WASHINGTON: Mobile privacy safeguards should also extend to third party application developers, two lawmakers said after reviewing the practices of four major US wireless carriers.
Representatives Edward Markey and Joe Barton, co-chairs of the House Bi-Partisan Privacy Caucus, released letters they received from Verizon Wireless, AT&T Inc, Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile in response to their inquiries last month about the collection, use and storage of location data.
"After thoroughly reviewing the responses from the wireless carriers, I am left with a feeling of uneasiness and uncertainty," Barton said in a statement.
Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications and Vodafone Group Plc, while AT&T has bid $39 billion to buy T-Mobile from Deutsche Telekom AG.
While receiving customer consent before accessing location data was common practice among the wireless carriers, Barton said there was a disconnect for third-party applications.
"Third-party developers can access the location of customers any time they want," Barton said. "They shouldn't have free reign over your location data and personally identifiable information."
Markey echoed this sentiment, saying consumer privacy protections must apply "across the entire wireless ecosystem - from wireless carriers, to mobile handset makers, to application developers."
Markey and Barton grew concerned about location tracking after media reports found that Deutsche Telekom tracked the exact coordinates of a German politician using its service over a six-month period.
The letters revealed varying use across the wireless carriers of encryption and other security technologies to protect customers' personal data. The data was also stored for varying periods of time by the companies.
To curb security breaches that can lead to identity theft, Markey said sensitive data on mobile phones should only be readable by those with a legitimate need to access it, and the data should be stored for the shortest periods necessary.
The issue took the spotlight recently after reports suggested Apple Inc's iPhone was monitoring the whereabouts of its users.
Apple has denied tracking its customers, but said it would release a software update to cut the size of the wireless hotspot location database stored on its iPhones, and stop backing up that information.
Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller will hold a hearing in May on consumer protection and privacy in the mobile marketplace. Senator Al Franken said that both Google and Apple would attend his May 10 hearing, the first by the new Senate judiciary subcommittee on privacy, technology and the law.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Sunday 1 May 2011
iPad sales hurt Microsoft, profit falls below Apple
SEATTLE: Microsoft Corp's Windows sales slumped last quarter as the iPad crimped demand for consumer laptops, marking the first time in 20 years that the software maker reported a smaller quarterly profit than Apple Inc.
Revenue in Microsoft's Windows division fell 4.4 percent to $4.45 billion, the Redmond, Washington-based company said in a statement. That missed the $4.6 billion average prediction of analysts surveyed by Bloomberg. Net income was $5.23 billion, eclipsed by the $5.99 billion reported by Apple last quarter.
Consumer PC shipments dropped 8 percent in the quarter, Microsoft Chief Financial Officer Peter Klein said. Netbooks -- the cheap laptops that became popular during the recession -- plunged 40 percent, partially because of defections to tablet computers, he said. The decline overshadowed a better-than- anticipated performance from Microsoft's Office unit and increased PC demand from corporations.
"You have to live underneath a rock not to know that the iPad has taken share from the netbook," said Pat Becker Jr., principal of Portland, Oregon-based Becker Capital Management Inc., which holds Microsoft shares as part of its $2.5 billion in assets. "It's a problem on the consumer side, and that's a market where Microsoft continues to give up territory to Apple."
Less than Apple
Net income rose to 61 cents a share, from $4.01 billion, or 45 cents, Microsoft said. Excluding a 5-cent per-share tax benefit, earnings matched the 56-cent average of estimates compiled by Bloomberg.
The results underscore the ascendance of Apple, which surpassed Microsoft as the world's most valuable technology company last May. The last time Apple's profit was bigger than Microsoft's was 1991.
While PC shipments to corporate customers rose 9 percent, tablet competition accounted for some of the sluggishness in consumer sales, Klein said in an interview.
"It's fair to say tablet is some of that," he said.
Total PC sales declined 2 percent last quarter, Microsoft said. That the Windows business performed even worse adds to the concern over Microsoft's performance, said Brendan Barnicle, an analyst at Pacific Crest Securities in Portland.
"That's suggesting some market share loss, some real deterioration," said Barnicle, who rates Microsoft's stock "sector perform."
Office sales
Microsoft's overall sales rose to $16.4 billion, compared with the $16.2 billion average projection. That reflected demand for such products as Office business-productivity software and programs for servers -- the computers that run networks.
"We are seeing businesses invest in technology," Klein said. "They are buying hardware and they are buying Microsoft software." Microsoft expects corporate PC shipments to outpace consumer sales for the rest of the year.
Sales in the business division, which sells Office software and is the company's biggest unit, rose 21 percent to $5.25 billion, compared with the $4.9 billion average estimate of analysts. Revenue at the Server and Tools unit was $4.1 billion, compared with the $4 billion analysts projected.
"There is a tale of two cities going on here," said Brent Thill, an analyst at UBS AG in San Francisco, who recommends buying Microsoft shares. "You have consumers who say an iPad is good enough for consuming data, but for the enterprise side, those enterprises are continuing with Microsoft. The thing that has hurt Microsoft is that tablets are no question the must-have item for consumers."
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Revenue in Microsoft's Windows division fell 4.4 percent to $4.45 billion, the Redmond, Washington-based company said in a statement. That missed the $4.6 billion average prediction of analysts surveyed by Bloomberg. Net income was $5.23 billion, eclipsed by the $5.99 billion reported by Apple last quarter.
Consumer PC shipments dropped 8 percent in the quarter, Microsoft Chief Financial Officer Peter Klein said. Netbooks -- the cheap laptops that became popular during the recession -- plunged 40 percent, partially because of defections to tablet computers, he said. The decline overshadowed a better-than- anticipated performance from Microsoft's Office unit and increased PC demand from corporations.
"You have to live underneath a rock not to know that the iPad has taken share from the netbook," said Pat Becker Jr., principal of Portland, Oregon-based Becker Capital Management Inc., which holds Microsoft shares as part of its $2.5 billion in assets. "It's a problem on the consumer side, and that's a market where Microsoft continues to give up territory to Apple."
Less than Apple
Net income rose to 61 cents a share, from $4.01 billion, or 45 cents, Microsoft said. Excluding a 5-cent per-share tax benefit, earnings matched the 56-cent average of estimates compiled by Bloomberg.
The results underscore the ascendance of Apple, which surpassed Microsoft as the world's most valuable technology company last May. The last time Apple's profit was bigger than Microsoft's was 1991.
While PC shipments to corporate customers rose 9 percent, tablet competition accounted for some of the sluggishness in consumer sales, Klein said in an interview.
"It's fair to say tablet is some of that," he said.
Total PC sales declined 2 percent last quarter, Microsoft said. That the Windows business performed even worse adds to the concern over Microsoft's performance, said Brendan Barnicle, an analyst at Pacific Crest Securities in Portland.
"That's suggesting some market share loss, some real deterioration," said Barnicle, who rates Microsoft's stock "sector perform."
Office sales
Microsoft's overall sales rose to $16.4 billion, compared with the $16.2 billion average projection. That reflected demand for such products as Office business-productivity software and programs for servers -- the computers that run networks.
"We are seeing businesses invest in technology," Klein said. "They are buying hardware and they are buying Microsoft software." Microsoft expects corporate PC shipments to outpace consumer sales for the rest of the year.
Sales in the business division, which sells Office software and is the company's biggest unit, rose 21 percent to $5.25 billion, compared with the $4.9 billion average estimate of analysts. Revenue at the Server and Tools unit was $4.1 billion, compared with the $4 billion analysts projected.
"There is a tale of two cities going on here," said Brent Thill, an analyst at UBS AG in San Francisco, who recommends buying Microsoft shares. "You have consumers who say an iPad is good enough for consuming data, but for the enterprise side, those enterprises are continuing with Microsoft. The thing that has hurt Microsoft is that tablets are no question the must-have item for consumers."
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Facebook's growth exceeds expectations
Philadelphia: Facebook Inc's business is growing faster than forecast several months ago and the firm is on track to top $2 billion in earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation in 2011, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal.
Facebook's growth is above the growth expectations that circulated when Goldman Sachs and Digital Sky Technologies invested in the closely held Internet company, the newspaper said in its online edition.
The newspaper did not say by how much Facebook may exceed expectations.
Goldman's and Digital Sky Technologies' investment was at a share price that implied a $50 billion valuation for Facebook.
The Wall Street Journal said Facebook's profits were now growing at a fast-enough rate to justify a valuation of $100 billion or more when it goes public.
Facebook is expected to go public early next year.
The company could not be immediately reached for comment.
Source: ibnlive.in.com
Facebook's growth is above the growth expectations that circulated when Goldman Sachs and Digital Sky Technologies invested in the closely held Internet company, the newspaper said in its online edition.
The newspaper did not say by how much Facebook may exceed expectations.
Goldman's and Digital Sky Technologies' investment was at a share price that implied a $50 billion valuation for Facebook.
The Wall Street Journal said Facebook's profits were now growing at a fast-enough rate to justify a valuation of $100 billion or more when it goes public.
Facebook is expected to go public early next year.
The company could not be immediately reached for comment.
Source: ibnlive.in.com
Microsoft profit expected to rise
SEATTLE: Microsoft Corp is expected to report an 18 per cent jump in quarterly profit, as its reliable Windows and Office franchises keep growing.
But that may not be enough to rouse its shares from a decade-long slumber or ease fears that its dominance of personal computing is waning.
The world's largest software company has sold a record-breaking 350 million licenses for its Windows 7 operating system since launching it 18 months ago, and its latest Office suite of applications is a hit with businesses.
But even if Microsoft follows most other tech companies and beats Wall Street's expectations -- as it has done for the last six quarters -- there is no evidence that it will turbocharge the stock, which trades around the same level it did 10 years ago.
Investors fear that new gadgets, led by Apple Inc's iPad, are the thin end of the wedge that will one day separate Microsoft from its core customers.
The new tablets "are making a sea of Microsoft customers comfortable using an operating system different than Microsoft's," Michael Yoshikami, chief executive of fund manager YCMNET Advisors, said earlier this week.
"You're going to see a migration away from the monopolistic dominance that Microsoft had, and that's worrisome for them."
Apple's iPad, along with a handful of tablets running Google Inc's Android system, are starting to eat at the edges of Microsoft's domination of personal computers.
PC sales -- the most reliable indicator of Microsoft's financial success -- fell 1 percent in the first three months of the year, according to one research firm.
VALUATION SAGS Long term, some see the new devices as unleashing a genie that Microsoft may never be able to put back in the bottle.
That fear has chilled Microsoft's stock, pushing it down 15 per cent in the last year, compared with a 16 percent gain in the tech-heavy Nasdaq.
Despite quarter after quarter of strong results for Microsoft -- the company racked up record sales and profit in the last three months of last year -- investors are unwilling to grant it the valuation they used to.
The stock is now trading at 9.6 times expected earnings for the next 12 months. That is half the stock's 10-year average and below the 13 times average for major tech companies.
Even Microsoft's 2.5 per cent dividend yield, which lags only Intel Corp's among big tech, is not enough to persuade investors to change their outlook.
Although some options traders are betting on an upward swing in Microsoft's shares after the results, past experience has shown that even blowout results tend to be priced in before earnings.
This quarter, Microsoft is expected to post sales growth of 12 per cent to $16.2 billion in its fiscal third quarter, and earnings of 56 cents per share, up smartly from 45 cents a year ago, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
That is a respectable gain in a slow-moving economy, but it may not be enough to keep its grip on the technology crown.
Apple, which overtook Microsoft in terms of market value and quarterly sales last year, posted a 95 percent jump in second-quarter net profit to $5.99 billion last week.
Microsoft is expected to report an 18 per cent increase to only $4.7 billion.
Two years ago, Microsoft's quarterly profit was almost double Apple's. The last time Apple produced more profit in a year than Microsoft was 1990.
To add insult to injury, Microsoft's languishing stock means it may be overtaken in market value soon by IBM, the lumbering old foe that Microsoft vanquished in the 1990s.
At the close of business on Wednesday, Apple led the pack with a market value of $324 billion. Microsoft was a distant second at $220 billion, with IBM close behind at $204 billion.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
But that may not be enough to rouse its shares from a decade-long slumber or ease fears that its dominance of personal computing is waning.
The world's largest software company has sold a record-breaking 350 million licenses for its Windows 7 operating system since launching it 18 months ago, and its latest Office suite of applications is a hit with businesses.
But even if Microsoft follows most other tech companies and beats Wall Street's expectations -- as it has done for the last six quarters -- there is no evidence that it will turbocharge the stock, which trades around the same level it did 10 years ago.
Investors fear that new gadgets, led by Apple Inc's iPad, are the thin end of the wedge that will one day separate Microsoft from its core customers.
The new tablets "are making a sea of Microsoft customers comfortable using an operating system different than Microsoft's," Michael Yoshikami, chief executive of fund manager YCMNET Advisors, said earlier this week.
"You're going to see a migration away from the monopolistic dominance that Microsoft had, and that's worrisome for them."
Apple's iPad, along with a handful of tablets running Google Inc's Android system, are starting to eat at the edges of Microsoft's domination of personal computers.
PC sales -- the most reliable indicator of Microsoft's financial success -- fell 1 percent in the first three months of the year, according to one research firm.
VALUATION SAGS Long term, some see the new devices as unleashing a genie that Microsoft may never be able to put back in the bottle.
That fear has chilled Microsoft's stock, pushing it down 15 per cent in the last year, compared with a 16 percent gain in the tech-heavy Nasdaq.
Despite quarter after quarter of strong results for Microsoft -- the company racked up record sales and profit in the last three months of last year -- investors are unwilling to grant it the valuation they used to.
The stock is now trading at 9.6 times expected earnings for the next 12 months. That is half the stock's 10-year average and below the 13 times average for major tech companies.
Even Microsoft's 2.5 per cent dividend yield, which lags only Intel Corp's among big tech, is not enough to persuade investors to change their outlook.
Although some options traders are betting on an upward swing in Microsoft's shares after the results, past experience has shown that even blowout results tend to be priced in before earnings.
This quarter, Microsoft is expected to post sales growth of 12 per cent to $16.2 billion in its fiscal third quarter, and earnings of 56 cents per share, up smartly from 45 cents a year ago, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
That is a respectable gain in a slow-moving economy, but it may not be enough to keep its grip on the technology crown.
Apple, which overtook Microsoft in terms of market value and quarterly sales last year, posted a 95 percent jump in second-quarter net profit to $5.99 billion last week.
Microsoft is expected to report an 18 per cent increase to only $4.7 billion.
Two years ago, Microsoft's quarterly profit was almost double Apple's. The last time Apple produced more profit in a year than Microsoft was 1990.
To add insult to injury, Microsoft's languishing stock means it may be overtaken in market value soon by IBM, the lumbering old foe that Microsoft vanquished in the 1990s.
At the close of business on Wednesday, Apple led the pack with a market value of $324 billion. Microsoft was a distant second at $220 billion, with IBM close behind at $204 billion.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
HP bags $2.5 Billion NASA contract
PALO ALTO: Technology company Hewlett-Packard says it has been awarded a multi-year contract worth up to $2.5 billion to provide technology services to NASA.
Hewlett-Packard Co said the contract has a four-year base period with two additional three-year option periods.
The deal is the latest sign of an economic recovery and a pickup in government spending.
HP says it will provide personal computing services so that NASA employees can collaborate more easily in a secure computing environment.
The company says it will provide computing services and devices to more than 60,000 users as part of the deal. It will modernize the space agency's computer systems used by employees.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Hewlett-Packard Co said the contract has a four-year base period with two additional three-year option periods.
The deal is the latest sign of an economic recovery and a pickup in government spending.
HP says it will provide personal computing services so that NASA employees can collaborate more easily in a secure computing environment.
The company says it will provide computing services and devices to more than 60,000 users as part of the deal. It will modernize the space agency's computer systems used by employees.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
H-1B visa abuse exist: US official
WASHINGTON: Noting that Indians have been benefited most from the H-1B and L1 work visas, a senior US official has said there have been some cases of abuse of these visa categories in India.
"Our consulates or the embassy in India had become aware of certain abuses of those categories of visas, and they are taking measures to make sure that those abuses do not continue," Janice Jacobs, Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs said.
"There's an awful lot of outreach with the business community in India. We have a very good relationship with Nasscom and other business groups there. I even spoke to them when -- during a recent visit to Delhi," Jacobs said.
"Over 50 per cent of the H1-B and L visas that we issue worldwide are issued in India. So those 2 programs, I think, have really benefited Indian nationals over the years," he said in response to a question.
Jacobs said the US was very interested in strengthening the economic partnership that it has with India.
"I think these visas are part of that. So we don't want people who might try to abuse the system to spoil it for everyone else," he said.
"So we do a lot of presentations and outreach on trying to explain what the procedures are, what the requirements are, just to make sure that everyone is sort of playing by the book, so that we're able to issue visas to qualified applicants," Jacobs said.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
"Our consulates or the embassy in India had become aware of certain abuses of those categories of visas, and they are taking measures to make sure that those abuses do not continue," Janice Jacobs, Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs said.
"There's an awful lot of outreach with the business community in India. We have a very good relationship with Nasscom and other business groups there. I even spoke to them when -- during a recent visit to Delhi," Jacobs said.
"Over 50 per cent of the H1-B and L visas that we issue worldwide are issued in India. So those 2 programs, I think, have really benefited Indian nationals over the years," he said in response to a question.
Jacobs said the US was very interested in strengthening the economic partnership that it has with India.
"I think these visas are part of that. So we don't want people who might try to abuse the system to spoil it for everyone else," he said.
"So we do a lot of presentations and outreach on trying to explain what the procedures are, what the requirements are, just to make sure that everyone is sort of playing by the book, so that we're able to issue visas to qualified applicants," Jacobs said.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
SAP posts disappointing Q1 profit
FRANKFURT: German software giant SAP said Thursday that it made a net profit of 403 million euros ($600 million) in the first quarter of 2011, a gain of four percent that nonetheless missed expectations.
Analysts polled by Dow Jones Newswires had forecast a net profit of 515 million euros.
The group confirmed its full-year sales forecast as revenue from software and related services climbed by 20 percent to 2.33 billion euros, in part owing to the consolidation of the US firm Sybase that SAP bought last year.
