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Amazon Debuts New, Low Price Wi-Fi Kindle - InternetNews.com
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 30 Jul 2010 | 4:07 am Apple Quietly Settles Patent Lawsuit, Promptly Gets Hit With Another One
Ah, the good ol’ patent minefield. According to Law360, a paywall-shielded newswire for lawyers, Apple yesterday settled a patent infringement lawsuit with patent troll Minerva Industries, whose website is apparently currently, ahem, ‘temporarily closed under repair’. This morning, Apple was hit with another patent infringement suit, brought on by Israeli technology holding Emblaze, which alleges the Cupertino company has refused to license its media streaming technology at issue. Here’s a quick rundown for both cases: Minerva Industries Minerva Industries accused Apple of infringing its patent for mobile media technology, filing suit against the iPhone maker back in January 2008, mere hours after being granted U.S. Patent Number 7,321,783. The patent covers “a mobile entertainment and communication device in a palm-held size, housing has a cellular or satellite telephone capable of wireless communication with the Internet and one or more replaceable memory card sockets for … recording data directly from the Internet and, in particular, musical performances that then can be selectively reproduced by the device for the enjoyment of the user,” according to the patent’s abstract. It also describes a camera and microphone that can be used to record images and sound onto a phone. Last Tuesday, Apple and Minerva filed a joint motion to dismiss all claims and counterclaims, stipulating that each party would bear its own costs and attorneys’ fees. On Wednesday, Magistrate Judge Charles Everingham of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas promptly dismissed the infringement lawsuit with prejudice after receiving the alert. Minerva Industries had earlier settled lawsuits with HP, Research In Motion, Sony Ericsson, Motorola, Nokia, Alltel, Boost Mobile, Qwest Wireless, Sprint Nextel and Verizon Communications. As I said earlier, there’s a patent troll at work here. Emblaze Group Ra’anana, Israel-based Emblaze announced on Thursday that it was suing Apple, alleging that the company had ripped off its media streaming patent and repeatedly refused to license the technology it claims to have invented and pioneered in the late nineties. Emblaze says it warned Apple in December 2009 that the iPhone maker’s recently announced HTTP live streaming application, used on the iPhone, the iPod touch, Mac OS X and the iPad, would infringe the plaintiff’s patent for streaming technology. The patent-in-suit, U.S. Patent Number 6,389,473 titled “Network media streaming,” covers “a method for real-time broadcasting from a transmitting computer to one or more client computers over a network”. Emblaze’s streaming technology makes it possible to send live or prerecorded audio and video to other devices without the use of servers dedicated to streaming, the company said. The technology minimizes data traffic and provides “reliable” streaming through firewalls, it added. The company in February also issued a warning to Microsoft, asserting that its IIS Smooth Streaming system unlawfully incorporates Emblaze’s patented technology. (Image via Flickr user opensourceway – original) Information provided by CrunchBase      
Source: TechCrunch | 30 Jul 2010 | 4:05 am Global warming 'undeniable,' world report says - Montreal Gazette
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 30 Jul 2010 | 4:05 am UPDATE 3-Bitter smartphone war seen pinching vendor margins* Cellphone mkt volume grew 13 pct in Q2 -Strategy AnalyticsSource: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 30 Jul 2010 | 4:04 am Kindle for iOS Brings iPad Search, Dictionary, Fast-Switching
Just days after updating the hardware Kindle with a smaller, cheaper model, Amazon has updated the Kindle app for iOS devices and it remains the same size and the same price (free). This release brings something for everyone in the form of iOS4 compatibility and general improvements. There are a few dull but worthy additions: fast app-switching on the iPhone 4, improved search on the iPhone and iPod Touch and something has been done to the line-spacing on the iPad to “improve” it. But that’s boring. Much meatier are Google and Wikipedia lookup for words, along with a 250,000-word dictionary. Interestingly, this dictionary isn’t included in the download itself, but is pulled down the first time you highlight a word. Google and Wikipedia lookups whisk you off to Safari. An in-app browser would be nice, but I guess with the fast app-switching, it wouldn’t save much time. The best news for iPad users is that there is now searching inside books, so buying cook-books from the Kindle store now makes sense. And that’s it. Like the new Kindle, none of the new features is huge in itself, but together they make an already good product better. Kindle for iPhone and iPad [iTunes] See Also:
