(Reuters) - Most U.S. high-tech companies expect to export more cell phones, tablets and other electronics over the next two years to growing middle-class populations in developing nations, citing free trade pacts and rising labor costs abroad, a survey found.
About 85 percent of U.S. high-tech executives polled said the Obama administration was somewhat or very likely to meet its goal of doubling exports by 2015. Just 40 percent of executives were as optimistic two years ago after the export target was set.
The third annual survey was conducted by IDC Manufacturing Insights for United Parcel Service, the world's largest package delivery company.
'It's really being driven by this emerging middle class that have more disposable income and a heavy appetite for technology products like cell phones, tablets and laptops,' Ken Rankin, high-tech marketing director at UPS in Atlanta, said in a Friday interview with Reuters.
Scott Davis, UPS chief executive officer, is on the President's Export Council and has touted free trade agreements as critical for boosting U.S. exports and the economy.
A free trade agreement between the United States and Panama will soon go into effect, U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk said on Friday. The U.S.-Colombian agreement went into force in July, after the U.S.-South Korea pact in March.
Only 23 percent of the companies said they had export growth over the past two years, but 74 percent now expect to export more over the next two years, Rankin said.
'Despite all of the short-term talk of economic weakness and the dreaded fiscal cliff, the high-tech executives that we talked to really had a bullish outlook in the next two to five years when it comes to export growth for their products,' he added.
The fiscal cliff refers to the year-end deadline for about $500 billion in expiring U.S. tax cuts and automatic spending cuts set for next year unless Congress can compromise over lowering the budget deficit.
The survey of 125 high-tech manufacturers included senior supply chain and logistics executives in consumer electronics, semiconductor, communications equipment and electronic component/accessories industries.
High-tech product sales and shipments are expected to grow the most, by 22 percent, in India, the Middle East and Africa, over the next three to five years, the survey said.
Increases are expected to range from 18 percent in Brazil and 19 percent in the rest of South America to 15 percent in Eastern Europe, 13 percent in Korea and 8 percent in China and in other Asian nations.
Lingering barriers to boosting exports include the difficulty of managing spread-out global inventory, unstable global suppliers and security concerns, the survey found.
'Additional progress in free trade agreements would be a big winner, not only for the high-tech space but for all U.S. industry,' Rankin said.
The high-tech companies that were surveyed sell and ship 97 percent of their products in North America. Within three to five years, that percentage will decline to 90 percent as demand mounts in emerging markets for their products.
'Winners will be those companies that successfully leverage the emerging market growth with strong products and executive import/export excellence,' said Rankin.
As for moving the goods, 70 percent of the executives said they are planning to modify their distribution networks to handle more volume at East Coast ports once a wider Panama Canal is opened to bigger ships around 2015.
More than one-third of those polled said they planned to shift from air to ocean freight when that happens.
In anticipation, East Coast ports are heavily investing in dredging and other projects to be able to accept bigger ships.
Companies such as Federal Express and UPS have already seen a shift in demand for shipping products more cheaply, such as by sea, rather than premium-priced express air services, because of the weakening global economy.
(Editing by Prudence Crowther)
This news article is brought to you by GLAMOROUS FASHION NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Smartphone Camera Shootout: iPhone 5 vs. Galaxy SIII vs. iPhone 4S
Smartphone cameras are getting better all the time. Optical zoom lenses aside, it's not uncommon for a high-end smartphone camera to match or even beat the quality from a small pocket digital camera.
[More from Mashable: 5 Mobile Photographers Capturing the World With Android]
This rapid improvement in quality has dovetailed with a broader trend of sharing digital photography online -- whether it's through Facebook, Instagram, 500px or one of the many other photo sharing sites.
Two of the hottest smartphones on the market are Apple's iPhone 5 and Samsung's Galaxy SIII. Both sport 8-megapixel cameras and promise ultra-fast shutter speeds.
[More from Mashable: 5 Easy Steps To Make Your Job Descriptions Go Viral]
So how do they compare? To find out, Nina Frazier -- Mashable's excellent photo editor -- and I spent a lot of time doing a good old-fashioned camera shootout. For good measure, we also included the 8-megapixel camera from Apple's iPhone 4S, to see how the newer phones compare with the older model.
Our goal with this camera comparison was to capture as many real-world situations and opportunities as we could.
A couple of notes about our tests:
Nothing in our tests indicated that the issue was any more pronounced in the iPhone 5 than in any other digital camera, but keep this in mind when composing shots. If you see purple fringing, readjust before tapping the shutter button.
Take a look at our test shots and then read on for more information on each camera.
Click here to view this gallery.
That said, the 4S is significantly slower than the Galaxy SIII or the iPhone 5. That doesn't matter so much for posed shots or landscapes, but it can mean the difference between catching that fleeting moment or just missing it.
The iPhone 4S is also less adroit at shooting in low light. The flash on the camera is acceptable for some situations, but be aware that it can often overfill the frame, washing out the image. That LED flash is bright.
Aside from low light, the biggest difference between the 4S and the iPhone 5 is color. I'll discuss this more in the iPhone 5 section, but the newer camera tends to be much more accurate in terms of color and tonal balance.
Still, it's hard to be too hard on the iPhone 4S. A year later, it remains one of the best smartphone cameras on the market.
To us, image quality and color looked similar to the iPhone 4S. The biggest difference is that the Galaxy SIII is considerably faster. Samsung has a burst mode built into its camera software, but even without it, you can take photos with nearly no shutter lag.
This means it's possible to catch every moment as it happens. We should note however, that while the shutter is essentially lag-free, the auto-focus doesn't always keep up.
This is most evident when it comes to motion images. In our test shot of a moving bus, the bus itself is in focus, but the text on the bus itself is a bit blurred. On the iPhone 4S -- and especially the iPhone 5 -- the text and bus remain in focus.
One of the nicest aspects of the Galaxy SIII is its huge 4.8' display. Seriously, using a screen that large as a viewfinder is a real joy. The camera software is also easy to target focus points and snap off quick shots.
Color accuracy on the Galaxy SIII was good -- not iPhone 5 good -- but solid.
Where the camera did tend to fall down a bit was with backlit photos. In our test, we loved that the camera software compensated to focus and correctly expose the denim in my jacket, but were disappointed when it washed out much of the background.
In low light, the camera performs well, even in candle light. For us, the low-light performance was the perfect blend of resolution and contrast, but not too noisy.
After using the Galaxy SIII for a bit, it was easy to see why companies such as Nikon and Samsung are starting to build their own Android-based cameras. Put an optical zoom and larger sensor on this thing but keep that big display and you've got a great midrange prosumer camera.
Colors just pop. Looking at the colors in the bubble demonstration from Madison Square Park, I was stunned to see that level of detail and clarity without editing. The white balance on the camera is also remarkable -- easily the best default white-balance I've seen on a smartphone-based camera.
The iPhone 5 is also incredibly faster than the iPhone 4S. Like the Galaxy SIII, tapping the shutter button is lag free. There is no built-in burst mode, but I found myself able to take multiple shots at a clip with negligible lag.
The other story of the iPhone 5 is its low-light performance. The iPhone 5 is capable of a much higher ISO than the iPhone 4S -- which results in much better low-light photography. Of course, the disadvantage of the high ISO is noise.
The iPhone 5 performed best in our backlit test -- perfectly compensating for the lighting differences.
As nice as the iPhone 5's screen is, the Galaxy SIII still has an advantage as a viewfinder, thanks to its sheer size.
To us, Apple took the already great iPhone 4S camera and made it even better.
The Galaxy SIII and the iPhone 5 are both big improvements over the iPhone 4S, not so much for picture quality, but for speed. It's surprising how much a faster camera can improve the smartphone photography experience.
Looking through the photos, what camera do you prefer? Let us know in the comments.
This story originally published on Mashable here.
This news article is brought to you by GAMING NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
[More from Mashable: 5 Mobile Photographers Capturing the World With Android]
This rapid improvement in quality has dovetailed with a broader trend of sharing digital photography online -- whether it's through Facebook, Instagram, 500px or one of the many other photo sharing sites.
Two of the hottest smartphones on the market are Apple's iPhone 5 and Samsung's Galaxy SIII. Both sport 8-megapixel cameras and promise ultra-fast shutter speeds.
[More from Mashable: 5 Easy Steps To Make Your Job Descriptions Go Viral]
So how do they compare? To find out, Nina Frazier -- Mashable's excellent photo editor -- and I spent a lot of time doing a good old-fashioned camera shootout. For good measure, we also included the 8-megapixel camera from Apple's iPhone 4S, to see how the newer phones compare with the older model.
Our goal with this camera comparison was to capture as many real-world situations and opportunities as we could.
A couple of notes about our tests:
- We used the default camera app for the Samsung Galaxy SIII, the iPhone 4S and the iPhone 5.
- Photos were taken directly from the camera. Aside from crops for this gallery, the photos were untouched and there was no post-processing of the images.
- We took the images in the late afternoon in New York City. There was plenty of light, but because this is New York, not a lot of direct sun light.
Nothing in our tests indicated that the issue was any more pronounced in the iPhone 5 than in any other digital camera, but keep this in mind when composing shots. If you see purple fringing, readjust before tapping the shutter button.
Take a look at our test shots and then read on for more information on each camera.
Blowing Bubbles in the Park
The iPhone 5's camera captures extremely vivid colors. You can see the entire spectrum inside the bubbles much more than with the Galaxy SIII or the iPhone 4S.Click here to view this gallery.
iPhone 4S
The iPhone 4S remains a great smartphone camera. In fact, under the right lighting and in the hands of a skilled photographer, images produced with the 4S can rival images from some point-and-shoot cameras.That said, the 4S is significantly slower than the Galaxy SIII or the iPhone 5. That doesn't matter so much for posed shots or landscapes, but it can mean the difference between catching that fleeting moment or just missing it.
The iPhone 4S is also less adroit at shooting in low light. The flash on the camera is acceptable for some situations, but be aware that it can often overfill the frame, washing out the image. That LED flash is bright.
Aside from low light, the biggest difference between the 4S and the iPhone 5 is color. I'll discuss this more in the iPhone 5 section, but the newer camera tends to be much more accurate in terms of color and tonal balance.
Still, it's hard to be too hard on the iPhone 4S. A year later, it remains one of the best smartphone cameras on the market.
Samsung Galaxy SIII
Samsung deserves high praise for the camera it included on its flagship Galaxy SIII. In the past, I've had mixed results with Samsung smartphone cameras, but the Galaxy SIII is a great camera.To us, image quality and color looked similar to the iPhone 4S. The biggest difference is that the Galaxy SIII is considerably faster. Samsung has a burst mode built into its camera software, but even without it, you can take photos with nearly no shutter lag.
This means it's possible to catch every moment as it happens. We should note however, that while the shutter is essentially lag-free, the auto-focus doesn't always keep up.
This is most evident when it comes to motion images. In our test shot of a moving bus, the bus itself is in focus, but the text on the bus itself is a bit blurred. On the iPhone 4S -- and especially the iPhone 5 -- the text and bus remain in focus.
One of the nicest aspects of the Galaxy SIII is its huge 4.8' display. Seriously, using a screen that large as a viewfinder is a real joy. The camera software is also easy to target focus points and snap off quick shots.
Color accuracy on the Galaxy SIII was good -- not iPhone 5 good -- but solid.
Where the camera did tend to fall down a bit was with backlit photos. In our test, we loved that the camera software compensated to focus and correctly expose the denim in my jacket, but were disappointed when it washed out much of the background.
In low light, the camera performs well, even in candle light. For us, the low-light performance was the perfect blend of resolution and contrast, but not too noisy.
After using the Galaxy SIII for a bit, it was easy to see why companies such as Nikon and Samsung are starting to build their own Android-based cameras. Put an optical zoom and larger sensor on this thing but keep that big display and you've got a great midrange prosumer camera.
iPhone 5
The real story of the iPhone 5 is its color accuracy. Nearly every photo we took came off the camera with accurate and bright colors. Looking at the test shots, that's where it is most visibly different from the iPhone 4S.Colors just pop. Looking at the colors in the bubble demonstration from Madison Square Park, I was stunned to see that level of detail and clarity without editing. The white balance on the camera is also remarkable -- easily the best default white-balance I've seen on a smartphone-based camera.
The iPhone 5 is also incredibly faster than the iPhone 4S. Like the Galaxy SIII, tapping the shutter button is lag free. There is no built-in burst mode, but I found myself able to take multiple shots at a clip with negligible lag.
The other story of the iPhone 5 is its low-light performance. The iPhone 5 is capable of a much higher ISO than the iPhone 4S -- which results in much better low-light photography. Of course, the disadvantage of the high ISO is noise.
The iPhone 5 performed best in our backlit test -- perfectly compensating for the lighting differences.
As nice as the iPhone 5's screen is, the Galaxy SIII still has an advantage as a viewfinder, thanks to its sheer size.
To us, Apple took the already great iPhone 4S camera and made it even better.
Final Thoughts
Regarding off-the-camera results, we'd have to give the edge to the iPhone 5. Still, the Galaxy SIII was a joy to use and its large screen functions as a fantastic viewfinder.The Galaxy SIII and the iPhone 5 are both big improvements over the iPhone 4S, not so much for picture quality, but for speed. It's surprising how much a faster camera can improve the smartphone photography experience.
Looking through the photos, what camera do you prefer? Let us know in the comments.
This story originally published on Mashable here.
This news article is brought to you by GAMING NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
Does This Video Show the iPad Mini?
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Saturday, September 29, 2012
CruxSkunk iPad Keyboard Exposes the Mirage of Kickstarter [REVIEW]
The CruxSkunk is a Kickstarter project that's finally coming to fruition. Priced at $229, it's an iPad keyboard that aims to mirror the Apple design aesthetic.
Click here to view this gallery.[More from Mashable: Could Your Office Use This Lower Cost 3D Printer? [VIDEO]]
Microsoft's Surface tablet has yet to prove itself, but it won a lot of goodwill with its novel keyboard cover, betraying a weakness in the iPad camp: Although there are many keyboard accessories for Apple's tablet, none has really emerged as the one that rises above the pack. That's exactly what the CruxSkunk wants to be. A Kickstarter project, the keyboard aims to be none other than the perfect complement for your iPad. It's just 0.74 of an inch thin, made of solid aluminum and has a design that's tailored to match the Apple aesthetic. It also mirrors Apple pricing -- at $229, it's damn expensive as keyboard accessories go.
[More from Mashable: iExpander Gives Your iPhone Extra Features]
That said, Kickstarter's founders recently posted a note reminding its users that the site -- filled with beautiful, ambitious projects -- is not a store. It was a necessary reality check, and I can see what they were getting at with the CruxSkunk now that I've been using one for the past few days. While it has a lot going for it, if you buy it thinking you'll turn your iPad into a MacBook Air, you'll be disappointed.
The iPad fits into an open frame attached to the keyboard. Don't forget to slip the plastic holders over the iPad in the lower corners -- like I was doing for the first day after I got the CruxSkunk -- or your iPad will fall out. With the holders in place, your iPad is secure, and you can even rotate the keyboard almost 360 degrees to use it as a simple stand -- handy in a plane seat.