SAP, which makes professional software, has rebounded from a slump seen during the global economic downturn, and co-chief executive Bill McDermott was quoted in a statement as saying: "Our strong momentum continued in the first quarter."
The group expects sales of software and related services to gain 10-14 percent this year from the 2010 figure of 9.87 billion euros.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Analysts polled by Dow Jones Newswires had forecast a net profit of 515 million euros.
The group confirmed its full-year sales forecast as revenue from software and related services climbed by 20 percent to 2.33 billion euros, in part owing to the consolidation of the US firm Sybase that SAP bought last year.
SAP, which makes professional software, has rebounded from a slump seen during the global economic downturn, and co-chief executive Bill McDermott was quoted in a statement as saying: "Our strong momentum continued in the first quarter."
The group expects sales of software and related services to gain 10-14 percent this year from the 2010 figure of 9.87 billion euros.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Microsoft vs US antitrust battle becomes history
WASHINGTON: Thirteen years after the Justice Department filed an antitrust lawsuit against Microsoft, accusing the software giant of using its market power to pummel potential rivals, the case will soon be history.
"And so May 12 will close an important chapter in the history of antitrust law," said Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly during the last oversight hearing on Wednesday at the US District Court for the District of Columbia.
The oversight will expire on May 12 with no further hearings.
The investigation of Microsoft began with the Federal Trade Commission, which also enforces antitrust law.
But it was soon shifted to the Justice Department which, backed by a number of states, filed suit in 1998 alleging Microsoft illegally used its dominance of the Windows operating system market to shut out rivals to its Internet Explorer.
Two years later, a district judge ruled in favor of the government.
But an appeals court overturned that ruling, and in 2001 the Justice Department reached a settlement with Microsoft, which critics saw as inappropriately weak. But it was approved, and the oversight required by the settlement ends next month.
"It is appropriate for the final judgment to be allowed to expire on May 12," said Adam Severt, speaking for the Justice Department on Wednesday.
Stephen Houck, who has been involved in the case for years, told the hearing that extreme market power grew quickly in the high-tech industry but that the Microsoft case proved that it was not immune to antitrust law.
"When we first brought the case, critics said it was impossible to bring an antitrust case against a high-tech, fast-moving industry," said Houck, appearing for a group of states led by California.
Microsoft changed as a company during the legal battle and subsequent court oversight, going from a politically naive company that brushed off regulators to one who played the Washington game.
Also during that time, the tech world changed almost entirely, said Marc Schildkraut, an antitrust attorney with the law firm Dewey and LeBoeuf.
"Obviously Microsoft still has a very large share of the laptop/desktop operating system world," he said. "They're obviously trying to compete with Google, with Bing, but I don't think they're getting anywhere."
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
"And so May 12 will close an important chapter in the history of antitrust law," said Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly during the last oversight hearing on Wednesday at the US District Court for the District of Columbia.
The oversight will expire on May 12 with no further hearings.
The investigation of Microsoft began with the Federal Trade Commission, which also enforces antitrust law.
But it was soon shifted to the Justice Department which, backed by a number of states, filed suit in 1998 alleging Microsoft illegally used its dominance of the Windows operating system market to shut out rivals to its Internet Explorer.
Two years later, a district judge ruled in favor of the government.
But an appeals court overturned that ruling, and in 2001 the Justice Department reached a settlement with Microsoft, which critics saw as inappropriately weak. But it was approved, and the oversight required by the settlement ends next month.
"It is appropriate for the final judgment to be allowed to expire on May 12," said Adam Severt, speaking for the Justice Department on Wednesday.
Stephen Houck, who has been involved in the case for years, told the hearing that extreme market power grew quickly in the high-tech industry but that the Microsoft case proved that it was not immune to antitrust law.
"When we first brought the case, critics said it was impossible to bring an antitrust case against a high-tech, fast-moving industry," said Houck, appearing for a group of states led by California.
Microsoft changed as a company during the legal battle and subsequent court oversight, going from a politically naive company that brushed off regulators to one who played the Washington game.
Also during that time, the tech world changed almost entirely, said Marc Schildkraut, an antitrust attorney with the law firm Dewey and LeBoeuf.
"Obviously Microsoft still has a very large share of the laptop/desktop operating system world," he said. "They're obviously trying to compete with Google, with Bing, but I don't think they're getting anywhere."
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Akshay Kumar back in action with 'Rowdy Rathore'
New Delhi, May 2 (ANI): Prabhu Deva is all set to direct Akshay Kumar and Sonakshi Sinha in an action packed film 'Rowdy Rathore'. The film is to be co-produced by Sanjay Bhansali and designer Shabinaa Khan. Bhansali said, "To me an action film is totally an alien concept. At this juncture as a filmmaker, I want to move out of the comfort zone and do things that are new and untried.'
Source: news.yahoo.com
Source: news.yahoo.com
Pakistani actress Meera now turns a singer
Mumbai, May 2 (ANI): Pakistani actress Meera who shot to fame with the Mahesh Bhatt produced film 'Nazar', began recording of her first music album named 'Mausiqui' in Mumbai on Saturday. Meera hoped that her album 'Mausiqui', which means 'music' in Persian language, strikes a chord with the people.
Source: news.yahoo.com
Source: news.yahoo.com
Lopez doesn't prefer facial treatments
London, May 2 (IANS) Singer Jennifer Lopez doesn't go for facial treatments as she thinks that relaxing, getting plenty of sleep and drinking a lot of water is key to good skin.
'I try to get enough good sleep, about seven or eight hours and I drink a lot of water. If I have a red-carpet event, I'll do a face mask in the morning. And I'll take a nice bath to relax myself because I think the better you feel, the better you look. Then I'll have a coffee and take the day slow. I don't like to rush,' femalefirst.co.uk quoted Lopez as saying.
She added: 'I don't have facials or treatments. I don't like messing with my face or my skin too much. I don't do scrubs or peels or anything like that, I just do the basics. I use moisture masks a lot though.'
The 41-year-old is also trying to get back in the exercise habit following the birth of her twins Max and Emme with husband Marc Anthony..
'I was tired, the babies were my life and I just wasn't motivated. It took a lot of mental energy to get focused again,'she said.
Source: news.yahoo.com
'I try to get enough good sleep, about seven or eight hours and I drink a lot of water. If I have a red-carpet event, I'll do a face mask in the morning. And I'll take a nice bath to relax myself because I think the better you feel, the better you look. Then I'll have a coffee and take the day slow. I don't like to rush,' femalefirst.co.uk quoted Lopez as saying.
She added: 'I don't have facials or treatments. I don't like messing with my face or my skin too much. I don't do scrubs or peels or anything like that, I just do the basics. I use moisture masks a lot though.'
The 41-year-old is also trying to get back in the exercise habit following the birth of her twins Max and Emme with husband Marc Anthony..
'I was tired, the babies were my life and I just wasn't motivated. It took a lot of mental energy to get focused again,'she said.
Source: news.yahoo.com
BlackBerry maker seeks security 'balance' in Russia
MOSCOW: BlackBerry maker Research In Motion said Russia could help development of new technologies by finding a balance between state security and innovation.
Co-chief executive Jim Balsillie said that the Canadian company had "ambitious plans" in Russia and offered President Dmitry Medvedev -- an avid user of Apple's iPad -- a new Blackberry tablet at a meeting on developing new technology.
RIM, whose BlackBerry products are used by executives and politicians including US President Barack Obama, has faced demands from countries such as India and Saudi Arabia to give authorities access to its encrypted communications services.
Speaking to reporters before the Medvedev meeting, Balsillie said: "A very important (question) for Russia is how do they balance the need for letting innovative things happen, but managing state security. Many countries grapple with this around the world," he said, adding a balance was needed that "allows innovation to happen, but still state security to be looked after".
India this year demanded full access to BlackBerry services as part of efforts to fight militancy and security threats over the internet and through telephone communications.
RIM said in January it has given India the means to access its Messenger service but reiterated no changes could be made to allow the monitoring of secure corporate emails.
RIM encrypts email messages as they travel between a BlackBerry device and a computer known as BlackBerry Enterprise Server. The company has said it does not have a master key to decode these emails and only the sponsoring business or organisation has the technical capability to grant access to encrypted enterprise email.
BLACKBERRY IN RUSSIA Russia's two biggest carriers began offering BlackBerry services in late 2007, after years of negotiations between RIM and the Federal Security Service (FSB) that did not involve handing over encryption codes.
The FSB domestic spy service called earlier this month for access to encrypted communication providers like Gmail, Hotmail and Skype, saying uncontrolled use of such services could threaten national security.
Russia's communications minister, Igor Shchyogolev, told Reuters ahead of Medvedev's meeting the government wanted international companies like RIM to be present on the Russian market, offering "the most up-to-date technologies".
"If there are some network security demands, and they exist globally, we need to seek compromise to provide security and at the same time not to set up barriers for companies," he said.
Balsillie said Russia was still a relatively small market for RIM meaning it had "extremely ambitious plans to sell Blackberry in Russia, invest in R&D, (and) also to invest in start-ups".
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Co-chief executive Jim Balsillie said that the Canadian company had "ambitious plans" in Russia and offered President Dmitry Medvedev -- an avid user of Apple's iPad -- a new Blackberry tablet at a meeting on developing new technology.
RIM, whose BlackBerry products are used by executives and politicians including US President Barack Obama, has faced demands from countries such as India and Saudi Arabia to give authorities access to its encrypted communications services.
Speaking to reporters before the Medvedev meeting, Balsillie said: "A very important (question) for Russia is how do they balance the need for letting innovative things happen, but managing state security. Many countries grapple with this around the world," he said, adding a balance was needed that "allows innovation to happen, but still state security to be looked after".
India this year demanded full access to BlackBerry services as part of efforts to fight militancy and security threats over the internet and through telephone communications.
RIM said in January it has given India the means to access its Messenger service but reiterated no changes could be made to allow the monitoring of secure corporate emails.
RIM encrypts email messages as they travel between a BlackBerry device and a computer known as BlackBerry Enterprise Server. The company has said it does not have a master key to decode these emails and only the sponsoring business or organisation has the technical capability to grant access to encrypted enterprise email.
BLACKBERRY IN RUSSIA Russia's two biggest carriers began offering BlackBerry services in late 2007, after years of negotiations between RIM and the Federal Security Service (FSB) that did not involve handing over encryption codes.
The FSB domestic spy service called earlier this month for access to encrypted communication providers like Gmail, Hotmail and Skype, saying uncontrolled use of such services could threaten national security.
Russia's communications minister, Igor Shchyogolev, told Reuters ahead of Medvedev's meeting the government wanted international companies like RIM to be present on the Russian market, offering "the most up-to-date technologies".
"If there are some network security demands, and they exist globally, we need to seek compromise to provide security and at the same time not to set up barriers for companies," he said.
Balsillie said Russia was still a relatively small market for RIM meaning it had "extremely ambitious plans to sell Blackberry in Russia, invest in R&D, (and) also to invest in start-ups".
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Micromax, Karbonn, Spice, to replicate India model in Africa
NEW DELHI: Micromax, Lava, Karbonn, Spice, Maxx , Olive and Zen have got a new caller tune-waka waka eh ehae...this time for Africa. After giving multinational majors such as Nokia a run for its money in India, and cornering one-fifth of the handset market in the country, homespun mobile handset brands have firmed up plans to start operations in Africa by this quarter end.
The Dark Continent, which is on the brink of an explosive growth, quite similar to what India experienced early this decade, resembles the Indian mobile market in many ways-cellphones account for more than 90% of all telephone lines and the mobile penetration is at about 50%, with customer growth at around 15% per annum.
"There are MNCs and Chinese players (in Africa) leaving a huge gap for us to fill," says managing director of Spice Mobility Dilip Modi . Spice has been selling value-added services to African mobile carriers for over a year.
So, the leading Indian cellphone maker, Micromax, which started selling its cellphones in Brazil last month, is set to launch operations in Nigeria this June, an executive from the company said on the condition of anonymity.
Micromax is putting a sales team in place in Nigeria, Africa's largest telecoms market in terms of customers. The handset maker did not comment on these developments since the company has filed for a public listing and is barred by the market regulator from making public announcements on its operations.
For Zen Mobile, which has been selling handsets in Nigeria so far, volumes have been conservative. It has entered into a JV with a marketing and distribution company in the African country and has sold between 20,000 and 30,000 handsets in the price range of $25-$50.
"When people want to upgrade, there is not much choicea¦ they want music, multimedia, better screen, better sound at a better price," says Zen Mobile director Deepesh Gupta.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
The Dark Continent, which is on the brink of an explosive growth, quite similar to what India experienced early this decade, resembles the Indian mobile market in many ways-cellphones account for more than 90% of all telephone lines and the mobile penetration is at about 50%, with customer growth at around 15% per annum.
"There are MNCs and Chinese players (in Africa) leaving a huge gap for us to fill," says managing director of Spice Mobility Dilip Modi . Spice has been selling value-added services to African mobile carriers for over a year.
So, the leading Indian cellphone maker, Micromax, which started selling its cellphones in Brazil last month, is set to launch operations in Nigeria this June, an executive from the company said on the condition of anonymity.
Micromax is putting a sales team in place in Nigeria, Africa's largest telecoms market in terms of customers. The handset maker did not comment on these developments since the company has filed for a public listing and is barred by the market regulator from making public announcements on its operations.
For Zen Mobile, which has been selling handsets in Nigeria so far, volumes have been conservative. It has entered into a JV with a marketing and distribution company in the African country and has sold between 20,000 and 30,000 handsets in the price range of $25-$50.
"When people want to upgrade, there is not much choicea¦ they want music, multimedia, better screen, better sound at a better price," says Zen Mobile director Deepesh Gupta.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Nokia: China approves Motorola network purchase
BEIJING: Nokia says China has approved the acquisition of Motorola's network business by Nokia Siemens Networks.
Nokia Corp. says Beijing gave "unconditional approval" and the $975 million purchase should be completed next week.
Nokia and Motorola were forced to delay the deal while China carried out an anti-monopoly investigation.
Chinese approval comes after Motorola settled a lawsuit by a Chinese network equipment producer, Huawei Technologies.
Huawei objected to the sale on the grounds that Motorola has sold Huawei equipment and commercial secrets might fall into the hands of Nokia Siemens Networks, its competitor.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Nokia Corp. says Beijing gave "unconditional approval" and the $975 million purchase should be completed next week.
Nokia and Motorola were forced to delay the deal while China carried out an anti-monopoly investigation.
Chinese approval comes after Motorola settled a lawsuit by a Chinese network equipment producer, Huawei Technologies.
Huawei objected to the sale on the grounds that Motorola has sold Huawei equipment and commercial secrets might fall into the hands of Nokia Siemens Networks, its competitor.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Govt may review proposal to cancel 69 licences
NEW DELHI: The telecom ministry will soon seek a review of the recommendations by sector regulator TRAI, for cancelling 69 licences as operators had failed to roll-out networks, in view of DoT's finding that only 17 cases required such stringent action.
Last year, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) recommended cancellation of 69 licences of six operators, including five new ones, who were sitting on spectrum and failed to provide services in the circles allotted to them.
"Department of Telecom (DoT) has identified 17 such cases for sending out termination notices for failing to meet roll-out timeline. After this, the department will resend the rest of the Trai's recommendations asking them to review them once again," a DoT official said.
As of now, the ministry has identified 17 cases for sending out the notices. Of these, it has already sent eight notices to various telecom operators including SSTL, Aircel and Etisalat DB and soon it will send to others in few weeks.
According to Trai recommendations, the companies under the scanner were Etisalat DB (earlier Swan) that has failed to roll out services in 15 circles, Videocon Communications (earlier Datacom Solutions) in 10 circles, Uninor (the Unitech Group) in eight circles and Aircel in five circles, among others.
As per the conditions, the licensees are required to roll out the services in 90% service area in metros and 10% of district headquarters in other service areas within 12 months from the date of the award of licences.
Meanwhile, the DoT is examining the replies of showcause notices sent to various new telecom operators for being ineligible to get licences in 2008.
After examining the replies the DoT may send notices for termination of licences. The government auditor CAG had pointed out that as many as 85 licences were given to ineligible firms by former telecom minister A Raja.
Most of the telecom firms, which were issued show cause notices and were asked to pay penalty for missing roll-out obligations, had approached telecom tribunal TDSAT opposing DoT's action and paid the penalty under protest. The DoT had collected over. 300 crore from these operators.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Last year, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) recommended cancellation of 69 licences of six operators, including five new ones, who were sitting on spectrum and failed to provide services in the circles allotted to them.
"Department of Telecom (DoT) has identified 17 such cases for sending out termination notices for failing to meet roll-out timeline. After this, the department will resend the rest of the Trai's recommendations asking them to review them once again," a DoT official said.
As of now, the ministry has identified 17 cases for sending out the notices. Of these, it has already sent eight notices to various telecom operators including SSTL, Aircel and Etisalat DB and soon it will send to others in few weeks.
According to Trai recommendations, the companies under the scanner were Etisalat DB (earlier Swan) that has failed to roll out services in 15 circles, Videocon Communications (earlier Datacom Solutions) in 10 circles, Uninor (the Unitech Group) in eight circles and Aircel in five circles, among others.
As per the conditions, the licensees are required to roll out the services in 90% service area in metros and 10% of district headquarters in other service areas within 12 months from the date of the award of licences.
Meanwhile, the DoT is examining the replies of showcause notices sent to various new telecom operators for being ineligible to get licences in 2008.
After examining the replies the DoT may send notices for termination of licences. The government auditor CAG had pointed out that as many as 85 licences were given to ineligible firms by former telecom minister A Raja.
Most of the telecom firms, which were issued show cause notices and were asked to pay penalty for missing roll-out obligations, had approached telecom tribunal TDSAT opposing DoT's action and paid the penalty under protest. The DoT had collected over. 300 crore from these operators.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Former British heavyweight Henry Cooper dies at 76
LONDON (Reuters) - Former British and European heavyweight boxing champion Henry Cooper, one of his country's most popular sportsmen, has died at the age of 76, the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBC) said Sunday.
Cooper had been ill for some time and died at his son's house in Surrey, southern England two days short of his 77th birthday.
