Apple on Tuesday announced an invitation-only special event featuring iPhone on Oct. 4, 2011.
With a simple headline reading "Let's talk iPhone," the invitation said that there will be an "executive presentation at 10 a.m.." This could be the first big product introduction by the newly installed Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook after he took over the reins of Apple from Steve Jobs in August.
The event, which will be held at Apple campus in Cupertino, California, has long been reported to be the introduction of iPhone 5, the next generation iPhone.
According to U.S. media reports, the iPhone 5 is expected to have revamped hardware design with a larger screen, a higher resolution camera and a faster dual-core A5 chip on which the iPad 2 runs. Apple is also reported to release a low-cost and contract- free iPhone model bundled with its cloud computing service iCloud.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Fijians hold rally for raising awarness on climate change
Fijians held rallies on Saturday to mark the global day of action in raising awarness on climate change, under the theme this year of "A Day to Move Beyond Fossil Fuels"..
The marchers took to the streets on bikes, skates, skateboards, or just foot to show their support for the theme.
The "Moving Planet Fiji"event in the capital saw a march take place from Suva Point to Suva Grammar School and back again before speeches and activities will be held at Suva Point.
The organizor was delighted to express that the reigning, 2011 Hibiscus (national traditional culture festival in Fiji) Queen, Alisi Rabukawaqa had also come on board to show her support for our home and our planet, which is threatened by the climate crisis.
Rabukawaqa with the Moving Planet Pacific Coordinator Ewan Cameron were guest speakers of the action day.
"We are also calling on all walkers, runners, cyclists, paddlers and any other non fossil fuel powered movers to join us and become part of a global voice and to tackle climate change," Rabukawaqa said.
Cameron said while it is a new initiative, they are looking at raising awareness on how small countries like Fiji need to speak out.
Moving Planet is a worldwide rally to demand solutions to the climate crisis and Sept. 24 is a single day to move away from fossil fuels.
Lai Koto, a participant, told Xinhua, said it was relevant that Fiji was part of this considering that the effects of climate change was directly felt in the Pacific.
"Fiji being the hub of the Pacific should be a part of this global campaign. We should teach the younger generation to resort to the way of life our ancestors were known for," she said, adding "they preserved not only our culture, our marine life, forests and our resources."
"Moving Planet Fiji" said: "For too long, our leaders have denied and delayed, compromised and caved. That era must come to an end: it's time to get moving on the climate crisis."
The marchers took to the streets on bikes, skates, skateboards, or just foot to show their support for the theme.
The "Moving Planet Fiji"event in the capital saw a march take place from Suva Point to Suva Grammar School and back again before speeches and activities will be held at Suva Point.
The organizor was delighted to express that the reigning, 2011 Hibiscus (national traditional culture festival in Fiji) Queen, Alisi Rabukawaqa had also come on board to show her support for our home and our planet, which is threatened by the climate crisis.
Rabukawaqa with the Moving Planet Pacific Coordinator Ewan Cameron were guest speakers of the action day.
"We are also calling on all walkers, runners, cyclists, paddlers and any other non fossil fuel powered movers to join us and become part of a global voice and to tackle climate change," Rabukawaqa said.
Cameron said while it is a new initiative, they are looking at raising awareness on how small countries like Fiji need to speak out.
Moving Planet is a worldwide rally to demand solutions to the climate crisis and Sept. 24 is a single day to move away from fossil fuels.
Lai Koto, a participant, told Xinhua, said it was relevant that Fiji was part of this considering that the effects of climate change was directly felt in the Pacific.
"Fiji being the hub of the Pacific should be a part of this global campaign. We should teach the younger generation to resort to the way of life our ancestors were known for," she said, adding "they preserved not only our culture, our marine life, forests and our resources."
"Moving Planet Fiji" said: "For too long, our leaders have denied and delayed, compromised and caved. That era must come to an end: it's time to get moving on the climate crisis."
China to launch eight Antarctic, Arctic research expeditions in five years
China plans to launch five Antarctic research expeditions and another three to the Arctic from 2011 to 2015, said an official with the Chinese Arctic and Antarctic Administration (CAA) on Sunday.
China will launch the 28th Antarctic research expedition in early November and the fifth to the Arctic in early July 2012, said Qu Tanzhou, director of the CAA, at the annual seminar on China's polar region expedition and research in Shanghai.
In the 2011-2015 period, Chinese researchers will focus on monitoring the weather and environment changes in the polar regions, Qu said.
Qu said climate change in the polar region, particularly that in the Arctic, will inevitably influence China, and the research would benefit the nation's adaptation to climate change.
China plans to build a new icebreaker before 2015, which will form an Arctic-Antarctic maritime research team with Xuelong ("Snow Dragon"), an icebreaker that operated in Antarctica, said Qin Weijia, head of the CAA's committee of the Communist Party of China.
Qin said the plan to build the new icebreaker has already been approved by the National Development and Reform Commission, the nation's top economic planner.
China will have two icebreakers concurrently operating at both the north and south poles, Qin said.
China will launch the 28th Antarctic research expedition in early November and the fifth to the Arctic in early July 2012, said Qu Tanzhou, director of the CAA, at the annual seminar on China's polar region expedition and research in Shanghai.
In the 2011-2015 period, Chinese researchers will focus on monitoring the weather and environment changes in the polar regions, Qu said.
Qu said climate change in the polar region, particularly that in the Arctic, will inevitably influence China, and the research would benefit the nation's adaptation to climate change.
China plans to build a new icebreaker before 2015, which will form an Arctic-Antarctic maritime research team with Xuelong ("Snow Dragon"), an icebreaker that operated in Antarctica, said Qin Weijia, head of the CAA's committee of the Communist Party of China.
Qin said the plan to build the new icebreaker has already been approved by the National Development and Reform Commission, the nation's top economic planner.
China will have two icebreakers concurrently operating at both the north and south poles, Qin said.
Samsung launches first 4G smartphones in S. Korea
Samsung Electronics, the world's second-largest manufacturer of mobile phones, launched its first smartphones based on fourth-generation (4G) communication technology in a bid to meet growing demand for high-speed wireless services.
Galaxy S2 LTE and Galaxy S2 HD LTE compatible with long- term evolution (LTE) technology were rolled out at a media event held in central Seoul on Monday. The two new smartphones support LTE with data transmission five times faster than the existing third-generation (3G) mobile phones, featuring functions offered by Galaxy S2 smartphones, the company said.
The Galaxy S2 LTE is equipped with an Android 2.3, or the latest version of the Android platform, a 4.5-inch wide Super AMOLED display and a 1.5 gigahertz dual core processor, while the Galaxy S2 HD LTE is featuring a 4.65-inch high-definition (HD) AMOLED display with 110 percent natural color reproduction and 180- degree viewing angle.
"The 4G LTE technology became the base for enjoying high-speed and high-resolution wireless services. The new products will meet rising demand for such services in an environment where global wireless operators are transitioning to 4G networks," Shin Jong-kyun, president and head of Samsung's mobile communications business, told reporters.
Shin forecast sales of the new LTE smartphones would approach the ones of the existing Galaxy S series, adding that it may take time to reach the goal as the LTE networks have yet to be covered nationwide.
Global sales of the Galaxy S2 smartphones reached more than 10 million units since its debut in April, according Samsung. The nation's top wireless carrier SK Telecom plans to offer LTE service nationwide by 2013, with the country's No. 3 mobile operator LG Uplus aiming to cover the service across the country next year.
Galaxy S2 LTE and Galaxy S2 HD LTE compatible with long- term evolution (LTE) technology were rolled out at a media event held in central Seoul on Monday. The two new smartphones support LTE with data transmission five times faster than the existing third-generation (3G) mobile phones, featuring functions offered by Galaxy S2 smartphones, the company said.
The Galaxy S2 LTE is equipped with an Android 2.3, or the latest version of the Android platform, a 4.5-inch wide Super AMOLED display and a 1.5 gigahertz dual core processor, while the Galaxy S2 HD LTE is featuring a 4.65-inch high-definition (HD) AMOLED display with 110 percent natural color reproduction and 180- degree viewing angle.
"The 4G LTE technology became the base for enjoying high-speed and high-resolution wireless services. The new products will meet rising demand for such services in an environment where global wireless operators are transitioning to 4G networks," Shin Jong-kyun, president and head of Samsung's mobile communications business, told reporters.
Shin forecast sales of the new LTE smartphones would approach the ones of the existing Galaxy S series, adding that it may take time to reach the goal as the LTE networks have yet to be covered nationwide.
Global sales of the Galaxy S2 smartphones reached more than 10 million units since its debut in April, according Samsung. The nation's top wireless carrier SK Telecom plans to offer LTE service nationwide by 2013, with the country's No. 3 mobile operator LG Uplus aiming to cover the service across the country next year.
