Posts Tagged ‘Business’
PlayStation 3 still a loss leader, ’six cents for every dollar’ of hardware sold
Posted by: Gadget Boy in Gadget News, Technology on February 6th, 2010
Update: An error in fiscal sales figures that has been subsequently remedied.
PlayStation 3 still a loss leader, 'six cents for every dollar' of hardware sold originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Feb 2010 19:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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WSJ | Email this | Comments Acer busts out TravelMate Timeline laptops for the business type
Posted by: Gadget Boy in Gadget News, Technology on December 22nd, 2009
Acer’s just outed a new line of laptops, the CULV TravelMate Timeline series. Aimed at business customers, the TravelMate Timeline 8571, 8471 and 8371 are 13.3, 14.1 to 15.6-inchers, respectively, with a range of Core 2 Duo CPU options, Intel GM45 Express chipsets, up to 4GB of SDRAM, also boast 802.11a/b/g/Draft N WLAN, Bluetooth and gigabit LAN. These Windows 7 bad boys also come with Acer’s Bio-Protection fingerprint security, which might furnish you with some small peace of mind on the road. The TravelMate Timeline series range in price from $899 to $999, and are available now. For full specs, check the press release after the break.
Continue reading Acer busts out TravelMate Timeline laptops for the business type
Acer busts out TravelMate Timeline laptops for the business type originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Dec 2009 09:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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The Google Phone’s Alter Ego: A Lame Christmas Bonus [Rumor]
Posted by: Gadget Boy in Gadget News, Technology on December 15th, 2009
The quasi-mythical Google Phone is many things. To optimists, it's Google's bid to shake up the wireless industry. To cynics, it's just an overhyped Android phone. And to some Googlers, it's apparently this year's Christmas bonus. They're less than thrilled.
Earlier today we got a tip from reader whose buddy was one of the selected recipients of Google's Nexus One Android phone. Google has admitted to "dogfooding" a phone—that is, testing it on its employees—so we expected reports like this. What we didn't expect, though, was his friend's response:
Two problems, however: first, the phone is GSM only, so he's not happy about that. Second, this phone is HIS BONUS for this year. His usual bonus is $1K in cash, taxes paid by Google.
SO according to him the phone is just going to sit, unused, in a drawer in his apartment. Hoo...ray?
Complaining about getting a free phone might seem sour at this proud time in our nation's economic history, but if you're accustomed to getting cash—you know, money, that you can spend on things you might need—instead of a niche smartphone that you probably can't even use properly on your carrier, I can understand the bitterness. And what kind of Googler doesn't already have a smartphone? Didn't they all get Android handsets back in 2008, when Google pulled a nearly identical bonus stunt with the HTC Dream? People loved that! —Thanks, AndPreciousLittleofThat!
Asustek to spin off motherboard and GPU business under Pegatron brand
Posted by: Gadget Boy in Gadget News, Technology on December 14th, 2009
Asustek has informed the Taiwanese Stock Exchange that it will completely spin off its motherboard and graphics card subsidiary, Pegatron, in July 2010. The split is driven by the parent company's desire to continue its competition against the likes of HP and Dell under the ASUS brandname, while still collecting ODM and motherboard orders from those same companies for its manufacturing business. For its part, the newly self-governing Pegatron will be expected to advance the ASRock brand up from its current entry-level position and into the mainstream. We don't know how well that's going to go down, but at least the mobo market will be primed to embrace a new name after the heartbreak of losing old stalwarts like Abit and now ASUS.[Thanks, Mack S]
Asustek to spin off motherboard and GPU business under Pegatron brand originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Dec 2009 18:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink |Xbit Labs | Email this | Comments Major media giants to form joint venture for digital future, says WSJ
Posted by: Gadget Boy in Gadget News on December 8th, 2009
News Corp, Time Inc., Condé Nast Publications Inc., Hearst Corp., and Meredith Corp. If this Wall Street Journal report is to be believed here, these five major media firms are preparing to announce a new joint venture tomorrow to "prepare print publications for a new generation of electronic readers and other digital devices." Details are a bit sketchy here, and what makes it more interesting / confounding is that many of these companies already have or have showcased separate initiatives, such as Hearst's Skiff and tablet demos from both Time and Condé Nast. We'll be eager to find out if there are any devices the group rallies behind (or even produces itself), but one thing's for sure: good old Rupert Murdoch will have something fun to say on the matter.Major media giants to form joint venture for digital future, says WSJ originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Dec 2009 22:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink |WSJ | Email this | Comments Dell creates communications division for push into handheld market
Posted by: Gadget Boy in Gadget News on December 5th, 2009
Dell creates communications division for push into handheld market originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Dec 2009 19:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink |The Wall Street Journal | Email this | Comments Apple In ‘Advanced’ Acquisition Talks With Lala [Apple]
Posted by: Gadget Boy in Gadget News on December 4th, 2009
Apple is close to acquiring digital-music service Lala, according to two sources with knowledge of the discussions.