SEE ALSO: Check Out Microsoft's Brilliant Keyboard for Windows 8 Tablets [VIDEO]
After putting my iPad in place, I started the pairing process. It's a little annoying that the CruxSkunk uses a code for Bluetooth pairing, but I can forgive that. I can even overlook that it took about a half-dozen attempts before I was able to pair the Skunk with my iPad successfully.
What I can't abide is the poor quality of the keys. For starters, a few keys on my review unit occasionally got stuck in the frame when I depressed them, continuously entering data until they were unjammed. On top of that, at least one of the keys on my sample ('2/@') didn't work properly -- a flaw that would necessitate a return.
Some did work, including home, photo frame, screen off and screen on. But that button with the globe icon that looks like it should launch Safari or network settings? No idea. Search? Forget it. At least the music volume controls did what they were supposed to.
Overall, though, the whole thing just feels unfinished, like someone grabbed the CruxSkunk when it was about 75% through the production process before it got some polishing and quality assurance. With a MacBook keyboard you get smoothed-out edges and key displacement that's clearly tuned to tenths of a millimeter, but the CruxSkunk has uncomfortably sharp cuts in the metal and keys that just feel ... cheap.
But think about how much design and engineering went into MacBook keyboards. They're made by a company that's been building computers for well over 30 years and has billions of dollars in the bank. The brand is iconic, has millions of customers and employs some of the best industrial designers and engineers in the world.
Am I being too hard on the CruxSkunk, made by a few guys on Kickstarter? I don't think so -- especially since it promises right on the campaign page that it's made 'in the exact same process that Apple machines its MacBooks and iPads. The aluminum parts are then sandblasted and anodized to give them the same finish as your iPad.'
Not quite. And this is where the warning from Kickstarter's founders hits home: Although the CruxSkunk sells the idea of pairing a MacBook-like keyboard with your iPad, in reality it's not even that close. Yes, Kickstarter is most definitely not a store -- it's an idea for a product that might, if you're lucky, end up creating an object that's somewhere in the ballpark of what was originally promised.
So if you can approach the CruxSkunk with those realistic expectations, you might like it, and the idea still has merit. But judging from the perch where that idea resides, it falls short.
Will you be buying or skipping the CruxSkunk? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
This story originally published on Mashable here.
This news article is brought to you by GAMING NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
Click here to view this gallery.[More from Mashable: Could Your Office Use This Lower Cost 3D Printer? [VIDEO]]
Microsoft's Surface tablet has yet to prove itself, but it won a lot of goodwill with its novel keyboard cover, betraying a weakness in the iPad camp: Although there are many keyboard accessories for Apple's tablet, none has really emerged as the one that rises above the pack. That's exactly what the CruxSkunk wants to be. A Kickstarter project, the keyboard aims to be none other than the perfect complement for your iPad. It's just 0.74 of an inch thin, made of solid aluminum and has a design that's tailored to match the Apple aesthetic. It also mirrors Apple pricing -- at $229, it's damn expensive as keyboard accessories go.
[More from Mashable: iExpander Gives Your iPhone Extra Features]
That said, Kickstarter's founders recently posted a note reminding its users that the site -- filled with beautiful, ambitious projects -- is not a store. It was a necessary reality check, and I can see what they were getting at with the CruxSkunk now that I've been using one for the past few days. While it has a lot going for it, if you buy it thinking you'll turn your iPad into a MacBook Air, you'll be disappointed.
Skunking the iPad
The CruxSkunk got a lot of positive press, including from Mashable, when the Kickstarter campaign began, and why not? It's a gorgeous design idea, taking the aesthetic of Apple's MacBook laptops, mainly the aluminum material and chiclet-style keys, and fusing them into an iPad keyboard. It even has Mac-centric buttons, labeled Command and Option. No backlight, though, and no extra battery power for your iPad, since it connects via Bluetooth.The iPad fits into an open frame attached to the keyboard. Don't forget to slip the plastic holders over the iPad in the lower corners -- like I was doing for the first day after I got the CruxSkunk -- or your iPad will fall out. With the holders in place, your iPad is secure, and you can even rotate the keyboard almost 360 degrees to use it as a simple stand -- handy in a plane seat.
After putting my iPad in place, I started the pairing process. It's a little annoying that the CruxSkunk uses a code for Bluetooth pairing, but I can forgive that. I can even overlook that it took about a half-dozen attempts before I was able to pair the Skunk with my iPad successfully.
What I can't abide is the poor quality of the keys. For starters, a few keys on my review unit occasionally got stuck in the frame when I depressed them, continuously entering data until they were unjammed. On top of that, at least one of the keys on my sample ('2/@') didn't work properly -- a flaw that would necessitate a return.
Mystery Keys
There are function keys along the top, but my unit didn't come with any instructions, so I had to discern for myself what they did. The home button is easy enough, but I still don't know what some of the other keys do -- mainly because when I pressed them, they didn't do anything.Some did work, including home, photo frame, screen off and screen on. But that button with the globe icon that looks like it should launch Safari or network settings? No idea. Search? Forget it. At least the music volume controls did what they were supposed to.
Overall, though, the whole thing just feels unfinished, like someone grabbed the CruxSkunk when it was about 75% through the production process before it got some polishing and quality assurance. With a MacBook keyboard you get smoothed-out edges and key displacement that's clearly tuned to tenths of a millimeter, but the CruxSkunk has uncomfortably sharp cuts in the metal and keys that just feel ... cheap.
The Mirage of Kickstarter
This betrays the weakness of Kickstarter, which I also encountered to a certain extent with the HiddenRadio: There's a world of difference between a great idea and the successful execution of that idea. And the idea of the CruxSkunk is certainly great. Of course it would be fantastic to build a MacBook-style keyboard for an iPad.But think about how much design and engineering went into MacBook keyboards. They're made by a company that's been building computers for well over 30 years and has billions of dollars in the bank. The brand is iconic, has millions of customers and employs some of the best industrial designers and engineers in the world.
Am I being too hard on the CruxSkunk, made by a few guys on Kickstarter? I don't think so -- especially since it promises right on the campaign page that it's made 'in the exact same process that Apple machines its MacBooks and iPads. The aluminum parts are then sandblasted and anodized to give them the same finish as your iPad.'
Not quite. And this is where the warning from Kickstarter's founders hits home: Although the CruxSkunk sells the idea of pairing a MacBook-like keyboard with your iPad, in reality it's not even that close. Yes, Kickstarter is most definitely not a store -- it's an idea for a product that might, if you're lucky, end up creating an object that's somewhere in the ballpark of what was originally promised.
So if you can approach the CruxSkunk with those realistic expectations, you might like it, and the idea still has merit. But judging from the perch where that idea resides, it falls short.
Will you be buying or skipping the CruxSkunk? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
This story originally published on Mashable here.
This news article is brought to you by GAMING NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
Friday, September 28, 2012
Take 100 NASA Photos, Stir, Make Van Gogh's 'Starry Night'
We've seen Van Gogh's iconic 'Starry Night' painting as both an iPad app and a domino run, but now an astronomy major has recreated it in perhaps the most apt way: with NASA photos of the cosmos.
[More from Mashable: Iranian News Agency Cites Fake 'Onion' Article]
Alex Parker, a post-doctoral fellow at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, made the mosaic-style image out of publicly available downloads of NASA's top 100 images from the Hubble Space Telescope. Cloudy weather prevented him from working on a recent night at the observatory, so he came up with the idea of creating the image for Hubble's 22nd birthday.
If you want to check out the image at full resolution, it's here. A close-up of the top right section is below.
[More from Mashable: See the Touching Bond Between NBA Player and Marine Brother]
[via The Daily Mail]
This story originally published on Mashable here.
This news article is brought to you by GLAMOROUS FASHION NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
[More from Mashable: Iranian News Agency Cites Fake 'Onion' Article]
Alex Parker, a post-doctoral fellow at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, made the mosaic-style image out of publicly available downloads of NASA's top 100 images from the Hubble Space Telescope. Cloudy weather prevented him from working on a recent night at the observatory, so he came up with the idea of creating the image for Hubble's 22nd birthday.
If you want to check out the image at full resolution, it's here. A close-up of the top right section is below.
[More from Mashable: See the Touching Bond Between NBA Player and Marine Brother]
[via The Daily Mail]
This story originally published on Mashable here.
This news article is brought to you by GLAMOROUS FASHION NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
Dolls and gadgets top toy lists
NEW YORK (AP) - High-tech gadgets like tablet computers are hot picks for this holiday season's top toys. But so are low-tech favorites, including dolls and Legos, the perennial construction set favorite that has occupied children for more than 50 years.
Here's a look at top toys for this holiday season, culled from Toys R Us, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Kmart as well as toy groups Time to Play and Toy Insider.
Dolls:
- Doc McStuffins Time for Your Check Up doll by Just Play, $39.99: Based on a hit Disney show about a girl who can fix toys and talk to stuffed animals, this doll has found its way on Time to Play, Toy Insider and Toys R Us lists.
- Lalaloopsy by MGA: Another hit in the doll aisle, several versions of MGA's hit dolls with buttons for eyes appear on top toy lists. Time to Play has the $14.99 soft plush dolls on its list. Toys R Us and Wal-Mart both have the $69.99 12-inch Silly Hair Star doll on its top toy list.
- Monster High, various dolls. Mattel's monster-themed dolls have become one of the biggest names in the doll aisle, and toy retailers have begun offering exclusive sets to draw in shoppers. Kmart put Monster High Skultimate Roller Maze gift set, which includes Ghoulia Yelps and Abbey Bominable dolls, a $26.99 Kmart exclusive, on its list. Wal-Mart has Monster High's $79.99 High School Playset on its list. Time to Play and Toy Insider also named the High School Playset.
High-tech:
- Furby by Hasbro, $59.99: This update on hit 1998 furry interactive toy robot is more responsive and has better voice recognition than Furbys of the past. Furby also landed on hot toy lists from Kmart, Wal-Mart and Toys R Us.
- LeapPad2 Explorer by LeapFrog, $99.99: Latest iteration of LeapFrog's kids tablet with faster processor and more memory. The LeapPad was a best seller last year and it could be hard to find on store shelves again this year. Kmart, Wal-Mart, Toys R Us and Time to Play all included it on their lists.
Classics:
- Legos, various sets. The Danish construction sets are perennial favorites under the tree. This year a variety of sets made different lists. Kmart has the Lego Monster Fighters: The Vampyre Hearse for $34.99 on its list. Toys R Us chose Lego's Ninjago Epic Dragon, a $139.99 Ninja-themed Lego board game. And the Toy Insider put Lego Friends $49.99 Heartlake Stables set on its list. Time to Play has the Lego Friends line on its list as well.
- Y Fliker F1 Scooter by Yvolution, $99.99: A three-wheeled scooter that is self-propelled by the rider's movement, made Toys R Us, Time to Play and Toy Insider's lists.
Here's a look at top toys for this holiday season, culled from Toys R Us, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Kmart as well as toy groups Time to Play and Toy Insider.
Dolls:
- Doc McStuffins Time for Your Check Up doll by Just Play, $39.99: Based on a hit Disney show about a girl who can fix toys and talk to stuffed animals, this doll has found its way on Time to Play, Toy Insider and Toys R Us lists.
- Lalaloopsy by MGA: Another hit in the doll aisle, several versions of MGA's hit dolls with buttons for eyes appear on top toy lists. Time to Play has the $14.99 soft plush dolls on its list. Toys R Us and Wal-Mart both have the $69.99 12-inch Silly Hair Star doll on its top toy list.
- Monster High, various dolls. Mattel's monster-themed dolls have become one of the biggest names in the doll aisle, and toy retailers have begun offering exclusive sets to draw in shoppers. Kmart put Monster High Skultimate Roller Maze gift set, which includes Ghoulia Yelps and Abbey Bominable dolls, a $26.99 Kmart exclusive, on its list. Wal-Mart has Monster High's $79.99 High School Playset on its list. Time to Play and Toy Insider also named the High School Playset.
High-tech:
- Furby by Hasbro, $59.99: This update on hit 1998 furry interactive toy robot is more responsive and has better voice recognition than Furbys of the past. Furby also landed on hot toy lists from Kmart, Wal-Mart and Toys R Us.
- LeapPad2 Explorer by LeapFrog, $99.99: Latest iteration of LeapFrog's kids tablet with faster processor and more memory. The LeapPad was a best seller last year and it could be hard to find on store shelves again this year. Kmart, Wal-Mart, Toys R Us and Time to Play all included it on their lists.
Classics:
- Legos, various sets. The Danish construction sets are perennial favorites under the tree. This year a variety of sets made different lists. Kmart has the Lego Monster Fighters: The Vampyre Hearse for $34.99 on its list. Toys R Us chose Lego's Ninjago Epic Dragon, a $139.99 Ninja-themed Lego board game. And the Toy Insider put Lego Friends $49.99 Heartlake Stables set on its list. Time to Play has the Lego Friends line on its list as well.
- Y Fliker F1 Scooter by Yvolution, $99.99: A three-wheeled scooter that is self-propelled by the rider's movement, made Toys R Us, Time to Play and Toy Insider's lists.
RIM shares pop as 2Q not as horrible as feared
NEW YORK (AP) - Shares of Research in Motion Ltd. popped Friday after the BlackBerry maker's results in its fiscal second quarter weren't quite as awful as investors had feared.
But analysts cautioned that RIM is still struggling in the increasingly competitive mobile market.
The Canadian company posted another large quarterly loss and its BlackBerry smartphone shipments shrunk 30 percent to 7.4 million in the quarter ended Sept. 1.
RIM is losing market share in North America, where Apple's iPhone and phones that run Google's Android software are increasingly dominant. But it has stepped up sales in developing markets and actually increased its subscriber base and cash position.
Its latest loss came to $235 million, or 45 cents per U.S. share. Revenue totaled $2.9 billion. Analysts polled by FactSet expected worse: A loss of 47 cents on revenue of $2.49 billion.
But investors' relief Friday does not imply that all is well for the once-pioneering smartphone maker. Shares, up 64 cents at $7.78 in late morning trading Friday, remain a far cry from the company's heyday. The stock fetched nearly $150 in June 2008.
Yes, RIM boosted its cash balance, but its core operations are still losing money, said Sterne Agee analyst Shaw Wu. And he remains concerned that the company's upcoming BlackBerry 10 platform will not be able to compete well against iPhones and Android phones.
The company said Thursday that the BlackBerry 10 remains on track to be released in the first quarter of 2013. It is banking its future on the much-delayed upgrade, meant to offer the multimedia, Internet browsing and apps that users now demand.
And the better-than-expected quarter was largely the result of promotions and phone upgrade programs, which ultimately reduced the average amount of revenue the company generated from each of its customers, said Jefferies analyst Peter Misek. That doesn't bode well for the future.
'All hope is on BlackBerry 10. We won't know success or failure until next summer,' he added.
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But analysts cautioned that RIM is still struggling in the increasingly competitive mobile market.
The Canadian company posted another large quarterly loss and its BlackBerry smartphone shipments shrunk 30 percent to 7.4 million in the quarter ended Sept. 1.
RIM is losing market share in North America, where Apple's iPhone and phones that run Google's Android software are increasingly dominant. But it has stepped up sales in developing markets and actually increased its subscriber base and cash position.
Its latest loss came to $235 million, or 45 cents per U.S. share. Revenue totaled $2.9 billion. Analysts polled by FactSet expected worse: A loss of 47 cents on revenue of $2.49 billion.