London-born Cooper was at his peak during the 1960s and is best remembered for a defeat by Cassius Clay, later Muhammad Ali, in a non-title fight at Wembley in 1963.
He famously sent Clay to the canvas near the end of the fourth round with his trademark left hook, known as "'Enry's 'Ammer," only for the American to earn more recovery time when trainer Angelo Dundee said Clay's glove was split. The incident is still a favorite topic of discussion for boxing fans to this day.
Cooper lost when the referee stopped the fight because of his cuts in the fifth round and he lost to Clay again in a world title fight at Arsenal's Highbury Stadium in London in 1966, again when cuts forced the referee to step in.
"He was one of the sporting icons, not just for the boxing public but sport in general," BBBC general secretary Robert Smith told Sky Sports News.
"Ali is possibly the greatest athlete there's ever been and Henry put up a great performance and just wasn't quite good enough on both occasions -- but he's not the only one who wasn't good enough to beat Ali.
"For such a small man, he put up some great performances in a world-class context."
"Everyone called him 'Our Enry' and he was much loved. He served boxing wonderfully."
Britain's current World Boxing Association world heavyweight champion David Haye wrote on Twitter that Cooper was "a true warrior and a great human being."
AMATEUR CAREER
After an amateur career that included an appearance in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, Henry and his twin brother George, who died last year, both turned professional in 1954.
He lost to Sweden's former world champion Ingemar Johansson in a European title fight and many of his early defeats were brought about by his susceptibility to cuts.
His two fights against Ali raised his profile, along with another defeat by former world champion Floyd Patterson in 1966, but Cooper's position in the heart of British sports fans was out of all proportion to his success in the ring.
His 55-fight professional career featured 14 defeats, he was never a world champion and retired in 1971 after another defeat, a somewhat controversial points verdict, by fellow Briton Joe Bugner.
However, Cooper's bravery and down-to-earth, avuncular personality ensured massive popularity during his boxing career and then as a TV pundit and commentator, game show panellist, after-dinner speaker and tireless charity fundraiser.
Twice voted British sports personality of the year, he was awarded an OBE in 1969 and knighted in 2000.
(Editing by Ed Osmond)
Source: news.yahoo.com
Cooper had been ill for some time and died at his son's house in Surrey, southern England two days short of his 77th birthday.
London-born Cooper was at his peak during the 1960s and is best remembered for a defeat by Cassius Clay, later Muhammad Ali, in a non-title fight at Wembley in 1963.
He famously sent Clay to the canvas near the end of the fourth round with his trademark left hook, known as "'Enry's 'Ammer," only for the American to earn more recovery time when trainer Angelo Dundee said Clay's glove was split. The incident is still a favorite topic of discussion for boxing fans to this day.
Cooper lost when the referee stopped the fight because of his cuts in the fifth round and he lost to Clay again in a world title fight at Arsenal's Highbury Stadium in London in 1966, again when cuts forced the referee to step in.
"He was one of the sporting icons, not just for the boxing public but sport in general," BBBC general secretary Robert Smith told Sky Sports News.
"Ali is possibly the greatest athlete there's ever been and Henry put up a great performance and just wasn't quite good enough on both occasions -- but he's not the only one who wasn't good enough to beat Ali.
"For such a small man, he put up some great performances in a world-class context."
"Everyone called him 'Our Enry' and he was much loved. He served boxing wonderfully."
Britain's current World Boxing Association world heavyweight champion David Haye wrote on Twitter that Cooper was "a true warrior and a great human being."
AMATEUR CAREER
After an amateur career that included an appearance in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, Henry and his twin brother George, who died last year, both turned professional in 1954.
He lost to Sweden's former world champion Ingemar Johansson in a European title fight and many of his early defeats were brought about by his susceptibility to cuts.
His two fights against Ali raised his profile, along with another defeat by former world champion Floyd Patterson in 1966, but Cooper's position in the heart of British sports fans was out of all proportion to his success in the ring.
His 55-fight professional career featured 14 defeats, he was never a world champion and retired in 1971 after another defeat, a somewhat controversial points verdict, by fellow Briton Joe Bugner.
However, Cooper's bravery and down-to-earth, avuncular personality ensured massive popularity during his boxing career and then as a TV pundit and commentator, game show panellist, after-dinner speaker and tireless charity fundraiser.
Twice voted British sports personality of the year, he was awarded an OBE in 1969 and knighted in 2000.
(Editing by Ed Osmond)
Source: news.yahoo.com
Warner Music $3 billion buyout could be done this week: source
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Final buyout bids for Warner Music Group are due on Monday and the company could be sold by the end of the week in a deal valued at over $3 billion, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The third round of bids is led by two competing financial groups Len Blavatnik's Access Industry and a joint bid by Tom and Alec Gores' Platinum Equity and Gores Group, according two people.
The Warner Music sale process is taking place against a backdrop of ongoing declines in music sales as executives struggle to figure out new business models to guarantee the future of the industry. While Warner Music continues to generate reasonable levels of cash on its balance sheet -- a key metric for investors -- it will still be seen as a risky investment in a very tough market.
Two weeks ago the second-round bids came in around $3 billion according to three people who asked not to be named as the process is confidential. Ron Burkle's Yucaipa Co, dropped out of the bidding late last week, the first person said.
Matching bids from two major music names fell short of what Warner's board was looking for from strategic buyers in the second round but there is still a chance that rival music companies will be involved at a later stage in picking over some of Warner Music assets.
While the final round bids are due early this week, there is no certainty a deal will get done, the first person said.
All of the parties declined to comment.
Warner Music's board effectively put itself up for sale in January when it appointed Goldman Sachs and AGM Partners to assess interest from external parties. Since then its shares have risen nearly 60 percent to $7.47 at the end last week.
One reason why the Warner Music board is open to moving ahead with financial bidders is because it fears an expensive delay in the process by regulators if the company is bought by another music company, the first source said.
Regulators have scuppered music deals in the past including at least one of several attempts to combine Warner Music and EMI over the last decade. Warner's board, led by Chief Executive Edgar Bronfman, had demanded a premium from the music companies for their second-round bids.
BMG Music Rights, a joint music venture between German media giant Bertelsmann and private equity firm KKR, gave up on staying in the bidding process early last week declining to raise its bid any higher.
BMG Music could still be involved in the process said a third person, but it is now likely to wait till the end to see who wins out and then try to see what publishing assets it might be able to buy from the new owners.
Sony Corp is also still on the sidelines of the process, according to another person. But it faces the same high hurdles from Warner's board.
"The key issues for Warner Music's board are price and simplicity of the transaction process," said one of the people familiar with the talks.
GOOD VALUE
Music companies say they have the upper hand in the long-run. Compared to financial buyers, lenders favor company bids in such leveraged buyouts.
Warner Music Group is highly leveraged with around $1.1 billion in equity and $1.9 billion in debt. It is expected to generate around $333 million in earnings before interest, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) in fiscal year 2012 according to Thomson Reuters data. This means Warner Music is currently being valued at around nine times future earnings.
Music companies believe they could cut tens of millions of dollars in annual costs by combining with Warner helping to lower the valuation multiple to much lower than eight times thereby making it a less risky bet for lenders.
One likely outcome of the process is that whoever wins Warner Music will probably also make bid for EMI Group and take advantage of the potentially huge value that could be created by cutting costs across in a combined company, say industry watchers.
EMI is currently owned by Citigroup. Citigroup is expected to put the music company up for sale in the near future after taking control from private equity firm Terra Firma in February.
(Reporting by Yinka Adegoke; Editing by Diane Craft)
Source: news.yahoo.com
The third round of bids is led by two competing financial groups Len Blavatnik's Access Industry and a joint bid by Tom and Alec Gores' Platinum Equity and Gores Group, according two people.
The Warner Music sale process is taking place against a backdrop of ongoing declines in music sales as executives struggle to figure out new business models to guarantee the future of the industry. While Warner Music continues to generate reasonable levels of cash on its balance sheet -- a key metric for investors -- it will still be seen as a risky investment in a very tough market.
Two weeks ago the second-round bids came in around $3 billion according to three people who asked not to be named as the process is confidential. Ron Burkle's Yucaipa Co, dropped out of the bidding late last week, the first person said.
Matching bids from two major music names fell short of what Warner's board was looking for from strategic buyers in the second round but there is still a chance that rival music companies will be involved at a later stage in picking over some of Warner Music assets.
While the final round bids are due early this week, there is no certainty a deal will get done, the first person said.
All of the parties declined to comment.
Warner Music's board effectively put itself up for sale in January when it appointed Goldman Sachs and AGM Partners to assess interest from external parties. Since then its shares have risen nearly 60 percent to $7.47 at the end last week.
One reason why the Warner Music board is open to moving ahead with financial bidders is because it fears an expensive delay in the process by regulators if the company is bought by another music company, the first source said.
Regulators have scuppered music deals in the past including at least one of several attempts to combine Warner Music and EMI over the last decade. Warner's board, led by Chief Executive Edgar Bronfman, had demanded a premium from the music companies for their second-round bids.
BMG Music Rights, a joint music venture between German media giant Bertelsmann and private equity firm KKR, gave up on staying in the bidding process early last week declining to raise its bid any higher.
BMG Music could still be involved in the process said a third person, but it is now likely to wait till the end to see who wins out and then try to see what publishing assets it might be able to buy from the new owners.
Sony Corp is also still on the sidelines of the process, according to another person. But it faces the same high hurdles from Warner's board.
"The key issues for Warner Music's board are price and simplicity of the transaction process," said one of the people familiar with the talks.
GOOD VALUE
Music companies say they have the upper hand in the long-run. Compared to financial buyers, lenders favor company bids in such leveraged buyouts.
Warner Music Group is highly leveraged with around $1.1 billion in equity and $1.9 billion in debt. It is expected to generate around $333 million in earnings before interest, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) in fiscal year 2012 according to Thomson Reuters data. This means Warner Music is currently being valued at around nine times future earnings.
Music companies believe they could cut tens of millions of dollars in annual costs by combining with Warner helping to lower the valuation multiple to much lower than eight times thereby making it a less risky bet for lenders.
One likely outcome of the process is that whoever wins Warner Music will probably also make bid for EMI Group and take advantage of the potentially huge value that could be created by cutting costs across in a combined company, say industry watchers.
EMI is currently owned by Citigroup. Citigroup is expected to put the music company up for sale in the near future after taking control from private equity firm Terra Firma in February.
(Reporting by Yinka Adegoke; Editing by Diane Craft)
Source: news.yahoo.com
Too little or too much sleep linked with cognitive decline
Los Angeles, May 2 (IANS) Middle-aged adults who sleep too less or too much may be more likely to suffer cognitive decline, a study suggests.
According to the study, less than six hours of sleep each night is considered too little and more than eight hours as too much for middle-aged adults.
The study, conducted by researchers at University College London Medical School, was published Sunday in the American medical journal Sleep, Xinhua reported.
The researchers conducted the study in two periods -- the 1997-1999 period and the 2003-2004 period. The participants were asked how many hours they slept on an average week night, and were asked the same question in 2003-2004.
The researchers compared those who reported changes in their sleep patterns with people whose sleep duration stayed the same over the course of the study.
In the follow-up, each individual was given a battery of standard tests to assess his or her memory, reasoning, vocabulary, global cognitive status and verbal fluency.
The findings show that women who slept seven hours per night had the highest score for every cognitive measure, followed by those who had six hours of sleep. For men, cognitive function was similar for those who reported sleeping six, seven or eight hours.
However, less than six hours of sleep -- or more than eight hours -- were associated with lower scores.
'Sleep provides the body with its daily need for physiological restitution and recovery,' explained Jane Ferrie, a senior research fellow in the department of epidemiology and public health at the school. 'While seven hours a night appears to be optimal for the majority of human beings, many people can function perfectly well on regular sleep of less or more hours.'
However, since most research has focused on the effects of sleep deprivation on biological systems, it is not yet fully understood why seven hours is optimal -- or why long sleeping appears to be detrimental, Ferrie said.
'Chronic short sleep produces hormones and chemicals in the body which increase the risk of developing heart disease and strokes, and other conditions like high blood pressure and cholesterol, diabetes and obesity,' she added.
Source: news.yahoo.com
According to the study, less than six hours of sleep each night is considered too little and more than eight hours as too much for middle-aged adults.
The study, conducted by researchers at University College London Medical School, was published Sunday in the American medical journal Sleep, Xinhua reported.
The researchers conducted the study in two periods -- the 1997-1999 period and the 2003-2004 period. The participants were asked how many hours they slept on an average week night, and were asked the same question in 2003-2004.
The researchers compared those who reported changes in their sleep patterns with people whose sleep duration stayed the same over the course of the study.
In the follow-up, each individual was given a battery of standard tests to assess his or her memory, reasoning, vocabulary, global cognitive status and verbal fluency.
The findings show that women who slept seven hours per night had the highest score for every cognitive measure, followed by those who had six hours of sleep. For men, cognitive function was similar for those who reported sleeping six, seven or eight hours.
However, less than six hours of sleep -- or more than eight hours -- were associated with lower scores.
'Sleep provides the body with its daily need for physiological restitution and recovery,' explained Jane Ferrie, a senior research fellow in the department of epidemiology and public health at the school. 'While seven hours a night appears to be optimal for the majority of human beings, many people can function perfectly well on regular sleep of less or more hours.'
However, since most research has focused on the effects of sleep deprivation on biological systems, it is not yet fully understood why seven hours is optimal -- or why long sleeping appears to be detrimental, Ferrie said.
'Chronic short sleep produces hormones and chemicals in the body which increase the risk of developing heart disease and strokes, and other conditions like high blood pressure and cholesterol, diabetes and obesity,' she added.
Source: news.yahoo.com
India, Australia to begin free trade talks
Canberra, May 2 (IANS) Indian Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma and his Australian counterpart Craig Emerson will begin talks on a free trade agreement between the two countries when they meet here May 12, Xinhua reported. India is Australia's third-biggest export market.
Emerson Sunday welcomed the Indian government's formal agreement to begin negotiations on a free trade agreement with Australia, saying that it is a milestone in diplomatic relations.
He highlighted the importance of Australia's commodity and education exports to India.
'India is an enormous, rapidly expanding market for Australian businesses,' he said in a statement Sunday.
'Such a deal would broaden the base of merchandise trade, remove barriers to services trade, facilitate and encourage investment and address behind-the-border obstacles to trade.'
He said a free trade agreement to achieve zero tariffs would be bilateral, and it is important to achieve trade liberalization with India through multilateral forums.
Relations between the two countries have been previously strained because the Australian government is opposed to exporting uranium to India that has not signed the UN Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Violence against Indian students has also stirred diplomatic tensions.
Australia currently has free trade agreements with the US, Thailand, New Zealand, Singapore and Chile.
Source: news.yahoo.com
Emerson Sunday welcomed the Indian government's formal agreement to begin negotiations on a free trade agreement with Australia, saying that it is a milestone in diplomatic relations.
He highlighted the importance of Australia's commodity and education exports to India.
'India is an enormous, rapidly expanding market for Australian businesses,' he said in a statement Sunday.
'Such a deal would broaden the base of merchandise trade, remove barriers to services trade, facilitate and encourage investment and address behind-the-border obstacles to trade.'
He said a free trade agreement to achieve zero tariffs would be bilateral, and it is important to achieve trade liberalization with India through multilateral forums.
Relations between the two countries have been previously strained because the Australian government is opposed to exporting uranium to India that has not signed the UN Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Violence against Indian students has also stirred diplomatic tensions.
Australia currently has free trade agreements with the US, Thailand, New Zealand, Singapore and Chile.
Source: news.yahoo.com
Sheen to launch e-cigarette company
London, May 2 (IANS) Actor Charlie Sheen will launch a new e-cigarette company 'NicoSheen' with several business partners, including baseball star Lenny Dykstra.
Described as a 'Sheen safe smoke', the new disposable e-cigarette 'NicoSheen', has already been billed as 'The Winning E-Cigarette' featuring the Sheen's signature smirk on its packaging, reports contactmusic.com.
The 45-year-old is said to be donating all the profits from his merchandising sales to the Brian Stow Fund; Stow being a San Francisco Giants fan, who was attacked in the Dodger Stadium car park, last month, and has since been put into a medical coma.
Source: news.yahoo.com
Described as a 'Sheen safe smoke', the new disposable e-cigarette 'NicoSheen', has already been billed as 'The Winning E-Cigarette' featuring the Sheen's signature smirk on its packaging, reports contactmusic.com.
The 45-year-old is said to be donating all the profits from his merchandising sales to the Brian Stow Fund; Stow being a San Francisco Giants fan, who was attacked in the Dodger Stadium car park, last month, and has since been put into a medical coma.
Source: news.yahoo.com
NASA delays Endeavour launch again
Washington, May 2 (IANS) The launch of US space shuttle Endeavour on its 25th and final flight has been delayed again due to technical problems, NASA announced Sunday.
A new date for Endeavour's launch, which was originally scheduled last Friday, has not yet been set, Xinhua reported. It will deliver the $2-billion Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) particle detector to the International Space Station.
The launch was, however, called off after engineers detected a failure in one of two heater circuits associated with Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) 1. Heaters are required to keep the APUs' hydrazine from freezing on orbit.
NASA hoped Endeavour would lift off Monday.
AMS, a particle physics detector, is designed to search for various types of unusual matter by measuring cosmic rays. Its experiments are designed to help researchers study the formation of the universe and search for evidence of dark matter, strange matter and antimatter.
Endeavor, which has been promised to the California Science Centre in Los Angeles upon its return, was the replacement ship for Challenger, which was lost in a 1986 explosion as it ascended over the Atlantic that killed seven astronauts.
It will be the second of NASA's three surviving shuttles to be retired. Sister ship Discovery, which will be transferred to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, completed its last flight in March. Atlantis' final launch is scheduled for June 28.
The Russian space programme's Soyuz capsule will be the only method for transporting astronauts to and from the station when the US space shuttle programme ends later this year.
Source: news.yahoo.com
A new date for Endeavour's launch, which was originally scheduled last Friday, has not yet been set, Xinhua reported. It will deliver the $2-billion Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) particle detector to the International Space Station.