Talks are very advanced, said the sources Friday. One of the sources said that the sides have already agreed on terms and have only to sign a final agreement.
Steve Dowling, Apple's spokesman, said the company doesn't comment on rumors and speculation. A representative from Lala was not immediately available.
An acquisition of Lala, a streaming-music site that has gone through multiple iterations including one as a CD-swapping service, would be the third acquisition deal of a digital-music site in recent months.
MySpace acquired iLike in August and Imeem last month.
Exactly what Apple intends to do with Lala remains unclear, but it would appear that Apple intends to offer some kind of streaming service to iTunes users. Right now, Apple is the largest music store online or offline and Apple has made more money than any other music service by selling music downloads.
But the public has shown an appetite for free music and many people have clamored for a better way to store music. Right now, most music libraries can be found on an owner's computer hard drive, which can malfunction. Lala enables users to store songs on the company's servers and access them from Web-enabled devices.
This story originally appeared on CNET
The Incredible Shrinking Dell [Charts]
Posted by: Gadget Boy in Gadget News on December 4th, 2009
Not too long ago, Dell was one of the fastest growing companies in the world. Now, it's the only major PC manufacturer actually getting smaller.
iSuppli's quarterly report on computer shipments is a little dry, but today's report that Dell's shipments declined 5.9% caught our eye. It's easy enough to blame the economy, but not when your major competitors are all growing, and especially not when Acer knocks you out of the number two spot. It's true that netbooks and pricing are big factors in Acer's success, and that Dell's still second—barely—to HP in total shipments. But someone in Round Rock needs to realize that what's true for plants and populations is also true for computer companies: if you don't grow, you die. [iSuppli via Electronista]
Twitter Co-Founder Begins Trial On SquareUp iPhone Credit Card Payment Service [IPhone]
Posted by: Gadget Boy in Gadget News on December 1st, 2009
Basic details about Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey's plans for an iPhone credit card payment service have been floating around for some time, but it appears that his SquareUp startup has finally gone live for trial users—and it looks promising.
There are several apps on the iPhone designed to accept credit card payments but, as far as I can tell, SquareUp has the best set of features. It doesn't require any contracts or monthly fees, and card payments can be accepted through a small device that plugs into the audio jack. Receipts can be sent via email or viewed online and text messages can be used to verify payments in real time.
There are even benefits to using the service for cardholders, much like the points you might accrue for making purchases. SquareUp lets business owners know that you are a repeat customer that may be entitled to a freebie—kind of like punch cards do now. They also donate one cent of each transaction to the charity of your choice.
SquareUP claims the service will roll out to everyone in 2010, which is good news for small businesses. No word yet on how much the swiping plug-in will cost, but you can bet that it will be a hell of a lot cheaper than the machines you currently have to contend with. [SquareUp via VentureBeat]
Dell Precision M6500 mixes Core i7 with business savvy
Posted by: Gadget Boy in Gadget News on December 1st, 2009
[Thanks, Jonty]
Dell Precision M6500 mixes Core i7 with business savvy originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Dec 2009 06:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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