China prepares to launch first space lab module between Sept. 29, 30
Engineers are conducting the final preparations before launching China's first space laboratory module at the end of this week at a launch center in northwest China.
The unmanned Tiangong-1 module was originally scheduled to be launched into low Earth orbit between Sept. 27 and 30. However, a weather forecast showing the arrival of a cold air mass at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center forced the launch to be rescheduled for Sept. 29 or 30, depending on weather and other factors.
"This is a significant test. We've never done such a thing before," said Lu Jinrong, the launch center's chief engineer.
A full ground simulation was conducted on Sunday afternoon to ensure that the module and its Long March 2F carrier rocket are prepared for the actual launch.
Cui Jijun, commander-in-chief of the launch site system and director of Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, told Xinhua that they developed a new target spacecraft for the mission and made more than 170 technical improvements to the Long March 2F, China's manned orbital carrier rocket.
Engineers have also made more than 100 updates at the launch site in order to make it compatible with the Tiangong-1, Cui added.
The module will conduct docking experiments after entering orbit, which is the first step in China's space station program.
Cui said the launch site has an updated computer center and command monitoring system and increased ability to adapt to changes in mission conditions, as well as the resources to handle both the launch and command duties. An integrated simulation training system for space launching has also been developed for the docking mission.
The mission comes just one month after the Long March 2C rocket malfunctioned and failed to send an experimental satellite into orbit. The Tiangong-1 mission was subsequently rescheduled in order to allow engineers to sort out any problems that might occur during the launch.
Cui said that engineers conducted a two-month comprehensive technical check on equipment at the launch site from March to May. The safety and reliability of all the instruments have been significantly improved.
"[The launch site] has the full conditions to conduct the Tiangong-1 mission," said Cui.
The Tiangong-1 will remain in orbit for two years. During its mission, it will dock with China's Shenzhou-8, -9 and -10 spacecrafts.
Unmanned docking procedures will be an essential step toward China achieving its goal of establishing a manned space station around 2020.
The unmanned Tiangong-1 module was originally scheduled to be launched into low Earth orbit between Sept. 27 and 30. However, a weather forecast showing the arrival of a cold air mass at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center forced the launch to be rescheduled for Sept. 29 or 30, depending on weather and other factors.
"This is a significant test. We've never done such a thing before," said Lu Jinrong, the launch center's chief engineer.
A full ground simulation was conducted on Sunday afternoon to ensure that the module and its Long March 2F carrier rocket are prepared for the actual launch.
Cui Jijun, commander-in-chief of the launch site system and director of Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, told Xinhua that they developed a new target spacecraft for the mission and made more than 170 technical improvements to the Long March 2F, China's manned orbital carrier rocket.
Engineers have also made more than 100 updates at the launch site in order to make it compatible with the Tiangong-1, Cui added.
The module will conduct docking experiments after entering orbit, which is the first step in China's space station program.
Cui said the launch site has an updated computer center and command monitoring system and increased ability to adapt to changes in mission conditions, as well as the resources to handle both the launch and command duties. An integrated simulation training system for space launching has also been developed for the docking mission.
The mission comes just one month after the Long March 2C rocket malfunctioned and failed to send an experimental satellite into orbit. The Tiangong-1 mission was subsequently rescheduled in order to allow engineers to sort out any problems that might occur during the launch.
Cui said that engineers conducted a two-month comprehensive technical check on equipment at the launch site from March to May. The safety and reliability of all the instruments have been significantly improved.
"[The launch site] has the full conditions to conduct the Tiangong-1 mission," said Cui.
The Tiangong-1 will remain in orbit for two years. During its mission, it will dock with China's Shenzhou-8, -9 and -10 spacecrafts.
Unmanned docking procedures will be an essential step toward China achieving its goal of establishing a manned space station around 2020.
Nobel laureates skeptical about faster-than-light neutrino experiment
Nobel laureates on Monday cast doubt on a European experiment that purportedly demonstrated the ability of neutrinos to move faster than the speed of light.
They made the remarks in Beijing prior to a forum for Nobel laureates.
"I'm willing to bet money that it's not correct," said Professor George Smoot III, winner of the 2006 Nobel Prize in Physics and a professor at University of California, Berkeley, referring to an experiment result claiming that particles apparently travel faster than light.
The experiment reported an anomaly in the flight time of neutrinos, or electrically neutral subatomic particles, from the European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Switzerland to a laboratory located 730 kilometers away in Italy.
Particles were clocked transmitting at a speed of 300,006 kilometers per second, about 60 nanoseconds faster than the speed of light.
Smoot said that the claims "did not make sense" and should be verified by other scientists first.
"There are many distortions in physics. You have to have a very high standard to see if something is truly correct," he said.
The unverified findings were published on Sept. 22 in the scientific journal Nature. European researchers working in a team called OPERA (Oscillation Project with Emulsion-Racking Apparatus) projected masses of neutrinos from CERN and then collected the particles using a massive detector in Gran Sasso, south of Rome.
Other scientists, as well as the OPERA team themselves, have voiced doubts regarding the experiment's results.
The findings, CERN claims, could pose far-reaching potential consequences once verified.
If correct, the results would bring Einstein's theory of special relativity into question. Under this theory, a physical object cannot travel faster than the speed of light in a vacuum.
"If really it is right, we have to rethink everything we know," said Chris Llewellyn Smith, former director of CERN.
Smith claimed the unprecedented discovery was too exceptional to find proof.
"If somebody makes a very exceptional claim, then very exceptional proof would need to come from another experiment, saying the same thing. But we don't have the other thing," Smith said.
Carlos Rubbia, a Nobel Laureate who won the prize for physics in 1984, is in charge of a team of more than 100 scientists at CERN.
"What it is pretending to find, in my view, is unbelievably surprising," Rubbia said.
"Frankly, I have the feeling that this is still a very experimental consideration," Rubbia said.
He also believes that revealing the findings to the public was a mistake as it remained an experimental process and no conclusion could be drawn without the results of another experiment.
Despite the possibility of verification, Einstein's special theory of relativity will remain valid.
"I will be very, very surprised that, at last, Einstein will not be the winner," Rubbia said.
To achieve a breakthrough, Rubbia has urged for more joint cooperation on verifying the test results. International cooperation on this issue "is a must."
"It requires coordination from all nations," said Rubbia.
The 2011 Nobel Laureates Beijing Forum will be held from Sept. 28 to 30 under a theme of "innovation and development."
They made the remarks in Beijing prior to a forum for Nobel laureates.
"I'm willing to bet money that it's not correct," said Professor George Smoot III, winner of the 2006 Nobel Prize in Physics and a professor at University of California, Berkeley, referring to an experiment result claiming that particles apparently travel faster than light.
The experiment reported an anomaly in the flight time of neutrinos, or electrically neutral subatomic particles, from the European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Switzerland to a laboratory located 730 kilometers away in Italy.
Particles were clocked transmitting at a speed of 300,006 kilometers per second, about 60 nanoseconds faster than the speed of light.
Smoot said that the claims "did not make sense" and should be verified by other scientists first.
"There are many distortions in physics. You have to have a very high standard to see if something is truly correct," he said.
The unverified findings were published on Sept. 22 in the scientific journal Nature. European researchers working in a team called OPERA (Oscillation Project with Emulsion-Racking Apparatus) projected masses of neutrinos from CERN and then collected the particles using a massive detector in Gran Sasso, south of Rome.
Other scientists, as well as the OPERA team themselves, have voiced doubts regarding the experiment's results.
The findings, CERN claims, could pose far-reaching potential consequences once verified.
If correct, the results would bring Einstein's theory of special relativity into question. Under this theory, a physical object cannot travel faster than the speed of light in a vacuum.
"If really it is right, we have to rethink everything we know," said Chris Llewellyn Smith, former director of CERN.
Smith claimed the unprecedented discovery was too exceptional to find proof.
"If somebody makes a very exceptional claim, then very exceptional proof would need to come from another experiment, saying the same thing. But we don't have the other thing," Smith said.
Carlos Rubbia, a Nobel Laureate who won the prize for physics in 1984, is in charge of a team of more than 100 scientists at CERN.
"What it is pretending to find, in my view, is unbelievably surprising," Rubbia said.
"Frankly, I have the feeling that this is still a very experimental consideration," Rubbia said.
He also believes that revealing the findings to the public was a mistake as it remained an experimental process and no conclusion could be drawn without the results of another experiment.
Despite the possibility of verification, Einstein's special theory of relativity will remain valid.
"I will be very, very surprised that, at last, Einstein will not be the winner," Rubbia said.
To achieve a breakthrough, Rubbia has urged for more joint cooperation on verifying the test results. International cooperation on this issue "is a must."
"It requires coordination from all nations," said Rubbia.
