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Apple, Boeing keep Wall Street afloat; energy weighs

Wednesday 28 January 2015 0 comments

Apple, Boeing keep Wall Street afloat; energy weighs, U.S. stocks were buoyed on Wednesday by earnings including Apple and Boeing, but a sharp drop in energy shares cut into gains, leaving indexes little changed.

The Federal Reserve's first two-day policy meeting of the year is under way, and the Fed is expected to signal it remains on track to begin raising interest rates later this year.

The Nasdaq Composite outperformed, powered by a 6.9 percent advance in Apple shares (AAPL.O) to $116.71. Apple smashed Wall Street expectations with record sales of big-screen iPhones in the holiday shopping season, which helped the company post the largest quarterly profit in corporate history.

Boeing (BA.N) added 6 percent to $140.41 after handily beating top- and bottom-line expectations.

But the energy sector of the S&P 500 .SPNY dropped 2 percent as U.S. crude futures tumbled and after Barclays and Goldman Sachs posted bearish notes on oil.

"The global economy is still very weak," said Michael Yoshikami, CEO at Destination Wealth Management in Walnut Creek, California, pointing to the Goldman note. "I'm not surprised energy is struggling."

Regarding earnings, he said Apple was "spectacular" and partly offset the current negative sentiment over earnings.

At 12:00 EST (1700 GMT) the Dow Jones industrial average .DJI rose 46.3 points, or 0.27 percent, to 17,433.51, the S&P 500 .SPX gained 0.96 points, or 0.05 percent, to 2,030.51 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC added 12.48 points, or 0.27 percent, to 4,693.98.

Declining issues outnumbered advancing ones on the NYSE by 1,860 to 1,100, for a 1.69-to-1 ratio; on the Nasdaq, 1,764 issues fell and 842 advanced, for a 2.10-to-1 ratio favoring decliners.

Yahoo (YHOO.O) pared a gain of nearly 5 percent and was up 0.6 percent at $48.27 after it unveiled plans to spin off its 15 percent stake in Alibaba Group Holding (BABA.N), responding to pressure to hand over to shareholders its e-commerce investment valued at roughly $40 billion.

But Alibaba shares fell 4 percent to $98.79 after a Chinese regulator accused the e-commerce company of failing to clean up what it called illegal business deals on its platforms.

U.S. Steel Corp's shares (X.N) rallied 12.9 percent to $24.01 the day after its profit beat expectations. The company warned that low oil prices and the strong U.S. dollar could negatively impact its business in 2015, but said potential higher consumer spending could help lift demand.

The S&P 500 was posting 58 new 52-week highs and 10 new lows; the Nasdaq Composite was recording 66 new highs and 44 new lows.

Explosion at iPad plant in China

Saturday 21 May 2011 0 comments

Explosion at iPad plant in China

Explosion at iPad plant in China. Apple Inc is investigating an explosion that killed two people and injured 16 at a Foxconn factory said to produce the popular iPad 2.

The official Xinhua News Agency reported a large explosion rocked the Hongfujin Precision Electronics plant in a high-tech industrial zone west of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, on Friday evening.

Local officials are also looking into the cause of the blast. Apple shares closed down 1.56 percent at $335.22 on the Nasdaq, which saw a broad sell-off on euro-zone debt worries.

The explosion in a key factory owned by Foxconn International Holdings Ltd -- Apple's main manufacturing partner -- could affect the supply of iPads and investors were watching closely. Apple spokesman Steve Dowling said the company was assessing the situation.

"We are deeply saddened by the tragedy at the Foxconn plant in Chengdu and our hearts go out to the victims and their families," he said. "We are working closely with Foxconn to understand what caused this terrible event."

Foxconn representatives did not immediately respond.

Ticonderoga Securities analyst Brian White said Foxconn's Chengdu factory makes a lot of iPads because some production had been shifted to that facility from factories in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen.

Apple's iPad 2 commands 80 percent of the burgeoning tablet market in which Motorola Inc and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd also compete.

Apple sold 4.69 million iPads last quarter and is scrambling to meet staggering demand for the mobile device, but is heavily backlogged. Executives had expected production to ramp up during the present quarter to meet demand.

The plant explosion is the latest setback for Foxconn, the world's largest contract manufacturer and an affiliate of Taiwan's Hon Hai Precision Ind Co Ltd.

The Taiwanese company made headlines last year after reports emerged about poor working conditions at factories in southern China, which critics say may have helped drive several employees to suicide.

The company pledged to improve employee welfare.

Facing higher wages in the southern China manufacturing belt, the scene of labor disputes last year, some Taiwanese manufacturers have opted to shift some operations to the country's interior, where costs are lower.

Foxconn also has plants in North America and Mexico, as well as in European countries, including Slovakia and Poland.

Apple Music Service

Friday 20 May 2011 0 comments

Apple Music Service

Apple Music Service: According to reports, Apple is almost ready to release a cloud-based music storage service compatible with iTunes.