The launch was, however, called off after engineers detected a failure in one of two heater circuits associated with Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) 1. Heaters are required to keep the APUs' hydrazine from freezing on orbit.
NASA hoped Endeavour would lift off Monday.
AMS, a particle physics detector, is designed to search for various types of unusual matter by measuring cosmic rays. Its experiments are designed to help researchers study the formation of the universe and search for evidence of dark matter, strange matter and antimatter.
Endeavor, which has been promised to the California Science Centre in Los Angeles upon its return, was the replacement ship for Challenger, which was lost in a 1986 explosion as it ascended over the Atlantic that killed seven astronauts.
It will be the second of NASA's three surviving shuttles to be retired. Sister ship Discovery, which will be transferred to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, completed its last flight in March. Atlantis' final launch is scheduled for June 28.
The Russian space programme's Soyuz capsule will be the only method for transporting astronauts to and from the station when the US space shuttle programme ends later this year.
Source: news.yahoo.com
Royals beat Warriors with 3 balls to spare
Ross Taylor hit 47 not out to guide Rajasthan Royals to a six-wicket victory over Pune Warriors in the Indian Premier League on Sunday with three balls to spare.
Defending champions Chennai Super Kings pulled off a 19-run win over Deccan Chargers in Chennai.
New Zealander Taylor smashed four boundaries and two sixes and put on 52 for the unbroken fifth wicket with Ajinkya Rahane (15 not out) to help Royals win their third successive match in the Twenty20 tournament.
Former champions Royals finished at 144-4 after restricting Warriors, who lost their sixth straight match in the 10-team league, to 143-7 in 20 overs.
"Fantastic win for us," Royals captain Shane Warne said. "We have a good environment in our team, not a tight leash but a very open leash and it helps the youngsters."
Robin Uthappa (35) and Manish Pandey (30) got Warriors off to a good start after the visitors were put in to bat. But the misfiring middle-order wobbled once Warne dismissed Uthappa caught behind while attempting to reverse-sweep the leg-spinner.
Yuvraj Singh was run out for 7 and pacer Siddharth Trivedi grabbed two wickets to apply the brakes on Warriors.
In reply, leg-spinner Rahul Sharma caught and bowled Rahul Dravid for 18 and trapped Johan Botha leg before wicket for 12 as Royals stumbled to to 59-3 in 10.1 overs.
But Taylor turned it around, first putting on 33 for the fourth wicket with Ashok Menaria (29) and easing the pressure with 16 off left-arm spinner Murali Kartik that included two fours and a six.
"It is good to come to a new franchise and get a Man of the Match in a win," said Taylor, who previously played for Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Suresh Raina hit 59 and Australian Michael Hussey scored 46 to guide Super Kings to a challenging 165-5 in 20 overs after the hosts chose to bat.
In reply, Chargers raced to 71 in seven overs thanks to a 30-ball 56 with six fours and four sixes by Sunny Sohal.
But Super Kings hit back with pacers Albie Morkel (3-38) and Doug Bollinger (2-26) striking crucial blows to restrict Chargers to 146-8 in 20 overs.
Raina hit six fours and two sixes and Morkel smashed three successive sixes off Indian fast bowler Ishant Sharma in the penultimate over as Super Kings put on 69 from the last five overs.
Sohal's 50 came off just 24 balls but Chargers failed to build on the good start.
Sohal was bowled by Shadab Jakati while attempting to reverse sweep the left-arm spinner. Bollinger bowled Kumar Sangakkara for 15 and Morkel, who was man of the match, sent back Cameron White (13) and South African JP Duminy (17) in quick succession to limit Chargers.
"Albie really finished the game well today. Lots of teams put emphasis in the last six (overs), we look to capitalize on the last 4-5 overs," said Super Kings captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who hit 21 at the finish.
Super Kings have won all four of their home matches this season.
On Monday, Mumbai Indians meet Kings XI Punjab and Delhi Daredevils take on Kochi Tuskers Kerala.
___
Scores:
Rajasthan Royals 144-4 in 19.3 overs (Ross Taylor 47 not out, Rahul Sharma 3-13) def. Pune Warriors 143-7 in 20 overs (Robin Uthappa 35, Siddharth Trivedi 2-28).
Chennai Super Kings 165-5 in 20 overs (Suresh Raina 59, Michael Hussey 46, Pragyan Ojha 3-26) def. Deccan Chargers 146-8 in 20 overs (Sunny Sohal 56, Albie Morkel 3-38, Doug Bollinger 2-26, Shadab Jakati 2-23).
Source: news.yahoo.com
Defending champions Chennai Super Kings pulled off a 19-run win over Deccan Chargers in Chennai.
New Zealander Taylor smashed four boundaries and two sixes and put on 52 for the unbroken fifth wicket with Ajinkya Rahane (15 not out) to help Royals win their third successive match in the Twenty20 tournament.
Former champions Royals finished at 144-4 after restricting Warriors, who lost their sixth straight match in the 10-team league, to 143-7 in 20 overs.
"Fantastic win for us," Royals captain Shane Warne said. "We have a good environment in our team, not a tight leash but a very open leash and it helps the youngsters."
Robin Uthappa (35) and Manish Pandey (30) got Warriors off to a good start after the visitors were put in to bat. But the misfiring middle-order wobbled once Warne dismissed Uthappa caught behind while attempting to reverse-sweep the leg-spinner.
Yuvraj Singh was run out for 7 and pacer Siddharth Trivedi grabbed two wickets to apply the brakes on Warriors.
In reply, leg-spinner Rahul Sharma caught and bowled Rahul Dravid for 18 and trapped Johan Botha leg before wicket for 12 as Royals stumbled to to 59-3 in 10.1 overs.
But Taylor turned it around, first putting on 33 for the fourth wicket with Ashok Menaria (29) and easing the pressure with 16 off left-arm spinner Murali Kartik that included two fours and a six.
"It is good to come to a new franchise and get a Man of the Match in a win," said Taylor, who previously played for Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Suresh Raina hit 59 and Australian Michael Hussey scored 46 to guide Super Kings to a challenging 165-5 in 20 overs after the hosts chose to bat.
In reply, Chargers raced to 71 in seven overs thanks to a 30-ball 56 with six fours and four sixes by Sunny Sohal.
But Super Kings hit back with pacers Albie Morkel (3-38) and Doug Bollinger (2-26) striking crucial blows to restrict Chargers to 146-8 in 20 overs.
Raina hit six fours and two sixes and Morkel smashed three successive sixes off Indian fast bowler Ishant Sharma in the penultimate over as Super Kings put on 69 from the last five overs.
Sohal's 50 came off just 24 balls but Chargers failed to build on the good start.
Sohal was bowled by Shadab Jakati while attempting to reverse sweep the left-arm spinner. Bollinger bowled Kumar Sangakkara for 15 and Morkel, who was man of the match, sent back Cameron White (13) and South African JP Duminy (17) in quick succession to limit Chargers.
"Albie really finished the game well today. Lots of teams put emphasis in the last six (overs), we look to capitalize on the last 4-5 overs," said Super Kings captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who hit 21 at the finish.
Super Kings have won all four of their home matches this season.
On Monday, Mumbai Indians meet Kings XI Punjab and Delhi Daredevils take on Kochi Tuskers Kerala.
___
Scores:
Rajasthan Royals 144-4 in 19.3 overs (Ross Taylor 47 not out, Rahul Sharma 3-13) def. Pune Warriors 143-7 in 20 overs (Robin Uthappa 35, Siddharth Trivedi 2-28).
Chennai Super Kings 165-5 in 20 overs (Suresh Raina 59, Michael Hussey 46, Pragyan Ojha 3-26) def. Deccan Chargers 146-8 in 20 overs (Sunny Sohal 56, Albie Morkel 3-38, Doug Bollinger 2-26, Shadab Jakati 2-23).
Source: news.yahoo.com
Verizon CEO reveals iPhone 5 secret?
NEW YORK: The next Verizon iPhone model will work on overseas networks, a Verizon Communications Inc executive confirmed Thursday in what may have been an accidental lifting of the secrecy that usually surrounds Apple Inc's products.
Verizon Communications Inc's chief financial officer, Fran Shammo, told analysts on a quarterly earnings conference call that the new phone would be a "global" version, implying that it will be able to roam on the "GSM" wireless networks that are common in other countries.
Rival AT&T Inc's version of the iPhone already works on GSM networks. Verizon started selling its own, non-GSM version on February 10.
Apple hasn't revealed any details on the next iPhone. It didn't immediately respond to a message seeking comment before business hours Thursday on the West Coast.
Shammo didn't say when the new phone would launch, but he implied that Verizon and AT&T would be on an "equal footing" later this year.
That would mean that the two carriers would get the next iPhone model simultaneously. Apple has released previous iPhone models in late June and early July, but analysts are saying it could be a few months later this year.
In a later interview Thursday, Shammo said he didn't want to comment further on Apple's plans.
On Wednesday, Apple Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook reinforced the notion that the next iPhone would not be capable of using Verizon's new super-fast "LTE" data network. AT&T is building a similar network and plans to have it up and running in a few areas this summer.
Cook said early LTE chips for phones force design compromises that Apple isn't prepared to make. That could mean that the chips are too big to fit inside the iPhone, or that they consume a lot of battery power.
Competitor HTC Corp. is already selling an LTE phone, the Thunderbolt, that uses Verizon's network. Verizon on Thursday reported strong early sales of the phone.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Verizon Communications Inc's chief financial officer, Fran Shammo, told analysts on a quarterly earnings conference call that the new phone would be a "global" version, implying that it will be able to roam on the "GSM" wireless networks that are common in other countries.
Rival AT&T Inc's version of the iPhone already works on GSM networks. Verizon started selling its own, non-GSM version on February 10.
Apple hasn't revealed any details on the next iPhone. It didn't immediately respond to a message seeking comment before business hours Thursday on the West Coast.
Shammo didn't say when the new phone would launch, but he implied that Verizon and AT&T would be on an "equal footing" later this year.
That would mean that the two carriers would get the next iPhone model simultaneously. Apple has released previous iPhone models in late June and early July, but analysts are saying it could be a few months later this year.
In a later interview Thursday, Shammo said he didn't want to comment further on Apple's plans.
On Wednesday, Apple Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook reinforced the notion that the next iPhone would not be capable of using Verizon's new super-fast "LTE" data network. AT&T is building a similar network and plans to have it up and running in a few areas this summer.
Cook said early LTE chips for phones force design compromises that Apple isn't prepared to make. That could mean that the chips are too big to fit inside the iPhone, or that they consume a lot of battery power.
Competitor HTC Corp. is already selling an LTE phone, the Thunderbolt, that uses Verizon's network. Verizon on Thursday reported strong early sales of the phone.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Apple slammed for tracking users
SAN FRANCISCO: Privacy watchdogs are demanding answers from Apple Inc about why iPhones and iPads are secretly collecting location data on users — records that cellular service providers routinely keep but require a court order to disgorge.
It's not clear if other smartphones and tablet computers are logging such information on their users. And this week's revelation that the Apple devices do wasn't even new — some security experts began warning about the issue a year ago.
But the worry prompted by a report from researchers Alasdair Allan and Pete Warden at a technology conference in Santa Clara, Calif., raises questions about how much privacy you implicitly surrender by carrying around a smartphone and the responsibility of the smartphone makers to protect sensitive data that flows through their devices.
Much of the concern about the iPhone and iPad tracking stems from the fact the computers are logging users' physical coordinates without users knowing it — and that that information is then stored in an unencrypted form that would be easy for a hacker or a suspicious spouse or a law enforcement officer to find without a warrant.
Researchers emphasize that there's no evidence that Apple itself has access to this data. The data apparently stays on the device itself, and computers the data is backed up to. Apple didn't immediately respond to a request for comment by The Associated Press.
Tracking is a normal part of owning a cellphone. What's done with that data, though, is where the controversy lies.
A central question in this controversy is whether a smartphone should act merely as a conduit of location data to service providers and approved applications — or as a more active participant by storing the data itself, to make location-based applications run more smoothly or help better target mobile ads or any number of other uses.
Location data is some of the most valuable information a mobile phone can provide, since it can tell advertisers not only where someone's been, but also where they might be going — and what they might be inclined to buy when they get there.
Allan and Warden said the location coordinates and time stamps in the Apple devices aren't always exact, but appear in a file that typically contains about a year's worth of data that when taken together provide a detailed view of users' travels.
"We're not sure why Apple is gathering this data, but it's clearly intentional, as the database is being restored across backups, and even device migrations," they wrote in a blog posting announcing the research.
Allan said in an email to the AP that he and Warden haven't looked at how other smartphones behave in this regard, but added there's suspicion that phones that run Google Inc.'s Android software might behave in a similar way and is being investigated.
Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Alex Levinson, a security expert, said the tracking Apple's devices do isn't new — or a surprise to those in the computer forensics community.
The Apple devices have been retaining the information for some time, but it was kept in a different form until the release of the iOS 4 operating software last year, Levinson, technical lead for the Katana Forensics firm, wrote on his blog.
Through his work with law enforcement agencies, Levinson said he was able to access the location data in older iPhones and warned about the issue over a year ago. The location data is now easier to find because of a change in the way iPhone applications access the data, he said.
"Either way, it is not secret, malicious, or hidden," Levinson wrote. "Users still have to approve location access to any application and have the ability to instantly turn off location services to applications inside the settings menu on their device."
The existence of the location-data file on the phone is alarming because it's unencrypted, the researchers said, which means that anyone with access to the device can see it.
Charlie Miller, a prominent iPhone hacker, said a security change that Apple made last month would make extracting the file from the phone in a remote attack very difficult. Even if an attacker were to break into someone's phone looking for the file, he wouldn't have the right privileges to access the file.
The data is "pretty well-protected on the phone," Miller, principal security analyst with Independent Security Evaluators, said in an interview.
"On the phone, they take a lot of precautions." He said. "It's sort of frightening in the sense that it's there, and it's full of information about where you've been, but the good news is it's not easy to get to."
But it's a different matter when the data is transferred to another computer in a backup. If the backup computer is infected with malicious software, the file could easily be located and sent to the hacker. A way to protect against that is to encrypt the iPhone backup through iTunes, the researchers said.
The issue has prompted several members of Congress to write letters to Apple, based in Cupertino, Calif., to answer questions about the practice.
Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., said it raises "serious privacy concerns," especially for children using the devices, since "anyone who gains access to this single file could likely determine the location of a user's home, the businesses he frequents, the doctors he visits, the schools his children attend, and the trips he has taken — over the past months or even a year."
Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., questioned whether the practice may be illegal under a federal law governing the use of location information for commercial purposes, if consumers weren't properly informed.
"Apple needs to safeguard the personal location information of its users to ensure that an iPhone doesn't become an iTrack," he said in a statement. "Collecting, storing and disclosing a consumer's location for commercial purposes without their express permission is unacceptable and would violate current law."
Apple shares rose $9.20, or 2.7 per cent, to $351.71 on the strength of the company's latest quarterly financial results, which showed Apple's net income nearly doubled, in large part on strength of iPhone sales.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
It's not clear if other smartphones and tablet computers are logging such information on their users. And this week's revelation that the Apple devices do wasn't even new — some security experts began warning about the issue a year ago.
But the worry prompted by a report from researchers Alasdair Allan and Pete Warden at a technology conference in Santa Clara, Calif., raises questions about how much privacy you implicitly surrender by carrying around a smartphone and the responsibility of the smartphone makers to protect sensitive data that flows through their devices.
Much of the concern about the iPhone and iPad tracking stems from the fact the computers are logging users' physical coordinates without users knowing it — and that that information is then stored in an unencrypted form that would be easy for a hacker or a suspicious spouse or a law enforcement officer to find without a warrant.
Researchers emphasize that there's no evidence that Apple itself has access to this data. The data apparently stays on the device itself, and computers the data is backed up to. Apple didn't immediately respond to a request for comment by The Associated Press.
Tracking is a normal part of owning a cellphone. What's done with that data, though, is where the controversy lies.
A central question in this controversy is whether a smartphone should act merely as a conduit of location data to service providers and approved applications — or as a more active participant by storing the data itself, to make location-based applications run more smoothly or help better target mobile ads or any number of other uses.
Location data is some of the most valuable information a mobile phone can provide, since it can tell advertisers not only where someone's been, but also where they might be going — and what they might be inclined to buy when they get there.
Allan and Warden said the location coordinates and time stamps in the Apple devices aren't always exact, but appear in a file that typically contains about a year's worth of data that when taken together provide a detailed view of users' travels.
"We're not sure why Apple is gathering this data, but it's clearly intentional, as the database is being restored across backups, and even device migrations," they wrote in a blog posting announcing the research.
Allan said in an email to the AP that he and Warden haven't looked at how other smartphones behave in this regard, but added there's suspicion that phones that run Google Inc.'s Android software might behave in a similar way and is being investigated.
Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Alex Levinson, a security expert, said the tracking Apple's devices do isn't new — or a surprise to those in the computer forensics community.
The Apple devices have been retaining the information for some time, but it was kept in a different form until the release of the iOS 4 operating software last year, Levinson, technical lead for the Katana Forensics firm, wrote on his blog.
Through his work with law enforcement agencies, Levinson said he was able to access the location data in older iPhones and warned about the issue over a year ago. The location data is now easier to find because of a change in the way iPhone applications access the data, he said.
"Either way, it is not secret, malicious, or hidden," Levinson wrote. "Users still have to approve location access to any application and have the ability to instantly turn off location services to applications inside the settings menu on their device."
The existence of the location-data file on the phone is alarming because it's unencrypted, the researchers said, which means that anyone with access to the device can see it.
Charlie Miller, a prominent iPhone hacker, said a security change that Apple made last month would make extracting the file from the phone in a remote attack very difficult. Even if an attacker were to break into someone's phone looking for the file, he wouldn't have the right privileges to access the file.
The data is "pretty well-protected on the phone," Miller, principal security analyst with Independent Security Evaluators, said in an interview.
"On the phone, they take a lot of precautions." He said. "It's sort of frightening in the sense that it's there, and it's full of information about where you've been, but the good news is it's not easy to get to."