But investors' relief Friday does not imply that all is well for the once-pioneering smartphone maker. Shares, up 64 cents at $7.78 in late morning trading Friday, remain a far cry from the company's heyday. The stock fetched nearly $150 in June 2008.
Yes, RIM boosted its cash balance, but its core operations are still losing money, said Sterne Agee analyst Shaw Wu. And he remains concerned that the company's upcoming BlackBerry 10 platform will not be able to compete well against iPhones and Android phones.
The company said Thursday that the BlackBerry 10 remains on track to be released in the first quarter of 2013. It is banking its future on the much-delayed upgrade, meant to offer the multimedia, Internet browsing and apps that users now demand.
And the better-than-expected quarter was largely the result of promotions and phone upgrade programs, which ultimately reduced the average amount of revenue the company generated from each of its customers, said Jefferies analyst Peter Misek. That doesn't bode well for the future.
'All hope is on BlackBerry 10. We won't know success or failure until next summer,' he added.
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TSX falls at open despite RIM surge
TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index opened lower on Friday as heavyweight banking, energy and mining stocks all fell, offsetting a surge in shares of Research In Motion Ltd after the BlackBerry maker reported better-than-expected quarterly results.
The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index <.GSPTSE> was down 58.92 points, or 0.48 percent, at 12,279.93 shortly after the open.
(Reporting by Alastair Sharp; Editing by Peter Galloway)
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The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index <.GSPTSE> was down 58.92 points, or 0.48 percent, at 12,279.93 shortly after the open.
(Reporting by Alastair Sharp; Editing by Peter Galloway)
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BlackBerry maker's outlook brightens, but risks remain: analysts
(Reuters) - Research in Motion Ltd's turnaround potential has improved after the struggling BlackBerry maker's better-than-expected quarterly results, analysts said, with one summarizing his view by saying 'the patient has a heartbeat.'
Analysts said risks remained, with the company's future riding on the release of its BlackBerry 10 model early next year, but an improved cash position provides breathing room.
National Bank Financial upgraded RIM's stock, while BMO Capital Markets and Barclays Capital were among brokerages that raised price targets on the company's shares.
RIM not only reported a smaller-than-expected loss for the second quarter, it beat market estimates for revenue and shipments while arresting its cash burn ahead of the crucial launch of BlackBerry 10. Subscriber numbers also rose in the quarter, surprising analysts.
'This performance is nothing short of shocking as RIM has found a formula to entice its global carrier customers to sell (its) product,' said National Bank Financial's Kris Thompson.
RIM is offering aggressive pricing for its BlackBerry 7 and may be discounting on network service fees, Thompson said.
Thompson, who is rated five stars by Thomson Reuters StarMine for the accuracy of his estimates on RIM's earnings, upgraded the stock to 'outperform' and increased his price target on the stock to $12 from $8.
The analyst said he expected RIM's management, which has succeeded in maintaining the company's subscriber base, to continue with steps to sustain that base ahead of the launch of the next-generation BlackBerry early next year.
Until Thursday's results, RIM was increasingly being written off by analysts because of its failure to keep pace with innovations from rivals such as Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics Co.
'While RIM delivered marginally better results, we believe it is still too early to get constructive,' said Phillip Huang of UBS Investment Research, in a note titled 'Not Out of the Woods Yet; 1Q13 Key'. RIM is expect to launch BlackBerry 10 in the first quarter of the new year.
Huang, who has a neutral rating on the stock, did not change his view or price target of $9.50.
BMO analyst Tim Long, who said RIM continues to incur meaningful costs to sell older and uncompetitive products, said the company's fate now hinged on BlackBerry 10.
'The app line-up for BB10 still appears very weak, particularly when compared to (Apple's) iOS and (Samsung's) Android,' said Long, who raised his price target to $8 from $7.
Barclays raised its target to $7 from $6.
William Blair and Co's Brian Nugent, while detecting RIM's 'heartbeat', said he was maintaining his 'market perform' rating. '...Nothing led us to be incrementally positive, and we continue to believe that company's structural challenges persist,' he said.
RIM's Nasdaq-listed shares shot up more than 20 percent to $8.60 in extended trading on Thursday, and were trading around that level before the bell.
(Reporting by Fareha Khan, additional reporting by Aditi Sharma; Editing by Joyjeet Das and Ted Kerr)
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Analysts said risks remained, with the company's future riding on the release of its BlackBerry 10 model early next year, but an improved cash position provides breathing room.
National Bank Financial upgraded RIM's stock, while BMO Capital Markets and Barclays Capital were among brokerages that raised price targets on the company's shares.
RIM not only reported a smaller-than-expected loss for the second quarter, it beat market estimates for revenue and shipments while arresting its cash burn ahead of the crucial launch of BlackBerry 10. Subscriber numbers also rose in the quarter, surprising analysts.
'This performance is nothing short of shocking as RIM has found a formula to entice its global carrier customers to sell (its) product,' said National Bank Financial's Kris Thompson.
RIM is offering aggressive pricing for its BlackBerry 7 and may be discounting on network service fees, Thompson said.
Thompson, who is rated five stars by Thomson Reuters StarMine for the accuracy of his estimates on RIM's earnings, upgraded the stock to 'outperform' and increased his price target on the stock to $12 from $8.
The analyst said he expected RIM's management, which has succeeded in maintaining the company's subscriber base, to continue with steps to sustain that base ahead of the launch of the next-generation BlackBerry early next year.
Until Thursday's results, RIM was increasingly being written off by analysts because of its failure to keep pace with innovations from rivals such as Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics Co.
'While RIM delivered marginally better results, we believe it is still too early to get constructive,' said Phillip Huang of UBS Investment Research, in a note titled 'Not Out of the Woods Yet; 1Q13 Key'. RIM is expect to launch BlackBerry 10 in the first quarter of the new year.
Huang, who has a neutral rating on the stock, did not change his view or price target of $9.50.
BMO analyst Tim Long, who said RIM continues to incur meaningful costs to sell older and uncompetitive products, said the company's fate now hinged on BlackBerry 10.
'The app line-up for BB10 still appears very weak, particularly when compared to (Apple's) iOS and (Samsung's) Android,' said Long, who raised his price target to $8 from $7.
Barclays raised its target to $7 from $6.
William Blair and Co's Brian Nugent, while detecting RIM's 'heartbeat', said he was maintaining his 'market perform' rating. '...Nothing led us to be incrementally positive, and we continue to believe that company's structural challenges persist,' he said.
RIM's Nasdaq-listed shares shot up more than 20 percent to $8.60 in extended trading on Thursday, and were trading around that level before the bell.
(Reporting by Fareha Khan, additional reporting by Aditi Sharma; Editing by Joyjeet Das and Ted Kerr)
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Thursday, September 27, 2012
News Summary: RIM's loss not as bad as expected
ANOTHER LOSS: BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion posted another large quarterly loss on Thursday, but the hemorrhaging was not as bad expected.
DEVELOPING MARKETS: The Canadian company is still losing market share in North America, where it struggles to compete with Apple's iPhone and phones that run Google's Android software. But it has stepped up sales in developing markets and actually increased its subscriber base and cash position.
STOCK RALLY: RIM's stock surged more than 20 percent in after-market trading on the news.
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DEVELOPING MARKETS: The Canadian company is still losing market share in North America, where it struggles to compete with Apple's iPhone and phones that run Google's Android software. But it has stepped up sales in developing markets and actually increased its subscriber base and cash position.
STOCK RALLY: RIM's stock surged more than 20 percent in after-market trading on the news.
This news article is brought to you by LINUXOS.PRO - where latest news are our top priority.
RIM delivers pleasant surprise to investors; shares surge
TORONTO (Reuters) - Research In Motion Ltd reported a narrower-than-expected loss on Thursday and the struggling BlackBerry maker bolstered its cash reserves, sparking optimism ahead of the launch of its make-or-break line of next-generation smartphones.
Shares of the RIM surged 20 percent in after-hours trade on indications the company will have plenty of cash to ramp up production of its new BlackBerry 10 devices and mount a robust marketing campaign for the revamped line, due in early 2013.
It was the biggest jump for the stock since a 50 percent surge in December 2003, underlining the importance of the BB10 launch. The company, which has fallen far behind its rivals in the smartphone market it once dominated, has staked its future on the BB10 and its completely redesigned operating system.
RIM's second fiscal quarter brought shareholders additional glimmers of hope, a break from a succession of dreadful quarterly reports. The company not only generated more revenue than Wall Street had forecast but it topped expectations on the number of devices shipped in the period, which ended September 1.
'It's very impressive,' said Jefferies & Co analyst Peter Misek. 'I didn't expect they could execute on the business given the models they have in the market, but they obviously did really well in emerging markets.'
A one-time smartphone pioneer, RIM has failed to keep pace with rivals such as Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics Co, and its stock price has tumbled about 70 percent over the past year while its market share shriveled.
But the latest quarter showed that RIM is still able to lure buyers for its lower-end devices in more price-conscious emerging markets. That has helped make up for ground the BlackBerry has lost to cutting-edge devices such as Apple's iPhone and Samsung's Galaxy S III in North America and Europe.
'RIM and its products, however obsolescent, are still relevant in the parts of the planet where most people live,' said CCS Insight analyst John Jackson. 'The bad news is that these results have little or no bearing on what remains true, and that is, RIM still needs to execute on BB10.'
In an attempt to create a buzz, Chief Executive Thorsten Heins gave a preview of the new smartphone and its features to app developers at an event on Tuesday in San Jose, California.
Analysts said RIM struck the right chords at the event but cautioned that it is hard to evaluate how well the BB10 devices will work in real world conditions until they are on the market.
'We are now just a few months away from our launch and our teams are working night and day to meet the expectations we have of ourselves,' said Heins on a conference call after the results were released on Thursday.
Heins said RIM executives have met with dozens of carriers in more than 16 countries in the last few weeks and the feedback on the new devices so far, has been overwhelmingly positive.
QUARTERLY RESULTS
Shipments of BlackBerry smartphones were 7.4 million in the quarter, easily outpacing Wall Street's expectation of about 6.9 million shipments in the period.
The Waterloo, Ontario-based company reported a net loss of $235 million, or 45 cents a share, in its fiscal second quarter. That compared with a profit of $329 million, or 63 cents, in the same period a year earlier.
Excluding one-time restructuring-related items, the loss came in at $142 million, or 27 cents a share, in the quarter just ended.
Revenue rose to $2.9 billion, or 2 percent from the fiscal first quarter, but the latest result was down about 30 percent from the same period a year earlier.
Analysts, on average, had expected RIM to reported a loss of 46 cents a share, on revenues of $2.5 billion, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
'You still have revenue declining 31 percent on a year-over-year basis but it's certainly not the train wreck that a lot of people feared,' said BGC Partners analyst Colin Gillis. 'They live to fight another day.'
CASH PILE
RIM increased its cash to about $2.3 billion from $2.2 billion in the fiscal first quarter.
'They also lost a lot less money than expected, and the cash balance, even though they lost money, they were able to grow it slightly,' said Sterne Agee analyst Shaw Wu.
Having sufficient cash on hand is seen as crucial to a successful launch of the BB10 line, as RIM will have to pour significant amounts of capital into marketing the devices.
RIM's chief financial officer said the company had entered into a new secured credit facility of $500 million which expires in September 2013, and in the first half RIM realized some $350 million of the up to $1 billion in cost savings it hopes to achieve in fiscal 2013.
The company, which earlier this year said it would cut about 5,000 jobs in a move to save money, said it has already laid-off roughly 2,500 workers.
'It's still bad, but it's a much smaller disaster than expected,' said Wu. 'These stocks all trade on expectations. Expectations were really low, and they were able to beat that.'
RIM's U.S.-listed shares surged 20 percent to $8.55 in trade after the closing bell on Thursday.
(Additional reporting by Alastair Sharp, Allison Martell and Cameron French; Editing by Frank McGurty)
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Shares of the RIM surged 20 percent in after-hours trade on indications the company will have plenty of cash to ramp up production of its new BlackBerry 10 devices and mount a robust marketing campaign for the revamped line, due in early 2013.
It was the biggest jump for the stock since a 50 percent surge in December 2003, underlining the importance of the BB10 launch. The company, which has fallen far behind its rivals in the smartphone market it once dominated, has staked its future on the BB10 and its completely redesigned operating system.
RIM's second fiscal quarter brought shareholders additional glimmers of hope, a break from a succession of dreadful quarterly reports. The company not only generated more revenue than Wall Street had forecast but it topped expectations on the number of devices shipped in the period, which ended September 1.
'It's very impressive,' said Jefferies & Co analyst Peter Misek. 'I didn't expect they could execute on the business given the models they have in the market, but they obviously did really well in emerging markets.'
A one-time smartphone pioneer, RIM has failed to keep pace with rivals such as Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics Co, and its stock price has tumbled about 70 percent over the past year while its market share shriveled.
But the latest quarter showed that RIM is still able to lure buyers for its lower-end devices in more price-conscious emerging markets. That has helped make up for ground the BlackBerry has lost to cutting-edge devices such as Apple's iPhone and Samsung's Galaxy S III in North America and Europe.
'RIM and its products, however obsolescent, are still relevant in the parts of the planet where most people live,' said CCS Insight analyst John Jackson. 'The bad news is that these results have little or no bearing on what remains true, and that is, RIM still needs to execute on BB10.'
In an attempt to create a buzz, Chief Executive Thorsten Heins gave a preview of the new smartphone and its features to app developers at an event on Tuesday in San Jose, California.
Analysts said RIM struck the right chords at the event but cautioned that it is hard to evaluate how well the BB10 devices will work in real world conditions until they are on the market.
'We are now just a few months away from our launch and our teams are working night and day to meet the expectations we have of ourselves,' said Heins on a conference call after the results were released on Thursday.
Heins said RIM executives have met with dozens of carriers in more than 16 countries in the last few weeks and the feedback on the new devices so far, has been overwhelmingly positive.
QUARTERLY RESULTS
Shipments of BlackBerry smartphones were 7.4 million in the quarter, easily outpacing Wall Street's expectation of about 6.9 million shipments in the period.
The Waterloo, Ontario-based company reported a net loss of $235 million, or 45 cents a share, in its fiscal second quarter. That compared with a profit of $329 million, or 63 cents, in the same period a year earlier.
Excluding one-time restructuring-related items, the loss came in at $142 million, or 27 cents a share, in the quarter just ended.
Revenue rose to $2.9 billion, or 2 percent from the fiscal first quarter, but the latest result was down about 30 percent from the same period a year earlier.
Analysts, on average, had expected RIM to reported a loss of 46 cents a share, on revenues of $2.5 billion, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
'You still have revenue declining 31 percent on a year-over-year basis but it's certainly not the train wreck that a lot of people feared,' said BGC Partners analyst Colin Gillis. 'They live to fight another day.'
CASH PILE
RIM increased its cash to about $2.3 billion from $2.2 billion in the fiscal first quarter.
'They also lost a lot less money than expected, and the cash balance, even though they lost money, they were able to grow it slightly,' said Sterne Agee analyst Shaw Wu.
Having sufficient cash on hand is seen as crucial to a successful launch of the BB10 line, as RIM will have to pour significant amounts of capital into marketing the devices.