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Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 30 Jul 2010 | 4:01 am European Research Project Aims to Improve the Diagnosis and Therapy of Brain DiseasesSource: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 30 Jul 2010 | 4:00 am SAP Completes Acquisition of Sybase, Inc.Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 30 Jul 2010 | 4:00 am TripAdvisor Teams Up With Nokia to Empower Even More TravelersSource: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 30 Jul 2010 | 4:00 am BigCommerce Delivers Multi-Channel Ecommerce for Small and Mid-Sized MerchantsSource: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 30 Jul 2010 | 4:00 am YouTube boosts upload limit to 15 minutes (AP)AP - In case 10 minutes isn't enough to show off your guitar solo skills or Lady Gaga impersonation, YouTube has raised the limit it places on video uploads to 15 minutes.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 30 Jul 2010 | 3:48 am Facebook may postpone IPO to 2012: report (Reuters)Reuters - Social networking website Facebook Inc may postpone its initial public offering until 2012, Bloomberg said, citing three people familiar with the matter said.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 30 Jul 2010 | 3:48 am UPDATE 2-Hitachi Q1 profit beats consensus, hikes H1 outlook* Keeps Y340 bln 10/11 profit f'cast, in line with consensusSource: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 30 Jul 2010 | 3:16 am FBI access to e-mail and Web records raises fears (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 30 Jul 2010 | 3:13 am Million-dollar contest launched for oil clean-up ideas - TG Daily
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 30 Jul 2010 | 3:11 am More Japan workers lose jobs, factory output falls (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 30 Jul 2010 | 3:04 am 'Bizarre' Nanobubbles Found In Strained Grapheneschliz writes "Physicists have observed 'bizarre' behaviour in graphene electrons that they say could make the material even more suitable to replace silicon in future electronic devices. When strained in a particular manner, nanobubbles formed on a sheet of graphene, within which electrons came to occupy particular, quantum energy levels rather than the usual, continuous range of energies in unstrained graphene. By controlling electrons' energy levels, researchers could control how easily they moved through graphene — in effect, controlling their conductivity, optical, or microwave properties."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 30 Jul 2010 | 3:04 am Samsung says 2Q net profit surges 83 percent (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 30 Jul 2010 | 2:54 am UPDATE 2-Belgacom ups revenue forecast on solid first half* H1 core profit 1.43 bln euros vs 1.43 bln euro forecastSource: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 30 Jul 2010 | 2:19 am It’s Hard To Tell If Voyurl Or Their Ads Are Creepier
A few weeks ago, we were alerted to a new site currently in stealth mode called Voyurl. As the name implies, the idea behind it is to make it so you can see what other people are looking at on the web (and to make your clickstream seen). It sounds creepy as hell. It’s like Blippy but with more potential porn. I love it. But when I tried to sign up for the service, they sent me a note back that it wasn’t quite ready yet and that they were cranking on the beta. Fine, that happens from time to time. I can be patient. But I’m not sure I can quietly wait any longer when the site starts running ads like this. As freshly unemployed angel investor Joshua Schachter pointed out this evening, Voyurl has one hell of a way to get potential investors’ attention: buy Google ads targeted at them. “Well, that’s one way to get a potential investor’s attention. I’m either impressed or creeped out,” Schachter notes. Voyurl’s ad reads: Hi Joshua. We’re VOYURL. We Love Delicious. And We’d Love to Talk! Well, it definitely worked. He saw the ad — though it’s not clear if he wants to talk after seeing it. I, for one, am even more intrigued now. The service is giving me some spiel about how it’s all about open data. That’s nice, but what I find really interesting is the concept of people showing off every website they’re browsing at all times — in realtime. From their landing page:
Again, Blippy for web browsing. Ads targeted at angel investors aside, they’re actually trying to raise money through Kickstarter. While would-be Facebook rival Diaspora raised some $200,000 that way, Voyurl only has about $1,300 so far. But they still have 75 days to go to reach their $10,000 goal — so help them out if this idea interests you. Voyurl co-founder Adam Leibsohn managed to get profiled a couple years ago in the New York Times. Here’s what they wrote:
Again, I keep getting more intrigued. Is Voyurl going to be the next big thing, or a haven for online predators? I can’t wait to find out. As a sidenote, this is the second time Schachter has found oddly targeted ads around his name. The last time, it was Yahoo (the company he quit in 2008 after selling Delicious to them) who was trying to find new employees on Google off of searches for his name. Classy. Schachter apparently loves Googling himself. As we all do. Soon, we’ll be able to prove it on Voyurl.