The 2011 Nobel Laureates Beijing Forum will be held from Sept. 28 to 30 under a theme of "innovation and development."
NASA studies astronauts' vision decrease problem
NASA has launched a study on why the astronauts' vision decrease after long-term space missions, according to media reports Tuesday.
NASA said 30 percent of about 300 astronauts, who have working time in space ranging form 2 weeks to 6 months, have reported a gradual blurring of eyesight.
Doctors believe the disorder was caused by increased spinal fluid pressure on the head and eyes due to microgravity in space.
NASA worried that future explorers could go blind by the end of long missions, such a multi-year trip to Mars.
"We are certainly treating this with a great deal of respect," said Rich Williams, NASA's chief health and medical officer.
The special eyeglasses have been put on to help those affected astronauts on the space station, according to NASA.
But to reveal the exact mechanism of the disorder still needs further study, NASA said.
Engineered E.coli designed for secret communication
Scientists have developed a method of encrypting information into genetically-engineered E. coli bacteria to deliver secret messages.
The finding was published Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in the U.S.
By modifying the selected genes of E. coli, the scientists make the bacteria produce the fluorescent proteins, which can glow and express one of seven colors under ultraviolet light.
The color's controlled arranging creates a coding system that allow for the entire alphabet, the digits 1-9 and some other symbols.
And the containing messages cannot be detected until the recipient unlocks it by dipping the E. coli into a special bacteria-growing solution.
"Obviously, the secret agent kind of application jumps out," said the study's lead author David Walt of Tufts University in Massachusetts, "a way of sending secure messages, preventing counterfeiting and providing authentication."
The research was funded by the U.S. Department of Defense through its Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, according to the Bloomberg.
U.S. treasure hunter finds British shipwreck full of silver
A British sunken wreckage filled with silver was found in the Atlantic Ocean, a U.S. salvage company announced on Monday.
The wreckage was found in international waters some 500 km off the coast of Ireland, at a depth of some 5,000 meters, said the salvage company Odyssey Marine Exploration Inc.
The British cargo ship, SS Gairsoppa, was sunk on Feb. 17, 1941, after it was hit by a torpedo from a German submarine.
Its cargo included about 7 million ounces of silver (200 tons), which would be worth about 241 million U.S. dollars at current prices, the company said in a statement.
According to a contract the company signed with the British government in 2011, it will keep 80 percent of silver recovered from the wreck.
"Given the orientation and condition of the shipwreck, we are extremely confident that our planned salvage operation will be suited for the recovery of this silver cargo," said Andrew Craig, the recovery manager of the company.
The recovery operation is expected to begin in the spring of 2012, the company said.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Samsung to mass produce 20-nano flash, DRAM memories
Samsung Electronics said Thursday that it started mass producing memory chips based on 20-nanometer class technology. The world's No. 1 memory chipmaker began operating its 16th production line with the world's largest scale in a bid to mass produce flash and dynamic random access memory (DRAM) chips based on 20-nano class technology, Samsung said in a statement by email.
The new plant, where NAND flash memory will be mainly manufactured, started producing 20-nano class high-speed NAND flash from September, according to the statement. The factory, which can produce more than 10,000 wafers of 12-inch size per month, will mass produce 10-nano NAND flash starting next year.
NAND flash memory refers to chips that store information in portable electronics such as tablet computers and smartphones. Demand for the chips has been fast growing in line with brisk sales of smartphones and table PCs. According market researcher iSuppli, the market for NAND flash memory is forecast to grow from 18.85 billion U.S. dollars last year to 22.95 billion U.S. dollars this year, expanding to 28.63 billion U.S. dollars by 2015.
Meanwhile, the plant started mass production of the DDR3 2- gigabit DRAM chips based on 20-nano class technology from this month for the first time across the globe, Samsung said.
The first production of 20-nano DRAM chips is expected to widen Samsung's lead over its rivals such as Hynix Semiconductor and Elpida Memory. Hynix, the world's biggest chipmaker after Samsung, aimed to produce 20-nano class DRAM chips next year.
The new plant, where NAND flash memory will be mainly manufactured, started producing 20-nano class high-speed NAND flash from September, according to the statement. The factory, which can produce more than 10,000 wafers of 12-inch size per month, will mass produce 10-nano NAND flash starting next year.
NAND flash memory refers to chips that store information in portable electronics such as tablet computers and smartphones. Demand for the chips has been fast growing in line with brisk sales of smartphones and table PCs. According market researcher iSuppli, the market for NAND flash memory is forecast to grow from 18.85 billion U.S. dollars last year to 22.95 billion U.S. dollars this year, expanding to 28.63 billion U.S. dollars by 2015.
Meanwhile, the plant started mass production of the DDR3 2- gigabit DRAM chips based on 20-nano class technology from this month for the first time across the globe, Samsung said.
The first production of 20-nano DRAM chips is expected to widen Samsung's lead over its rivals such as Hynix Semiconductor and Elpida Memory. Hynix, the world's biggest chipmaker after Samsung, aimed to produce 20-nano class DRAM chips next year.
Facebook adds new profile feature
Facebook on Thursday introduced Timeline, a new profile design featuring milestones of one's life on a single page.
At Facebook's f8 developer conference, Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg promoted the new feature, a blog-like presentation that let users scrolls vertically through the big moments of one's life.
"It's how you can tell the whole story of your life in a single page," said Zuckerberg, showing his Timeline which started from a baby photo.
Zuckerberg assured users that they have complete control over their Timeline, saying that they can decide what content will appear and who can see it. The new feature will be available in a few weeks.
Half a billion people are using Facebook in the world everyday, according to Zuckerberg.
At Facebook's f8 developer conference, Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg promoted the new feature, a blog-like presentation that let users scrolls vertically through the big moments of one's life.
"It's how you can tell the whole story of your life in a single page," said Zuckerberg, showing his Timeline which started from a baby photo.
Zuckerberg assured users that they have complete control over their Timeline, saying that they can decide what content will appear and who can see it. The new feature will be available in a few weeks.
Half a billion people are using Facebook in the world everyday, according to Zuckerberg.
Climate change might lead to water shortage in the Alps
Climate change and rising temperature in the long term can lead to water shortages in the Alps region, international experts warned Thursday at the Water-Scarce Final Conference in the Austrian eastern city Graz.
The Alpine region originally is rich in water resources due to a large number of glaciers, spring and abundant rainfall either in summer or winter. But global warming may change this situation which has been shown in the past years that the water reserve has reduced gradually due to climate change, warned the experts.
Observation data have shown a significant decrease of 25 percent in groundwater recharge in the past 100 years which has also resulted in the reduction of mountain spring.
Director of the Provincial Department of Water Resources of Styria Johann Wiedner point out, in 2003, droughts occurred in the eastern part of the Alps, including the state of Styria and water shortages were also found in other regions of the Alps. He said the phenomenon was giving a warning that people "have to do something."
To this end, the European Union begun a project called "Alp Water Scarce" three years ago to observe water reserves, air temperature, water temperature and water table in this region and study the relationships among them.
Wiedner also admitted that there is no shortage of water at least in the short term and water supply for the local residents is totally insured.
The Alpine region originally is rich in water resources due to a large number of glaciers, spring and abundant rainfall either in summer or winter. But global warming may change this situation which has been shown in the past years that the water reserve has reduced gradually due to climate change, warned the experts.
Observation data have shown a significant decrease of 25 percent in groundwater recharge in the past 100 years which has also resulted in the reduction of mountain spring.
Director of the Provincial Department of Water Resources of Styria Johann Wiedner point out, in 2003, droughts occurred in the eastern part of the Alps, including the state of Styria and water shortages were also found in other regions of the Alps. He said the phenomenon was giving a warning that people "have to do something."
To this end, the European Union begun a project called "Alp Water Scarce" three years ago to observe water reserves, air temperature, water temperature and water table in this region and study the relationships among them.
Wiedner also admitted that there is no shortage of water at least in the short term and water supply for the local residents is totally insured.
Publisher unveils "unauthorized autobiography" of Wikileaks founder
A British publisher on Thursday issued an "unauthorized autobiography" of the founder of the controversial Wikileaks website Julian Assange.
Assange became a global figure after he published 250,000 secret United States diplomatic cables on his Wikileaks website, which became a serious embarrassment to the American government.
He was then accused by two women of rape when he was in Sweden. Swedish police said they wanted to question him, and issued a European Arrest Warrant in 2010 for him.
Assange, 40, denies the allegations and surrendered himself to police in London at the end of 2010, and the Swedish authorities applied for his extradition to face questioning.
Assange fought the extradition bid in the English courts, fearing that he could face further extradition from Sweden to the United States where he could face criminal charges related to the publishing of the secret cables, but failed.