RIM's chief financial officer said the company had entered into a new secured credit facility of $500 million which expires in September 2013, and in the first half RIM realized some $350 million of the up to $1 billion in cost savings it hopes to achieve in fiscal 2013.
The company, which earlier this year said it would cut about 5,000 jobs in a move to save money, said it has already laid-off roughly 2,500 workers.
'It's still bad, but it's a much smaller disaster than expected,' said Wu. 'These stocks all trade on expectations. Expectations were really low, and they were able to beat that.'
RIM's U.S.-listed shares surged 20 percent to $8.55 in trade after the closing bell on Thursday.
(Additional reporting by Alastair Sharp, Allison Martell and Cameron French; Editing by Frank McGurty)
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Demand for Apple's iPhone 5 lights up China's online market
SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Chinese gadget fans are scouring the Internet grey market to locate Apple Inc's new iPhone 5, giving an early indication of robust demand in Apple's second-biggest global market.
Although smuggled iPhones are available offline, it is online, on platforms like Taobao Marketplace where about 150 million people shop, that is drawing the most interest.
According to Reuters calculations based on the Taobao Index, the consumer research data website of Alibaba Group, the iPhone 5 over the past six days had an average turnover value of 713 compared with the iPhone 4S that had an average turnover value of 314. A higher turnover value indicates more transactions done on Taobao for an item.
This indicates strong demand for the yet-to-be-officially released iPhone 5 on the mainland, where Apple is losing market share to smartphones running Google Inc's Android system.
But while demand is strong, constraints on smuggled supplies are limiting sales online and a rough calculation shows sales of only about 4,000 units via Taobao.
Apple's latest iteration of its popular phone officially went on sale last Friday in the United States, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and the UK. It took little more than five hours for the first iPhone 5 to go on sale in China after being smuggled across the border from Hong Kong.
'We smuggle our iPhone 5s from Hong Kong to the mainland. You don't need to worry about fake ones,' said one online seller on Taobao Marketplace, whose shop has sold more than 700 units.
Demand for smuggled iPhones is strong in China because the release in the mainland usually happens months after the product's release elsewhere. Local media reported on Wednesday that the iPhone 5 has received approval from China's product quality certification centre, but the phone still needs telecom network approval from the government before it can be officially launched.
In August industry data showed that Apple's share of China's smartphone market almost halved to 10 percent in April-June as buyers waited for the iPhone 5 or switched brands.
But penny-wise customers are not jumping on the bandwagon just yet as the iPhones are sold at a hefty premium compared to official prices.
'I think the new iPhone 5 will be released at the end of this year, but I will wait for a while because I believe the price will go down,' said Yu Xiaochen, 21, a graduate student in Shanghai.
(Additional reporting by the Shanghai Newsroom; Editing by Matt Driskill)
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Although smuggled iPhones are available offline, it is online, on platforms like Taobao Marketplace where about 150 million people shop, that is drawing the most interest.
According to Reuters calculations based on the Taobao Index, the consumer research data website of Alibaba Group, the iPhone 5 over the past six days had an average turnover value of 713 compared with the iPhone 4S that had an average turnover value of 314. A higher turnover value indicates more transactions done on Taobao for an item.
This indicates strong demand for the yet-to-be-officially released iPhone 5 on the mainland, where Apple is losing market share to smartphones running Google Inc's Android system.
But while demand is strong, constraints on smuggled supplies are limiting sales online and a rough calculation shows sales of only about 4,000 units via Taobao.
Apple's latest iteration of its popular phone officially went on sale last Friday in the United States, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and the UK. It took little more than five hours for the first iPhone 5 to go on sale in China after being smuggled across the border from Hong Kong.
'We smuggle our iPhone 5s from Hong Kong to the mainland. You don't need to worry about fake ones,' said one online seller on Taobao Marketplace, whose shop has sold more than 700 units.
Demand for smuggled iPhones is strong in China because the release in the mainland usually happens months after the product's release elsewhere. Local media reported on Wednesday that the iPhone 5 has received approval from China's product quality certification centre, but the phone still needs telecom network approval from the government before it can be officially launched.
In August industry data showed that Apple's share of China's smartphone market almost halved to 10 percent in April-June as buyers waited for the iPhone 5 or switched brands.
But penny-wise customers are not jumping on the bandwagon just yet as the iPhones are sold at a hefty premium compared to official prices.
'I think the new iPhone 5 will be released at the end of this year, but I will wait for a while because I believe the price will go down,' said Yu Xiaochen, 21, a graduate student in Shanghai.
(Additional reporting by the Shanghai Newsroom; Editing by Matt Driskill)
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Don't recycle _ these gadgets dissolve inside you
NEW YORK (AP) - As consumers we want our electronic gadgets to be durable. But as patients, we might want them to dissolve - inside our bodies.
Scientists reported Thursday that they succeeded in creating tiny medical devices sealed in silk cocoons that did the work they were designed for, then dissolved in the bodies of lab mice. It's an early step in a technology that may hold promise, not only for medicine, but also for disposal of electronic waste.
The new work is 'a remarkable achievement' in combining materials to produce a working device, said Christopher Bettinger of Carnegie Mellon University. He works on biodegradable electronics but was not involved in the study.
Doctors already use implants that dispense drugs or provide electrical stimulation, but they don't dissolve. The new work is aimed at making devices that do their jobs as long as needed and then just dissolved, without need for surgical removal or risk of long-term side effects.
In the experiment, the devices - which look like tiny computer chips - were designed to generate heat, a potential strategy for fighting infection after surgery by killing germs, said John Rogers of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne, an author of the study.
The devices worked in the mice for more than a week, until their silk coatings dissolved enough for bodily fluids to erode key parts of the devices, he said. After three weeks, the tiny gadgets had basically disappeared.
Someday for people, similar devices might be programmed to monitor the body and release drugs accordingly, or produce electric current to accelerate bone healing, Rogers said.
The researchers used the protective cocoon envelope because silk can be processed to stay intact for varying periods of time - from seconds to weeks and potentially for years, he said. The device's circuitry itself was built from other materials that degrade in the body, such as magnesium and silicon.
The federally funded research was reported online in the journal Science.
Apart from medicine, the technology offers a way to cut down on electronic waste, or E-waste, if portable consumer devices could be made with decomposing components, the researchers wrote.
And there are other potential uses, too Rogers suggested. For example, such devices could be scattered near a chemical spill to monitor things like chemical concentrations without any need to retrieve them later.
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Scientists reported Thursday that they succeeded in creating tiny medical devices sealed in silk cocoons that did the work they were designed for, then dissolved in the bodies of lab mice. It's an early step in a technology that may hold promise, not only for medicine, but also for disposal of electronic waste.
The new work is 'a remarkable achievement' in combining materials to produce a working device, said Christopher Bettinger of Carnegie Mellon University. He works on biodegradable electronics but was not involved in the study.
Doctors already use implants that dispense drugs or provide electrical stimulation, but they don't dissolve. The new work is aimed at making devices that do their jobs as long as needed and then just dissolved, without need for surgical removal or risk of long-term side effects.
In the experiment, the devices - which look like tiny computer chips - were designed to generate heat, a potential strategy for fighting infection after surgery by killing germs, said John Rogers of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne, an author of the study.
The devices worked in the mice for more than a week, until their silk coatings dissolved enough for bodily fluids to erode key parts of the devices, he said. After three weeks, the tiny gadgets had basically disappeared.
Someday for people, similar devices might be programmed to monitor the body and release drugs accordingly, or produce electric current to accelerate bone healing, Rogers said.
The researchers used the protective cocoon envelope because silk can be processed to stay intact for varying periods of time - from seconds to weeks and potentially for years, he said. The device's circuitry itself was built from other materials that degrade in the body, such as magnesium and silicon.
The federally funded research was reported online in the journal Science.
Apart from medicine, the technology offers a way to cut down on electronic waste, or E-waste, if portable consumer devices could be made with decomposing components, the researchers wrote.
And there are other potential uses, too Rogers suggested. For example, such devices could be scattered near a chemical spill to monitor things like chemical concentrations without any need to retrieve them later.
This article is brought to you by BUY COMPUTERS.
Syria tells rebels on mobile phones: "Game over"
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) - Syrian authorities have sent text messages over cell phones nationwide with a message for rebels fighting President Bashar Assad's regime: 'Game over.'
The messages signed by the Syrian Arab Army also urge the rebels to surrender their weapons and warn the countdown to evict foreign fighters has begun.
Syrians say they began receiving the messages Thursday, a day after rebels bombed a military command center in Damascus - a major security breach of the heavily guarded capital.
Despite the high-profile attack, the two sides have been locked in a stalemate after 18 months of conflict.
Last month, Syrian army helicopters dropped leaflets warning rebels in Damascus to hand over their arms and seek amnesty.
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The messages signed by the Syrian Arab Army also urge the rebels to surrender their weapons and warn the countdown to evict foreign fighters has begun.
Syrians say they began receiving the messages Thursday, a day after rebels bombed a military command center in Damascus - a major security breach of the heavily guarded capital.
Despite the high-profile attack, the two sides have been locked in a stalemate after 18 months of conflict.
Last month, Syrian army helicopters dropped leaflets warning rebels in Damascus to hand over their arms and seek amnesty.
This news article is brought to you by FREE ROMANTIC DATING SITE BLOG - where latest news are our top priority.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
RIM to report 2Q amid wait for new BlackBerry
TORONTO (AP) - Struggling BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd. will release its fiscal second-quarter results after markets close Thursday, coming as the company tries to hang on to its subscriber base while preparing to release its much-delayed new phones next year.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR: The rate of decline in RIM's existing business ahead of the release of new smartphones deemed critical to the company's survival.
RIM executives said at a conference for mobile applications developers on Tuesday that the company has 80 million subscribers, up from 78 million in early June. Colin Gillis, an analyst with BGC Financial, said that was a pleasant surprise because many analysts had expected RIM would start losing subscribers in the second quarter.
The company's stock jumped 6 percent, or 40 cents, to close at $7.00 in U.S. trading on Wednesday. It is still down 52 percent for 2012.
Gillis said the average selling price for its devices will be important because it will show how much the company is reducing prices to gain market share.
'The 80 million subscriber number was a big number. Now did they make that number selling phones north of $200 or south of $200,' Gillis said.
Gillis said the stock market might be anticipating a decay of RIM's business too quickly.
WHY IT MATTERS: RIM fathered the ground-breaking BlackBerry in 1999 but has struggled in recent years to compete with flashier phones like Apple's iPhone and phones running Google's Android software. RIM is banking its future on its much-delayed BlackBerry 10 system, which is meant to offer the multimedia, Internet browsing and apps experience that customers now demand. The new smartphones are due out early next year.
The Waterloo, Ontario-based company has hired a team of bankers to help it weigh its options. Those include partnering with other companies, licensing software and overhauling its business.
Chief Executive Thorsten Heins remains defiant about not selling the company and has said he can turn things around. He told The Associated Press that his charter from the RIM's board is very clear: long-term value creation.
WHAT'S EXPECTED: Analysts polled by FactSet are forecasting a second-quarter loss of 47 cents per share on revenue of $2.49 billion.
LAST YEAR'S QUARTER: RIM earned $419 million, or 80 cents per share, on revenue of $4.2 billion.
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WHAT TO WATCH FOR: The rate of decline in RIM's existing business ahead of the release of new smartphones deemed critical to the company's survival.
RIM executives said at a conference for mobile applications developers on Tuesday that the company has 80 million subscribers, up from 78 million in early June. Colin Gillis, an analyst with BGC Financial, said that was a pleasant surprise because many analysts had expected RIM would start losing subscribers in the second quarter.
The company's stock jumped 6 percent, or 40 cents, to close at $7.00 in U.S. trading on Wednesday. It is still down 52 percent for 2012.
Gillis said the average selling price for its devices will be important because it will show how much the company is reducing prices to gain market share.
'The 80 million subscriber number was a big number. Now did they make that number selling phones north of $200 or south of $200,' Gillis said.
Gillis said the stock market might be anticipating a decay of RIM's business too quickly.
WHY IT MATTERS: RIM fathered the ground-breaking BlackBerry in 1999 but has struggled in recent years to compete with flashier phones like Apple's iPhone and phones running Google's Android software. RIM is banking its future on its much-delayed BlackBerry 10 system, which is meant to offer the multimedia, Internet browsing and apps experience that customers now demand. The new smartphones are due out early next year.
The Waterloo, Ontario-based company has hired a team of bankers to help it weigh its options. Those include partnering with other companies, licensing software and overhauling its business.
Chief Executive Thorsten Heins remains defiant about not selling the company and has said he can turn things around. He told The Associated Press that his charter from the RIM's board is very clear: long-term value creation.
WHAT'S EXPECTED: Analysts polled by FactSet are forecasting a second-quarter loss of 47 cents per share on revenue of $2.49 billion.
LAST YEAR'S QUARTER: RIM earned $419 million, or 80 cents per share, on revenue of $4.2 billion.
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Barnes & Noble unveils its first high-definition tablets
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Barnes & Noble Inc's first high-definition tablets, unveiled on Wednesday, were well received by analysts who said the devices keep the bookseller in the fight with Amazon.com Inc, Apple Inc and Google Inc - for now.
The largest U.S. bookstore chain introduced a $199 7-inch Nook HD tablet that will go up against similar, recently launched products by Google and Amazon.com this holiday season.
The company also unveiled a $269 9-inch Nook HD+ tablet that will compete with the Apple iPad.
'The devices are in improvement in important ways over the previous generations of the Nook, and they one-up Amazon in some areas,' Forrester Research analyst Sarah Rotman Epps told Reuters.
While the new products, thinner and lighter than their rivals, come a few months after Microsoft said it would invest $605 million over five years in Barnes & Noble's Nook e-reader and college business, the bookstore chain still faces a daunting task.
'Barnes & Noble is the smallest player trying to do the software and the hardware development, and they don't have the financial means beyond what Microsoft has already fronted them to keep up in the arms race,' said Morningstar analyst Peter Wahlstrom.
Barnes & Noble staked its future on success in the growing e-books industry as the face of declining sales of physical books that led to last year's bankruptcy of the Borders bookstore chain.
In many ways, Barnes & Noble, which operates nearly 700 stores, has defied expectations. It beat Amazon to the marketplace with touchscreen devices and a color reader in recent years, and won plaudits from reviewers this year for its glow-in-the-dark Nook that allows someone to read with the lights off so as not to disturb others.
Since the chain launched its first Nook device, a basic e-reader, in 2009, it has won as much as 30 percent of the U.S. e-books market. Amazon is the leader with about 60 percent.
This race has proven expensive and, so far, unprofitable. The battle with Amazon is taking a toll. Barnes & Noble reported lower Nook sales last quarter, after earlier quarters of torrid growth, hurt by price cuts to fight Amazon's aggressive pricing.
'Barnes & Noble must continue to invest to introduce new products with enhanced features at prices that are the same as or lower than older, less-sophisticated devices,' Barclays Capital analyst Alan Rifkin wrote in a research note. The problem is that hurts profits and margins, he said.
But the company's chief said the Nook devices are essential to helping it generate sales of digital content.
'We're growing the digital content portion of the business, and that's where we envision making our economics,' Barnes & Noble William Lynch told Reuters at a media event on Tuesday.
Shares of Barnes & Noble rose 5 percent to $12.87 in afternoon New York Stock Exchange trading.
