Author Archive for ron

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Beyond the PC

Published on October 9, 2011 in High Tech & Media. 0 Comments Tags: .

Mobile digital gadgets are overshadowing the personal computer, says Martin Giles. Their impact will be far-reaching.

This marks a turning-point in the world of personal technology. For around 30 years PCs in various forms have been people’s main computing devices. Indeed, they were the first machines truly to democratise computing power, boosting personal productivity and giving people access, via the internet, to a host of services from their homes and offices. Now the rise of smartphones and tablet computers threatens to erode the PC’s dominance, prompting talk that a “post-PC” era is finally dawning.

The rise of tablets and smartphones also reflects a big shift in the world of technology itself. For years many of the most exciting advances in personal computing have come from the armed forces, large research centres or big businesses that focused mainly on corporate customers. Sometimes these breakthroughs found their way to consumers after being modified for mass consumption. The internet, for instance, was inspired by technology first developed by America’s defence establishment[Read more].

Intel Capital invests $24 million in seven new companies

Published on September 8, 2011 in Global Strategy. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

Intel Capital announced today it has invested $24 million in seven new startups. And so far this year, Intel said that it has seen two initial public offerings and 10 acquisitions from its portfolio of investments in startups.

The new investments include five new software start-ups and two follow-on investments. Since the company is a strategic corporate investor, it shoots for both a financial return and investments that help Intel’s strategic interests. The deals show Intel isn’t slowing down its investments despite a slow world economy [Read more].

Is journalism as we know it becoming obsolete?

Published on September 4, 2011 in Global Strategy. 0 Comments Tags: .

There have been plenty of obituaries written for the newspaper business, most of which have a kernel of truth to them — but is journalism as we know it at risk as well? Dave Winer, a programming guru and visiting scholar at the New York University school of journalism, says it is.

In a blog post on Friday, Winer argued that “journalism itself is becoming obsolete” because now anyone can do it. Is he right? In some ways, yes. One thing is for sure: Journalism is being transformed by the web and by real-time publishing networks and what Om calls the “democracy of distribution.” Whether that’s good or bad depends on your point of view [Read more].

It cost a lot of money to push bits around the net before there was a net. They had to have huge capital-intensive printing plants, fleets of trucks and delivery boys with paper routes. Now we can hear directly from the sources and build our own news networks. It’s still early days for this… but in a generation or two we won’t be employing people to gather news for us. It’ll work differently [Source].

Is the future of social commerce on Facebook?

Published on September 4, 2011 in Social Media. 0 Comments Tags: .

Facebook’s explosive growth has led many to question whether it will become the de facto hub of commerce for retailers. Facebook Commerce is alluring because it enables companies to harness social capital, and retailers are eager to tap into the tremendous word-of-mouth potential of fans liking products, making purchases, and sharing with friends.

Social media strategists often tell their clients to “fish where the fish are,” but while Facebook storefronts can be effective to facilitate impulse purchases, are they the right long-term strategy to grow sales through social media? Perhaps not.

Facebook Insights does provide valuable data on interactions and soft metrics such as impressions, likes and comments. While these are great for measuring engagement, retailers must ultimately make decisions based on factors that directly influence transactional metrics like conversions or acquisition costs, and Facebook’s analytics engine does not yet provide the level of relevant data required for effective merchandising [Read more].

Amazon’s 7-inch Kindle tablet set for November at $250

Published on September 4, 2011 in High Tech & Media. 0 Comments Tags: , .

Amazon’s long-rumored tablet, dubbed simply the Kindle, is “very real” and headed your way this November for $250, reports TechCrunch’s MG Siegler.

Amazon also plans to offer free Prime subscriptions with the tablet. The premium service typically costs $79 a year and offers perks like free two-day shipping and access to Amazon’s Instant Video. A free Prime membership alone would net Amazon plenty of interested buyers, but at $250 the tablet seems like a downright steal (that will also ingeniously tempt owners into buying more stuff from Amazon).