He appealed against the extradition ruling in July and a final decision on the case will be made by senior English judges, probably before Christmas.
Assange agreed to cooperate with Edinburgh-based publisher Canongate in publishing an autobiography and had 50 hours of interviews with a ghostwriter between January and March this year, while he was on bail awaiting an outcome of the extradition hearings.
He received a 500,000 pound advance (about 768,000 U.S. dollars) for the book.
Publisher's spokesman Liz Sich told Xinhua Thursday, "It's an unauthorized autobiography -- it is his words. He was contracted to write his autobiography in December; a ghostwriter was assigned to it, approved by the publisher and Julian and an intense amount of work was done in the first three months of 2011. The first draft was delivered on schedule at the end of March. After that there was an hiatus and nothing happened; in June Julian decided he wanted to tear up the contract."
Assange has opposed publication, but Sich said, "It is very much Julian's words, it is written in the first person. He didn't want it to be published but he was in breach of his contract. He couldn't pay the advance back because he had used it to pay his lawyers."
The book is available only in English at the moment, but a Dutch publisher and a Turkish publisher said they would print translations in their languages, and other foreign language editions are also likely.
Assange became a global figure after he published 250,000 secret United States diplomatic cables on his Wikileaks website, which became a serious embarrassment to the American government.
He was then accused by two women of rape when he was in Sweden. Swedish police said they wanted to question him, and issued a European Arrest Warrant in 2010 for him.
Assange, 40, denies the allegations and surrendered himself to police in London at the end of 2010, and the Swedish authorities applied for his extradition to face questioning.
Assange fought the extradition bid in the English courts, fearing that he could face further extradition from Sweden to the United States where he could face criminal charges related to the publishing of the secret cables, but failed.
He appealed against the extradition ruling in July and a final decision on the case will be made by senior English judges, probably before Christmas.
Assange agreed to cooperate with Edinburgh-based publisher Canongate in publishing an autobiography and had 50 hours of interviews with a ghostwriter between January and March this year, while he was on bail awaiting an outcome of the extradition hearings.
He received a 500,000 pound advance (about 768,000 U.S. dollars) for the book.
Publisher's spokesman Liz Sich told Xinhua Thursday, "It's an unauthorized autobiography -- it is his words. He was contracted to write his autobiography in December; a ghostwriter was assigned to it, approved by the publisher and Julian and an intense amount of work was done in the first three months of 2011. The first draft was delivered on schedule at the end of March. After that there was an hiatus and nothing happened; in June Julian decided he wanted to tear up the contract."
Assange has opposed publication, but Sich said, "It is very much Julian's words, it is written in the first person. He didn't want it to be published but he was in breach of his contract. He couldn't pay the advance back because he had used it to pay his lawyers."
The book is available only in English at the moment, but a Dutch publisher and a Turkish publisher said they would print translations in their languages, and other foreign language editions are also likely.
Japan sends new spy satellite into space
Japan's H-2A rocket carrying a new information gathering satellite was launched at the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture on Friday, local media reported.
Japan has already introduced three information-gathering satellites in the wake of a missile launch by Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and the latest one will replace the No. 2 satellite which has passed its use-by date, Kydo News said.
The development cost of the fourth satellite has reached 35.9 billion yen and its launch expenses have come to 10.4 billion yen, according to the government.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. were forced to put off the launch three times during the past four weeks due to the approach of a powerful typhoon and discovery of a system glitch. The rocket was initially scheduled to be sent into orbit on Aug. 28.
Japan has already introduced three information-gathering satellites in the wake of a missile launch by Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and the latest one will replace the No. 2 satellite which has passed its use-by date, Kydo News said.
The development cost of the fourth satellite has reached 35.9 billion yen and its launch expenses have come to 10.4 billion yen, according to the government.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. were forced to put off the launch three times during the past four weeks due to the approach of a powerful typhoon and discovery of a system glitch. The rocket was initially scheduled to be sent into orbit on Aug. 28.
Meg Whitman named new HP CEO
Former eBay Chief Executive Officer and California governor candidate Meg Whitman on Thursday was named Hewlett-Packard's new CEO, replacing Leo Apotheker who served 11 months on the job. "We are fortunate to have someone of Meg Whitman's caliber and experience step up to lead HP," said the California-based company in a statement.
"We are at a critical moment and we need renewed leadership to successfully implement our strategy and take advantage of the market opportunities ahead," said the troubled tech giant.
It noted that the job of the HP CEO now requires additional attributes to successfully execute on the company's strategy, adding Whitman "has the right operational and communication skills and leadership abilities to deliver improved execution and financial performance."
"I am honored and excited to lead HP. I believe HP matters -- it matters to Silicon Valley, California, the country and the world," said Whitman in a statement.
Whitman, 55, joined the HP board in January and served as president and CEO of eBay from 1998 to 2008, when she led the company through its initial public offering and massive growth.
During her last years at eBay, she is blamed for not being able to halt the sales slowdown and overpaying for the 2005 acquisition of Skype with 4.1 billion dollars. In 2009, Skype was sold by eBay at a valuation of 2.75 billion dollars.
Whitman won the Republican nomination for governor of California in 2010. She lost the election to Gov. Jerry Brown after spending more than 140 million dollars of her own fortune on the campaign. Enditem
HP said the appointments are effective immediately, following the decision that Apotheker stepped down as president and CEO and resigned as a director of the company.
Multiple U.S. media reported on Wednesday that Apotheker was to be ousted, sending HP shares soaring on the market and in the after-hour trading.
Apotheker, 58, was named HP CEO 11 months ago to replace Mark Hurd, who was ousted due to a scandal over a personal relationship with a company contractor and then became co-president of Oracle. Before HP, Apotheker had served as CEO of German software giant SAP for 10 months.
On Aug. 18, Apotheker announced that HP will shut down its mobile business, spin off its core personal computer business and transfer into a cloud-based software and services provider for businesses including a 10.3 billion-dollar acquisition of British software company Autonomy.
Shares of the company plunged 20 percent the following day, the worst one-day loss since Black Monday in 1987.
On Sept. 30, 2010, the day before Apotheker's appointment as HP CEO, the tech giant's stock closed at 42.04 dollars. On Tuesday, the price closed at 22.47 dollars, a decrease of 46.6 percent in less than a year.
On Monday, HP was reported to begin sending over 500 employees pink slips in the WebOS division, after announcing to stop making WebOS devices in August.
"We are at a critical moment and we need renewed leadership to successfully implement our strategy and take advantage of the market opportunities ahead," said the troubled tech giant.
It noted that the job of the HP CEO now requires additional attributes to successfully execute on the company's strategy, adding Whitman "has the right operational and communication skills and leadership abilities to deliver improved execution and financial performance."
"I am honored and excited to lead HP. I believe HP matters -- it matters to Silicon Valley, California, the country and the world," said Whitman in a statement.
Whitman, 55, joined the HP board in January and served as president and CEO of eBay from 1998 to 2008, when she led the company through its initial public offering and massive growth.
During her last years at eBay, she is blamed for not being able to halt the sales slowdown and overpaying for the 2005 acquisition of Skype with 4.1 billion dollars. In 2009, Skype was sold by eBay at a valuation of 2.75 billion dollars.
Whitman won the Republican nomination for governor of California in 2010. She lost the election to Gov. Jerry Brown after spending more than 140 million dollars of her own fortune on the campaign. Enditem
HP said the appointments are effective immediately, following the decision that Apotheker stepped down as president and CEO and resigned as a director of the company.
Multiple U.S. media reported on Wednesday that Apotheker was to be ousted, sending HP shares soaring on the market and in the after-hour trading.
Apotheker, 58, was named HP CEO 11 months ago to replace Mark Hurd, who was ousted due to a scandal over a personal relationship with a company contractor and then became co-president of Oracle. Before HP, Apotheker had served as CEO of German software giant SAP for 10 months.
On Aug. 18, Apotheker announced that HP will shut down its mobile business, spin off its core personal computer business and transfer into a cloud-based software and services provider for businesses including a 10.3 billion-dollar acquisition of British software company Autonomy.
Shares of the company plunged 20 percent the following day, the worst one-day loss since Black Monday in 1987.
On Sept. 30, 2010, the day before Apotheker's appointment as HP CEO, the tech giant's stock closed at 42.04 dollars. On Tuesday, the price closed at 22.47 dollars, a decrease of 46.6 percent in less than a year.
On Monday, HP was reported to begin sending over 500 employees pink slips in the WebOS division, after announcing to stop making WebOS devices in August.
UARS poses negligible threat to life, property on Earth: Australian expert
Australian scientists on Saturday said a satellite due to re-enter Earth poses a negligible threat to life and property on Earth.
U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS), which weighs more than five tons, is expected to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere at 1058 (AEST) on Saturday. The U.S.-based Center for Orbital and Re-entry Debris Studies estimates that re-entry could occur up to seven hours before or after this time.
