Microsoft launches Kin phone April 12, 2010 Microsoft, the US computer giant, launched two new phones, Kin One and Kin Two, aimed at young people yesterday, marking a fresh assault on the fast growing smartphone market, where BlackBerry maker Research in Motion and Apple’s iPhone now dominate. The phones will be made by Japan’s Sharp and will be sold by Verizon Wireless, [...]
Dow breaks through the 11,000 mark April 12, 2010 THE Dow industrials closed above 11,000 for the first time in almost 19 months yesterday, spurred by buying in financial, energy and industrial sectors. It briefly topped that level on Friday but closed just short. The S&P 500, which is up 7.2 per cent since the start of the year, rose to within one point [...]
Palm tipped to be seeking buyer after plunging sales in smartphone market April 12, 2010 SMARTPHONE maker Palm has begun seeking offers for the firm, according to industry insiders. Palm, which makes the Pre and Pixi phones, is working with Goldman Sachs Group and Qatalyst Partners to find a buyer, Bloomberg News has reported. Last year Palm introduced its WebOS operating system, which received positive media reviews but that failed [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING April 11, 2010 FINANCIAL TIMES TOTAL CHIEF STILL KEEN ON UAE DESPITE SETBACKS Total, the French oil company, is looking to invest in the United Arab Emirates’ nuclear industry despite having been part of a consortium that lost the $20.4bn contract to build the country’s reactors. The loss to a Korean consortium, led by Korea Electric Power Corp [...]
TRAVEL NOTES April 11, 2010 Get a perfect beach body in St Lucia The plush resort of Cotton Bay Village on the Caribbean island of St Lucia has launched a series of “diva boot camps” for ladies to get in shape in beautiful surroundings. The week long courses aimed at solo travellers or small groups of friends include tailored nutritional [...]
Apple launches mobile ads April 8, 2010 APPLE chief executive Steve Jobs yesterday began a war with Google after he laid out plans to launch a phone operating system with a new advertising platform to compete with its rival. Jobs, speaking at the company’s California headquarters, said the iPhone 4.0 operating system available later this year – also available on iPads this [...]
Pink power April 7, 2010 T HE tangiest of British vegetables, so long relegated to fools and crumbles, stepped into the (pink-tinged) lime-light last week. Rhubarb made headlines when Waitrose suddenly found itself entirely sold out of the British variety, thanks to an advert featuring Delia Smith and a rhubarb and ginger brulee recipe. In just four days, the supermarket [...]
ANALYSTS TAKE THEIR GAMBLE ON WORLD CUP April 7, 2010 WORLD Cup fever is starting to grip the City in earnest ahead of the summer in South Africa, as evidenced by the latest analysts to have a pop at the business impact of the tournament. Sanford Bernstein’s Trevor Stirling, Joao Valli and Melissa Yates yesterday released a missive on the effects of the World Cup [...]
S&P 500 boosted by lift for bankers April 6, 2010 THE S&P 500 and Nasdaq rose modestly yesterday as the banking sector got a lift from positive analyst comments, while minutes from the Federal Reserve’s last meeting eased concern over rising rates. The minutes suggested the central bank could keep interest rates at ultra-low levels longer than investors have anticipated if the economy worsens. Lower [...]
Samsung sees profits up and demand hike April 6, 2010 ELECTRONICS giant Samsung is predicting a surge in flat screen television sales as consumers recover their appetite for spending this year. The world’s largest semiconducter and flat-screen TV maker, which has forecast a record first-quarter profit of 4.3 trillion won (£2.52bn) and sales of 34 trillion won, predicts it will improve its figures in the [...]