The tablet runs a heavily customized version of Android 2.2, and Siegler writes that it “looks nothing like the Android you’re used to seeing.” The main screen features a carousel of all your content on the device (or linked to your Amazon account), and it sounds like the interface shares little with the stock Android setup. The Kindle tablet is so deeply customized, Siegler says, that there’s no Android Market, only Amazon’s Android marketplace, and no default Android apps from Google [Read more].

Norway rides wave of prosperity on back of oil

Published on August 31, 2011 in International Business and International Finance. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

Blessed with large petroleum reserves, as well as robust public finances, Norway’s economy has managed to largely circumvent the EU debt crisis.

Blessed with large petroleum reserves, Norway is riding a wave of prosperity brought by high oil prices and robust public finances while the rest of Europe is mired in a debt crisis.

This Scandinavian nation of 4.9 million is the biggest oil producer and exporter in western Europe, with most of the oil production taking place offshore in the North Sea. Norway was also the world’s second largest exporter of natural gas after Russia last year, when crude oil, natural gas and pipeline transport services made up nearly 50% of its exports value.

To make sure future generations also benefit from the oil resources first discovered in 1969 and which will eventually run out, Norway saves petroleum revenues in a pension fund valued at roughly $550 billion. The so-called 4% fiscal rule limits the swings in the Norwegian economy; under the rule, the government aims to spend only 4% of the pension fund annually, though the exact percentage can vary [Read more].

Northern light: Sweden’s economy ‘a little Germany’

Published on August 31, 2011 in International Business and International Finance. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

Sweden is one of Europe’s fastest growing economies and its success is noteworthy given
the debt woes plaguing southern Europe.

Residents of this capital radiate a sense of well-being and it’s not only because they live in a beautiful city built on 14 islands that draws comparisons to Venice. It’s also because they call home one of Europe’s fastest growing economies.

The success of this export-oriented Nordic nation is noteworthy, because it’s in stark contrast to the debt woes plaguing Greece, Portugal and other southern euro-zone countries. Sweden is a member of the European Union, but it has chosen to keep its own currency. Public debt levels are relatively low and the government expects a budget surplus this year [Read more].

Sony, Hitachi and Toshiba to Merge LCD Units

Published on August 31, 2011 in Global Strategy. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

Sony, Toshiba and Hitachi announced on Wednesday that they would work with a government-backed fund to spin off and merge their liquid crystal display businesses, joining forces in the face of rising global competition.

The deal could create the world’s biggest maker of LCDs for mobile phones and cameras, with 22 percent of the market for small and
midsize screens, according to DisplaySearch.

The fund, the Innovation Network Corporation, will invest 200 billion yen ($2.6 billion) in the new company for a 70 percent stake, while the three manufacturers will equally split the other 30 percent, they said in a statement.

The Japanese government has long encouraged the nation’s manufacturers to consolidate as a way to increase their presence in global markets and better fight mounting competition from rivals like Samsung Electronics of South Korea, which is now far bigger and profitable than any single Japanese electronics maker [Source].

Japan opens $100bn fund to help firms beat yen strength

Published on August 26, 2011 in International Finance. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

The Japanese government has announced a new $100bn (£61bn) fund to help companies combat the strength of the yen.

The Ministry of Finance said the fund will help firms expand their overseas operations and secure energy resources.

The move comes as the yen hovers near record levels against the US dollar.

A stronger currency hurts Japan’s export-dependent economy, and companies have warned that they may lose business to foreign rivals.

“We decided to compile the package to show our strong determination that we will act if current yen rises persist, or if the yen rises further,” Japan’s finance minister Yoshihiko Noda said [Source].

Can Asia surive a global economic slowdown?

Published on August 25, 2011 in Emerging Markets. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

Asian markets have been gripped by fears of a slowdown in the global economy.

Weak economic data from the US coupled with the ongoing debt crisis in Europe has raised concerns that growth in the world’s two largest economic zones might slow.

Fears have been fanned further after Morgan Stanley downgraded projections for global growth and said the US and Europe were “dangerously close to recession”.

There are concerns that an uncertain economic outlook will hurt consumer demand in developed countries and affect growth in the export-dependent Asian economies.

Some of Asia’s biggest economies, such as China and Japan, rely heavily on demand from the US and Europe to boost economic growth [Source].