According to Nonathan Nally, a former editor of two space magazines and currently editor of the Australian Space News website, the satellite poses a negligible threat to life and property on Earth.
"Most of the satellite will burn up on re-entry, with perhaps as many as 26 stronger or harder small pieces surviving to reach the surface," Nally said in a statement.
"But with the majority of the Earth comprising oceans or uninhabited (or very sparsely populated) remote regions, the chances are overwhelming that any pieces of UARS that survive re- entry will fall harmlessly and never be seen again."
Since the spacecraft is no longer powered, U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration has no control over where it comes down, but Nally said there is a small chance that debris from the satellite could land in Australia.
Debris from SkyLab, another satellite which plunged to Earth, was scattered over parts of Western Australia in 1979. Skylab weighed about 77 tonnes, many times more than the UARS.?
Dr Alice Gorman, a lecturer in the Department of Archaeology, specializing in space archaeology, at Flinders University in South Australia, said the UARS satellite re-entry is very reminiscent of Skylab in 1979.
"There is the same exaggeration of the hazard through the media, public anxiety as the advance warning allows for speculation, and a lack of understanding of what the risks actually are," he said in a statement.
"Should it land in Australia, we might expect the same rush for souvenirs as we saw with Skylab, as anything that has been in space has a special meaning on Earth."?
UARS was launched on 12 September 1991 and decommissioned on 15 December 2005. Its total dry mass is about 5.5 tonnes. UARS is one of the largest NASA satellites to plunge back to Earth uncontrolled in the last 30 years.
Since the beginning of the Space Age in the late-1950s, there have been no confirmed reports of an injury resulting from re- entering space objects.? Nor is there a record of significant property damage resulting from a satellite re-entry.
U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS), which weighs more than five tons, is expected to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere at 1058 (AEST) on Saturday. The U.S.-based Center for Orbital and Re-entry Debris Studies estimates that re-entry could occur up to seven hours before or after this time.
According to Nonathan Nally, a former editor of two space magazines and currently editor of the Australian Space News website, the satellite poses a negligible threat to life and property on Earth.
"Most of the satellite will burn up on re-entry, with perhaps as many as 26 stronger or harder small pieces surviving to reach the surface," Nally said in a statement.
"But with the majority of the Earth comprising oceans or uninhabited (or very sparsely populated) remote regions, the chances are overwhelming that any pieces of UARS that survive re- entry will fall harmlessly and never be seen again."
Since the spacecraft is no longer powered, U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration has no control over where it comes down, but Nally said there is a small chance that debris from the satellite could land in Australia.
Debris from SkyLab, another satellite which plunged to Earth, was scattered over parts of Western Australia in 1979. Skylab weighed about 77 tonnes, many times more than the UARS.?
Dr Alice Gorman, a lecturer in the Department of Archaeology, specializing in space archaeology, at Flinders University in South Australia, said the UARS satellite re-entry is very reminiscent of Skylab in 1979.
"There is the same exaggeration of the hazard through the media, public anxiety as the advance warning allows for speculation, and a lack of understanding of what the risks actually are," he said in a statement.
"Should it land in Australia, we might expect the same rush for souvenirs as we saw with Skylab, as anything that has been in space has a special meaning on Earth."?
UARS was launched on 12 September 1991 and decommissioned on 15 December 2005. Its total dry mass is about 5.5 tonnes. UARS is one of the largest NASA satellites to plunge back to Earth uncontrolled in the last 30 years.
Since the beginning of the Space Age in the late-1950s, there have been no confirmed reports of an injury resulting from re- entering space objects.? Nor is there a record of significant property damage resulting from a satellite re-entry.
NASA says defunct satellite falls back to Earth
A decommissioned U.S. science satellite fell back to Earth but its precise re-entry time and location remained unknown, the U.S. space agency NASA said Saturday.
"The Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite fell back to Earth between 11:23 p.m. EDT Friday (0323 GMT Saturday) and 1:09 a.m. EDT (0509 GMT). The Joint Space Operations Center at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California said the satellite penetrated the atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean," said NASA.
The NASA stressed the risk to public safety or property is extremely small, adding that since the beginning of the Space Age in the late 1950s, there have been no confirmed reports of an injury resulting from re-entering space objects.
"Nor is there a record of significant property damage resulting from a satellite re-entry," NASA added.
The UARS satellite, launched in 1991 from a space shuttle, was the first multi-instrumented satellite to observe numerous chemical constituents of the atmosphere with a goal of better understanding atmospheric photochemistry and transport. Enditem
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Russian rocket puts military satellite into orbit
Russia's Proton-M carrier rocket put a military satellite into orbit Wednesday, said a spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry Space Forces.
Col. Alexei Zolotukhin told reporters that the Briz-M upper stage atop the Proton-M put the satellite into the target orbit at 11:48 Moscow time (0748 GMT).
The satellite, belonging to the Russian Defense Ministry, was launched along with the Proton-M rocket at 02:47 Moscow time (2247 GMT Tuesday) from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan.
The launch of the Proton-M rocket was the first one since a series setbacks of Russian rocket launch in August.
On Aug 18, a Proton-M carrier rocket failed to deliver a communication satellite Express-AM4 to the orbit. After the failure, Russia decided to suspend launches of rocket Proton-M pending the outcome of a probe into the accident.
On Aug. 24, a Progress M-12M cargo ship also failed to reach the orbit due to a rocket malfunction. Later, Russia delayed the launch of next manned spaceship to the International Space Station (ISS).
Col. Alexei Zolotukhin told reporters that the Briz-M upper stage atop the Proton-M put the satellite into the target orbit at 11:48 Moscow time (0748 GMT).
The satellite, belonging to the Russian Defense Ministry, was launched along with the Proton-M rocket at 02:47 Moscow time (2247 GMT Tuesday) from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan.
The launch of the Proton-M rocket was the first one since a series setbacks of Russian rocket launch in August.
On Aug 18, a Proton-M carrier rocket failed to deliver a communication satellite Express-AM4 to the orbit. After the failure, Russia decided to suspend launches of rocket Proton-M pending the outcome of a probe into the accident.
On Aug. 24, a Progress M-12M cargo ship also failed to reach the orbit due to a rocket malfunction. Later, Russia delayed the launch of next manned spaceship to the International Space Station (ISS).
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Cisco plans virtual switching for Microsoft's Hyper-V
Cisco is to bring its virtual switch to Hyper-V next year when Microsoft's Windows Server 8 is released, according to media reports on Tuesday.
The new support for Hyper-V will only apply to the forthcoming Windows Server 8, which introduces greater ability to integrate third-party modules than its predecessor, according to Cisco.
Today, Hyper-V customers can use a virtual switch included with Microsoft’s hypervisor, and connect to Cisco physical switches and other Cisco products like the Unified Computing System.
The new step of bringing Cisco virtual switch software to the hypervisor layer, however, will achieve greater visibility into virtual machines and better provisioning and management capabilities, Cisco says.
With the Nexus 1000V distributed virtual switch, Cisco is running a virtual switch inside of the hypervisor that, as far as the virtual machines are concerned, looks exactly like any other IOS-based switch from Cisco.
“Cisco’s policy enforcement, automated provisioning and diagnostics features are available through Cisco Nexus 1000V, and will help IT administrators rapidly deploy virtual workloads in Windows Server Hyper-V environments and scale to very large data centers,” Cisco said in an announcement on Monday.
All of Cisco's other virtual networking services -- Virtual Security Gateway, Adaptive Security Appliance, Wide Area Acceleration Service, and Network Analysis Module -- can plug into the Nexus 1000V.
Google kicks off mobile payments
In a step to make the credit card obsolete, Google Inc. has enlisted Visa to push mobile payments with the "Google Wallet" project allowing Visa account-holders to pay for purchases with their smartphones.
In a blog post Monday, Google said it has released its Google Wallet application to carrier partner Sprint Nextel Corp. and is rolling out the tool via an "over-the-air update" to a Sprint phone model that runs on Google's Android software.
The Google Wallet, which was already supported by Citigroup, MasterCard, Sprint Nextel Corp and First Data, also got a boost by enlisting Visa, the world's largest credit card company.
On Monday, Google and Visa said the Internet search leader had received a worldwide license to Visa's "paywave" -- similar to Mastercard's PayPass -- enabling its installation on Android smartphones.
"This agreement extends Google Wallet to Visa account holders worldwide," said Stephanie Tilenius, Google's vice president of Commerce and Payments.
The deal will allow banks that issue Visa-branded cards to enable their customers to add their cards to the service, though the banks must still sign separate agreements with Google, said John Partridge, president of Visa.