But it's a different matter when the data is transferred to another computer in a backup. If the backup computer is infected with malicious software, the file could easily be located and sent to the hacker. A way to protect against that is to encrypt the iPhone backup through iTunes, the researchers said.
The issue has prompted several members of Congress to write letters to Apple, based in Cupertino, Calif., to answer questions about the practice.
Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., said it raises "serious privacy concerns," especially for children using the devices, since "anyone who gains access to this single file could likely determine the location of a user's home, the businesses he frequents, the doctors he visits, the schools his children attend, and the trips he has taken — over the past months or even a year."
Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., questioned whether the practice may be illegal under a federal law governing the use of location information for commercial purposes, if consumers weren't properly informed.
"Apple needs to safeguard the personal location information of its users to ensure that an iPhone doesn't become an iTrack," he said in a statement. "Collecting, storing and disclosing a consumer's location for commercial purposes without their express permission is unacceptable and would violate current law."
Apple shares rose $9.20, or 2.7 per cent, to $351.71 on the strength of the company's latest quarterly financial results, which showed Apple's net income nearly doubled, in large part on strength of iPhone sales.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Stake in Vodafone-Essar more than $5bn: Essar
NEW DELHI: The Essar Group said its 33% stake in Vodafone Essar, India's second largest telecoms company by customers, was worth more than the $5 billion that Vodafone was offering it.
Essar's stance counters Vodafone Group chief executive Vittorio Calao's arguments earlier this week that its JV partner agreed to sell its 33% stake for $5 billion as it could not get a higher valuation.
The latest spat between the two partners follows the decision of the Madras High Court on Thursday to reject Vodafone's plea opposing the merger of the two companies. Vodafone had opposed the merger between India Securities and Essar Telecommunications, which owns about 11% in Vodafone Essar, and said that this could be misinterpreted as afair market value for their unlisted mobile phone company here.
"We have always believed that the fair market value of Vodafone Essar is higher than the underwritten value, and this is especially so in light of the recent stellar performance of the company," the Essar spokesperson said.
The Essar spokesperson also said the verdict vindicated its stand that Vodafone did not have any locus standi in relation to this merger as it was neither a shareholder nor a creditor of the relevant companies.
The objections filed by Vodafone were intended to delay the merger, and serve their own commercial interests to prevent the discovery of a fair market value of Vodafone Essar through a market mechanism, the Essar spokesperson added.
On Tuesday, the chief executive of Vodafone, the world s largest mobile phone company, told ET that it would not pay more than $5 billion for buying out the Ruias 33% stake in their JV here. "Essar had two options - sell their entire stake for $5 billion as per the earlier agreement, or appoint an independent entity to arrive at a fair market valuation.
That they choose the underwritten floor price proves they could not get a higher valuation (than $5 billion)," Colao had said. He also added that Ruias seeking a higher price was a "psychological" tactic that all entrepreneurs employ during negotiations.
"They (Essar Group) are entrepreneurs who want to defend their investments to the last value. Nobody will believe they did not exercise what is best for them." Executives close to Essar said that despite the Madras high court order, which allowed merger and indirect listing of Vodafone Essar, it was too late for public shareholders of ISL to benefit from this decision as Vodafone had already announced it was buying out the Essar Group's one-third stake in its Indian JV.
The agreement between Vodafone and Essar was formed in two parts – one a put or sell option for 22% held by the Essar Group overseas and the other a call or buy option for Vodafone to buy 11% stake the Essar group held in India.
Joji Thomas Philip & Sanjay Vijaykumar
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Essar's stance counters Vodafone Group chief executive Vittorio Calao's arguments earlier this week that its JV partner agreed to sell its 33% stake for $5 billion as it could not get a higher valuation.
The latest spat between the two partners follows the decision of the Madras High Court on Thursday to reject Vodafone's plea opposing the merger of the two companies. Vodafone had opposed the merger between India Securities and Essar Telecommunications, which owns about 11% in Vodafone Essar, and said that this could be misinterpreted as afair market value for their unlisted mobile phone company here.
"We have always believed that the fair market value of Vodafone Essar is higher than the underwritten value, and this is especially so in light of the recent stellar performance of the company," the Essar spokesperson said.
The Essar spokesperson also said the verdict vindicated its stand that Vodafone did not have any locus standi in relation to this merger as it was neither a shareholder nor a creditor of the relevant companies.
The objections filed by Vodafone were intended to delay the merger, and serve their own commercial interests to prevent the discovery of a fair market value of Vodafone Essar through a market mechanism, the Essar spokesperson added.
On Tuesday, the chief executive of Vodafone, the world s largest mobile phone company, told ET that it would not pay more than $5 billion for buying out the Ruias 33% stake in their JV here. "Essar had two options - sell their entire stake for $5 billion as per the earlier agreement, or appoint an independent entity to arrive at a fair market valuation.
That they choose the underwritten floor price proves they could not get a higher valuation (than $5 billion)," Colao had said. He also added that Ruias seeking a higher price was a "psychological" tactic that all entrepreneurs employ during negotiations.
"They (Essar Group) are entrepreneurs who want to defend their investments to the last value. Nobody will believe they did not exercise what is best for them." Executives close to Essar said that despite the Madras high court order, which allowed merger and indirect listing of Vodafone Essar, it was too late for public shareholders of ISL to benefit from this decision as Vodafone had already announced it was buying out the Essar Group's one-third stake in its Indian JV.
The agreement between Vodafone and Essar was formed in two parts – one a put or sell option for 22% held by the Essar Group overseas and the other a call or buy option for Vodafone to buy 11% stake the Essar group held in India.
Joji Thomas Philip & Sanjay Vijaykumar
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
IPL scoreboard: Chennai Super Kings vs Deccan Chargers
Chennai, May 2 (IANS) Scoreboard of the Indian Premier League match between Chennai Super Kings and Deccan Chargers at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium here Sunday:
Chennai Super Kings:
Murali Vijay b Ojha 3
Michael Hussey c Sharma b Harmeet 46
Suresh Raina c Dhawan b Ojha 59
Mahendra Singh Dhoni st Sangakkara b Ojha 21
Albie Morkel (run out - White/Sangakkara) 19
Subramaniam Badrinath (not out) 5
Anirudha Srikkanth (not out) 3
Extras (b-4, lb-1, w-2, nb-2): 9
Total (for 5 wkts, 20 overs): 165
Fall of wickets: 1-18 (Vijay, 3.4 overs), 2-78 (Hussey, 12.3), 3-136 (Raina, 17.5), 4-157 (Morkel, 19.1), 5-162 (Dhoni, 19.4)
Bowling:
Jean-Paul Duminy 3-0-21-0
Daniel Christian 3-0-12-0
Ishant Sharma 4-0-41-0
Pragyan Ojha 4-0-26-3
Amit Mishra 3-0-34-0
Harmeet Singh 3-0-26-1
Deccan Chargers Innings:
Sunny Sohal b Jakati 56
Shikhar Dhawan b Jakati 19
Bharat Chipli c Jakati b Morkel 17
Kumar Sangakkara b Bollinger 15
Cameron White c du Plessis (sub) b Morkel 13
Jean-Paul Duminy c Hussey b Morkel 17
Daniel Christian (run out - Dhoni) 1
Amit Mishra c and b Bollinger 2
Ishant Sharma (not out) 1
Extras (b-1, lb-1, w-3): 5
Total (for 8 wkts, 20 overs): 146.
Fall of wickets: 1-71 (Sohal, 6.5 overs), 2-90 (Dhawan, 10.6), 3-110 (Chipli, 13.2), 4-121 (Sangakkara, 15.5), 5-137 (White, 18.1), 6-143 (Duminy, 18.6), 7-143 (Christian, 19.2), 8-146 (Mishra, 19.6).
Bowling:
Albie Morkel 4-0-38-3
Doug Bollinger 4-0-26-2
Ravichandran Ashwin 4-0-23-0
Suraj Randiv 4-0-34-0
Shadab Jakati 4-0-23-2
Source: news.yahoo.com
Chennai Super Kings:
Murali Vijay b Ojha 3
Michael Hussey c Sharma b Harmeet 46
Suresh Raina c Dhawan b Ojha 59
Mahendra Singh Dhoni st Sangakkara b Ojha 21
Albie Morkel (run out - White/Sangakkara) 19
Subramaniam Badrinath (not out) 5
Anirudha Srikkanth (not out) 3
Extras (b-4, lb-1, w-2, nb-2): 9
Total (for 5 wkts, 20 overs): 165
Fall of wickets: 1-18 (Vijay, 3.4 overs), 2-78 (Hussey, 12.3), 3-136 (Raina, 17.5), 4-157 (Morkel, 19.1), 5-162 (Dhoni, 19.4)
Bowling:
Jean-Paul Duminy 3-0-21-0
Daniel Christian 3-0-12-0
Ishant Sharma 4-0-41-0
Pragyan Ojha 4-0-26-3
Amit Mishra 3-0-34-0
Harmeet Singh 3-0-26-1
Deccan Chargers Innings:
Sunny Sohal b Jakati 56
Shikhar Dhawan b Jakati 19
Bharat Chipli c Jakati b Morkel 17
Kumar Sangakkara b Bollinger 15
Cameron White c du Plessis (sub) b Morkel 13
Jean-Paul Duminy c Hussey b Morkel 17
Daniel Christian (run out - Dhoni) 1
Amit Mishra c and b Bollinger 2
Ishant Sharma (not out) 1
Extras (b-1, lb-1, w-3): 5
Total (for 8 wkts, 20 overs): 146.
Fall of wickets: 1-71 (Sohal, 6.5 overs), 2-90 (Dhawan, 10.6), 3-110 (Chipli, 13.2), 4-121 (Sangakkara, 15.5), 5-137 (White, 18.1), 6-143 (Duminy, 18.6), 7-143 (Christian, 19.2), 8-146 (Mishra, 19.6).
Bowling:
Albie Morkel 4-0-38-3
Doug Bollinger 4-0-26-2
Ravichandran Ashwin 4-0-23-0
Suraj Randiv 4-0-34-0
Shadab Jakati 4-0-23-2
Source: news.yahoo.com
Egypt says intends to open Gaza border permanently
CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt intends to open its border with Gaza permanently to alleviate the suffering of Palestinians under an Israeli blockade but the mechanics of such a step are still being worked out, the Foreign Ministry said on Sunday.
The initiative suggests a further policy shift since the toppling of Hosni Mubarak, whose government cooperated with Israel in enforcing a blockade on the Gaza Strip which is controlled by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.
Under Mubarak, Egypt only sporadically opened up the border for food and medicine, or to let through people, mainly those seeking medical treatment or travelling to study from the area of about 1.5 million Palestinians.
That system has broadly stayed in place since Mubarak was pushed out on Feb. 11.
"The intention is there to open it on a permanent basis to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinians, but all the mechanics on how it is going to work are under study," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Menha Bakhoum told Reuters.
She said the issue was being studied "at all levels" but did not say when this might be implemented.
Egypt has brokered a reconciliation deal between Palestinian factions, due to be signed this week, and Cairo has signalled it is ready for closer diplomatic relations with Iran that have been severed for about three decades.
Analysts say the new rulers in Cairo are shifting policy away from the Mubarak era, in part to gain credibility amongst a largely pro-Palestinian population.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Elaraby last week called the blockade on Gaza "disgraceful" and told Al Jazeera television that Egypt would look into ways to open the border in 10 days.
Bakhoum, in comments carried by the state-owned Al-Ahram newspaper, said the 10 days Elaraby referred to was the period Egypt needed to study the mechanisms to open the border.
Bakhoum also said in comments reported by Al-Ahram that reviewing policies after an uprising that toppled Mubarak did not mean Cairo would stop honouring international commitments -- a reference to its 1979 peace treaty with Israel
(Writing by Edmund Blair and Sami Aboudi; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
Source: news.yahoo.com
The initiative suggests a further policy shift since the toppling of Hosni Mubarak, whose government cooperated with Israel in enforcing a blockade on the Gaza Strip which is controlled by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.
Under Mubarak, Egypt only sporadically opened up the border for food and medicine, or to let through people, mainly those seeking medical treatment or travelling to study from the area of about 1.5 million Palestinians.
That system has broadly stayed in place since Mubarak was pushed out on Feb. 11.
"The intention is there to open it on a permanent basis to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinians, but all the mechanics on how it is going to work are under study," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Menha Bakhoum told Reuters.
She said the issue was being studied "at all levels" but did not say when this might be implemented.
Egypt has brokered a reconciliation deal between Palestinian factions, due to be signed this week, and Cairo has signalled it is ready for closer diplomatic relations with Iran that have been severed for about three decades.
Analysts say the new rulers in Cairo are shifting policy away from the Mubarak era, in part to gain credibility amongst a largely pro-Palestinian population.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Elaraby last week called the blockade on Gaza "disgraceful" and told Al Jazeera television that Egypt would look into ways to open the border in 10 days.
Bakhoum, in comments carried by the state-owned Al-Ahram newspaper, said the 10 days Elaraby referred to was the period Egypt needed to study the mechanisms to open the border.
Bakhoum also said in comments reported by Al-Ahram that reviewing policies after an uprising that toppled Mubarak did not mean Cairo would stop honouring international commitments -- a reference to its 1979 peace treaty with Israel
(Writing by Edmund Blair and Sami Aboudi; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
Source: news.yahoo.com
Osama bin Laden killed after 10 year manhunt in Pakistan
Washington, May 2 (IANS) Nearly 10 years after the traumatic Sep 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York and the Pentagon, the world's most wanted terrorist leader Osama bin Laden has been killed in Pakistan.
US President Barack Obama himself announced the end of the massive manhunt for the Al Qaeda mastermind that began during his predecessor George Bush's watch, in Pakistan's North Western Province in a US drone strike Sunday night.
US forces have the body of bin Laden, leader of Al Qaeda, the terrorist network behind the 9/11 attacks, said CNN citing US officials.
The enormity of the destruction - the World Trade Centre's towers devastated by two hijacked airplanes, the Pentagon partially destroyed by a third hijacked jetliner, a fourth flight crashed in rural Pennsylvania, and more than 3,000 people killed - gave bin Laden a global presence.
Even before 9/11, the Saudi-born zealot bin Laden was already on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list.
He had been implicated in a series of deadly, high-profile attacks that had grown in their intensity and success during the 1990s.
Bin Laden eluded capture for years, once reportedly slipping out of a training camp in Afghanistan just hours before a barrage of US cruise missiles destroyed it, CNN said.
On Sep 11, sources cited by CNN said, the evidence immediately pointed to bin Laden. Within days, those close to the investigation said they had their proof.
Six days after the attack, President George W. Bush made it clear Osama bin Laden was the No. 1 suspect.
'I want justice,' Bush said. 'There's an old poster out West that said, 'Wanted, dead or alive'.'
Osama bin Laden was born in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1957, the 17th of 52 children in a family that had struck it rich in the construction business.
His father, Mohamed bin Laden, was a native of Yemen, who immigrated to Saudi Arabia as a child. He became a billionaire by building his company into the largest construction firm in the Saudi kingdom.
(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in)
Source: news.yahoo.com
US President Barack Obama himself announced the end of the massive manhunt for the Al Qaeda mastermind that began during his predecessor George Bush's watch, in Pakistan's North Western Province in a US drone strike Sunday night.
US forces have the body of bin Laden, leader of Al Qaeda, the terrorist network behind the 9/11 attacks, said CNN citing US officials.
The enormity of the destruction - the World Trade Centre's towers devastated by two hijacked airplanes, the Pentagon partially destroyed by a third hijacked jetliner, a fourth flight crashed in rural Pennsylvania, and more than 3,000 people killed - gave bin Laden a global presence.
Even before 9/11, the Saudi-born zealot bin Laden was already on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list.
He had been implicated in a series of deadly, high-profile attacks that had grown in their intensity and success during the 1990s.
Bin Laden eluded capture for years, once reportedly slipping out of a training camp in Afghanistan just hours before a barrage of US cruise missiles destroyed it, CNN said.
On Sep 11, sources cited by CNN said, the evidence immediately pointed to bin Laden. Within days, those close to the investigation said they had their proof.
Six days after the attack, President George W. Bush made it clear Osama bin Laden was the No. 1 suspect.
'I want justice,' Bush said. 'There's an old poster out West that said, 'Wanted, dead or alive'.'
Osama bin Laden was born in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1957, the 17th of 52 children in a family that had struck it rich in the construction business.
His father, Mohamed bin Laden, was a native of Yemen, who immigrated to Saudi Arabia as a child. He became a billionaire by building his company into the largest construction firm in the Saudi kingdom.
(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in)
Source: news.yahoo.com
Goldie Hawn opened up her home for Princess Diana''s vacation
London, May 1 (PTI) Hollywood actress Goldie Hawn has claimed she shared a special bond with the late Princess Diana and her eldest son William and helped them have a paparazzi-free vacation once.
The 65-year-old actress had opened her home to the Princess and her sons during the 1990''s so that the royal family could have a peaceful vacation in the US, reported Contactmusic.
"Fergie (Sarah Ferguson, the former Duchess of York) called me. This is in the early ''90s. She said, ''My girlfriend is in need of a place to go where there''s no paparazzi. Could she go to the ranch?'' And we (partner Kurt Russell and I) said, ''Of course''," said Hawn.
The ''Overboard'' star made the revelation during a royal wedding-themed edition of US morning show ''The View'', which she guest hosted.
The 65-year-old actress said that she developed a special connection with the Prince William and his mother after they vacationed in her ranch in Aspen (Colorado).
"She (Diana) called me and said, ''I''m having the most amazing time. The kids (Prince William and Prince Harry) are having a time of their life with no paparazzi. Goldie, it was the best vacation of my life''," added Hawn.
Source: news.yahoo.com
The 65-year-old actress had opened her home to the Princess and her sons during the 1990''s so that the royal family could have a peaceful vacation in the US, reported Contactmusic.
"Fergie (Sarah Ferguson, the former Duchess of York) called me. This is in the early ''90s. She said, ''My girlfriend is in need of a place to go where there''s no paparazzi. Could she go to the ranch?'' And we (partner Kurt Russell and I) said, ''Of course''," said Hawn.
The ''Overboard'' star made the revelation during a royal wedding-themed edition of US morning show ''The View'', which she guest hosted.