BRUISING PRICE WARS
The tablet market is among the fastest-growing sectors of the technology industry. Research firm Gartner forecasts that sales will almost double this year, to 118.9 million units.
Barnes & Noble is in some ways at a disadvantage. Amazon can use its Prime shipping service and amazon.com site to draw users to its Kindle tablets, and Apple, which has sold tens of millions of iPads, and has an indisputable 'cool' factor.
So Barnes & Noble needs to focus on its natural customer: the reader that comes to its stores to buy books.
'A key growth area is to get their existing customer base onto the digital platform,' Forrester's Epps said, adding that the new devices would help.
For these new devices, Barnes & Noble added features that allows each member in a family to share a Nook tablet, becoming the first tablet to let each user create a home page and customize preferences.
There are also parental controls that can prevent kids from adult content or going shopping.
The company hopes a new video-streaming and download service for Nook will help narrow the gap with Amazon and Apple, which offer more content on their devices.
Barnes & Noble emphasized features such as image resolution and page-turning technology given the needs of its basic customers, book and magazine readers.
'We are playing in the tablet space, but reading is at our core,' Lynch said.
The 7-inch tablet weighs 11.1 ounces. Its larger sibling is 18.2 ounces, making it lighter than the iPad and making them both more appropriate for reading, he added. The iPad weighs about 23 ounces.
Barnes & Noble's new devices, available for pre-order on Wednesday, will ship in October and be in U.S. stores in November. They will be on sale in Britain beginning in late November at chains including Sainsbury's and Waitrose.
(Editing by Prudence Crowther)
This article is brought to you by BUY AFFORDABLE COMPUTERS.
The largest U.S. bookstore chain introduced a $199 7-inch Nook HD tablet that will go up against similar, recently launched products by Google and Amazon.com this holiday season.
The company also unveiled a $269 9-inch Nook HD+ tablet that will compete with the Apple iPad.
'The devices are in improvement in important ways over the previous generations of the Nook, and they one-up Amazon in some areas,' Forrester Research analyst Sarah Rotman Epps told Reuters.
While the new products, thinner and lighter than their rivals, come a few months after Microsoft said it would invest $605 million over five years in Barnes & Noble's Nook e-reader and college business, the bookstore chain still faces a daunting task.
'Barnes & Noble is the smallest player trying to do the software and the hardware development, and they don't have the financial means beyond what Microsoft has already fronted them to keep up in the arms race,' said Morningstar analyst Peter Wahlstrom.
Barnes & Noble staked its future on success in the growing e-books industry as the face of declining sales of physical books that led to last year's bankruptcy of the Borders bookstore chain.
In many ways, Barnes & Noble, which operates nearly 700 stores, has defied expectations. It beat Amazon to the marketplace with touchscreen devices and a color reader in recent years, and won plaudits from reviewers this year for its glow-in-the-dark Nook that allows someone to read with the lights off so as not to disturb others.
Since the chain launched its first Nook device, a basic e-reader, in 2009, it has won as much as 30 percent of the U.S. e-books market. Amazon is the leader with about 60 percent.
This race has proven expensive and, so far, unprofitable. The battle with Amazon is taking a toll. Barnes & Noble reported lower Nook sales last quarter, after earlier quarters of torrid growth, hurt by price cuts to fight Amazon's aggressive pricing.
'Barnes & Noble must continue to invest to introduce new products with enhanced features at prices that are the same as or lower than older, less-sophisticated devices,' Barclays Capital analyst Alan Rifkin wrote in a research note. The problem is that hurts profits and margins, he said.
But the company's chief said the Nook devices are essential to helping it generate sales of digital content.
'We're growing the digital content portion of the business, and that's where we envision making our economics,' Barnes & Noble William Lynch told Reuters at a media event on Tuesday.
Shares of Barnes & Noble rose 5 percent to $12.87 in afternoon New York Stock Exchange trading.
BRUISING PRICE WARS
The tablet market is among the fastest-growing sectors of the technology industry. Research firm Gartner forecasts that sales will almost double this year, to 118.9 million units.
Barnes & Noble is in some ways at a disadvantage. Amazon can use its Prime shipping service and amazon.com site to draw users to its Kindle tablets, and Apple, which has sold tens of millions of iPads, and has an indisputable 'cool' factor.
So Barnes & Noble needs to focus on its natural customer: the reader that comes to its stores to buy books.
'A key growth area is to get their existing customer base onto the digital platform,' Forrester's Epps said, adding that the new devices would help.
For these new devices, Barnes & Noble added features that allows each member in a family to share a Nook tablet, becoming the first tablet to let each user create a home page and customize preferences.
There are also parental controls that can prevent kids from adult content or going shopping.
The company hopes a new video-streaming and download service for Nook will help narrow the gap with Amazon and Apple, which offer more content on their devices.
Barnes & Noble emphasized features such as image resolution and page-turning technology given the needs of its basic customers, book and magazine readers.
'We are playing in the tablet space, but reading is at our core,' Lynch said.
The 7-inch tablet weighs 11.1 ounces. Its larger sibling is 18.2 ounces, making it lighter than the iPad and making them both more appropriate for reading, he added. The iPad weighs about 23 ounces.
Barnes & Noble's new devices, available for pre-order on Wednesday, will ship in October and be in U.S. stores in November. They will be on sale in Britain beginning in late November at chains including Sainsbury's and Waitrose.
(Editing by Prudence Crowther)
This article is brought to you by BUY AFFORDABLE COMPUTERS.
Glance: A look at how the Nook HD stacks up
A look at some of the hardware specs for Barnes & Noble's new Nook HD and HD+ tablets, compared with Amazon.com's new Kindle Fire and Apple's iPad3.
-Nook HD
Maker: Barnes & Noble Inc.
Price: $199 for 8 gigabytes of storage; $229 for 16 gigabytes
Screen size: 7-inches at the diagonal
Display resolution: 1440 x 900 pixel resolution
Software: Android 4.0 OS
Storage: 8 to 16 gigabytes, and expandable memory with a microSD card
Thickness: .43 inches
Weight: 11.1 oz
Processor: Dual-Core 1.3 GHz OMAP4470
Battery life: Up to 10.5 hours of reading and up to 9 hours of video
Connectivity: Wi-Fi
Camera: No camera
-Nook HD+
Maker: Barnes & Noble Inc.
Price: $269 for 16 gigabytes of storage; $299 for 32 gigabytes
Screen size: 9 inches at the diagonal
Display resolution: 1920 x 1280 pixel resolution
Software: Android 4.0 OS
Storage: 16 to 32 gigabytes, and expandable memory with a microSD card
Thickness: .45 inches
Weight: 18.2 oz
Processor: Dual-Core 1.5 GHz OMAP4470
Battery life: Up to 10 hours of reading and up to 9 hours of video
Connectivity: Wi-Fi
Camera: No camera
- Kindle Fire HD
Maker: Amazon.com Inc.
Price: $199 for 16 gigabytes, $249 for 32 gigabytes
Screen size: 7 inches at the diagonal
Display resolution: 1280 x 800 pixel resolution
Software: Android 4.0
Storage: 16 or 32 gigabytes.
Thickness: .4 inches
Weight: 13.9 oz
Processor: Dual-core 1.2GHz OMAP4460
Battery life: 11 hours continuous use
Connectivity: Wi-Fi
Camera: Front facing camera
-Kindle Fire HD 8.9 inches
Maker: Amazon.com Inc.
Price: $299 for 16 gigabytes, $369 for 32 gigabytes, $499 for 4G LTE service
Screen size: 8.9 inches at the diagonal
Display resolution: 1920 x 1200 pixel resolution
Software: Android 4.0
Storage: 16 or 32 gigabytes, or 32 or 64 gigabytes on 4G device
Thickness: .35 inches
Weight: 20 oz
Processor: Dual-core, 1.5GHz OMAP4470
Battery life: N/A
Connectivity: Wi-Fi, or 4G LTE data service
Camera: Front facing camera
-iPad
Maker: Apple Inc.
Price: $499 to $829
Screen size: 9.7 inches at the diagonal
Display resolution: 2048 x 1536 pixel resolution
Software: Apple
Storage: 16, 32 or 64 gigabytes
Thickness: .37 inches
Weight: 1.44 lbs
Processor: Dual-core Apple A5X
Battery life: Up to 10 hours of web use on Wi-Fi, watching video, or listening to music
Connectivity: Wi-Fi or 3G data service
Camera: Front and back facing camera
This news article is brought to you by GLAMOROUS FASHION NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
-Nook HD
Maker: Barnes & Noble Inc.
Price: $199 for 8 gigabytes of storage; $229 for 16 gigabytes
Screen size: 7-inches at the diagonal
Display resolution: 1440 x 900 pixel resolution
Software: Android 4.0 OS
Storage: 8 to 16 gigabytes, and expandable memory with a microSD card
Thickness: .43 inches
Weight: 11.1 oz
Processor: Dual-Core 1.3 GHz OMAP4470
Battery life: Up to 10.5 hours of reading and up to 9 hours of video
Connectivity: Wi-Fi
Camera: No camera
-Nook HD+
Maker: Barnes & Noble Inc.
Price: $269 for 16 gigabytes of storage; $299 for 32 gigabytes
Screen size: 9 inches at the diagonal
Display resolution: 1920 x 1280 pixel resolution
Software: Android 4.0 OS
Storage: 16 to 32 gigabytes, and expandable memory with a microSD card
Thickness: .45 inches
Weight: 18.2 oz
Processor: Dual-Core 1.5 GHz OMAP4470
Battery life: Up to 10 hours of reading and up to 9 hours of video
Connectivity: Wi-Fi
Camera: No camera
- Kindle Fire HD
Maker: Amazon.com Inc.
Price: $199 for 16 gigabytes, $249 for 32 gigabytes
Screen size: 7 inches at the diagonal
Display resolution: 1280 x 800 pixel resolution
Software: Android 4.0
Storage: 16 or 32 gigabytes.
Thickness: .4 inches
Weight: 13.9 oz
Processor: Dual-core 1.2GHz OMAP4460
Battery life: 11 hours continuous use
Connectivity: Wi-Fi
Camera: Front facing camera
-Kindle Fire HD 8.9 inches
Maker: Amazon.com Inc.
Price: $299 for 16 gigabytes, $369 for 32 gigabytes, $499 for 4G LTE service
Screen size: 8.9 inches at the diagonal
Display resolution: 1920 x 1200 pixel resolution
Software: Android 4.0
Storage: 16 or 32 gigabytes, or 32 or 64 gigabytes on 4G device
Thickness: .35 inches
Weight: 20 oz
Processor: Dual-core, 1.5GHz OMAP4470
Battery life: N/A
Connectivity: Wi-Fi, or 4G LTE data service
Camera: Front facing camera
-iPad
Maker: Apple Inc.
Price: $499 to $829
Screen size: 9.7 inches at the diagonal
Display resolution: 2048 x 1536 pixel resolution
Software: Apple
Storage: 16, 32 or 64 gigabytes
Thickness: .37 inches
Weight: 1.44 lbs
Processor: Dual-core Apple A5X
Battery life: Up to 10 hours of web use on Wi-Fi, watching video, or listening to music
Connectivity: Wi-Fi or 3G data service
Camera: Front and back facing camera
This news article is brought to you by GLAMOROUS FASHION NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
Barnes & Noble takes aim at Amazon, Apple with HD Nook tablets
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Barnes & Noble Inc took a shot at archrival Amazon.com on Wednesday, unveiling its own lighter and thinner hi-definition tablets that can accommodate multiple users in a bid to win a bigger share of the exploding tablet market.
The largest U.S. bookstore chain introduced the new devices with price tags ranging from $199 for a 7-inch Nook HD tablet with 8 gigabytes of memory, to $299 for a 9-inch Nook HD+ tablet, similar in size to Apple Inc's market-leading iPad, with 32 GB of memory. IPad prices are roughly twice as high for similar devices.
The new Nooks are the latest entrants in the fight for sales of tablets and e-readers - and the digital content like books, movies and magazines that goes with them. Barnes & Noble has staked its future on its digital business as the company faces an overall industrywide drop in the sales of physical books.
'A key growth area is to get their existing customer base onto the digital platform,' Forrester Research analyst Sarah Rotman Epps told Reuters, saying the new devices were competitive with similar products by Amazon in terms of features and pricing.
Barnes & Noble faces formidable competition from Amazon, which can use its Prime shipping service and amazon.com site to draw users to its Kindle tablets, and Apple, which has sold tens of millions of iPads.
To keep pace, Barnes & Noble added innovative features that would allow each a family to share a Nook tablet, with each user able to create a home page and customize preferences, the first table to do so. There are also parental controls that can prevent kids from reading 'Fifty Shades of Grey' or go shopping on the digital store.
The company is also launching a new video-streaming and download service for Nook, narrowing the gap with Amazon and Apple, which offer more content on their devices.
At a media event in Manhattan on Tuesday, officials said the company had emphasized features such as image resolution and page-turning technology given the needs of its basic customers, book and magazine readers.
'We are playing in the tablet space, but reading is at our core,' Barnes & Noble Chief Executive William Lynch told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday.
The 7-inch tablet weighs 11.1 ounces. Its larger sibling is 18.2 ounces, making it lighter than the iPad and making them both more appropriate for reading, he added. The iPad weighs about 23 ounces.
The top U.S. bookstore chain launched its first Nook device, a basic e-reader, in 2009 and has held its own with deep-pocketed rivals Amazon, Apple and Google Inc. That success has allowed it to garner as much as 30 percent of the U.S. electronic-books market.
Barnes & Noble's new devices, available for pre-order on Wednesday, will ship in October and be in U.S. stores in November. They will be on sale in Britain beginning in late November at chains including Sainsbury's and Waitrose.
Shares of Barnes & Noble rose 1.9 percent to $12.49 in early New York Stock Exchange trading. On Nasdaq, Amazon dipped 0.3 percent, while Apple fell 1.7 percent.
For a factbox comparing Nook, iPad and Kindle:
BRUISING PRICE WARS
The tablet market is among the fastest-growing sectors of the technology industry. Research firm Gartner forecasts that sales will almost double this year, to 118.9 million units.
Barnes & Noble's latest Nooks will appear in its nearly 700 stores as well as chains Best Buy Co Inc, Target Corp and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Target and Wal-Mart have decided to no longer carry Amazon's Kindles, giving the Nook an edge at thousands of retail locations.
Amazon.com Inc earlier this month unveiled its own HD tablets. It launched its first last year and says it has a 22 percent share of the U.S. market.
With the new Nooks, Barnes & Noble is also taking aim at Apple, whose iPad is far more expensive, because there is room in the market for a strong tablet at a lower price, Lynch said.
Questions about the Nook's long-term viability arose last month after Barnes & Noble reported that Nook revenue including ebooks last quarter was up only 0.3 percent, hurt by price decreases early in the summer. That has added urgency to developing new products.
Price wars with Amazon have been bruising, but Lynch was undismayed: 'We're growing the digital content portion of the business, and that's where we envision making our economics,' Lynch said.
Last quarter, Barnes & Noble lost business when it didn't have enough Nook devices that allow for reading in the dark. Lynch said the company is now producing HD tablets in numbers sufficient to meet what it expects will be strong demand during the holiday period.