Google had originally announced Google Wallet in May. The service enables customers to link their credit or debit bank accounts to Android phones with the Google Wallet app installed. Then the users can tap their phones at specially installed terminals at checkout to effect a payment.
The application relies on a chip technology called near-field communication, or NFC, that allows a person to wave the phone in front of a special point of sale terminal to make a purchase.
Smartphones and the payment terminals must be equipped with the NFC technology in order for the system to work.
Google is one of a number of companies seeking inroads in a payment industry that's transforming as new technologies are introduced.
EBay Inc. (EBAY), for example, is undertaking an ambitious effort to expand its PayPal payments service.
Mobile phone carriers are making their own moves. Last year, Verizon Wireless, AT&T Inc. (T) and T-Mobile USA formed a mobile payments venture called Isis.
Facebook simplifies friend grouping with "smart lists"
Facebook unveiled a new feature called "smart lists" on Tuesday, giving its users an easier way to share photos, posts and updates with smaller groups of friends.
The feature is optional to use, and the lists are customizable.
People can read the updates of their "close friends" more prominently in their news feed and just big news of their "acquaintances", according to Naomi Gleit, the director of product at Facebook who worked on the new feature.
The new function, which commences on Wednesday, borrows from the success of the Circles feature of Google+, which allows users to categorize friends into groups.
With the new feature, Facebook can automatically put your friends into groups, with the first four being work, school, family and city, based on the information of colleges, workplaces and geographic locations in users' profiles.The feature is optional to use, and the lists are customizable.
"This is really something we have been working on for four years," Facebook director of product management Blake Ross told AFP, adding "We think this is the way people will make lists going forward."
In the meantime, the social networking site has also come up with "close friends" and "acquaintances" options.People can read the updates of their "close friends" more prominently in their news feed and just big news of their "acquaintances", according to Naomi Gleit, the director of product at Facebook who worked on the new feature.
Intel, Google announce partnership for Android smartphones
Intel and Google on Tuesday announced a partnership to enable the world's largest chip maker's architecture on the search giant's products, saying that an Intel chip-based Android smartphone will hit the market in the first half of 2012.
In a joint press release, the two companies said the future versions of Android mobile operating system will support Intel's low power Atom processors, in addition to other architectures.
At the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco on Tuesday, Intel Chief Executive Officer Paul Otellini said the Intel smartphone chip is code-named Medfield and based on the company's own PC- based computer architecture.
Otellini said multiple vendors around the world will launch the Medfield-based Android smartphones in the first half of 2012.
Andy Rubin, senior vice president of mobile at Google, came on stage at the close of Otellini's keynote to hail the joint initiatives between the two companies.
Intel has been struggling to get a bite of the booming market of smartphones and tablets. Most of the current mobile devices use chips based on architecture from ARM Holdings, which are considered more power efficient than Intel's products. Nokia had planned to ship smartphones with Intel chips this year, but it shifted to ARM-based phones with Windows Phone 7 system.
Otellini said Intel will eventually have an advantage in supplying smartphone chips as the business is not established in terms of the final winner and performance of the products keeps growing.
In a joint press release, the two companies said the future versions of Android mobile operating system will support Intel's low power Atom processors, in addition to other architectures.
At the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco on Tuesday, Intel Chief Executive Officer Paul Otellini said the Intel smartphone chip is code-named Medfield and based on the company's own PC- based computer architecture.
Otellini said multiple vendors around the world will launch the Medfield-based Android smartphones in the first half of 2012.
Andy Rubin, senior vice president of mobile at Google, came on stage at the close of Otellini's keynote to hail the joint initiatives between the two companies.
Intel has been struggling to get a bite of the booming market of smartphones and tablets. Most of the current mobile devices use chips based on architecture from ARM Holdings, which are considered more power efficient than Intel's products. Nokia had planned to ship smartphones with Intel chips this year, but it shifted to ARM-based phones with Windows Phone 7 system.
Otellini said Intel will eventually have an advantage in supplying smartphone chips as the business is not established in terms of the final winner and performance of the products keeps growing.
Listed Chinese Internet companies see revenues surge in Q2
Listed Chinese Internet companies reported surging revenues in the second quarter, raising hopes for a renewal of global investors' confidence in China-concept stocks, according to a latest report by a consulting agency.
A total of 37 major listed Chinese Internet companies saw their combined revenues up 38.7 percent year-on-year in the second quarter, China Securities Journal quoted the Beijing-based China Venture as saying in its report.
That was a higher growth than the 36.7 percent level in 2010, said the report.
Among those companies, revenues of online video-sharing companies jumped 118.4 percent year-on-year, followed by a 68.6 percent gain by social networking websites.
Expanding income has fueled venture capital and private equity investment in the sector, with a record high of 3.49 billion U.S. dollars raised in the second quarter, said China Venture.
The figures came after a wave of heavy short-selling of China-concept stocks on the American stock market in the second quarter.
While the US stock market used to be a major destination for initial public offerings (IPOs) of Chinese firms, the number of IPOs by Chinese companies there was down to zero in July.
If Chinese Internet companies continue to post robust results in the third quarter, investors' enthusiasm may be boosted again and listing of Chinese Internet firms on the U.S. stock market is likely to resume in the fourth quarter, said China Venture in its report.
In the second quarter, net profits by listed Chinese Internet enterprises slowed slightly to a 34.6 percent year-on-year growth, compared with 36.2 percent last year, according to the report.
China has the world's largest Internet user population, with 485 million Internet users at the end of June.
A total of 37 major listed Chinese Internet companies saw their combined revenues up 38.7 percent year-on-year in the second quarter, China Securities Journal quoted the Beijing-based China Venture as saying in its report.
That was a higher growth than the 36.7 percent level in 2010, said the report.
Among those companies, revenues of online video-sharing companies jumped 118.4 percent year-on-year, followed by a 68.6 percent gain by social networking websites.
Expanding income has fueled venture capital and private equity investment in the sector, with a record high of 3.49 billion U.S. dollars raised in the second quarter, said China Venture.
The figures came after a wave of heavy short-selling of China-concept stocks on the American stock market in the second quarter.
While the US stock market used to be a major destination for initial public offerings (IPOs) of Chinese firms, the number of IPOs by Chinese companies there was down to zero in July.
If Chinese Internet companies continue to post robust results in the third quarter, investors' enthusiasm may be boosted again and listing of Chinese Internet firms on the U.S. stock market is likely to resume in the fourth quarter, said China Venture in its report.
In the second quarter, net profits by listed Chinese Internet enterprises slowed slightly to a 34.6 percent year-on-year growth, compared with 36.2 percent last year, according to the report.
China has the world's largest Internet user population, with 485 million Internet users at the end of June.
Google to face Senate antitrust grilling
Google's executive chairman Eric Schmidt is to face a Senate hearing on whether the company is abusing its dominance in Internet search, according to media reports on Tuesday.
At the Wednesday's hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee's antitrust panel, Schmidt will argue that critics are wrong to say Google gives preference to its own products, instead, Google is just trying to deliver the best-cultivated search results for users.
The issue of search ranking is a touchy subject with Google, which says its algorithm is devised to give users the most useful result so they will come back.
Another focal point of the hearing, which Schmidt concerned most is "scrapers", those who game its search algorithm, for example, taking commonly searched words, combine them into a nonsensical block of text and throw it up on the Web to grab eyeballs and advertising dollars.
Google believes that, if scrapers succeed too often, consumers will lose confidence in search and turn to other resources, thus posing an existential threat to the company.
Regulators in the U.S. and abroad have been looking into various aspects of Google's business practices since the company's 2007 purchase of ad firm DoubleClick.
At the moment, European regulators are conducting an antitrust inquiry into Google's search business while the Federal Trade Commission is doing likewise.
At the Wednesday's hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee's antitrust panel, Schmidt will argue that critics are wrong to say Google gives preference to its own products, instead, Google is just trying to deliver the best-cultivated search results for users.
The issue of search ranking is a touchy subject with Google, which says its algorithm is devised to give users the most useful result so they will come back.
Another focal point of the hearing, which Schmidt concerned most is "scrapers", those who game its search algorithm, for example, taking commonly searched words, combine them into a nonsensical block of text and throw it up on the Web to grab eyeballs and advertising dollars.
Google believes that, if scrapers succeed too often, consumers will lose confidence in search and turn to other resources, thus posing an existential threat to the company.
Regulators in the U.S. and abroad have been looking into various aspects of Google's business practices since the company's 2007 purchase of ad firm DoubleClick.
At the moment, European regulators are conducting an antitrust inquiry into Google's search business while the Federal Trade Commission is doing likewise.
Google relies overwhelmingly on its core product, Internet search, and dominates the market for that product.