The 65-year-old actress said that she developed a special connection with the Prince William and his mother after they vacationed in her ranch in Aspen (Colorado).
"She (Diana) called me and said, ''I''m having the most amazing time. The kids (Prince William and Prince Harry) are having a time of their life with no paparazzi. Goldie, it was the best vacation of my life''," added Hawn.
Source: news.yahoo.com
$100bn: Huawei's five-year plan
BEIJING: Huawei Technologies Co, China's largest phone-network equipment maker, aims to more than triple annual sales to about $100 billion in the next five to 10 years as it expands into cloud computing and small-business networks.
Huawei forecasts sales this year will climb to 199 billion yuan ($31 billion) from 185.2 billion yuan last year, Richard Yu, chief marketing officer, said in Shanghai today.
"Traditional industry boundaries are blurring and the telecommunications industry will be redefined in the next 10 years," Yu said at the meeting with analysts and media. "Low- cost, huge-capability networks will be the industry requirement."
Chief Executive Officer Ren Zhengfei, who founded Huawei in 1987, built it into the world's second-largest maker of equipment for mobile-phone networks, behind Ericsson AB. After starting off in China's rural communications market and then expanding that strategy through Asia and Africa, Ren is now looking to boost sales in Europe and the U.S. to further close the gap with its Swedish rival.
Huawei, based in Shenzhen, southern Guangdong province, held about 15.7 percent of the $78.6 billion global market for carrier network infrastructure last year, second to Ericsson's 19.6 percent share, according to estimates from research firm Gartner Inc. on April 11.
Growth areas
Huawei will increasingly look to expand beyond the traditional phone-network market because of limited growth prospects in that business, Yu said.
"The traditional telecom industry market will have a growth in volume that can only support our expansion to about $40 billion in annual revenue," Yu said. "So we are looking to expand our business with enterprise, devices and cloud computing."
The company still wants to maintain leadership in its traditional business with telecommunications carriers, he said.
Huawei, which didn't win its first contract outside China until 1997, achieved international sales of more than $100 million by 2000. Overseas business exceeded contracts in China for the first time in 2005, according to the company's website.
Growth in overseas sales raised Huawei's total revenue to 185.2 billion yuan last year, the company said in its annual report released this month, or about $27.36 billion based on the average exchange rate for the yuan to the dollar last year. That compares with Ericsson's $28.3 billion in sales last year at the equivalent average exchange rate.
Huawei got 65 percent of its revenue from outside of China last year, up from 60 percent in 2009, according to the report. Overseas sales jumped 34 percent at Huawei to 120.4 billion yuan last year, according to the report.
Its sales in China gained 9.7 percent to 64.8 billion yuan. China accounted for 35 percent of the company's sales last year, down from 40 percent in 2009. Net income rose 30 percent to 23.8 billion yuan, from 18.3 billion yuan a year earlier, Huawei's report said.
The company is owned by its employees and the Chinese government holds no shares, according to its website. The company employs 110,000 worldwide, the annual report said.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Huawei forecasts sales this year will climb to 199 billion yuan ($31 billion) from 185.2 billion yuan last year, Richard Yu, chief marketing officer, said in Shanghai today.
"Traditional industry boundaries are blurring and the telecommunications industry will be redefined in the next 10 years," Yu said at the meeting with analysts and media. "Low- cost, huge-capability networks will be the industry requirement."
Chief Executive Officer Ren Zhengfei, who founded Huawei in 1987, built it into the world's second-largest maker of equipment for mobile-phone networks, behind Ericsson AB. After starting off in China's rural communications market and then expanding that strategy through Asia and Africa, Ren is now looking to boost sales in Europe and the U.S. to further close the gap with its Swedish rival.
Huawei, based in Shenzhen, southern Guangdong province, held about 15.7 percent of the $78.6 billion global market for carrier network infrastructure last year, second to Ericsson's 19.6 percent share, according to estimates from research firm Gartner Inc. on April 11.
Growth areas
Huawei will increasingly look to expand beyond the traditional phone-network market because of limited growth prospects in that business, Yu said.
"The traditional telecom industry market will have a growth in volume that can only support our expansion to about $40 billion in annual revenue," Yu said. "So we are looking to expand our business with enterprise, devices and cloud computing."
The company still wants to maintain leadership in its traditional business with telecommunications carriers, he said.
Huawei, which didn't win its first contract outside China until 1997, achieved international sales of more than $100 million by 2000. Overseas business exceeded contracts in China for the first time in 2005, according to the company's website.
Growth in overseas sales raised Huawei's total revenue to 185.2 billion yuan last year, the company said in its annual report released this month, or about $27.36 billion based on the average exchange rate for the yuan to the dollar last year. That compares with Ericsson's $28.3 billion in sales last year at the equivalent average exchange rate.
Huawei got 65 percent of its revenue from outside of China last year, up from 60 percent in 2009, according to the report. Overseas sales jumped 34 percent at Huawei to 120.4 billion yuan last year, according to the report.
Its sales in China gained 9.7 percent to 64.8 billion yuan. China accounted for 35 percent of the company's sales last year, down from 40 percent in 2009. Net income rose 30 percent to 23.8 billion yuan, from 18.3 billion yuan a year earlier, Huawei's report said.
The company is owned by its employees and the Chinese government holds no shares, according to its website. The company employs 110,000 worldwide, the annual report said.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Nokia to cut 4,000 jobs, outsources Symbian to Accenture
HELSINKI: Nokia, the world's largest phone maker by volume, will lay off 4,000 people and outsource another 3,000 to Accenture as part of a plan to slash annual spending by 1 billion euros ($1.46 billion).
Nokia said it would outsource its Symbian software activities to Accenture, who will provide mobility software services to Nokia for future smartphones.
Nokia has seen its market share in smartphones falling sharply over the past few years as it continues to lose out to Apple and other manufacturers of the upmarket handsets.
To turn around its smartphone fortunes, in February Nokia unveiled a deal to start using Microsoft software instead of its own Symbian platform.
The deal enables Nokia to cut business research and development costs by 1 billion euros, or 18 percent, by 2013 from 5.65 billion in 2010.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Nokia said it would outsource its Symbian software activities to Accenture, who will provide mobility software services to Nokia for future smartphones.
Nokia has seen its market share in smartphones falling sharply over the past few years as it continues to lose out to Apple and other manufacturers of the upmarket handsets.
To turn around its smartphone fortunes, in February Nokia unveiled a deal to start using Microsoft software instead of its own Symbian platform.
The deal enables Nokia to cut business research and development costs by 1 billion euros, or 18 percent, by 2013 from 5.65 billion in 2010.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Dwayne Johnson to play Charely Pride in biopic
London, May 1 (PTI) Action star Dwayne Johnson is set to test his musical skills by playing country music star Charley Pride in a new biopic.
The wrestler-turned-actor will portray one of the genre''s most successful black stars, who has sold more than 70 million records throughout his long-running career and remains the only African-American singer to be inducted into the Grand Ole Opry.
Terrence Howard had originally been slated to play Pride in the film, but he dropped out as the production stalled. However, it is now back on track with Johnson in the lead role, reported Daily Express online.
Pride confirmed the news in an interview, saying, "(It) got fumbled... New management took over the studio that was ready to begin site work on it... And a decision was made to put all their resources behind thrillers - fast actioners (sic). They felt that was where the big box office money was then...
"Now it''s back on track again but with action and comedy star Dwayne Johnson portraying me in the title role... Terrence, it seems, is tied up on other involvements for a few years."
Source: news.yahoo.com
The wrestler-turned-actor will portray one of the genre''s most successful black stars, who has sold more than 70 million records throughout his long-running career and remains the only African-American singer to be inducted into the Grand Ole Opry.
Terrence Howard had originally been slated to play Pride in the film, but he dropped out as the production stalled. However, it is now back on track with Johnson in the lead role, reported Daily Express online.
Pride confirmed the news in an interview, saying, "(It) got fumbled... New management took over the studio that was ready to begin site work on it... And a decision was made to put all their resources behind thrillers - fast actioners (sic). They felt that was where the big box office money was then...
"Now it''s back on track again but with action and comedy star Dwayne Johnson portraying me in the title role... Terrence, it seems, is tied up on other involvements for a few years."
Source: news.yahoo.com
Hudson's panic call
London, May 1 (IANS) Actress Kate Hudson is starting to panic as she enters her final few weeks of pregnancy.
The Hollywood actress is expecting a child with her rocker fiance Matt Bellamy and she is due to give birth in the summer, reports dailystar.co.uk.
Hudson is already mother to seven-year-old son Ryder from her marriage to Chris Robinson, but admits she is lacking organisation as she prepares to welcome her second child.
'We're getting close to weeks. Getting close enough to almost not be able to fly. I don't feel prepared. I can't believe how fast it's gone and I already have a kid... I might be one of those who is sitting in the hospital, staring, going 'I don't know what to name my child,' she said.
Source: news.yahoo.com
The Hollywood actress is expecting a child with her rocker fiance Matt Bellamy and she is due to give birth in the summer, reports dailystar.co.uk.
Hudson is already mother to seven-year-old son Ryder from her marriage to Chris Robinson, but admits she is lacking organisation as she prepares to welcome her second child.
'We're getting close to weeks. Getting close enough to almost not be able to fly. I don't feel prepared. I can't believe how fast it's gone and I already have a kid... I might be one of those who is sitting in the hospital, staring, going 'I don't know what to name my child,' she said.
Source: news.yahoo.com
Katy Perry''s new nail art: Royal couple
London, May 1 (PTI) Pop star Katy Perry has painted her nails with miniature portraits of Prince William and Kate Middleton to honour their union.
The 26-year-old came up with the most imaginative way to congratulate the Royal couple and was overwhelmed by their wedding ceremony, reported Daily Mail online.
"In honour of the Royal Wedding, I present you my Royal nails. Congrats!" Perry posted on Twitter.
The ''Firework'' hitmaker painted her fingers with tiny pictures of the newly weds and even added the image of a young William with his late mother Diana.
Perry herself tied the knot with British comedian Russel Brand last year.
Source: news.yahoo.com
The 26-year-old came up with the most imaginative way to congratulate the Royal couple and was overwhelmed by their wedding ceremony, reported Daily Mail online.
"In honour of the Royal Wedding, I present you my Royal nails. Congrats!" Perry posted on Twitter.
The ''Firework'' hitmaker painted her fingers with tiny pictures of the newly weds and even added the image of a young William with his late mother Diana.
Perry herself tied the knot with British comedian Russel Brand last year.
Source: news.yahoo.com
China to have 900m mobile phone users in 2011
BEIJING: China will soon become the first country to have over 900 million mobile phone subscribers, a media report said.
People's Daily cited government statistics to say that by the end of March, the country's mobile phone users had reached 889 million.
China has a population of over 1.3 billion.
The total number of mobile phone users will surpass 900 million in May, or no later than June, said market analysts.
China's 3G networks were launched in 2009 and it added 13.5 million new subscribers over the first three months of 2011, the media report said.
The China Internet Network Information Centre said that at the end of last year, the country had 303 million users who used mobile phones to go online.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
People's Daily cited government statistics to say that by the end of March, the country's mobile phone users had reached 889 million.
China has a population of over 1.3 billion.
The total number of mobile phone users will surpass 900 million in May, or no later than June, said market analysts.
China's 3G networks were launched in 2009 and it added 13.5 million new subscribers over the first three months of 2011, the media report said.
The China Internet Network Information Centre said that at the end of last year, the country had 303 million users who used mobile phones to go online.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Apple denies mobile tracking
NEW YORK: Apple Inc denied that its iPhones are tracking the location of users, responding to criticism that it was using data to help tap the market for location-based services.
"Apple is not tracking the location of your iPhone," the company said in a statement. "Apple has never done so and has no plans to ever do so."
In response to worries about location tracking, Apple said it would release a new software update that would cut the size of a wireless hotspot location database stored on its popular iPhones, and stop backing up that information. The software will be released in the next few weeks, it said.
While the iPhone is not logging locations, it does keep "a database of Wi-Fi hotspots and cell towers around your current locations... to help your iPhone rapidly and accurately calculate its location when requested," the company said.
Some of that location information is stored on each iPhone, and is backed up in iTunes. Researchers can also see that information.
But it said the data that researchers see is anonymous and shows only the location of Wi-Fi hotspots and cell towers surrounding the iPhone's location. It said those geographic points could be more than 100 miles away from the actual location of the iPhone.
Apple and Google Inc, fierce competitors in mobile computing, have faced sharp criticism since news reports emerged that their phones track the locations of users.
Separately, Apple also said a white version of the iPhone 4 will be available on Thursday after failing to deliver the model when it was introduced last year.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
"Apple is not tracking the location of your iPhone," the company said in a statement. "Apple has never done so and has no plans to ever do so."
In response to worries about location tracking, Apple said it would release a new software update that would cut the size of a wireless hotspot location database stored on its popular iPhones, and stop backing up that information. The software will be released in the next few weeks, it said.
While the iPhone is not logging locations, it does keep "a database of Wi-Fi hotspots and cell towers around your current locations... to help your iPhone rapidly and accurately calculate its location when requested," the company said.
Some of that location information is stored on each iPhone, and is backed up in iTunes. Researchers can also see that information.
But it said the data that researchers see is anonymous and shows only the location of Wi-Fi hotspots and cell towers surrounding the iPhone's location. It said those geographic points could be more than 100 miles away from the actual location of the iPhone.
Apple and Google Inc, fierce competitors in mobile computing, have faced sharp criticism since news reports emerged that their phones track the locations of users.
Separately, Apple also said a white version of the iPhone 4 will be available on Thursday after failing to deliver the model when it was introduced last year.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Experts: Apple response should’ve been faster
NEW YORK: Apple should have responded much sooner to concerns about location data stored on its iPhones, even if the company didn't have all the answers ready, marketing and crisis-management experts say.
The company took a week to deny that the phones track the precise location of their owners, as some users and privacy watchdogs had feared.
As soon as it started selling the devices, Apple should have said how it uses, or doesn't use, location data, said Joe Marconi, a DePaul University marketing professor and author of "Crisis Marketing: When Bad Things Happen to Good Companies."
"The whole problem could have been a non-problem if Apple had done some kind of disclosure of this in some kind of a privacy statement," he said. "Apple customers are fiercely loyal in a way we can say few (others) are today. With that comes a responsibility."
In a list of 10 questions and answers published Wednesday, the company explained that a data file publicized last week by security researchers doesn't store iPhone users' physical locations - just a list of Wi-Fi hotspots and cell towers surrounding them.
Apple said the data help phones figure out their location without having to listen for faint signals from GPS satellites.
The company did acknowledge that the data are stored for up to a year because of a software bug. It promised a fix in the coming weeks to reduce the duration of the storage.
Larry L. Smith, president of the Institute for Crisis Management, a public relations company, said Apple should have said something sooner in some form, even if it didn't have all the details right away.
"To me there is no excuse to stonewall, to put off facing your customers, your partners, your shareholders, your employees," he said. "When there is a problem, or an issue has been raised, it's so counterproductive to put off responding."
Even a response of "I don't know, I will get back to you" is better than none, he said. "You are not always going to have immediate answers."
Apple spokeswoman Natalie Kerris would not comment on why the company waited to respond.
Despite all the hoopla, Smith said he doesn't expect Apple's latest blunder to hurt the company in the long run.
Apple quickly recovered from "antennagate," a problem with the iPhone 4's antenna design. It caused reception issues when people covered a certain spot with a bare hand.
CEO Steve Jobs apologized last July to people who were not completely satisfied with the iPhone 4, but denied there was an antenna problem that needed fixing. Even so, the company gave out free protective cases. "Antennagate" didn't seem to make a dent in the iPhone's popularity or sour Apple's devoted fan base.
And, Smith said, the "flap over data won't do the harm today that it might have done a few years ago when our attention span was a little longer. Somebody else will do something tomorrow."
Companies that handle public relations crises well are not remembered long - that's the whole point. But Apple might learn from fast food companies such as Domino's Pizza and Taco Bell.
When video of a Domino's employee appearing to do disgusting things to food appeared on YouTube, Domino's responded by firing that person and the co-worker who recorded him. Later, CEO Patrick Doyle posted a video in response, saying the store had been sanitized "top to bottom" and that the company is re-examining how it hires workers "to make sure that people like this don't make it into our stores."
Taco Bell, meanwhile, spent millions of dollars on ads to counter a lawsuit that questioned whether the filling in its tacos was actually beef. The lawsuit has been dropped.
Smith said Taco Bell realized their taco customers were mostly men who bought it for the taste and price, not for its nutritional value.
Similarly, Apple might find that many users don't mind their location being tracked because this allows them to get directions, find nearby restaurants and use a slew of other apps and features of the iPhone. In Wednesday's statement, Apple said the data file in question helps speed location-based services.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
The company took a week to deny that the phones track the precise location of their owners, as some users and privacy watchdogs had feared.
As soon as it started selling the devices, Apple should have said how it uses, or doesn't use, location data, said Joe Marconi, a DePaul University marketing professor and author of "Crisis Marketing: When Bad Things Happen to Good Companies."
"The whole problem could have been a non-problem if Apple had done some kind of disclosure of this in some kind of a privacy statement," he said. "Apple customers are fiercely loyal in a way we can say few (others) are today. With that comes a responsibility."
In a list of 10 questions and answers published Wednesday, the company explained that a data file publicized last week by security researchers doesn't store iPhone users' physical locations - just a list of Wi-Fi hotspots and cell towers surrounding them.
Apple said the data help phones figure out their location without having to listen for faint signals from GPS satellites.
The company did acknowledge that the data are stored for up to a year because of a software bug. It promised a fix in the coming weeks to reduce the duration of the storage.
Larry L. Smith, president of the Institute for Crisis Management, a public relations company, said Apple should have said something sooner in some form, even if it didn't have all the details right away.
"To me there is no excuse to stonewall, to put off facing your customers, your partners, your shareholders, your employees," he said. "When there is a problem, or an issue has been raised, it's so counterproductive to put off responding."
Even a response of "I don't know, I will get back to you" is better than none, he said. "You are not always going to have immediate answers."
Apple spokeswoman Natalie Kerris would not comment on why the company waited to respond.
