uCampbell Soup And Keurig Finally Selling Soup Cartridges Announced 2 Years Agor

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  (m01229)

  Hey, remember two years ago, when we told you to expect cartridges of hot, instant soup-like substance soon for your coffee machine thanks to a partnership between Keurig and Campbell Soup Company? The project apparently took longer to make work than either company anticipated, and the product is hitting stores in the U.S. and Canada just now.

  If you’ve spent the last two years trying to figure out how a full-size noodle comes out of the tiny pin hole at the bottom of a Keurig cartridge, quit wondering. There’s a separate packet for the noodles. We knew that two years ago, too, so it’s not clear what they spent the last two years working on.

  Here’s a 30-second video that shows the process, omitting the part where the Keurig makes angry noises while drawing water from the reservoir, and also the two to three minutes that you’re supposed to let the soup sit to “cook.”

  “We know more than 80 percent of people who buy Keurig pods also buy Campbell’s soup, so bringing together two products people love in one handy kit is a winning idea,” a marketing executive is quoted saying in the companies’ joint press release about this modern marvel.

  While it makes sense in this case to combine a hot water machine and condensed soup, this isn’t good logic to use when creating new products: probably more than 80 percent of people who use dish soap also eat breakfast cereal, but that doesn’t mean you should combine them.

  Campbell Fresh Brewed Soups [Official Site]

  
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by Laura Northrup via Consumerist

uNiman Ranch: New Perdue Ownership Doesn’t Mean Animal Welfare Standards Will Changer

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  (Niman Ranch on Facebook)

  Upon the news that Niman Ranch had been bought by poultry giant Perdue, some customers of the specialty meats businesses have expressed fears that the company they know and love for its animal welfare standards will change its act under the new ownership. Those concerns have prompted Perdue and Niman Ranch, along with one of its biggest customers, Chipotle, to reassure customers that they’ve got nothing to worry about.

  “That’s severely disappointing to hear… I can’t equate humane with Purdue,” one person wrote on Niman’s Facebook page in response to the announcement, with others echoing similar sentiments.

  Niman Ranch has been replying to customers, writing that it’s “still dedicated to its commitment to the strict animal welfare protocols” that guide the way its animals are raised. Despite other ownership changes in the past, Niman says, its “values and practices have remained the same.”

  “We always strive to give our farmers the stability they need to continue the sustainable practices we all believe in, and we hope to continue to prove that to you in the future,” the company wrote.

  Perdue has also been addressing concerns with a statement of its own:

  “With the long, family-owned heritage of our company, we understand and respect what Niman Ranch represents,” Perdue Farms chairman Jim Perdue said. “All Niman Ranch livestock will continue to be raised by the same small family farmers and ranchers, following the same protocols, and with the same focus on sustainability.”

  Chipotle customers also relayed their concerns on social media about the chain’s connection to Niman Ranch, which it sources much of its pork from. Chipotle touts its high-quality ingredients and sustainably sourced ingredients as a major factor setting it apart from its rivals. The chain’s pork suppliers are required to raise pigs in deeply bedded barns with access to the outside to roam, for example, instead of being held in cramped pens.

  “How are you going to maintain your guarantee for fresh pork [without] hormones and antibiotics with this change?” a customer asked Chipotle on its Facebook page (via Business Insider).

  “We have an internal team who visits our farms and checks on these things. Niman Ranch has a stellar reputation, one I am sure they want to keep,” Chipotle replied from its official account.

  And while Perdue has made moves on its own to address animal welfare concerns, announcing recently that half its chickens will be raised entirely without antibiotics, the company admits it still has room for improvement when it comes to animal welfare. Niman Ranch can help there, Jim Perdue told the New York Times.

  “We absolutely can learn from them in that area,” he said. “I think they can bring us a lot of new ideas, especially in the sow production side of the business.”

  Perdue Buys Niman Ranch, as It Expands in Specialty Meat Business [New York Times]

  
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by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

uRegulators Holding Yet Another Takata Airbag Meeting, Could Finally Coordinate The Messy Recallr

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• Back in June, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it was considering options to speed up replacement of defective shrapnel-shooting Takata-produced airbags linked to eight deaths and hundreds of injuries. Today, the agency announced it will hold yet another public meeting next month, a move that signals the agency’s latest step in taking control of the massive recall effort.

  Reuters reports that the Oct. 22 meeting could prompt regulators to take a stronger stance in efforts to eliminate the deadly defect from approximately 19 million vehicles.

  NHTSA, which is expected to publish notice of the meeting in the Federal Register this week, says the proceedings will include presentations by regulators, vehicle manufacturers, airbag inflator suppliers and organizations involved in testing the safety devices.

  “NHTSA may issue one or more administrative orders that would coordinate remedy programs,” the agency said of the meeting.

  Regulators could use the meeting as a starting point to accelerate or prioritize a program to ensure that affected vehicles receive new inflators, Reuters reports.

  The meeting, regulators say, can also serve as a reminder to consumers that they need to have their Takata airbag-equipped vehicles fixed.

