products backed by Veg-Fresh service to our customers throughout the industry.”
Steve Circle, a 20 year industry veteran, will be leading this new category. The new brand and product line will be shipped from third party cold storages and distributed from Veg-Fresh Farms' 189,000 square foot facility in Corona, CA.
The company’s new distribution center opened in February 2014 and has 28 shipping and receiving docks and seven cooling rooms with distinct temperate environments to accommodate a variety of fresh products.
“Our new facility has been designed to not only serve current customer needs, but also grow with our customers by providing the technologies and logistics required to handle the future of fresh food distribution,” added Cancellieri.
Veg-Fresh Farms will be hosting tours of the new facility during Fresh Summit in Anaheim.