'We believe we'll gain significant share in the tablet category, and we've planned for that from a production standpoint. I believe these are going to be hot holiday gifts.'
(Editing by Prudence Crowther)
This article is brought to you by BUY A COMPUTER.
The largest U.S. bookstore chain introduced the new devices with price tags ranging from $199 for a 7-inch Nook HD tablet with 8 gigabytes of memory, to $299 for a 9-inch Nook HD+ tablet, similar in size to Apple Inc's market-leading iPad, with 32 GB of memory. IPad prices are roughly twice as high for similar devices.
The new Nooks are the latest entrants in the fight for sales of tablets and e-readers - and the digital content like books, movies and magazines that goes with them. Barnes & Noble has staked its future on its digital business as the company faces an overall industrywide drop in the sales of physical books.
'A key growth area is to get their existing customer base onto the digital platform,' Forrester Research analyst Sarah Rotman Epps told Reuters, saying the new devices were competitive with similar products by Amazon in terms of features and pricing.
Barnes & Noble faces formidable competition from Amazon, which can use its Prime shipping service and amazon.com site to draw users to its Kindle tablets, and Apple, which has sold tens of millions of iPads.
To keep pace, Barnes & Noble added innovative features that would allow each a family to share a Nook tablet, with each user able to create a home page and customize preferences, the first table to do so. There are also parental controls that can prevent kids from reading 'Fifty Shades of Grey' or go shopping on the digital store.
The company is also launching a new video-streaming and download service for Nook, narrowing the gap with Amazon and Apple, which offer more content on their devices.
At a media event in Manhattan on Tuesday, officials said the company had emphasized features such as image resolution and page-turning technology given the needs of its basic customers, book and magazine readers.
'We are playing in the tablet space, but reading is at our core,' Barnes & Noble Chief Executive William Lynch told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday.
The 7-inch tablet weighs 11.1 ounces. Its larger sibling is 18.2 ounces, making it lighter than the iPad and making them both more appropriate for reading, he added. The iPad weighs about 23 ounces.
The top U.S. bookstore chain launched its first Nook device, a basic e-reader, in 2009 and has held its own with deep-pocketed rivals Amazon, Apple and Google Inc. That success has allowed it to garner as much as 30 percent of the U.S. electronic-books market.
Barnes & Noble's new devices, available for pre-order on Wednesday, will ship in October and be in U.S. stores in November. They will be on sale in Britain beginning in late November at chains including Sainsbury's and Waitrose.
Shares of Barnes & Noble rose 1.9 percent to $12.49 in early New York Stock Exchange trading. On Nasdaq, Amazon dipped 0.3 percent, while Apple fell 1.7 percent.
For a factbox comparing Nook, iPad and Kindle:
BRUISING PRICE WARS
The tablet market is among the fastest-growing sectors of the technology industry. Research firm Gartner forecasts that sales will almost double this year, to 118.9 million units.
Barnes & Noble's latest Nooks will appear in its nearly 700 stores as well as chains Best Buy Co Inc, Target Corp and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Target and Wal-Mart have decided to no longer carry Amazon's Kindles, giving the Nook an edge at thousands of retail locations.
Amazon.com Inc earlier this month unveiled its own HD tablets. It launched its first last year and says it has a 22 percent share of the U.S. market.
With the new Nooks, Barnes & Noble is also taking aim at Apple, whose iPad is far more expensive, because there is room in the market for a strong tablet at a lower price, Lynch said.
Questions about the Nook's long-term viability arose last month after Barnes & Noble reported that Nook revenue including ebooks last quarter was up only 0.3 percent, hurt by price decreases early in the summer. That has added urgency to developing new products.
Price wars with Amazon have been bruising, but Lynch was undismayed: 'We're growing the digital content portion of the business, and that's where we envision making our economics,' Lynch said.
Last quarter, Barnes & Noble lost business when it didn't have enough Nook devices that allow for reading in the dark. Lynch said the company is now producing HD tablets in numbers sufficient to meet what it expects will be strong demand during the holiday period.
'We believe we'll gain significant share in the tablet category, and we've planned for that from a production standpoint. I believe these are going to be hot holiday gifts.'
(Editing by Prudence Crowther)
This article is brought to you by BUY A COMPUTER.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Barnes & Noble takes aims at Amazon, Apple with HD Nook tablets
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Barnes & Noble Inc took a shot at archrival Amazon.com on Wednesday, unveiling its own lighter and thinner hi-definition tablets that can accommodate multiple users in a bid to win a bigger share of the exploding tablet market.
The largest U.S. bookstore chain introduced the new devices with price tags ranging from $199 for a 7-inch Nook HD tablet with 8 gigabytes of memory, to $299 for a 9-inch Nook HD+ tablet, similar in size to Apple Inc's market-leading iPad, with 32 GB of memory. IPad prices are roughly twice as high for similar devices.
The new Nooks are the latest entrants in the fight for sales of tablets and e-readers - and the digital content like books, movies and magazines that goes with them. Barnes & Noble has staked its future on its digital business as the company faces an overall industrywide drop in the sales of physical books.
'A key growth area is to get their existing customer base onto the digital platform,' Forrester Research analyst Sarah Rotman Epps told Reuters, saying the new devices were competitive with similar products by Amazon in terms of features and pricing.
Barnes & Noble faces formidable competition from Amazon, which can use its Prime shipping service and amazon.com site to draw users, and the iPad, which has sold in the tens of millions of units.
To keep pace, Barnes & Noble added innovative features that would allow each a family to share a Nook tablet, with each user able to create a home page and customize preferences, the first table to do so. There are also parental controls that can prevent kids from reading 'Fifty Shades of Grey' or go shopping on the digital store.
The company is also launching a new video-streaming and download service for Nook, narrowing the gap with Amazon and Apple, which offer more content on their devices.
At a media event in Manhattan on Tuesday, officials said the company had emphasized features such as image resolution and page-turning technology given the needs of its basic customers, book and magazine readers.
'We are playing in the tablet space, but reading is at our core,' Barnes & Noble Chief Executive William Lynch told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday.
The 7-inch tablet weighs 11.1 ounces. Its larger sibling is 18.2 ounces, making it lighter than the iPad and making them both more appropriate for reading, he added. The iPad weighs about 23 ounces.
The top U.S. bookstore chain launched its first Nook device, a basic e-reader, in 2009 and has held its own with deep-pocketed rivals Amazon, Apple and Google Inc. That success has allowed it to garner as much as 30 percent of the U.S. electronic-books market.
Barnes & Noble's new devices, available for pre-order on Wednesday, will ship in October and be in U.S. stores in November. They will be on sale in Britain beginning in late November at chains including Sainsbury's and Waitrose.
BRUISING PRICE WARS
The tablet market is among the fastest-growing sectors of the technology industry. Research firm Gartner forecasts that sales will almost double this year, to 118.9 million units.
Barnes & Noble's latest Nooks will appear in its nearly 700 stores as well as chains Best Buy Co Inc, Target Corp and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Target and Wal-Mart have decided to no longer carry Amazon's Kindles, giving the Nook an edge at thousands of retail locations.
Amazon.com Inc earlier this month unveiled its own HD tablets. It launched its first last year and says it has a 22 percent share of the U.S. market.
With the new Nooks, Barnes & Noble is also taking aim at Apple, whose iPad is far more expensive, because there is room in the market for a strong tablet at a lower price, Lynch said.
Questions about the Nook's long-term viability arose last month after Barnes & Noble reported that Nook revenue including ebooks last quarter was up only 0.3 percent, hurt by price decreases early in the summer. That has added urgency to developing new products.
Price wars with Amazon have been bruising, but Lynch was undismayed: 'We're growing the digital content portion of the business, and that's where we envision making our economics,' Lynch said.
Last quarter, Barnes & Noble lost business when it didn't have enough Nook devices that allow for reading in the dark. Lynch said the company is now producing HD tablets in numbers sufficient to meet what it expects will be strong demand during the holiday period.
'We believe we'll gain significant share in the tablet category, and we've planned for that from a production standpoint. I believe these are going to be hot holiday gifts.'
(Editing by Prudence Crowther)
This news article is brought to you by GOING GREEN NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
The largest U.S. bookstore chain introduced the new devices with price tags ranging from $199 for a 7-inch Nook HD tablet with 8 gigabytes of memory, to $299 for a 9-inch Nook HD+ tablet, similar in size to Apple Inc's market-leading iPad, with 32 GB of memory. IPad prices are roughly twice as high for similar devices.
The new Nooks are the latest entrants in the fight for sales of tablets and e-readers - and the digital content like books, movies and magazines that goes with them. Barnes & Noble has staked its future on its digital business as the company faces an overall industrywide drop in the sales of physical books.
'A key growth area is to get their existing customer base onto the digital platform,' Forrester Research analyst Sarah Rotman Epps told Reuters, saying the new devices were competitive with similar products by Amazon in terms of features and pricing.
Barnes & Noble faces formidable competition from Amazon, which can use its Prime shipping service and amazon.com site to draw users, and the iPad, which has sold in the tens of millions of units.
To keep pace, Barnes & Noble added innovative features that would allow each a family to share a Nook tablet, with each user able to create a home page and customize preferences, the first table to do so. There are also parental controls that can prevent kids from reading 'Fifty Shades of Grey' or go shopping on the digital store.
The company is also launching a new video-streaming and download service for Nook, narrowing the gap with Amazon and Apple, which offer more content on their devices.
At a media event in Manhattan on Tuesday, officials said the company had emphasized features such as image resolution and page-turning technology given the needs of its basic customers, book and magazine readers.
'We are playing in the tablet space, but reading is at our core,' Barnes & Noble Chief Executive William Lynch told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday.
The 7-inch tablet weighs 11.1 ounces. Its larger sibling is 18.2 ounces, making it lighter than the iPad and making them both more appropriate for reading, he added. The iPad weighs about 23 ounces.
The top U.S. bookstore chain launched its first Nook device, a basic e-reader, in 2009 and has held its own with deep-pocketed rivals Amazon, Apple and Google Inc. That success has allowed it to garner as much as 30 percent of the U.S. electronic-books market.
Barnes & Noble's new devices, available for pre-order on Wednesday, will ship in October and be in U.S. stores in November. They will be on sale in Britain beginning in late November at chains including Sainsbury's and Waitrose.
BRUISING PRICE WARS
The tablet market is among the fastest-growing sectors of the technology industry. Research firm Gartner forecasts that sales will almost double this year, to 118.9 million units.
Barnes & Noble's latest Nooks will appear in its nearly 700 stores as well as chains Best Buy Co Inc, Target Corp and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Target and Wal-Mart have decided to no longer carry Amazon's Kindles, giving the Nook an edge at thousands of retail locations.
Amazon.com Inc earlier this month unveiled its own HD tablets. It launched its first last year and says it has a 22 percent share of the U.S. market.
With the new Nooks, Barnes & Noble is also taking aim at Apple, whose iPad is far more expensive, because there is room in the market for a strong tablet at a lower price, Lynch said.
Questions about the Nook's long-term viability arose last month after Barnes & Noble reported that Nook revenue including ebooks last quarter was up only 0.3 percent, hurt by price decreases early in the summer. That has added urgency to developing new products.
Price wars with Amazon have been bruising, but Lynch was undismayed: 'We're growing the digital content portion of the business, and that's where we envision making our economics,' Lynch said.
Last quarter, Barnes & Noble lost business when it didn't have enough Nook devices that allow for reading in the dark. Lynch said the company is now producing HD tablets in numbers sufficient to meet what it expects will be strong demand during the holiday period.
'We believe we'll gain significant share in the tablet category, and we've planned for that from a production standpoint. I believe these are going to be hot holiday gifts.'
(Editing by Prudence Crowther)
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News Summary: RIM's top exec pitches app makers
HOPING FOR A COMEBACK: Research In Motion CEO Thorsten Heins kicked off a company conference Tuesday by trying to convince mobile applications developers that the BlackBerry maker's upcoming release of a new operating system will unleash a new wave of innovation and win new customers.
WALL STREET SKEPTICS: Investors are worried that it's already too late for Research In Motion Ltd. to catch up with iPhone maker Apple Inc. and other device makers relying on Google Inc.'s popular Android software.
ANSWER STILL TO COME: RIM's big hope, its BlackBerry 10 software, is due out early next year.
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WALL STREET SKEPTICS: Investors are worried that it's already too late for Research In Motion Ltd. to catch up with iPhone maker Apple Inc. and other device makers relying on Google Inc.'s popular Android software.
ANSWER STILL TO COME: RIM's big hope, its BlackBerry 10 software, is due out early next year.
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BlackBerry maker plants seeds for comeback attempt
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) - Research In Motion CEO Thorsten Heins is promising to restore the BlackBerry phone's stature as a trailblazing device even as many investors fret about its potential demise.
Heins took the stage Tuesday at a conference for mobile applications developers to rally support for the upcoming release of BlackBerry 10, a new operating system that Research In Motion Ltd. is touting as its salvation after years of blundering wiped out some $80 billion in shareholder wealth.
With BlackBerry 10 still four to six months away from hitting the market, Tuesday's gathering in San Jose, Calif. felt more like a revival meeting than a product preview. RIM, which is based in Canada, has been laying off thousands of workers to offset mounting losses after being outmaneuvered by iPhone maker Apple Inc. and other phone makers relying on Google Inc.'s Android software.
'We recognize the need for change,' said Heins, who was promoted to CEO eight months ago as RIM's troubles deepened. 'There is a new energy and a lot of fighting spirit at RIM.'
RIM aimed its message of hope and resilience at an audience of app developers because those programmers hold one of the biggest keys to its future. The success of the iPhone has proven that a broad selection of apps that make smartphones more fun and convenient can help drive sales of the devices.
One of the BlackBerry's biggest shortcomings has been its relatively small inventory of apps. RIM says BlackBerry has about 105,000 apps, which pales next to the more than 700,000 apps in Apple's iTunes store. Google's Play store is stocked with more than 600,000 apps.
RIM is wooing app developers by offering them more tools to work with on BlackBerry 10 and offering financial incentives to persuade them they will make money on the new platform. The company told developers Tuesday that they can start submitting BlackBerry 10 apps for approval on Oct. 10. The new system already plans to feature built-in apps from four popular digital networking services -Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Foursquare.
As part of its attempt to win over more app developers, RIM played a humorous music video set to the tune of REO Speedwagon's 'Keep on Loving You.' Although the reworking of the tune drew laughter, the reference to a song released 32 years ago threatens to reinforce perceptions that RIM and BlackBerry have become relics in the rapidly evolving mobile computing market. Apple, in contrast, wrapped its unveiling of the iPhone 5 two weeks ago with a live performance by the Foo Fighters, a band that is still winning Grammy awards for its music.
In an effort to prove RIM is preparing for the future, Heins and other top company executives spent most of Tuesday's conference providing a glimpse at some of BlackBerry 10's new features. Phones running on the redesigned software won't be sold until sometime during the first three months of next year. Heins and other RIM executives declined to provide a more specific timetable Tuesday.
That means RIM's new software won't be available during the holiday shopping season, costing the company more sales during a period when millions of people are expected to be snapping up the latest iPhone, Android devices and even a new handset from another struggling mobile phone company, Nokia, which is tying its fate to Microsoft's latest Windows software.
