A warning from the future: Don’t bank on old ways December 4, 2011 FOR banks, the path of lowest possible risk is to continue doing what they’ve always done; however this would be a grave mistake, as Alan Hughes wrote in the Forum last week [The challenge to banks: Who will lead on service, Wednesday]. Not only is service important, as Hughes argues, but with technology shifting the [...]
Disney boss buys Apple stock December 1, 2011 Apple’s newest board member, Walt Disney co-chief executive Bob Iger, bought about $1m (£640,000) worth of the iPhone maker’s shares earlier this week, a symbolic gesture of confidence in the prospects of the company. Iger, who was appointed to Apple’s board in November, bought 2,670 Apple shares on the open market on Tuesday at an [...]
MOBILES December 1, 2011 SAMSUNG GALAXY NEXUS, FREE WITH £34 CONTRACT* Google and Samsung’s latest tie-up is their best yet – a great Android advert. google.co.uk/nexus APPLE IPHONE 4S, FREE WITH £36 CONTRACT* The original – and probably still the best – blockbuster smartphone, the 4S is the gadget to have. apple.com/uk MOTOROLA RAZR, FREE WITH £36 CONTRACT* Motorola [...]
MUST HAVES December 1, 2011 CRAB HAT FROM PLAY.COM, £13 Stay warm at Christmas with this knitted crab hat. Cosy and cool. FANTASTIC 4 OMNIBUS, £70 This 1,084-page beast will fill you in on the classic era of the Marvel heroes. APPLE IPAD ANDY WARHOL CASE, 13” SLEEVE, £49.99 One of the Apple Store’s more hipster-friendly products. store.apple.com/uk BURTON CLASH [...]
Know your Fire from your Vox with our guide to the ultimate e-readers November 30, 2011 People said e-books would never catch on. For some reason, this was quite often backed up by the argument that e-readers don’t smell like real books. But – and this is no slight on the aroma of the works of Mark Twain – these people were wrong. Retailers are rubbing their hands at the prospect [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING November 28, 2011 FINANCIAL TIMES LLOYDS SET TO EASE PRESSURE ON CHIEF Lloyds Banking Group is exploring ways to reduce the workload on António Horta-Osório, its chief executive, as it attempts to convince investors he will be able to make a successful comeback from a period of medical leave. The state-backed bank is considering fortifying the support around [...]
Welcome to Xmas hamper heaven November 27, 2011 CHRISTMAS TEA HAMPER £150 ● Jubilee Biscuit Selection, 500g Tin ● Afternoon Blend Tea, 125g Tin ● Apricot Preserve, no.98 ● Burleigh Mug ● Christmas Coffee, 250g Tin ● Christmas Curd, 327g ● Christmas Spiced Preserve, 340g ● Jubilee Clotted Cream & Pistachio Biscuits, 250g Tall Tin ● 900g Mulled Wine Spice Bag ST NICHOLAS [...]
From Iceland to India: it’s all change November 24, 2011 SOMETIMES, seemingly random facts and events explain a great deal about the world we live in. Here is my pick of the day. HUMAN CAPITAL During the five decades from 2000 to 2050, the US workforce is expected to grow by 37 per cent, fuelled in particular by continuing migration. In stark contrast, China’s workforce [...]
HTC plummets after it cuts sales outlook November 24, 2011 HTC, the world’s number four smartphone maker, warned it would see no revenue growth this quarter, in a further sign that bigger rivals Apple and Samsung are stealing sales. The Taiwanese company, which is valued at around $16bn (£10bn), had previously forecast fourth-quarter revenue would grow 20-30 per cent from a year ago. The surprise [...]
What a difference a month makes November 24, 2011 WHAT a difference a month makes. At the end of October, HTC said it expected fourth quarter revenues to jump by almost a third; yesterday, the Taiwanese firm shocked markets by saying sales in the last three months of the year would in fact be flat. In cash terms, HTC has chalked down its estimates by [...]