  “Helping the public understand the risks involved, what NHTSA and the auto industry are doing to address them, and how affected vehicle owners can take action to protect themselves and their families is an essential element,” NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind said in a statement.

  Takata told NHTSA in August that it would soon launch a recall notification campaign to ensure owners of affected vehicles are aware of the massive recall.

  That campaign was to include a dedicated website (which doesn’t appear to be live) and ads on major websites and newspapers, first focusing on areas of high humidity where airbags are thought to be at more risk for unexpectedly forceful deployments, including Florida, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Hawaii, Texas, Louisiana, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama and Mississippi.

  The remedy efforts came three months after the Japanese parts maker caved to regulator pressure and recalled more than 30 million cars, while NHTSA, just last week, revised the number to about 19.2 million vehicles.

  The revision was based the most recent and accurate information provided by the 11 affected automakers, regulators said at the time.

  U.S. auto regulators set Oct. 22 public meeting on Takata recall [Reuters]

  
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by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist

uRaiders of the Lost Walmart Will Accessorize Your Ancient Digital Camerar

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• How long does it take for something to become a true antique? For the bold explorers who form the Raiders of the Lost Walmart, any obsolete technology for sale at an inappropriate price is precious and in need of documentation. There are some electronic relics that are older and more precious than others, though, and reader/Raider Lathi recently excavated some digital camera accessories from the late Mavica era.

  

  Back in the day, you see, people customarily stored their files on plastic floppy disks, and digital cameras that saved files directly on floppy disks did exist. Later, Sony realized that this was bulky and silly, and switched to the smaller memory stick format. This was a device used to move files from the memory stick to your computer, if your computer lacked a USB drive, or to take pictures on an older floppy-drive-using Mavica and save the files on a higher-capacity memory stick.

  Curiously, this Mavica accessory is one of the rare cases where the Walmart price is inappropriate because it’s low. The adapter is enough of a niche product that it’s quite pricey on Amazon, with the cheapest ones a bit more expensive than Walmart’s once you consider shipping.

  Anyway, Amazon added the item to its inventory in 2001, but it was probably How long has this item been sitting on the shelf? Let’s zoom in and check.

  

  July 27, 2010? This may represent eternal optimism on Walmart’s part: they sincerely believe that someday, someone will come along who desperately needs this accessory. Maybe they’d be better off buying it and flipping it on Amazon., though Lathi notes that there are some available at a better price on eBay.

  What else is on the shelf?

  

  Wat happened to the price tag on this poor item? Lathi reports that it rang up at $10, which is great news for anyone who needs to share files between these three formats on their obsolete hardware. That person is unlikely to come along for a long time, though.

  
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by Laura Northrup via Consumerist

uColoradoans Will Be Able To Buy Pot Tax-Free For One Day, And One Day Onlyr

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  (DEARTH !)

  Colorado residents might have circled Sept. 16 with a bright green marker on their calendars: that’s the day the state has decided to drop the 10% marijuana tax in order to comply with a tax provision in its constitution.

  So why the tax holiday? Included in Colorado’s Tax Payer’s Bill of Rights is a requirement that voters have to approve new taxes in Colorado based on estimates of collections and state spending. Once that amount is exceeded, refunds can be triggered and the tax is supposed to revert to zero. Voters approved the 10% pot tax and the 15% excise tax (paid by dispensaries and other marijuana sellers) in 2013, a year after recreational marijuana was legalized. And although pot taxes only raised $58 million in 2014, below the estimated $70 million, overall state collections were beyond projections.

  Because of this, Colorado will ask voters in a November ballot initiative whether they want to keep the money raised from pot taxes — slated mostly for school construction and educational initiatives for students about marijuana — or not, in which case taxpayers and businesses would receive refunds.

  To comply with the part of the law that says pot taxes must revert to zero, lawmakers have decided to waive pot taxes for that one day, and one day only. Sept. 16 was chosen as it’s the day after Colorado finalizes the state’s books for the previous fiscal year.

  To be clear, this only means the state won’t be collecting the specific marijuana sales tax of 10% and 15% excise tax that day, but the regular sales tax of 2.9% and other local taxes and fees may apply. Medical marijuana will also still be taxed.

  That means pot buyers can expect about a $20 discount on a the price of a mid-grade ounce of pot in the Denver area, notes the Associated Press, where an ounce sold for about $200 before tax this summer.

  Officials estimate the holiday will cost the state anywhere between $3 million and $4 million, most of that due to the loss of excise taxes, and not what consumers would’ve paid, the Denver Post reported in June.

  “At first I was in disbelief we were doing this,” the owner of a dispensary in a Denver suburb told the AP. “Once our lawyer said, no, we really are doing this, we started getting ready. We’re thinking there will be huge crowds.”

  Residents can’t plan on this happening every year, however: it’s one-time deal, though a permanent sales-tax break on recreational marijuana will go into effect in July 2017 as mandated by law, lowering the rate to 8%.

  “This is only a first-year problem,” said Sen. Pat Steadman, who authored House Bill 1367 [PDF], which places the measure to either approve keeping the tax revenue or returning it to tax payers. “We’ll never have this problem again.”