Despite RIM's missteps, the BlackBerry still commands a huge following with 80 million subscribers. That's up from 78 million in early June. The company intends to share more details about its recent subscriber gains on Thursday, when it's scheduled to release its fiscal second-quarter results. RIM has lost a total of $643 million in is previous two quarters.
In Tuesday's presentation, Heins did his best to argue that the BlackBerry 10 will be worth the long wait. The software was supposed to be released this fall before Heins decided the company needed more time to make it work right.
'We are committed to making BlackBerry 10 an inflection point in mobile computing,' Heins said.
The system is being designed to make it easier to find and use multiple applications simultaneously by swiping a finger across the phone's display screen instead of relying on the iPhone's system requiring people to press on a home button to switch from one program to the next. All notifications from various applications are supposed to be sent a nerve center known as the BlackBerry Hub.
In an attempt to cater to its main customer base of business users, RIM also promises BlackBerry 10 will offer more security features, better calendar management and more ways to connect with other workers.
RIM is retooling the software to adapt to the growing number of people who want a smartphone that can fulfill both their personal and professional needs. In an effort to make its phones better suited for this 'bring your own device' phenomenon, the new system includes a feature called 'BlackBerry Balance.' That enables users to touch an icon on the screen to switch between two different menus of applications and services, one set up for personal activities and the other programmed for work.
'We are convinced this platform will shape the next 10 years as profoundly and as positively as BlackBerry shaped the last decade,' Heins said.
Investors appeared to be heartened by what they heard and saw from RIM Tuesday. The company's stock gained 30 cents, or nearly 5 percent, close Tuesday at $6.60. That's still far below the stock's peak price of about $148, reached in June 2008. Back then, the iPhone was still considered to be a high-tech toy for affluent geeks and the first wave of Android-powered devices had not yet been released.
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Heins took the stage Tuesday at a conference for mobile applications developers to rally support for the upcoming release of BlackBerry 10, a new operating system that Research In Motion Ltd. is touting as its salvation after years of blundering wiped out some $80 billion in shareholder wealth.
With BlackBerry 10 still four to six months away from hitting the market, Tuesday's gathering in San Jose, Calif. felt more like a revival meeting than a product preview. RIM, which is based in Canada, has been laying off thousands of workers to offset mounting losses after being outmaneuvered by iPhone maker Apple Inc. and other phone makers relying on Google Inc.'s Android software.
'We recognize the need for change,' said Heins, who was promoted to CEO eight months ago as RIM's troubles deepened. 'There is a new energy and a lot of fighting spirit at RIM.'
RIM aimed its message of hope and resilience at an audience of app developers because those programmers hold one of the biggest keys to its future. The success of the iPhone has proven that a broad selection of apps that make smartphones more fun and convenient can help drive sales of the devices.
One of the BlackBerry's biggest shortcomings has been its relatively small inventory of apps. RIM says BlackBerry has about 105,000 apps, which pales next to the more than 700,000 apps in Apple's iTunes store. Google's Play store is stocked with more than 600,000 apps.
RIM is wooing app developers by offering them more tools to work with on BlackBerry 10 and offering financial incentives to persuade them they will make money on the new platform. The company told developers Tuesday that they can start submitting BlackBerry 10 apps for approval on Oct. 10. The new system already plans to feature built-in apps from four popular digital networking services -Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Foursquare.
As part of its attempt to win over more app developers, RIM played a humorous music video set to the tune of REO Speedwagon's 'Keep on Loving You.' Although the reworking of the tune drew laughter, the reference to a song released 32 years ago threatens to reinforce perceptions that RIM and BlackBerry have become relics in the rapidly evolving mobile computing market. Apple, in contrast, wrapped its unveiling of the iPhone 5 two weeks ago with a live performance by the Foo Fighters, a band that is still winning Grammy awards for its music.
In an effort to prove RIM is preparing for the future, Heins and other top company executives spent most of Tuesday's conference providing a glimpse at some of BlackBerry 10's new features. Phones running on the redesigned software won't be sold until sometime during the first three months of next year. Heins and other RIM executives declined to provide a more specific timetable Tuesday.
That means RIM's new software won't be available during the holiday shopping season, costing the company more sales during a period when millions of people are expected to be snapping up the latest iPhone, Android devices and even a new handset from another struggling mobile phone company, Nokia, which is tying its fate to Microsoft's latest Windows software.
Despite RIM's missteps, the BlackBerry still commands a huge following with 80 million subscribers. That's up from 78 million in early June. The company intends to share more details about its recent subscriber gains on Thursday, when it's scheduled to release its fiscal second-quarter results. RIM has lost a total of $643 million in is previous two quarters.
In Tuesday's presentation, Heins did his best to argue that the BlackBerry 10 will be worth the long wait. The software was supposed to be released this fall before Heins decided the company needed more time to make it work right.
'We are committed to making BlackBerry 10 an inflection point in mobile computing,' Heins said.
The system is being designed to make it easier to find and use multiple applications simultaneously by swiping a finger across the phone's display screen instead of relying on the iPhone's system requiring people to press on a home button to switch from one program to the next. All notifications from various applications are supposed to be sent a nerve center known as the BlackBerry Hub.
In an attempt to cater to its main customer base of business users, RIM also promises BlackBerry 10 will offer more security features, better calendar management and more ways to connect with other workers.
RIM is retooling the software to adapt to the growing number of people who want a smartphone that can fulfill both their personal and professional needs. In an effort to make its phones better suited for this 'bring your own device' phenomenon, the new system includes a feature called 'BlackBerry Balance.' That enables users to touch an icon on the screen to switch between two different menus of applications and services, one set up for personal activities and the other programmed for work.
'We are convinced this platform will shape the next 10 years as profoundly and as positively as BlackBerry shaped the last decade,' Heins said.
Investors appeared to be heartened by what they heard and saw from RIM Tuesday. The company's stock gained 30 cents, or nearly 5 percent, close Tuesday at $6.60. That's still far below the stock's peak price of about $148, reached in June 2008. Back then, the iPhone was still considered to be a high-tech toy for affluent geeks and the first wave of Android-powered devices had not yet been released.
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CEO of BlackBerry maker makes case for comeback
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) - Research In Motion CEO Thorsten Heins is convinced the company's BlackBerry phone is poised to regain its stature as a trailblazing device even as many investors fret about its potential demise.
Heins took the stage Tuesday at a conference for mobile applications developers to rally support for the upcoming release of BlackBerry 10, a new operating system that Research In Motion Ltd. is touting as its salvation after years of blundering.
The gathering in San Jose, Calif., served as the equivalent of a revival meeting for RIM. The Canadian company has been laying off thousands of workers to offset growing losses after being outmaneuvered by iPhone maker Apple Inc. and other phone makers relying on Google Inc.'s Android software.
'We recognize the need for change,' said Heins, who was promoted to CEO in January as RIM's troubles deepened. 'There is a new energy and a lot of fighting spirit at RIM.'
Heins and other top RIM executives used the conference to provide a glimpse at some of BlackBerry 10's new features. The redesigned software won't hit the market until a still-unscheduled date early next year.
That means RIM's new software won't be available during the holiday shopping season, costing the company more sales during a period when millions of people are expected to be snapping up the latest iPhone, Android device and even a new handset from another struggling mobile phone company, Nokia, that is tying its fate to Microsoft's latest Windows software.
Despite RIM's missteps, the BlackBerry still commands a huge following with about 80 million subscribers, thanks mostly to its appeal to corporate customers who like the device's security and compatibility with their email systems.
Heins did his best to argue that the BlackBerry 10 will be worth the wait.
'We are committed to making BlackBerry 10 an inflection point in mobile computing,' Heins said.
The system is being designed to make it easier to find and use multiple applications simultaneously by swiping a finger across the phone's display screen instead of having to press on a home button to navigate through a menu of programs, like the iPhone requires. All notifications from various applications are supposed to be sent a central point known as the BlackBerry Hub.
In an attempt to cater to its main customer base of business users, RIM also promises BlackBerry 10 will offer more security features, better calendar management features and more tools to connect with other workers.
RIM is retooling the software to adapt to the growing number of people who want a smartphone that can fulfill both their personal and professional needs. In an effort to make its phones better suited for employees who want to use their personal phones for work instead of relying on employer-issued devices, the new system includes a feature called 'BlackBerry Balance.' That enables users to touch an icon on the screen to toggle between two different menus of applications and services, one set up for personal stuff and the other programmed for work.
'We are convinced this platform will shape the next 10 years as profoundly and as positively as BlackBerry shaped the last decade,' Heins said.
Investors appeared to be heartened by what they heard and saw from RIM Tuesday. The company's stock gained 32 cents, or 5 percent, to $6.62 in Tuesday's afternoon trading. That's still far below the stock's peak price of about $148, reached in June 2008. The iPhone was seen then more as a technology toy for affluent geeks and the first wave of Android-powered devices had not yet been released.
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Heins took the stage Tuesday at a conference for mobile applications developers to rally support for the upcoming release of BlackBerry 10, a new operating system that Research In Motion Ltd. is touting as its salvation after years of blundering.
The gathering in San Jose, Calif., served as the equivalent of a revival meeting for RIM. The Canadian company has been laying off thousands of workers to offset growing losses after being outmaneuvered by iPhone maker Apple Inc. and other phone makers relying on Google Inc.'s Android software.
'We recognize the need for change,' said Heins, who was promoted to CEO in January as RIM's troubles deepened. 'There is a new energy and a lot of fighting spirit at RIM.'
Heins and other top RIM executives used the conference to provide a glimpse at some of BlackBerry 10's new features. The redesigned software won't hit the market until a still-unscheduled date early next year.
That means RIM's new software won't be available during the holiday shopping season, costing the company more sales during a period when millions of people are expected to be snapping up the latest iPhone, Android device and even a new handset from another struggling mobile phone company, Nokia, that is tying its fate to Microsoft's latest Windows software.
Despite RIM's missteps, the BlackBerry still commands a huge following with about 80 million subscribers, thanks mostly to its appeal to corporate customers who like the device's security and compatibility with their email systems.
Heins did his best to argue that the BlackBerry 10 will be worth the wait.
'We are committed to making BlackBerry 10 an inflection point in mobile computing,' Heins said.
The system is being designed to make it easier to find and use multiple applications simultaneously by swiping a finger across the phone's display screen instead of having to press on a home button to navigate through a menu of programs, like the iPhone requires. All notifications from various applications are supposed to be sent a central point known as the BlackBerry Hub.
In an attempt to cater to its main customer base of business users, RIM also promises BlackBerry 10 will offer more security features, better calendar management features and more tools to connect with other workers.
RIM is retooling the software to adapt to the growing number of people who want a smartphone that can fulfill both their personal and professional needs. In an effort to make its phones better suited for employees who want to use their personal phones for work instead of relying on employer-issued devices, the new system includes a feature called 'BlackBerry Balance.' That enables users to touch an icon on the screen to toggle between two different menus of applications and services, one set up for personal stuff and the other programmed for work.
'We are convinced this platform will shape the next 10 years as profoundly and as positively as BlackBerry shaped the last decade,' Heins said.
Investors appeared to be heartened by what they heard and saw from RIM Tuesday. The company's stock gained 32 cents, or 5 percent, to $6.62 in Tuesday's afternoon trading. That's still far below the stock's peak price of about $148, reached in June 2008. The iPhone was seen then more as a technology toy for affluent geeks and the first wave of Android-powered devices had not yet been released.
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RIM says subscriber base grows to 80 mln; shares climb
SAN JOSE (Reuters) - Research In Motion Ltd said on Tuesday its BlackBerry subscriber base has risen to 80 million from the 78 million it reported earlier this year, surprising many on Wall Street and sending its shares up more than 3 percent.
Most analysts had expected RIM, for the first time in its history, to begin losing subscribers in the recently completed quarter as it has rapidly lost market share in North America to Apple's snazzier iPhone and Samsung's Galaxy devices.
RIM has been completely focused in recent months on launching its new line of completely revamped smartphones that will run on the new BlackBerry 10 operating system. Its aging line-up of devices, currently on the market, have struggled to compete against the recently launched iPhone 5 and a slew of new Android devices.
RIM Chief Executive Thorsten Heins, addressing a gathering of developers in San Jose, California on Tuesday, said despite these challenges the company was able to add subscribers in the quarter ended September 1.
Even as it has ceded ground in the crucial North American market, RIM still has been able to lure buyers with its lower-end devices in emerging markets, where consumers are much more price conscious and where RIM's much-admired BlackBerry messaging platform gives it a big edge.
But growth from last quarter's base of roughly 78 million subscribers may come at a price, with gains skewed toward lower-end devices. That will hurt the closely watched average selling price.
RIM is expected to announce results for its fiscal second-quarter on Thursday.
The company's Toronto-listed shares rose 3 percent to C$6.37 in midday trading, while its Nasdaq-listed shares rose 5 percent to $6.60.
POSITIVE FEEDBACK
Heins said the company is also getting positive feedback on its new BlackBerry 10 devices from the carriers that have had previews of the new smartphones.
'We are making believers out of our partners. We are making believers out of those who had previously written BlackBerry off,' Heins said.
'BlackBerry 10 is our most important launch ever. And it is the most exciting launch I have ever led in my career,' he said.
The BB10 devices, set to be launched in early 2013, will run on a new operating system that RIM says will offer a faster and smoother user interface, and a better platform for apps that are critical to a smartphone's success.
At an extended demonstration, RIM executives showed off the new devices' 'flow' and 'peak' features, which enable users to access important features without leaving the current application or to move quickly to another function.
'The user experience is unique. I think sufficient initial developer support is assured,' said CCS Insight mobile analyst John Jackson.
'The question now is whether the devices will be sufficiently competitive and that is in no small way a function of RIM's ability to spend massive marketing dollars to cut through the competitive noise,' said Jackson, who is attending the event.
($1=$0.98 Canadian)
(Reporting by Poornima Gupta in San Jose, Euan Rocha and Alastair Sharp in Toronto; Editing by Janet Guttsman, Peter Galloway and Bernard Orr)
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Most analysts had expected RIM, for the first time in its history, to begin losing subscribers in the recently completed quarter as it has rapidly lost market share in North America to Apple's snazzier iPhone and Samsung's Galaxy devices.
RIM has been completely focused in recent months on launching its new line of completely revamped smartphones that will run on the new BlackBerry 10 operating system. Its aging line-up of devices, currently on the market, have struggled to compete against the recently launched iPhone 5 and a slew of new Android devices.
RIM Chief Executive Thorsten Heins, addressing a gathering of developers in San Jose, California on Tuesday, said despite these challenges the company was able to add subscribers in the quarter ended September 1.
Even as it has ceded ground in the crucial North American market, RIM still has been able to lure buyers with its lower-end devices in emerging markets, where consumers are much more price conscious and where RIM's much-admired BlackBerry messaging platform gives it a big edge.
But growth from last quarter's base of roughly 78 million subscribers may come at a price, with gains skewed toward lower-end devices. That will hurt the closely watched average selling price.
RIM is expected to announce results for its fiscal second-quarter on Thursday.
The company's Toronto-listed shares rose 3 percent to C$6.37 in midday trading, while its Nasdaq-listed shares rose 5 percent to $6.60.
POSITIVE FEEDBACK
Heins said the company is also getting positive feedback on its new BlackBerry 10 devices from the carriers that have had previews of the new smartphones.