It handles around two-thirds of U.S. Internet searches and more than 80 percent in many European countries, according to comScore Inc.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Lenovo aims to become world's second-largest PC provider
Lenovo Group, China's largest PC maker, said it aims to become the world's second-largest PC provider by the end of this year, China Daily reported Friday.
The PC maker will take aggressive action to expand in the international PC market left by its competitors because of strategy adjustment, the English newspaper quoted Liu Chuanzhi, the board chairman of Lenovo, as saying.
A few weeks ago, the world's biggest PC maker Hewlett-Packard Corp. said it will spin off its PC sector. Apple Inc's former CEO Steve Jobs resigned.
"The Chinese market is the starting point for Lenovo, but it won't be the only place Lenovo should put emphasis on. We will set up a more active strategy for expanding in overseas markets," Liu said.
The PC maker has long been focusing on the global market. It purchased the PC division of the IBM Corp. a few years ago. In January, it announced a 175-million-U.S.-dollar joint venture with Japan's NEC Corp. In July, Lenovo completed its acquisition of Medion AG, a German multimedia and consumer electronics maker.
The PC maker will take aggressive action to expand in the international PC market left by its competitors because of strategy adjustment, the English newspaper quoted Liu Chuanzhi, the board chairman of Lenovo, as saying.
A few weeks ago, the world's biggest PC maker Hewlett-Packard Corp. said it will spin off its PC sector. Apple Inc's former CEO Steve Jobs resigned.
"The Chinese market is the starting point for Lenovo, but it won't be the only place Lenovo should put emphasis on. We will set up a more active strategy for expanding in overseas markets," Liu said.
The PC maker has long been focusing on the global market. It purchased the PC division of the IBM Corp. a few years ago. In January, it announced a 175-million-U.S.-dollar joint venture with Japan's NEC Corp. In July, Lenovo completed its acquisition of Medion AG, a German multimedia and consumer electronics maker.
Amazon in talks to launch digital book rental service: report
Amazon.com Inc. is talking with book publishers to launch a rental subscription service for digital books, U.S. media reported on Monday.
Several publishing executives said they aren't enthusiastic about the idea because it could lower the value of books and it could also strain their relationships with other retailers that sell their books, The Wall Street Journal quotes people familiar with the matter in a report.
The Seattle-based company is considering a digital book library featuring old titles, which would be available to Amazon Prime subscribers, who currently pay 79 U.S. dollars a year for access to digital library of movies and TV shows and unlimited two-day shipping, said the report.
Amazon would offer book publishers a substantial fee and could limit the amount of books that Amazon Prime customers could read for free every month, the report cited some sources as saying.
The online retailing giant makes the popular electronic reader Kindle and is also reported to launch a color touchscreen tablet before October to compete with Apple's iPad and other devices in the increasingly crowded tablet computer market.
The proposal is another sign that retailers are looking for more ways to deliver content digitally as customers increasingly read book and watch TV on personal computers, tablets and other electronic devices, said The Wall Street Journal report.
Several publishing executives said they aren't enthusiastic about the idea because it could lower the value of books and it could also strain their relationships with other retailers that sell their books, The Wall Street Journal quotes people familiar with the matter in a report.
The Seattle-based company is considering a digital book library featuring old titles, which would be available to Amazon Prime subscribers, who currently pay 79 U.S. dollars a year for access to digital library of movies and TV shows and unlimited two-day shipping, said the report.
Amazon would offer book publishers a substantial fee and could limit the amount of books that Amazon Prime customers could read for free every month, the report cited some sources as saying.
The online retailing giant makes the popular electronic reader Kindle and is also reported to launch a color touchscreen tablet before October to compete with Apple's iPad and other devices in the increasingly crowded tablet computer market.
The proposal is another sign that retailers are looking for more ways to deliver content digitally as customers increasingly read book and watch TV on personal computers, tablets and other electronic devices, said The Wall Street Journal report.
Mobile web users to top wireline users by 2015 in U.S.: study
More U.S. Internet users will access Internet through mobile devices than through PCs or other wireline devices by 2015, market research company International Data Corporation (IDC) said in its latest study released on Monday.
According to IDC, the number of mobile Internet users will grow by a compound annual growth rage of 16.6 percent between 2010 and 2015, as mobile devices sales, such as smartphones and media tablets, explode.
"The impact of smartphone and especially, media tablet adoption will be so great that the number of users accessing the Internet through PCs will first stagnate and then slowly decline," said IDC in a forecast.
Western Europe and Japan will not be far behind the U.S. in following this trend, the study noted.
IDC also predicts that some 40 percent of the world's population will have access to Internet in 2015, when the total number of Internet users will grow to 2.7 billion from 2 billion in 2010.
"Forget what we have taken for granted on how consumers use the Internet," Karsten Weide, IDC's research vice president of media and entertainment, said in a statement.
"Soon, more users will access the Web using mobile devices than using PCs, and it's going to make the Internet a very different place," he added.
According to IDC, the number of mobile Internet users will grow by a compound annual growth rage of 16.6 percent between 2010 and 2015, as mobile devices sales, such as smartphones and media tablets, explode.
"The impact of smartphone and especially, media tablet adoption will be so great that the number of users accessing the Internet through PCs will first stagnate and then slowly decline," said IDC in a forecast.
Western Europe and Japan will not be far behind the U.S. in following this trend, the study noted.
IDC also predicts that some 40 percent of the world's population will have access to Internet in 2015, when the total number of Internet users will grow to 2.7 billion from 2 billion in 2010.
"Forget what we have taken for granted on how consumers use the Internet," Karsten Weide, IDC's research vice president of media and entertainment, said in a statement.
"Soon, more users will access the Web using mobile devices than using PCs, and it's going to make the Internet a very different place," he added.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Fisker Automotive signs supplier deal with BMW
Fisker Automotive, a Southern California electric car maker, announced on Thursday that it has signed a pact with BMW regarding the supply of engines and other related components for future models in a major tieup. The Anaheim, Orange County-based U.S. car maker will get a four-cylinder turbocharged engine, totalling 100,000 units every year, for its next generation of cars under a project code-named "Project Nina," the company said.
The production of the model, a mass-market plug-in hybrid sedan, will begin at the end of 2012 and the sale is slated for 2013.
"The BMW engine was an obvious choice for us, as BMW is known for producing the best and most fuel efficient gasoline engines in the world," Fisker's CEO and Executive Design Director Henrik Fisker said. "We are very pleased to have signed this agreement with BMW."
The firm did not disclose the terms.
The U.S. automaker, founded in 2007, has produced electric vehicles with extended range (EVer). The first derivative of "Project Nina" will be a mid-sized premium sedan which utilizes the technology.
The company's other products include Fisker Karma Sedan, a luxury sports car and the world's first premium electric plug-in hybrid.
The production of the model, a mass-market plug-in hybrid sedan, will begin at the end of 2012 and the sale is slated for 2013.
"The BMW engine was an obvious choice for us, as BMW is known for producing the best and most fuel efficient gasoline engines in the world," Fisker's CEO and Executive Design Director Henrik Fisker said. "We are very pleased to have signed this agreement with BMW."
The firm did not disclose the terms.
The U.S. automaker, founded in 2007, has produced electric vehicles with extended range (EVer). The first derivative of "Project Nina" will be a mid-sized premium sedan which utilizes the technology.
The company's other products include Fisker Karma Sedan, a luxury sports car and the world's first premium electric plug-in hybrid.
Police help Apple hunt lost iPhone
San Francisco police said they had helped Apple search for a "lost item," following reports saying that a prototype of Apple's yet-to-be-released iPhone 5 had gone missing in July.
Last week, technology news website CNET reported that an Apple employee lost at a tequila bar in San Francisco in July a prototype of iPhone 5, a new version of the company's mobile phone expected to be released in September or October.
The San Francisco Police Department said in a press release that after the missing device was tracked using GPS technology to a San Francisco house, four police officers and two Apple employees visited the home.
"Apple employees called Mission police station directly, wanting assistance in tracking down a lost item," the statement said.
"The two Apple employees met with the resident and then went into the house to look for the lost item," it said. "The Apple employees did not find the lost item and left the house."
Police did not say exactly what Apple had lost, but media reports found the file of San Francisco police's Friday press release about the hunt was named "iphone5.doc" -- an apparent hint of the new mobile device.
A 22-year-old resident of the home, identified by SF Weekly as Sergio Calderon, told the newspaper that he has visited the bar where the phone was reportedly lost but he did not have the device.
Calderon said the search of his house took place in July when police had traced the phone to the house using satellite positioning software on the device, but did not find anything in the house.
Apple has declined to comment on the matter.
Last year, an employee of the company lost a prototype iPhone 4 in a Redwood City bar before it was released. The details of the phone ware then unveiled by technology blog Gizmodo.