Despite all the hoopla, Smith said he doesn't expect Apple's latest blunder to hurt the company in the long run.
Apple quickly recovered from "antennagate," a problem with the iPhone 4's antenna design. It caused reception issues when people covered a certain spot with a bare hand.
CEO Steve Jobs apologized last July to people who were not completely satisfied with the iPhone 4, but denied there was an antenna problem that needed fixing. Even so, the company gave out free protective cases. "Antennagate" didn't seem to make a dent in the iPhone's popularity or sour Apple's devoted fan base.
And, Smith said, the "flap over data won't do the harm today that it might have done a few years ago when our attention span was a little longer. Somebody else will do something tomorrow."
Companies that handle public relations crises well are not remembered long - that's the whole point. But Apple might learn from fast food companies such as Domino's Pizza and Taco Bell.
When video of a Domino's employee appearing to do disgusting things to food appeared on YouTube, Domino's responded by firing that person and the co-worker who recorded him. Later, CEO Patrick Doyle posted a video in response, saying the store had been sanitized "top to bottom" and that the company is re-examining how it hires workers "to make sure that people like this don't make it into our stores."
Taco Bell, meanwhile, spent millions of dollars on ads to counter a lawsuit that questioned whether the filling in its tacos was actually beef. The lawsuit has been dropped.
Smith said Taco Bell realized their taco customers were mostly men who bought it for the taste and price, not for its nutritional value.
Similarly, Apple might find that many users don't mind their location being tracked because this allows them to get directions, find nearby restaurants and use a slew of other apps and features of the iPhone. In Wednesday's statement, Apple said the data file in question helps speed location-based services.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Nokia will sack 300 in India
BANGALORE: Nokia India will lay off nearly 300 of its 1,500 engineers in its R&D centre in India, and move about 700 of them to Accenture as part of a global restructuring to cut annual phone unit R&D costs.
The world's largest maker of mobile phones announced that it plans to globally lay off 4,000 of its 65,000 employees and transfer 3,000 to Accenture. The restructuring follows its decision to move its smartphones to the Microsoft Windows platform from its own Symbian operating system. Nokia has been hit badly in the smartphone segment by Apple's iPhone and Google's Android.
The engineers being transferred to Accenture are those working on the Symbian platform. Accenture, the global consulting and IT company, will take over the Symbian software activities and support smartphones based on them. This collaboration also includes plans for Accenture to provide mobility software, business and operational services around the Windows Phone platform to Nokia and other ecosystem participants. "Under the proposed agreement, Accenture would become a preferred partner for Nokia's smartphone development activities, as well as a preferred provider of services," a release from the companies said.
Many of those being laid off are said to be those working on MeeGo, a Linux-based open source mobile operating system that Nokia was working on together with Intel. The layoffs will happen in phases and will be completed by the end of 2012.
Nokia India spokesperson Poonam Kaul said the company has created a 'Bridge Programme 'that will make efforts to help the laidoff employees, including to help them find jobs. "The jobs could be within Nokia itself. We are also talking to other companies that need such talent." Kaul said Nokia is also setting up a fund that can be used by the laid off employees to pursue entrepreneurial activities or research and study programmes.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
The world's largest maker of mobile phones announced that it plans to globally lay off 4,000 of its 65,000 employees and transfer 3,000 to Accenture. The restructuring follows its decision to move its smartphones to the Microsoft Windows platform from its own Symbian operating system. Nokia has been hit badly in the smartphone segment by Apple's iPhone and Google's Android.
The engineers being transferred to Accenture are those working on the Symbian platform. Accenture, the global consulting and IT company, will take over the Symbian software activities and support smartphones based on them. This collaboration also includes plans for Accenture to provide mobility software, business and operational services around the Windows Phone platform to Nokia and other ecosystem participants. "Under the proposed agreement, Accenture would become a preferred partner for Nokia's smartphone development activities, as well as a preferred provider of services," a release from the companies said.
Many of those being laid off are said to be those working on MeeGo, a Linux-based open source mobile operating system that Nokia was working on together with Intel. The layoffs will happen in phases and will be completed by the end of 2012.
Nokia India spokesperson Poonam Kaul said the company has created a 'Bridge Programme 'that will make efforts to help the laidoff employees, including to help them find jobs. "The jobs could be within Nokia itself. We are also talking to other companies that need such talent." Kaul said Nokia is also setting up a fund that can be used by the laid off employees to pursue entrepreneurial activities or research and study programmes.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
I have an old-fashioned body: Robert Pattinson
London, May 1 (PTI) ''Twilight'' hunk Robert Pattinson thinks he has an "old-fashioned" body and so he jumped at the chance to work in the movie ''Water For Elephants''.
The 24-year-old star who plays a young vet in the movie opposite Reese Witherspoon has always wanted to work in a 1930''s film and was astonished at how well he suited the costumes, reported Contactmusic.
"I must have an old-fashioned body or something, as the clothes suited me better than regular ones. I always wanted to do a movie that was set in the 1930s as I love the clothes they wore. And then this came along," he said.
Pattinson enjoyed working with his Oscar winning co-star and was delighted at how supportive she was.
"When you meet people who have won an Oscar, you think they''re going to be off in their own little world, but Reese was incredibly kind and supportive," Pattinson said.
Source: news.yahoo.com
The 24-year-old star who plays a young vet in the movie opposite Reese Witherspoon has always wanted to work in a 1930''s film and was astonished at how well he suited the costumes, reported Contactmusic.
"I must have an old-fashioned body or something, as the clothes suited me better than regular ones. I always wanted to do a movie that was set in the 1930s as I love the clothes they wore. And then this came along," he said.
Pattinson enjoyed working with his Oscar winning co-star and was delighted at how supportive she was.
"When you meet people who have won an Oscar, you think they''re going to be off in their own little world, but Reese was incredibly kind and supportive," Pattinson said.
Source: news.yahoo.com
Jodie Foster loves changes in her son
London, May 1 (PTI) Oscar-winning actress Jodie Foster says that her relationship with her son is undergoing a major change and she is loving it.
The actress-turned-director, who has two sons Charles, 12, and Kit, 9, is delighted to see the change in her older son as he is growing up, reported Contactmusic.
"Parenting is the most creative thing I''ve ever done. You are watching this thing blossom that is outside you and yet part of you in some ways," said Foster.
The ''Silence of the Lambs'' star, 48, feels that being around her 12-year-old inspires her and she loves to live with him.
"I''m now at this point where my elder son is 12 years old and he''s taller than me and he''s got a deep voice. And I really love to live in the same house as this young man who is totally different from me.
"Having conversations and being really inspired by him. And then him explaining things to me that are not part of my universe," she said.
Foster also believes that her desire to keep working will help her stay close to her sons as it will make them realise she has a sense of purpose outside of their home life.
"I see that it''s so important for me to have a separate creative life from him, so he doesn''t feel that I just live for him. I feel like I won''t lose him that way," added Foster.
Source: news.yahoo.com
The actress-turned-director, who has two sons Charles, 12, and Kit, 9, is delighted to see the change in her older son as he is growing up, reported Contactmusic.
"Parenting is the most creative thing I''ve ever done. You are watching this thing blossom that is outside you and yet part of you in some ways," said Foster.
The ''Silence of the Lambs'' star, 48, feels that being around her 12-year-old inspires her and she loves to live with him.
"I''m now at this point where my elder son is 12 years old and he''s taller than me and he''s got a deep voice. And I really love to live in the same house as this young man who is totally different from me.
"Having conversations and being really inspired by him. And then him explaining things to me that are not part of my universe," she said.
Foster also believes that her desire to keep working will help her stay close to her sons as it will make them realise she has a sense of purpose outside of their home life.
"I see that it''s so important for me to have a separate creative life from him, so he doesn''t feel that I just live for him. I feel like I won''t lose him that way," added Foster.
Source: news.yahoo.com
Lady Gaga''s behaves "crazy" under stress
London, May 1 (PTI) Lady Gaga shows signs of "crazy" behaviour when she is stressed and the pop diva''s friends and entourage are worried that her bizzare habits are escalating out of control.
The 25-year-old singer refuses to pour her own drinks or sit on a chair someone else has previously used and insists on having her own crockery so she can be sure that no one else has used it, reported Contactmusic.
"She even has someone on hand to pour her drinks because she thinks pouring for oneself is bad luck. She has 28 tour buses, 140 staff and an even number of tables, chairs, glasses and plates in her backstage area," a source said.
"She often suffers bouts of crazy behaviour when she is tired and stressed. It''s certainly happening now."
The ''Born this Way'' hitmaker has been accompanied round the world by boyfriend Luc Carl since they reunited last July, but she regularly insists on booking them separate hotel rooms because she thinks sharing a bed every night would damage her creativity.
"She calls it her 16th century monarch night as she doesn''t always allow Luc to sleep in bed with her," the source added.
Source: news.yahoo.com
The 25-year-old singer refuses to pour her own drinks or sit on a chair someone else has previously used and insists on having her own crockery so she can be sure that no one else has used it, reported Contactmusic.
"She even has someone on hand to pour her drinks because she thinks pouring for oneself is bad luck. She has 28 tour buses, 140 staff and an even number of tables, chairs, glasses and plates in her backstage area," a source said.
"She often suffers bouts of crazy behaviour when she is tired and stressed. It''s certainly happening now."
The ''Born this Way'' hitmaker has been accompanied round the world by boyfriend Luc Carl since they reunited last July, but she regularly insists on booking them separate hotel rooms because she thinks sharing a bed every night would damage her creativity.
"She calls it her 16th century monarch night as she doesn''t always allow Luc to sleep in bed with her," the source added.
Source: news.yahoo.com
Idea adds One million 3G users
MUMBAI: Idea Cellular, India's sixth-biggest mobile phone operator, said it had added a million users for its third-generation (3G) services within a month of its launch.
Idea, which launched 3G services in March, currently offers such services in 400 towns across nine telecom zones. It aims to expand the service to 750 towns by mid-2011, and 4,000 towns by the end of the current fiscal year in March next year, it said.
"Data usage by Idea's 3G users is already at 20 percent of the total mobile data usage recorded by the company, and this is expected to grow exponentially," Chief Marketing Officer Sashi Shankar said in a statement.
India is the world's fastest-growing mobile market by customer additions, but carriers in the fiercely competitive market operate under wafer-thin margins as they offer among the cheapest voice call prices.
Telecom firms bought costly 3G radio airwaves in a state auction last year and have launched premium services that allow faster Internet browsing on mobile phones, in the hope of boosting revenues from data services.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Idea, which launched 3G services in March, currently offers such services in 400 towns across nine telecom zones. It aims to expand the service to 750 towns by mid-2011, and 4,000 towns by the end of the current fiscal year in March next year, it said.
"Data usage by Idea's 3G users is already at 20 percent of the total mobile data usage recorded by the company, and this is expected to grow exponentially," Chief Marketing Officer Sashi Shankar said in a statement.
India is the world's fastest-growing mobile market by customer additions, but carriers in the fiercely competitive market operate under wafer-thin margins as they offer among the cheapest voice call prices.
Telecom firms bought costly 3G radio airwaves in a state auction last year and have launched premium services that allow faster Internet browsing on mobile phones, in the hope of boosting revenues from data services.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
RIM buys scheduling app Tungle
MONTREAL: Canada's Research In Motion (RIM) has bought Tungle, a Canadian company that makes a scheduling application that integrates with existing calendar services.
"The team at Tungle will now be sporting new BlackBerrys," Tungle said in a blog post on Wednesday. "Tungle has been acquired by Research In Motion.
"As of today, the entire team is joining the ranks of RIM."
Financial details of the acquisition were not disclosed.
Tungle's scheduling application helps users organize appointments and meetings by synching with other services such as Google Calendar, Microsoft's Outlook or Apple's iCal.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
"The team at Tungle will now be sporting new BlackBerrys," Tungle said in a blog post on Wednesday. "Tungle has been acquired by Research In Motion.
"As of today, the entire team is joining the ranks of RIM."
Financial details of the acquisition were not disclosed.
Tungle's scheduling application helps users organize appointments and meetings by synching with other services such as Google Calendar, Microsoft's Outlook or Apple's iCal.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Sprint revenue beats estimates
NEW YORK: Sprint Nextel's first-quarter revenue was higher than expected as customers spent more on data services, sending its shares up about 4 per cent in trading before the market opened.
The higher revenue and a lower-than-expected net loss particularly impressed analysts, considering that Sprint lost more wireless subscribers than expected in the first quarter as it faced new competition from Verizon Wireless, which launched the Apple Inc iPhone in February.
Revenue rose about 3 per cent to $8.3 billion, above the analyst expectation for $8.19 billion, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
Its average monthly revenue per subscriber (ARPU) of $56 was well ahead of analyst expectations, according to Pacific Crest analyst Steve Clement who had been expecting ARPU of $55.30.
"The postpaid net adds was the one area below expectations. Everything else looked solid," Clement said, referring to high-value postpaid subscribers who pay monthly bills and commit to long-term contracts.
Sprint lost 114,000 subscribers in the quarter, compared with the average estimate for losses approaching 40,000 from seven analysts contacted by Reuters.
In comparison, Verizon Wireless added 906,000 subscribers in the first quarter of 2011 while the No. 2 US mobile service, AT&T Inc, added 62,000 subscribers.
The company said it added 1.1 million customers in the quarter including prepaid customers who pay for calls in advance but do not commit to a long-term contract. Sprint's 846,000 prepaid net additions was its best ever, it said.
Mizuho analyst Michael Nelson said prepaid additions were well ahead of his expectation for 450,000.
"These are favorable results, they're encouraging. The company is making steady progress improving its wireless business," Nelson said.
Sprint's net loss narrowed to $439 million, or 15 cents per share, from a loss of $865 million, or 29 cents per share, a year earlier and was much better than analyst expectations for a loss of 22 cents per share.
Sprint has been clawing its way back from years of subscriber losses. In the fourth quarter, it had reported growth for the first time in more than three years.
However, analysts feared that Verizon's new iPhone would represent another roadblock to Sprint's growth due to expected pent-up demand for the Verizon device after years of exclusive iPhone sales by AT&T.
Sprint shares were up 4 per cent at $4.98 in electronic trading before the market opened. The stock closed on Wednesday at $4.79.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
The higher revenue and a lower-than-expected net loss particularly impressed analysts, considering that Sprint lost more wireless subscribers than expected in the first quarter as it faced new competition from Verizon Wireless, which launched the Apple Inc iPhone in February.
Revenue rose about 3 per cent to $8.3 billion, above the analyst expectation for $8.19 billion, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
Its average monthly revenue per subscriber (ARPU) of $56 was well ahead of analyst expectations, according to Pacific Crest analyst Steve Clement who had been expecting ARPU of $55.30.
"The postpaid net adds was the one area below expectations. Everything else looked solid," Clement said, referring to high-value postpaid subscribers who pay monthly bills and commit to long-term contracts.
Sprint lost 114,000 subscribers in the quarter, compared with the average estimate for losses approaching 40,000 from seven analysts contacted by Reuters.
In comparison, Verizon Wireless added 906,000 subscribers in the first quarter of 2011 while the No. 2 US mobile service, AT&T Inc, added 62,000 subscribers.
The company said it added 1.1 million customers in the quarter including prepaid customers who pay for calls in advance but do not commit to a long-term contract. Sprint's 846,000 prepaid net additions was its best ever, it said.
Mizuho analyst Michael Nelson said prepaid additions were well ahead of his expectation for 450,000.
"These are favorable results, they're encouraging. The company is making steady progress improving its wireless business," Nelson said.
Sprint's net loss narrowed to $439 million, or 15 cents per share, from a loss of $865 million, or 29 cents per share, a year earlier and was much better than analyst expectations for a loss of 22 cents per share.
Sprint has been clawing its way back from years of subscriber losses. In the fourth quarter, it had reported growth for the first time in more than three years.
However, analysts feared that Verizon's new iPhone would represent another roadblock to Sprint's growth due to expected pent-up demand for the Verizon device after years of exclusive iPhone sales by AT&T.
Sprint shares were up 4 per cent at $4.98 in electronic trading before the market opened. The stock closed on Wednesday at $4.79.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Men bad with anniversary date
London, May 1 (IANS) Half of the married men in a survey did not know the date of their wedding anniversary.
One in 10 under-25 even confesses to giving his wife a gift he had previously been given by someone else, reports dailystar.co.uk.
Research by insurance company Sheilas' Wheels found that one in five women buys her own flowers rather than wait for her man to deliver.
And, as many women have long suspected, one in four men will buy their wife's anniversary flowers at the local petrol station.
Source: news.yahoo.com
One in 10 under-25 even confesses to giving his wife a gift he had previously been given by someone else, reports dailystar.co.uk.
Research by insurance company Sheilas' Wheels found that one in five women buys her own flowers rather than wait for her man to deliver.
And, as many women have long suspected, one in four men will buy their wife's anniversary flowers at the local petrol station.
Source: news.yahoo.com
Jerry Brown has cancerous growth removed from nose
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - California Governor Jerry Brown had surgery to remove a cancerous growth from his nose, his office said on Saturday.
The growth was removed under local anesthetic on Friday, after tests revealed the presence of basal cell carcinoma, Brown's office said in a statement.
All the cancerous cells were removed, but some reconstructive surgery to Brown's nose was required due to the procedure, it said.
Brown, a 73-year-old Democrat, is at home and conducting state business.
His office said he would not attend the state Democratic Convention in Sacramento over the weekend, and would skip public events until the stitches were removed.
(Reporting by Tim Gaynor; Editing by Peter Cooney)
Source: news.yahoo.com
The growth was removed under local anesthetic on Friday, after tests revealed the presence of basal cell carcinoma, Brown's office said in a statement.
All the cancerous cells were removed, but some reconstructive surgery to Brown's nose was required due to the procedure, it said.
Brown, a 73-year-old Democrat, is at home and conducting state business.
His office said he would not attend the state Democratic Convention in Sacramento over the weekend, and would skip public events until the stitches were removed.
(Reporting by Tim Gaynor; Editing by Peter Cooney)
Source: news.yahoo.com
Atrix, Zoom power Motorola revenues
TORONTO: Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc, spun off in January from parent Motorola Inc, reported a narrower loss than analysts projected as it sold more Droid and Atrix phones.