'We are making believers out of our partners. We are making believers out of those who had previously written BlackBerry off,' Heins said.
'BlackBerry 10 is our most important launch ever. And it is the most exciting launch I have ever led in my career,' he said.
The BB10 devices, set to be launched in early 2013, will run on a new operating system that RIM says will offer a faster and smoother user interface, and a better platform for apps that are critical to a smartphone's success.
At an extended demonstration, RIM executives showed off the new devices' 'flow' and 'peak' features, which enable users to access important features without leaving the current application or to move quickly to another function.
'The user experience is unique. I think sufficient initial developer support is assured,' said CCS Insight mobile analyst John Jackson.
'The question now is whether the devices will be sufficiently competitive and that is in no small way a function of RIM's ability to spend massive marketing dollars to cut through the competitive noise,' said Jackson, who is attending the event.
($1=$0.98 Canadian)
(Reporting by Poornima Gupta in San Jose, Euan Rocha and Alastair Sharp in Toronto; Editing by Janet Guttsman, Peter Galloway and Bernard Orr)
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RIM faced with another brutal quarter; focus on cash pile
TORONTO (Reuters) - Research In Motion Ltd's quarterly results this week may hold a clue as to whether the smartphone maker can pull off its make-or-break plan to reinvent itself with a new generation of completely revamped BlackBerry devices.
RIM watchers agree the results on Thursday will be dismal at best. But the size of RIM's cash pile ahead of the 2013 launch of its new BlackBerry 10, or BB10, line-up is crucial to its success or failure.
With the Blackberry rapidly losing market share to Apple's snazzier iPhone and Samsung's Galaxy phones, RIM's hopes are now pinned on its BB10 devices.
The devices, due early next year, will run on an entirely new operating system that the company boasts will offer a faster and smoother user interface, and a better platform for apps that are now critical to a smartphone's success.
'Cash ensures a level of survivability and cash makes your partners more comfortable that you are going to be around in the future,' said BGC Partners analyst Colin Gillis.
To be sure, whether the new devices can deliver a wow factor to rival the iPhone or other competitors is probably the biggest factor in determining how the new line fares.
But those betting on RIM's resurgence and its languishing share price are hoping the company can conserve as much of its cash pile as possible ahead of the BB10 debut. RIM reported cash reserves of $2.2 billion in the previous quarter.
RIM needs money to develop, build and market the millions of new devices it begins shipping next year, even as its revenue from existing phones continues to slide.
Some fear that RIM's subscriber numbers, which have grown consistently through the years, might decline for the first time this quarter, although growth in developing economies will likely offset market share losses in North America for now.
But growth from last quarter's base of roughly 78 million subscribers may come at a price, with gains skewed toward lower-end devices. That will hurt the closely watched average selling price for RIM's Blackberry devices.
'The best case scenario, given the pressure RIM is under, is a flat subscriber base with cash remaining at roughly $2.0 billion,' said Scotiabank analyst Gus Papageorgiou in a note to clients.
RIM, which earlier this year said it was cutting some 5,000 jobs to conserve capital, is also likely to update the market on the progress in its restructuring plan.
DEVELOPER CONFERENCE
Even before those results, the company hosts a three-day developer event in San Jose, starting on Tuesday, where RIM Chief Executive Thorsten Heins will give developers, analysts and the media a preview of the capabilities of the BB10 devices.
With the sales of Apple Inc's new iPhone 5 on a roll and pressure building from devices that run on Google Inc's Android operating system, RIM has to prove that its new devices can stand apart within an ultra-competitive market.
This week's event, aimed at tempting developers to build applications for RIM's new devices, may also provide hints on RIM's app store strategy. Analysts believe RIM needs a strong line-up of apps and content in a new, unified BlackBerry store to entice people to buy the BB10 devices.
TD Securities analyst Scott Penner points out smartphones are fast becoming low-margin access devices through which companies can offer more profitable cloud-based content. But RIM's media services remain a hodgepodge of stores, making it harder for RIM to compete, he said.
'We are expecting more material announcements and a strong showing as to how BlackBerry 10 can help turn the tide for the company,' said Papageorgiou, warning that an event that is long on promises and short on content could hurt RIM shares further.
RIM's stock is currently around 9-year lows on both the Nasdaq and Toronto Stock Exchange. Its shares closed on Monday at C$6.18 in Toronto and $6.31 in New York. At its peak, in 2008, RIM stock changed hands at around $140 a share.
DISMAL RESULTS
While positive news from the developer conference will be a welcome distraction for RIM's shareholders, analysts say RIM's results are likely to be dreadful through the rest of this year.
'We believe device average selling price compression remains the key threat to RIM's fundamentals,' said Northern Securities analyst Sameet Kanade.
Excluding one-time items, analysts on average expect a loss of 47 cents a share on revenue of $2.5 billion, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. RIM reported an adjusted loss of 37 cents a share on revenue of $2.81 billion in the quarter ended June 2.
Analysts expect BlackBerry shipments to have fallen to 6.9 million in the quarter to Sept 1, down from 7.8 million in the previous quarter.
'The next two quarters will be very rough for the company, given it is not launching any new products and competing devices are getting better. Expectations of a strong BB10 launch may be somewhat supportive, but unlikely to remove investors' attention from degrading financials,' warned Papageorgiou.
(Reporting by Euan Rocha; Editing by Frank McGurty and Janet Guttsman)
This article is brought to you by COMPUTERS FOR SALE.
RIM watchers agree the results on Thursday will be dismal at best. But the size of RIM's cash pile ahead of the 2013 launch of its new BlackBerry 10, or BB10, line-up is crucial to its success or failure.
With the Blackberry rapidly losing market share to Apple's snazzier iPhone and Samsung's Galaxy phones, RIM's hopes are now pinned on its BB10 devices.
The devices, due early next year, will run on an entirely new operating system that the company boasts will offer a faster and smoother user interface, and a better platform for apps that are now critical to a smartphone's success.
'Cash ensures a level of survivability and cash makes your partners more comfortable that you are going to be around in the future,' said BGC Partners analyst Colin Gillis.
To be sure, whether the new devices can deliver a wow factor to rival the iPhone or other competitors is probably the biggest factor in determining how the new line fares.
But those betting on RIM's resurgence and its languishing share price are hoping the company can conserve as much of its cash pile as possible ahead of the BB10 debut. RIM reported cash reserves of $2.2 billion in the previous quarter.
RIM needs money to develop, build and market the millions of new devices it begins shipping next year, even as its revenue from existing phones continues to slide.
Some fear that RIM's subscriber numbers, which have grown consistently through the years, might decline for the first time this quarter, although growth in developing economies will likely offset market share losses in North America for now.
But growth from last quarter's base of roughly 78 million subscribers may come at a price, with gains skewed toward lower-end devices. That will hurt the closely watched average selling price for RIM's Blackberry devices.
'The best case scenario, given the pressure RIM is under, is a flat subscriber base with cash remaining at roughly $2.0 billion,' said Scotiabank analyst Gus Papageorgiou in a note to clients.
RIM, which earlier this year said it was cutting some 5,000 jobs to conserve capital, is also likely to update the market on the progress in its restructuring plan.
DEVELOPER CONFERENCE
Even before those results, the company hosts a three-day developer event in San Jose, starting on Tuesday, where RIM Chief Executive Thorsten Heins will give developers, analysts and the media a preview of the capabilities of the BB10 devices.
With the sales of Apple Inc's new iPhone 5 on a roll and pressure building from devices that run on Google Inc's Android operating system, RIM has to prove that its new devices can stand apart within an ultra-competitive market.
This week's event, aimed at tempting developers to build applications for RIM's new devices, may also provide hints on RIM's app store strategy. Analysts believe RIM needs a strong line-up of apps and content in a new, unified BlackBerry store to entice people to buy the BB10 devices.
TD Securities analyst Scott Penner points out smartphones are fast becoming low-margin access devices through which companies can offer more profitable cloud-based content. But RIM's media services remain a hodgepodge of stores, making it harder for RIM to compete, he said.
'We are expecting more material announcements and a strong showing as to how BlackBerry 10 can help turn the tide for the company,' said Papageorgiou, warning that an event that is long on promises and short on content could hurt RIM shares further.
RIM's stock is currently around 9-year lows on both the Nasdaq and Toronto Stock Exchange. Its shares closed on Monday at C$6.18 in Toronto and $6.31 in New York. At its peak, in 2008, RIM stock changed hands at around $140 a share.
DISMAL RESULTS
While positive news from the developer conference will be a welcome distraction for RIM's shareholders, analysts say RIM's results are likely to be dreadful through the rest of this year.
'We believe device average selling price compression remains the key threat to RIM's fundamentals,' said Northern Securities analyst Sameet Kanade.
Excluding one-time items, analysts on average expect a loss of 47 cents a share on revenue of $2.5 billion, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. RIM reported an adjusted loss of 37 cents a share on revenue of $2.81 billion in the quarter ended June 2.
Analysts expect BlackBerry shipments to have fallen to 6.9 million in the quarter to Sept 1, down from 7.8 million in the previous quarter.
'The next two quarters will be very rough for the company, given it is not launching any new products and competing devices are getting better. Expectations of a strong BB10 launch may be somewhat supportive, but unlikely to remove investors' attention from degrading financials,' warned Papageorgiou.
(Reporting by Euan Rocha; Editing by Frank McGurty and Janet Guttsman)
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Monday, September 24, 2012
Kiddie tablets and other tech toys top Toy Insider gift list
(Reuters) - 'Tis the season to give a tech toy.
Tablets made for young kids and other electronic toys are expected to be found under many Christmas trees this year, as parents who are fans of gadgets such as Apple Inc's iPad look for products tailored to the younger set.
The Toy Insider, a holiday gift guide from a publisher serving the toy and licensing industries, as well as major toy sellers Walmart and Toys R Us, all put LeapFrog Enterprises Inc's LeapPad 2 on their lists of top toys for the 2012 holiday season.
In 2011, the first edition of the LeapPad was on several lists and sold well. This year, an updated version of the $99.99 tablet has a faster processor, twice as much memory and an additional camera on the front of the device.
'It's going to be the war of the tablets,' said Laurie Schacht, chief executive and president of Adventure Publishing, which issues the Toy Insider Hot 20 list. 'What the LeapPad 2 has done is it has really positioned itself not to be part of that tablet war but to be an item for younger kids that gets them ready to move into the older tablets.'
Toy Insider's list, set to be released on Tuesday, includes the LeapPad 2 in its lineup of toys for three-to-five year olds and the Kurio 7 tablet from Techno Source for children who are 6 to 8 years old.
While the U.S. holiday shopping season does not get into full swing until the day after Thanksgiving, such lists often come out in September to give gift-givers an early look at what children might want. At the same time, chains such as Toys R Us, Wal-Mart Stores Inc's Walmart and Target Corp are promoting toys that they will sell exclusively, hoping that such products will entice shoppers to visit their stores or websites rather than shop elsewhere.
The holiday season is a crucial time for retailers and, of course, for toy makers. In 2011, the fourth quarter accounted for 46 percent of LeapFrog's annual sales. At large toy makers Mattel Inc and Hasbro Inc, more than 30 percent of annual sales come during the final quarter of the year.
SKYLANDERS, MONSTER HIGH, WII U
Other toys on the Toy Insider list include the Lego Friends Heartlake Stables, a Lego set geared toward girls. A new high school playset for Mattel's Monster High is on lists from Toy Insider and Walmart. Activision Blizzard Inc's Skylanders series of videogames and action figures is on the Toy Insider list and the Toys R Us list after a strong 2011 launch, with the Skylanders Giants coming out this year.
Eleven of the 20 items on the Toy Insider list have manufacturers' suggested prices of less than $50.
'We will, especially in this economy, take price into consideration,' said Schacht.
The priciest product on the Toy Insider list is Nintendo Co's Wii U videogame console. The least expensive version is set to sell for $299 in the United States when it hits stores in November.
Some toys this year take a traditional product and give it a tech spin. With the My Magical Wand Cinderella from JAKKS Pacific Inc's TollyTots unit, when a child waves the wand, the doll tells a story and images light up on her skirt.
Meanwhile, another toy brings a digital game into the physical world. Hasbro's Words With Friends Luxe is a board game based on the digital game from Zynga Inc.
(Reporting by Jessica Wohl in Chicago; editing by Matthew Lewis)
This news article is brought to you by MUSIC UNITED 1 - where latest news are our top priority.
Tablets made for young kids and other electronic toys are expected to be found under many Christmas trees this year, as parents who are fans of gadgets such as Apple Inc's iPad look for products tailored to the younger set.
The Toy Insider, a holiday gift guide from a publisher serving the toy and licensing industries, as well as major toy sellers Walmart and Toys R Us, all put LeapFrog Enterprises Inc's LeapPad 2 on their lists of top toys for the 2012 holiday season.
In 2011, the first edition of the LeapPad was on several lists and sold well. This year, an updated version of the $99.99 tablet has a faster processor, twice as much memory and an additional camera on the front of the device.
'It's going to be the war of the tablets,' said Laurie Schacht, chief executive and president of Adventure Publishing, which issues the Toy Insider Hot 20 list. 'What the LeapPad 2 has done is it has really positioned itself not to be part of that tablet war but to be an item for younger kids that gets them ready to move into the older tablets.'
Toy Insider's list, set to be released on Tuesday, includes the LeapPad 2 in its lineup of toys for three-to-five year olds and the Kurio 7 tablet from Techno Source for children who are 6 to 8 years old.
While the U.S. holiday shopping season does not get into full swing until the day after Thanksgiving, such lists often come out in September to give gift-givers an early look at what children might want. At the same time, chains such as Toys R Us, Wal-Mart Stores Inc's Walmart and Target Corp are promoting toys that they will sell exclusively, hoping that such products will entice shoppers to visit their stores or websites rather than shop elsewhere.
The holiday season is a crucial time for retailers and, of course, for toy makers. In 2011, the fourth quarter accounted for 46 percent of LeapFrog's annual sales. At large toy makers Mattel Inc and Hasbro Inc, more than 30 percent of annual sales come during the final quarter of the year.
SKYLANDERS, MONSTER HIGH, WII U
Other toys on the Toy Insider list include the Lego Friends Heartlake Stables, a Lego set geared toward girls. A new high school playset for Mattel's Monster High is on lists from Toy Insider and Walmart. Activision Blizzard Inc's Skylanders series of videogames and action figures is on the Toy Insider list and the Toys R Us list after a strong 2011 launch, with the Skylanders Giants coming out this year.
Eleven of the 20 items on the Toy Insider list have manufacturers' suggested prices of less than $50.
'We will, especially in this economy, take price into consideration,' said Schacht.
The priciest product on the Toy Insider list is Nintendo Co's Wii U videogame console. The least expensive version is set to sell for $299 in the United States when it hits stores in November.
Some toys this year take a traditional product and give it a tech spin. With the My Magical Wand Cinderella from JAKKS Pacific Inc's TollyTots unit, when a child waves the wand, the doll tells a story and images light up on her skirt.
Meanwhile, another toy brings a digital game into the physical world. Hasbro's Words With Friends Luxe is a board game based on the digital game from Zynga Inc.
(Reporting by Jessica Wohl in Chicago; editing by Matthew Lewis)
This news article is brought to you by MUSIC UNITED 1 - where latest news are our top priority.
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