Criminal charges have been filed against the man who found the prototype and another who brokered the deal to sell it to Gizmodo. Both men pleaded not guilty on Thursday.
Yahoo fires CEO Carol Bartz
Yahoo on Tuesday fired Chief Executive Officer Carol Bartz and replaced her temporarily with the company's chief financial officer.
"On behalf of the entire board, I want to thank Carol for her service to Yahoo during a critical time of transition in the company's history, and against a very challenging macro-economic backdrop," said Yahoo Chairman Roy Bostock in a news release.
The Yahoo Board of Directors appointed CFO Timothy Morse as interim CEO who will manage the company's day-to-day operations until a permanent chief executive is chosen.
Before Yahoo's formal announcement, several news organizations and tech blogs posted an email reportedly from Bartz sent from her iPad to all employees of the company.
"To all, I am very sad to tell you that I've just been fired over the phone by Yahoo's Chairman of the Board. It has been my pleasure to work with all of you and I wish you only the best going forward."
Bartz, 63, took over the Yahoo CEO role from co-founder Jerry Young in January 2009, when the company was struggling to stay competitive and profitable in a market dominated by Google. However, Yahoo never reached the heights she had foreseen.
In the most recent quarterly earnings report in June, Yahoo reported net revenue of 1.1 billion U.S. dollars, down 5 percent from last year.
Morse, 42, was hired as executive vice president and CFO at Yahoo in July 2009. "It is an honor to be selected for this role," he said in a statement Tuesday.
Yahoo said it is starting a search for a new permanent CEO and plans to hire a "nationally recognized executive search firm" to assist in the effort.
"On behalf of the entire board, I want to thank Carol for her service to Yahoo during a critical time of transition in the company's history, and against a very challenging macro-economic backdrop," said Yahoo Chairman Roy Bostock in a news release.
The Yahoo Board of Directors appointed CFO Timothy Morse as interim CEO who will manage the company's day-to-day operations until a permanent chief executive is chosen.
Before Yahoo's formal announcement, several news organizations and tech blogs posted an email reportedly from Bartz sent from her iPad to all employees of the company.
"To all, I am very sad to tell you that I've just been fired over the phone by Yahoo's Chairman of the Board. It has been my pleasure to work with all of you and I wish you only the best going forward."
Bartz, 63, took over the Yahoo CEO role from co-founder Jerry Young in January 2009, when the company was struggling to stay competitive and profitable in a market dominated by Google. However, Yahoo never reached the heights she had foreseen.
In the most recent quarterly earnings report in June, Yahoo reported net revenue of 1.1 billion U.S. dollars, down 5 percent from last year.
Morse, 42, was hired as executive vice president and CFO at Yahoo in July 2009. "It is an honor to be selected for this role," he said in a statement Tuesday.
Yahoo said it is starting a search for a new permanent CEO and plans to hire a "nationally recognized executive search firm" to assist in the effort.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Police help Apple hunt lost iPhone
San Francisco police said they had helped Apple search for a "lost item," following reports saying that a prototype of Apple's yet-to-be-released iPhone 5 had gone missing in July.
Last week, technology news website CNET reported that an Apple employee lost at a tequila bar in San Francisco in July a prototype of iPhone 5, a new version of the company's mobile phone expected to be released in September or October.
The San Francisco Police Department said in a press release that after the missing device was tracked using GPS technology to a San Francisco house, four police officers and two Apple employees visited the home.
"Apple employees called Mission police station directly, wanting assistance in tracking down a lost item," the statement said.
"The two Apple employees met with the resident and then went into the house to look for the lost item," it said. "The Apple employees did not find the lost item and left the house."
Police did not say exactly what Apple had lost, but media reports found the file of San Francisco police's Friday press release about the hunt was named "iphone5.doc" -- an apparent hint of the new mobile device.
A 22-year-old resident of the home, identified by SF Weekly as Sergio Calderon, told the newspaper that he has visited the bar where the phone was reportedly lost but he did not have the device.
Calderon said the search of his house took place in July when police had traced the phone to the house using satellite positioning software on the device, but did not find anything in the house.
Apple has declined to comment on the matter.
Last year, an employee of the company lost a prototype iPhone 4 in a Redwood City bar before it was released. The details of the phone ware then unveiled by technology blog Gizmodo.
Criminal charges have been filed against the man who found the prototype and another who brokered the deal to sell it to Gizmodo. Both men pleaded not guilty on Thursday.
Google+ "identity service": Schmidt
The search giant Google admits it sees the new Google+ social network as an "identity service" or platform on which it can build other products, according to media reports.
Google chariman Eric Schmidt said Google isn't interested in changing its policies to accommodate users such as political dissidents or others who prefer to remain anonymous: If people want to remain anonymous, then they shouldn't use Google+.
"Fundamentally, [Google+] depends on people using their real names if they're going to build future products that leverage that information," NPR's Andy Carvin wrote in a post on Google+ as he paraphrased Schmidt's remarks.
Critics say the move is harmful to political activists, victims of harassment and numerous other groups for whom using a real name online might pose a safety risk, according to CNN reports.
"Regarding people who are concerned about their safety, [Schmidt] said G+ is completely optional," Carvin wrote.
Meanwhile, according to Carvin, Schmidt also said "the Internet would be better if we knew you were a real person rather than a dog or a fake person. Some people are just evil and we should be able to ID them and rank them downward."
Apple said to have lost another prototype iPhone
Apple lost another iPhone prototype at a Bay Area bar, according to media reports Thursday.
It is reported that an Apple employee lost a prototype iPhone at San Francisco bar Cava 22 in late July, which is a tequila bar in the mission district.
A joint investigation by Apple and San Francisco police searched a local house but could not find it, the reports added.
It seems that Apple employees learned nothing from last year’s lost iPhone scandal. A prototype iPhone 4 was lost in a Redwood City bar last year.
Apple has denied any knowledge of the incident, and San Francisco police stated that Apple did not file a police report for the lost merchandise.
If the reports are true, it would be a big blow to Apple’s ego since the company takes pride in its secretive nature.
NASA to launch twin probes to measure moon gravity
NASA will launch on Thursday twin lunar orbiters built to map the gravity of Earth's moon in unprecedented detail, media reported Tuesday.
The twin lunar probes, Graili-A and Graili-B, will blast off from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 8:37 a.m. EDT and at 9:16 a.m. EDT respectively Thursday, according to NASA.
The Grail twins will travel three to four months to get to the moon under a slower but more economical plan.
The two spacecrafts will reach the moon around New Year's Day when they will begin to probe the moon's composition from the crust to the core, according to NASA.
The data collected by the probes will be used to better understand the moon's evolution and formation, NASA scientists said.
Researchers will also use the twin probes to pinpoint the best landing sites for future explorations.
The mission, from start to finish, costs 496 million U.S. dollars. The two Grail probes will crash into the moon after its mission.
Monday, September 5, 2011
Sony presents new Sony S, Sony P tablets in Berlin
Kazuo Hirai, President and Group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment, presents the new Sony S tablet (R) and the P tablet during a news conference at the IFA consumer electronics fair in Berlin August 31, 2011. Sony Corp took the wraps off its long-awaited tablets on Wednesday with price tags that could hurt the company's chances to compete for the No. 2 spot in the tablet market. In Europe, the S tablet will cost 479 euros and will be in stores in September. Sony said the S tablet is unique because of a universal remote inside the computer that can be used to control stereos, cable television boxes and TV sets of many brands. The P tablet comes with 4 GB of memory and looks like a clutch purse. It has two 5.5-inch screens that can be folded together and weighs less than a pound. In Europe, the P tablet will cost 599 euros and be out in November.
Apple said to have lost another prototype iPhone
Apple lost another iPhone prototype at a Bay Area bar, according to media reports Thursday.
It is reported that an Apple employee lost a prototype iPhone at San Francisco bar Cava 22 in late July, which is a tequila bar in the mission district.
A joint investigation by Apple and San Francisco police searched a local house but could not find it, the reports added.
It seems that Apple employees learned nothing from last year’s lost iPhone scandal. A prototype iPhone 4 was lost in a Redwood City bar last year.
Apple has denied any knowledge of the incident, and San Francisco police stated that Apple did not file a police report for the lost merchandise.
If the reports are true, it would be a big blow to Apple’s ego since the company takes pride in its secretive nature.
Samsung withdraws Galaxy Tab 7.7 from Berlin exhibition
Visitors experience the Galaxy Tab 7.7 of Samsung Electronics Co., unveiled for the first time at the annual International Radio Exhibition (IFA), at its booth in Berlin, capital of Germany, on Sept. 2, 2011. Samsung Electronics Co. said Sunday that it is not showcasing its latest Galaxy Tab tablet computer any more at the ongoing annual trade show here in a bid to respect a German court's approval of an injunction sought by Apple Inc.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)