The loss excluding some charges was 8 cents a share, the Libertyville, Illinois-based company said in a statement today, compared with an average estimate for a loss of 12 cents in a Bloomberg survey of analysts. Sales climbed 22 percent to $3.03 billion. Analysts forecast $2.84 billion.
Chief Executive Officer Sanjay Jha has capitalized on the rising popularity of Google Inc's Android operating system that underpins its phones to return Motorola to bring Motorola closer to profitability. At the same time, he has to develop phones that stand out from other Android handsets made by competitors Samsung Electronics Co and HTC Corp.
"It was a solid quarter," said Michael Walkley, an analyst at Canaccord Genuity Ltd., who rates RIM a "hold." "Jha made great headway last year. The question now is can he continue to do so this year as Android becomes more competitive with HTC becoming stronger."
While Motorola's Droid X and Atrix are the third and fifth most popular smartphones at Web retailer Amazon.com Inc, HTC phones including the Thunderbolt rank first, second and fourth on that list.
Android powered half of all smartphones bought in the US in the past six months, double that for Apple Inc's iPhone, according to a March survey by Nielsen Inc. Rising sales will help Android to account for half of the total market in 2012 as Motorola, Samsung and others push into emerging markets with customers looking for cheaper alternatives to the iPhone, Gartner Inc said this month.
Smartphone sales
Motorola Mobility said it sold 4.1 million smartphones last quarter, compared with an average analyst estimate of about 3.8 million phones.
Revenue and smartphone shipments will both climb sequentially in the second quarter from the first, Jha said in a telephone interview. Motorola sold more than 250,000 of its Xoom tablets last quarter, a figure Jha said he was "pleased" with given the device only went on sale in February. Sales in the second-quarter should "meaningfully" improve from the first three months of the year, he said.
While he declined to give a second-quarter outlook for the profitability of the handset business, the unit will be profitable over the full year, he said.
The company said in its statement that it will be break even in the second quarter or earn a profit of 12 cents, excluding some items. Analysts forecast a profit of 11 cents a share. The company lost $81 million, or 27 cents a share, compared with a loss of $212 million a year earlier.
Motorola Mobility rose as much as 3 percent to $24.70 in late trading, after climbing 37 cents to $23.99 at 4 p.m. in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. The stock has dropped 18 percent this year.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
The loss excluding some charges was 8 cents a share, the Libertyville, Illinois-based company said in a statement today, compared with an average estimate for a loss of 12 cents in a Bloomberg survey of analysts. Sales climbed 22 percent to $3.03 billion. Analysts forecast $2.84 billion.
Chief Executive Officer Sanjay Jha has capitalized on the rising popularity of Google Inc's Android operating system that underpins its phones to return Motorola to bring Motorola closer to profitability. At the same time, he has to develop phones that stand out from other Android handsets made by competitors Samsung Electronics Co and HTC Corp.
"It was a solid quarter," said Michael Walkley, an analyst at Canaccord Genuity Ltd., who rates RIM a "hold." "Jha made great headway last year. The question now is can he continue to do so this year as Android becomes more competitive with HTC becoming stronger."
While Motorola's Droid X and Atrix are the third and fifth most popular smartphones at Web retailer Amazon.com Inc, HTC phones including the Thunderbolt rank first, second and fourth on that list.
Android powered half of all smartphones bought in the US in the past six months, double that for Apple Inc's iPhone, according to a March survey by Nielsen Inc. Rising sales will help Android to account for half of the total market in 2012 as Motorola, Samsung and others push into emerging markets with customers looking for cheaper alternatives to the iPhone, Gartner Inc said this month.
Smartphone sales
Motorola Mobility said it sold 4.1 million smartphones last quarter, compared with an average analyst estimate of about 3.8 million phones.
Revenue and smartphone shipments will both climb sequentially in the second quarter from the first, Jha said in a telephone interview. Motorola sold more than 250,000 of its Xoom tablets last quarter, a figure Jha said he was "pleased" with given the device only went on sale in February. Sales in the second-quarter should "meaningfully" improve from the first three months of the year, he said.
While he declined to give a second-quarter outlook for the profitability of the handset business, the unit will be profitable over the full year, he said.
The company said in its statement that it will be break even in the second quarter or earn a profit of 12 cents, excluding some items. Analysts forecast a profit of 11 cents a share. The company lost $81 million, or 27 cents a share, compared with a loss of $212 million a year earlier.
Motorola Mobility rose as much as 3 percent to $24.70 in late trading, after climbing 37 cents to $23.99 at 4 p.m. in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. The stock has dropped 18 percent this year.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
RIM cuts Q1 forecast, promises powerful phones
TORONTO: Research In Motion stunned investors with a steep downward revision of its current quarter forecasts on Thursday, sending its stock spinning lower even as it promised a turnaround from a line-up of new BlackBerry smartphones it will unveil next week.
The new touchscreen phones, featuring an upgrade to RIM's existing operating system and improved hardware, are crucial weapons in the BlackBerry maker's scrappy fight against leaders Apple and Google in a fiercely competitive smartphone market.
"The interest is global, the products are truly fantastic," RIM's co-chief executive, Jim Balsillie, told analysts on a conference call. "I would have liked to have them sooner."
Investors weren't waiting until the BlackBerry World conference in Florida next week, clipping more than $6, or 11.2 percent, off the stock in after-hours trade.
"This is the beginning of the slide," said Edward Snyder from Charter Equity Research. "It's going to be like air coming out of a balloon slowly."
The Canadian company is facing a difficult transition as it launches its first tablet computer, the PlayBook, with a completely overhauled operating system it expects will run its new phones from early next year.
While reviewers, customers and analysts appear impressed with the operating system, QNX, focus is on how quickly it can be ported and what the competitive landscape will look like by then.
Google gives its Android software to handset makers, who in turn seek to set themselves apart with high-end hardware. Apple redefined smartphones with its iPhone and created the tablet computer market with its iPad. RIM launched its tablet, the PlayBook, to lukewarm reviews last week.
RIM also faces a challenge from behind, as Microsoft pays handsomely to win over developers and has tied up a deal that will see its software on phones from Nokia, the world's largest handset maker by volume.
Maintains full-year optimism
In an unusual warning just a month after RIM reported quarterly earnings and disappointed investors with a weak short-term outlook, the company said it expects earnings of $1.30 to $1.37 a share for the current quarter, which ends in late May, down from the $1.47 to $1.55 it forecast in late March.
Before RIM's March forecast, analysts had on average expected the company to earn $1.65 a share for the current quarter.
But RIM maintained its robust forecast for full-year earnings of $7.50 per share, piling on the pressure for it to perform in the second half of the year.
Powerful phones promised
RIM, which has failed to match the power or prestige of competing Apple and Android-based devices in recent years, is widely expected to power up its new touch-focused devices.
"Increasingly RIM is being relegated to the low end, quasi-smartphone. Without a flagship touchscreen, high-end smartphone they are going to continue to lose traction," Snyder said.
RIM's Balsillie promised to deliver in Orlando next week.
The company may unveil a new Bold -- its workhorse phone -- to add a touchscreen to RIM's trademark keyboard, a beefed-up Torch and a touchscreen-only device to erase memories of RIM's first take on the style, the Storm, which failed to resonate.
All are expected to have double the processing power of the first Torch, which launched last August, and more than the latest iPhone.
"I'm sure RIM understands that there are serious gaps in their portfolio," said CCS Insight analyst John Jackson. "And I'm sure that the transition to QNX -- the OS that runs the new PlayBook tablet -- is one in a series of measures put in place to address this."
RIM said shipments this quarter will likely be at the low end of the 13.5 million to 14.5 million forecast the company gave in March, and that revenue would miss the range of $5.2 billion to $5.6 billion that it had forecast in March.
Balsillie said the aged BlackBerry portfolio and delays in launching new products had hit particularly hard in the United States -- a key market -- and Latin America, where RIM has grown steadily in recent quarters.
"It's not great news but in this transition period there are a lot of numbers that are moving around and I don't think we can view it as that incremental," said Wunderlich Securities analyst Matthew Robison. "Transitions are always a challenge."
RIM said it has not experienced significant supply disruptions from the Japan earthquake and shipments of its PlayBook tablet are on track.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
The new touchscreen phones, featuring an upgrade to RIM's existing operating system and improved hardware, are crucial weapons in the BlackBerry maker's scrappy fight against leaders Apple and Google in a fiercely competitive smartphone market.
"The interest is global, the products are truly fantastic," RIM's co-chief executive, Jim Balsillie, told analysts on a conference call. "I would have liked to have them sooner."
Investors weren't waiting until the BlackBerry World conference in Florida next week, clipping more than $6, or 11.2 percent, off the stock in after-hours trade.
"This is the beginning of the slide," said Edward Snyder from Charter Equity Research. "It's going to be like air coming out of a balloon slowly."
The Canadian company is facing a difficult transition as it launches its first tablet computer, the PlayBook, with a completely overhauled operating system it expects will run its new phones from early next year.
While reviewers, customers and analysts appear impressed with the operating system, QNX, focus is on how quickly it can be ported and what the competitive landscape will look like by then.
Google gives its Android software to handset makers, who in turn seek to set themselves apart with high-end hardware. Apple redefined smartphones with its iPhone and created the tablet computer market with its iPad. RIM launched its tablet, the PlayBook, to lukewarm reviews last week.
RIM also faces a challenge from behind, as Microsoft pays handsomely to win over developers and has tied up a deal that will see its software on phones from Nokia, the world's largest handset maker by volume.
Maintains full-year optimism
In an unusual warning just a month after RIM reported quarterly earnings and disappointed investors with a weak short-term outlook, the company said it expects earnings of $1.30 to $1.37 a share for the current quarter, which ends in late May, down from the $1.47 to $1.55 it forecast in late March.
Before RIM's March forecast, analysts had on average expected the company to earn $1.65 a share for the current quarter.
But RIM maintained its robust forecast for full-year earnings of $7.50 per share, piling on the pressure for it to perform in the second half of the year.
Powerful phones promised
RIM, which has failed to match the power or prestige of competing Apple and Android-based devices in recent years, is widely expected to power up its new touch-focused devices.
"Increasingly RIM is being relegated to the low end, quasi-smartphone. Without a flagship touchscreen, high-end smartphone they are going to continue to lose traction," Snyder said.
RIM's Balsillie promised to deliver in Orlando next week.
The company may unveil a new Bold -- its workhorse phone -- to add a touchscreen to RIM's trademark keyboard, a beefed-up Torch and a touchscreen-only device to erase memories of RIM's first take on the style, the Storm, which failed to resonate.
All are expected to have double the processing power of the first Torch, which launched last August, and more than the latest iPhone.
"I'm sure RIM understands that there are serious gaps in their portfolio," said CCS Insight analyst John Jackson. "And I'm sure that the transition to QNX -- the OS that runs the new PlayBook tablet -- is one in a series of measures put in place to address this."
RIM said shipments this quarter will likely be at the low end of the 13.5 million to 14.5 million forecast the company gave in March, and that revenue would miss the range of $5.2 billion to $5.6 billion that it had forecast in March.
Balsillie said the aged BlackBerry portfolio and delays in launching new products had hit particularly hard in the United States -- a key market -- and Latin America, where RIM has grown steadily in recent quarters.
"It's not great news but in this transition period there are a lot of numbers that are moving around and I don't think we can view it as that incremental," said Wunderlich Securities analyst Matthew Robison. "Transitions are always a challenge."
RIM said it has not experienced significant supply disruptions from the Japan earthquake and shipments of its PlayBook tablet are on track.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Gaddafi's son killed in NATO airstrike: Report
Tripoli, May 1 (IANS) Saif al-Arab Gaddafi, the youngest son of embattled Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, was killed in a NATO airstrike, Xinhua reported.
Government spokesman Mossa Ibrahim said that Saif, 29, and three of Gaddafi's grandchildren were killed during a NATO raid on their residence.
The Libyan leader and his wife were present in the house when it was attacked but they are safe, he added.
He said it was an attempt to kill their leader.
In a televised speech Saturday, the Libyan leader had presented a ceasefire proposal and urged the parties concerned to follow it. He also wanted the NATO forces to stop their attacks.
Gaddafi, who ruled the country for more than four decades, has refused to quit despite an armed revolt against his government.
The US, Britain and France launched airstrikes against Gaddafi's forces March 19 after the UN Security Council passed a resolution to impose a no-fly zone over Libya and authorized 'all necessary measures' to protect civilians.
Source: news.yahoo.com
Government spokesman Mossa Ibrahim said that Saif, 29, and three of Gaddafi's grandchildren were killed during a NATO raid on their residence.
The Libyan leader and his wife were present in the house when it was attacked but they are safe, he added.
He said it was an attempt to kill their leader.
In a televised speech Saturday, the Libyan leader had presented a ceasefire proposal and urged the parties concerned to follow it. He also wanted the NATO forces to stop their attacks.
Gaddafi, who ruled the country for more than four decades, has refused to quit despite an armed revolt against his government.
The US, Britain and France launched airstrikes against Gaddafi's forces March 19 after the UN Security Council passed a resolution to impose a no-fly zone over Libya and authorized 'all necessary measures' to protect civilians.
Source: news.yahoo.com
Foster admires changes in son
London, May 1 (IANS) Actress Jodie Foster is amazed by the changes in her eldest son Charles, who is now 12.
The 48-year-old actress-turned-director who has sons Charles, 12, and Kit, nine, with an unnamed father is delighting in seeing how much her older child is developing as he grows up and he inspires her more than ever, reports femalefirst.co.uk.
'Parenting is the most creative thing I've ever done. You are watching this thing blossom that is outside you and yet part of you in some ways,' she said.
'I'm now at this point where my elder son is 12 years old and he's taller than me and he's got a deep voice. And I have to say I am really loving living in the same house as this young man who is totally different from me. Having conversations and being really inspired by him. And then him explaining things to me that are not part of my universe,' she added.
Source: news.yahoo.com
The 48-year-old actress-turned-director who has sons Charles, 12, and Kit, nine, with an unnamed father is delighting in seeing how much her older child is developing as he grows up and he inspires her more than ever, reports femalefirst.co.uk.
'Parenting is the most creative thing I've ever done. You are watching this thing blossom that is outside you and yet part of you in some ways,' she said.
'I'm now at this point where my elder son is 12 years old and he's taller than me and he's got a deep voice. And I have to say I am really loving living in the same house as this young man who is totally different from me. Having conversations and being really inspired by him. And then him explaining things to me that are not part of my universe,' she added.
Source: news.yahoo.com
Argentine writer Ernesto Sabato dies at age 99
BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentine writer Ernesto Sabato, whose novel "The Tunnel" is hailed as an existentialist classic and who presided over a probe into the crimes committed by the nation's military rulers, died on Saturday at age 99.
"Humankind cannot live without heroes, martyrs and saints," Sabato, an intellectual known as a tireless activist for justice and human rights, once said.
His death was reported by local media.
Sabato, who trained as a physicist before becoming a writer, had three novels to his name -- "The Tunnel" published in 1948, "On Heroes and Graves" published in 1961 and "Abaddon, The Exterminator" in 1974.
Known for his bald pate, tinted glasses, brush mustache and open-necked shirts, he was viewed as a hero by many in his South American homeland.
After the end of Argentina's notorious 1976-83 military rule, Sabato was chosen to preside over the National Commission on the Disappeared, which investigated the fate of tens of thousands of Argentines who disappeared at the hands of the military -- kidnapped, tortured and killed.
The commission compiled 50,000 pages of chilling evidence of systematic kidnap, torture and rape waged against anyone even remotely suspected of sympathizing with leftist guerrillas.
Its findings and recommendations that the "Dirty War" soldiers should be tried and punished were published in 1984 in a book called "Nunca Mas" ("Never Again").
Sabato seemed ill at ease in the limelight even as he was idolized by many young people and students in Argentina. Lionized by the political left, Sabato nevertheless rejected any party affiliation.
"I don't belong to any party, I just support anything I think is good for this sickly country and denounce anything I find false, despicable, dirty, corrupt and hypocritical," he said.
He railed against the tendency to seek technological solutions to human suffering, a painful admission for a man who studied science in Argentina, France and the United States.
He embraced surrealism and abandoned science for writing. His first novel, "The Tunnel," was hailed after its release in 1948 as an existentialist classic and won him fans including Thomas Mann and Albert Camus.
(Writing by Stephen Brown; Editing by Will Dunham)
Source: news.yahoo.com
"Humankind cannot live without heroes, martyrs and saints," Sabato, an intellectual known as a tireless activist for justice and human rights, once said.
His death was reported by local media.
Sabato, who trained as a physicist before becoming a writer, had three novels to his name -- "The Tunnel" published in 1948, "On Heroes and Graves" published in 1961 and "Abaddon, The Exterminator" in 1974.
Known for his bald pate, tinted glasses, brush mustache and open-necked shirts, he was viewed as a hero by many in his South American homeland.
After the end of Argentina's notorious 1976-83 military rule, Sabato was chosen to preside over the National Commission on the Disappeared, which investigated the fate of tens of thousands of Argentines who disappeared at the hands of the military -- kidnapped, tortured and killed.
The commission compiled 50,000 pages of chilling evidence of systematic kidnap, torture and rape waged against anyone even remotely suspected of sympathizing with leftist guerrillas.
Its findings and recommendations that the "Dirty War" soldiers should be tried and punished were published in 1984 in a book called "Nunca Mas" ("Never Again").
Sabato seemed ill at ease in the limelight even as he was idolized by many young people and students in Argentina. Lionized by the political left, Sabato nevertheless rejected any party affiliation.
"I don't belong to any party, I just support anything I think is good for this sickly country and denounce anything I find false, despicable, dirty, corrupt and hypocritical," he said.
He railed against the tendency to seek technological solutions to human suffering, a painful admission for a man who studied science in Argentina, France and the United States.
He embraced surrealism and abandoned science for writing. His first novel, "The Tunnel," was hailed after its release in 1948 as an existentialist classic and won him fans including Thomas Mann and Albert Camus.
(Writing by Stephen Brown; Editing by Will Dunham)
Source: news.yahoo.com
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