Sources say the product is finished, and Apple might be ready to launch its service before Google’s competitive product sees the light of day.

Several sources close to the matter and aware of both companies’ plans told Reuters that Apple will soon let iTunes customers keep their music libraries on a remote server. The music would then be accessible from any Internet-connected, iTunes-running device.

But though the technology is in place, one all-important piece is missing from both music offerings: licensing agreements with major record labels. Google is stalling on its own music projects due to rumored tiffs with record labels, and Apple has yet to discuss any new licensing agreements with labels, according to Reuters’ sources.

However, since the latter company has been working with musicians for a long time vis-a-vis iTunes and iTunes’ new social component, Ping, one might imagine that Apple has a laid some groundwork for fruitful discussions around licensing.

Google was rumored to be building an iTunes competitor in the summer of 2010. The service was said to have an Android-friendly component or two, and the Android music store was expected to launch with the release of Gingerbread. The service was also rumored to include music-streaming options in addition to music locker features.

However, more current reports suggest that Google may be further than ever from an actual launch due to licensing snafus with major record labels, particularly Warner Music Group.

iPad 2 Accessories You Need Right Now

Thursday 7 April 2011 0 comments

Thanks to the Vogel Flex Mount, however, I can turn my tablet into a wall-mounted candid photo of Justin Bieber getting an allergy shot.

Vogel Flex Mount, $70

Now that the written word is completely obsolete, the days of taping up mini-posters of J.C. Chasez and Devon Sawa from my Tiger Beat subscription are gone (this may have contributed to everyone being gay all of a sudden). The button can attached to most surfaces, and the mounted iPad rotated in any which way or direction. Pretty slick.

Miniot Wooden Cover, $70

Miniot’s ultra-suede lined wooden smart cover turns the iPad on and off when opened and closed, respectively, but it’s way better than the smart covers Apple’s putting out. The rolling wooden cover can be turned into an upright stand, folded over to give that book-readin’ feel, or put in a keyboard position. If you buy now, they’ll even engrave your cover with any image for free. Not too shabby. The whole thing costs 50 Holland dollars, which is equivalent to most likely $70 American or five tulip bushels.

DODOcase, $60

Don’t you love the smell of a new book, that feel of a well-wrought binding between your thumb and forefinger? Enjoy it, nerd, because that ship is sailing fast. If you really must prolong the inevitable digitization of things to look at, you can get yourself the DODOcase, which just came out in an iPad 2 version. It’s built from Moroccan cloth using actual book-binding techniques and feels like an honest-to-goodness hardcover. And for only sixty bucks, natch!

BookBook, $70

Apparently there is quite the market for iPad 2 accessories, as it can sustain at least two items that make your thing that cost hundreds of dollars look like a rummage sale, booger-covered copy of Lady Chatterly’s Lover. Also also a case that is a stand, the BookBook has a vintage leather look that will cost you $10 more than the new-appearing DODOcase, but this is the price you must pay to appear like you are too ethical to take your businessman father’s trust fund money.

ZAGGmate, $99.99

You could just buy a laptop, but that’s for poor people. Instead, please spend one hundred dollars on the ZAGGmate, which now comes in an iPad 2 version. Perfect for turning your iPad 2 into a holder for the embedded Bluetooth keyboard, the ZAGGmate case will also offer some protection against your stale PBR spills.

Nomad Brush, $24

Fancy yourself an artiste? Of course you do. Now you just have to prove to your parents that your Ivy League art major wasn’t a poor decision. The Nomad Brush isn’t going to do that, but it will be a helpful distraction when your parents are on the phone talking about your brother’s investment banking job. It is a magical paintbrush whose synthetic and natural fibers can tickle your iPad 2 into art submission.

Griffin Technology x Col. Littelton No. 42 Courier Bag, $695

Handmade by Lynnville, Tennesee’s finest whiskey-swilling leather workers, the No. 42 Courier Bag has a special pocket up inside of it just for your gentleman’s electricity reader. Gorgeous detailed include a lock and chain and a serial-numbered brass ID plate on the inside.

HP Photosmart e-All-in-One, $99.99

You don’t have to nab this HP Photosmart directly from Apple, but it may be just the extra influx of cash they need to save Steve Jobs’s life. Just saying. Also, it’s got AirPlay, which lets you print directly from your iPad 2 without a filthy norm computer getting involved.

SmartFit2 Smoke, $29.95

If I’m going to spend nearly a grand on a new iPad 2, I am going to take absolutely every opportunity to make sure each and every person I encounter knows it. That’s why I am all about this smoky-clear case from the Joy Factory, a thin and durable protector that will ensure nobody mistakes your tablet for a Xoom.

Belkin FlipBlade, $29.99

The FlipBlade, coming soon in a model specifically for the iPad 2, is a hard-working, durable, and super-slim convertible stand. It’s got four different positions, which let you view and type on your tablet from all kinds of crazy angles, like straight up or straight up and a little backwards.