  Colo. to waive marijuana taxes for one day [Associated Press]

  
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by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

uCould Barnes & Noble Stores Be Shrinking? Company Looking At New Formatsr

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  (Ryan)

  After years of struggling to maintain sales, Barnes & Noble may be looking to revamp its image, starting with smaller stores.

  The Wall Street Journal reports the nation’s largest bookstore chain is considering a new store prototype after facing a fifth straight quarter of sales declines.

  New CEO Ronald Boire says any changes would be in response to consumers’ changing tastes.

  “The industry is evolving, and we think there are opportunities ahead with a different format,” Boire said. “I’ve sat in on a couple of meetings about this and we’ll have more to discuss later.”

  While Boire offered few details about a possible new store format, the WSJ reports that it would likely be smaller than the company’s current average footprint of 26,000 square feet.

  Additionally, the WSJ hypothesizes that the stores would likely continue to feature a variety of non-book products, such as toys and games, which actually showed sales increases in the first quarter of 2015.

  Barnes & Noble Considers New Store Prototype [The Wall Street Journal]

  
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by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist

uApple Unveils Slate Of New Devices (In Progress)r

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  (Glenn Derene/Consumer Reports)

  Come once again, Apple faithful and skeptics alike, to the Tim Cook Show starring Apple CEO Tim Cook & His Menagerie Of Shiny New Electronic Devices That You Will Want To Replace The Next Time He Holds One Of These Events.

  Cook, not exactly known for getting to the point during these press events, started today’s presentation by promising “monster announcements across several of our product lines.”

  iPAD PRO
  For Apple’s signature tablet, Cook promised the “biggest news in iPad since the iPad.” The iPad Pro has the biggest screen (12.9″) in any iOS device to date.

  

  With the bigger display (5.6 million pixels), explained Apple’s Phil Schiller, movies are more cinematic, games are more immersive, users have access to a bigger keyboard (more on that in a moment), and some apps will be able to be split-screen for side-by-side use. A Microsoft exec was on hand to show how Office users could multitask on the Pro.

  

  The variable refresh rate of the new display also means the iPad can conserve energy when the screen isn’t actively showing video. With this and other system updates, the battery in the Pro is expected to last 10 hours.

  In terms of speed, Apple says the new chip in the Pro is 1.8x faster than the speediest iPad currently available. The company claims the new tablet’s graphics are faster than 90% of portable computers shipped in the last year. The tablet is louder too, putting out three times the volume of the current iPad.

  Apple is following the lead of the Microsoft Surface and offering a physical “smart” keyboard that is integrated into the iPad Pro’s cover. It attaches and communicates with the Pro via magnetic connections in the case.

  

  Another accessory being offered with the Pro is the Apple Pencil stylus. Its sensors work with the iPad to determine position, angle, and force of each pen stroke. The company claims the Pen is precise enough to draw a single pixel. It’s wireless and its battery can be recharged via a Lightning plug that connects directly into the Pro.

  

  While previous iPad announcements have focused on entertainment and hobbyist applications, the company is now clearly targeting business customers with the iPad Pro. The demonstrations highlighted productivity with Microsoft Office, its publishing applications with Adobe, and its use for the medical community.

  If there was any doubt about the Pro — which will be sold in silver, gold, and “space gray” — being aimed at corporate customers, the price confirms this is not an entry-level tablet.

  The lowest-cost Pro starts at $799 and comes with 32GB of storage memory and goes up to $1,079 for 128GB.

  

  The Apple Pen will go for $99, while the Smart Keyboard will sell for $169. Both the tablets and the accessories will go on sale in November.

  

  For affordable iPads, Apple is introducing the iPad Mini 4, which apparently has the same power as the current iPad Air 2, but at a smaller size. In addition to this new device, the company has dropped prices on the existing lineup of iPads:

  

  APPLE TV
  “Our vision for TV is simple, and perhaps a little provocative,” said Cook. “The future of television is apps.”
  </a

  The Apple TV’s new remote includes features that you’ll find on a number of already existing smart TVs and streaming devices — like the touch screen favored by new Samsung sets, and voice search found on Amazon Fire TV.

  Apple claims that its Siri voice integration is an improvement that will allow you to look, not just for titles or names, but for specific episodes of shows.

  The big news is that searching on Apple TV will show users results from multiple apps — Netflix, iTunes, Hulu, Showtime — rather than having to search through each app. Samsung had reportedly been working on a remote control feature like this but recently abandoned its development.

  (more to come)

  APPLE WATCH
  In news that not very many people will care about, Apple and upscale fashion label Hermes have partnered on a deluxe Apple Watch Hermes with a fancy leather band that wraps around your wrist twice — presumably to add some extra protection against pilferers.

  

  (Glenn Derene/Consumer Reports)

  Also, the Apple Watch Sport is getting three new colored metal cases — gold, rose gold, anodized aluminum — at the same price as the rest of the Apple Watch Sport lineup.

  
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by Chris Morran via Consumerist