Digital AV Adapter, $39.99

The official Apple AV adapter hooks your iPad 2 up to your TV (provided it’s got an HDMI in-hole) so you can look at things on a small screen and a big one at the same time. Your iPad 2 will also charge up while it’s plugged into your television, so don’t let that be the excuse your girlfriend gives you for not wanting to join your marathon of the entire series of Soap.

Game-Changing PCs of Tomorrow: Today!

Tuesday 1 March 2011 0 comments

Time to trade in your Gateway 2000 for one of these machines that could change the way we make our compu-time.

Google Chrome OS Laptop

This summer, we should be getting our hands on retail versions of the first computers to run on Google’s Chrome operating system. The first batch will be made by Acer and Samsung and feature 12.1 inch display screens, standard full-sized keyboards, and—wait—no hard drive. Could this machine totally change the way we compute? Maybe not, but weirder things have happened. Look, millions of people bought those fruit-flavored iMacs.

Razer Switchblade

The Razer Switchblade could be the hardware to reach the unicorn: portable World of Warcraft. Besides boasting the toughest PC name ever, the Razer Switchblade is a portable gaming device with a dynamic tactile keyboard whose keys change based on different game control schemes. You don’t have to do any fanciful programming, either: it automatically recognizes the specific game’s icons and control schemes and transfers their visuals directly to the keys.

Clover Systems Sunbook, $795

There are situations, granted very few of them, when I get to computing outside without an accessible parasol. Clover Systems’ Sunbook could rectify this with a quickness. Its specs are nothing to write home about, but if you’re not sun-averse, you can use it outside without the damn glare getting in your business. I can see this being incredibly useful in outdoor situations you are forced into but don’t want to participate in, such as mediocre high school football games, you can just dial up some Netflix and get lost in Nicolas Cage’s eyes.

Dreamplug PC, $150

The inventor of the Dreamplug PC had a dream. A dream that one day the PC and the electrical plug would be fully integrated. For no apparent reason, the Dreamplug is a four-inch PC shoved inside of an electric plug without a GPU. It’s only $150 (as it should be, with its skimpy specs), but what I am excited about is that it supposedly reduces electrical costs by up to 96%.

Toshiba Dynobook Color-Changing Qosmio T750

The only thing unique about this PC is the cover, which changes colors with a shimmer effect. Yes, this is a game-changer. Anything that moves this industry in an aesthetic direction that matches John Travolta’s TVR Tuscan in Swordfish is a revelation. Although you should’ve been sold at “Swordfish”, specs include an LED backlit display, 2.66 GHz Intel Core i5 processor, and four gigs of memory.

MSI Butterfly

With days spent primarily gaming and typing, I have developed the snarling, wizened hands of a 90 year-old finger puppeteer. My carpal tunnel stings practically every time I use a touchscreen, so I’m grateful to see MSI’s Butterfly PC. The Butterfly all-in-one PC has a repositionable display that slides up and down like an architect’s desk, reducing touchscreen fatigue.

PlayStation Tablet

Word on the street (well, Engadget) is that Sony will be releasing a PlayStation Tablet in September. I don’t know if the already-crowded tablet market can accommodate another one, or if Sony will just have a PSPGo-style hardware burnout. I am curious about this curvy prototype design, though, as well as playing classic PS1 games on a tablet. I am more optimistic about the former.

Fujitsu Esprimo FH99/CM

The Fujitsu Esprimo is being touted as the world’s first glasses-free 3D computer. It’ll launch at a staggering $3100, which, when you think about it, is a small price to pay for not having to don shutter shades alone. Besides the 23-inch full HD 3D display, the PC boasts a 2Ghz Core i7 processor, four gigs of memory, and a 2TB hard drive.

CompuLab Trim-Slice

Israel’s CompuLab has a tiny new PC that it claims can give you the full-size PC experience with at least eighty times the adorability. It’s extremely energy efficient and runs on NVIDIA’s Tegra 2 processor. It also boasts HDMI and 5.1 digital audio outputs, meaning it could be quite lovely as an alternative multimedia device. I look forward to checking it out when it hits retail in April.

Motorola Xoom

It’s got more features than the iPad and will run on the newest Android OS. Word though is that it’s going to cost about $800. It sounds like a lot, but the comparable iPad is fewer than a hundred bucks cheaper. It’s got a bigger screen and better resolution, too, along with stereo speakers and a front and back camera (all of which the iPad lacks). Whether or not the iPad 2 comes out of the gate looking so sexy will ultimately determine the unpronounceable Xoom’s success.

Eurocom Racer

The Eurocom Racer is being touted as the world’s most powerful 15” notebook. I can neither confirm nor deny, but I can tell you that it is a beast. It can support Intel’s Sandy Bridge processors, up to the Intel Core i7 2920XM Extreme Edition with 8 GB of L3 cache. It’s only a matter of time before the line between desktops and laptops is erased completely.