     
Source: TechCrunch | 30 Jul 2010 | 2:06 am Microsoft Totally Going to Make Things Happen in Tablets [Digital Daily]
And just how does the company propose to “make things happen”? Well, that’s not entirely clear, but make no mistake, things are definitely going to happen. “We’re working with our hardware partners, we’re tuning Windows 7 to work on slates,” Ballmer explained. “We’ve got the user base, we’ve got the user familiarity. We’ve got everything on our side if we do things really right.” Of course that’s often the case with Microsoft (MSFT). The problem is, it doesn’t always manage to do things really right. Certainly, it didn’t manage it with Windows Vista. Or Windows Mobile. Or Zune. Or, more recently, Kin. Who’s to say this time will be any different? Source: All Things Digital | 30 Jul 2010 | 2:00 am Samsung Elec to introduce Android-based tablet in Q3 (Reuters)Reuters - Samsung Electronics Co plans to introduce tablet computers this quarter based on Google's Android operating system, joining a growing list of firms seeking to challenge Apple's popular iPad.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 30 Jul 2010 | 1:47 am Google says China services back up (AFP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 30 Jul 2010 | 1:36 am UPDATE 4-Samsung Elec sees weak profit after record Q2* Warns of chip price fall, weak margins in H2 on competitionSource: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 30 Jul 2010 | 1:15 am Amazon Starts Delivering Items In Reusable TotesBy Chris Scott Barr If you do a lot of shopping online, then chances are that you’re used to having a plethora of boxes and packing supplies taking up space in your house. Not only is it a pain to...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 30 Jul 2010 | 1:11 am Goldman Sachs eyes Slovene top bank - paperLJUBLJANA, July 30 (Reuters) - US bank Goldman Sachs is interested in taking over Slovenia's largest bank Nova Ljubljanska Banka (NLB), daily paper Finance reported on Friday, citing unofficial government...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 30 Jul 2010 | 1:07 am Alcatel keeps 2010 goals despite parts scramble* Q2 adjusted operating income 28 mln vs. consensus 20.2 mlnSource: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 30 Jul 2010 | 1:05 am The WikiLeaks Paradox [Voices]By Farhad Manjoo, Technology Columnist, Slate Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, doesn’t know who leaked the thousands of Afghanistan war documents that his site posted this week. That’s not unusual—it’s how WikiLeaks works. To get a scoop to WikiLeaks, a would-be whistle-blower clicks the Submit Documents button on the site’s home page, then uploads a file through a form that encrypts every interaction between the source and the site. Read the rest of this post on the original site Source: All Things Digital | 30 Jul 2010 | 1:04 am Our Rotting Video-Game Heritage [Voices]By Christopher Mims, Blogger, Mim’s Bits Not long ago a film buff turned up a 90 year old film of Charlie Chaplin. It had not shown since 1914, and was utterly forgotten by film historians — yet because analog film technology has remained fundamentally unchanged since its invention, preservationists were able to re-debut the movie at a film festival in Virginia. Read the rest of this post on the original site Source: All Things Digital | 30 Jul 2010 | 1:03 am The History and Use of "Spoiler Alert" [Voices]By Nate Freeman, Writer, The Awl In her July 14 article about the premiere of the fourth season of “Mad Men,” Alessandra Stanley neglected to include a phrase that precedes potentially revealing facts in film and TV reviews: “spoiler alert.” Fans read ahead and the damage was done. Read the rest of this post on the original site Source: All Things Digital | 30 Jul 2010 | 1:02 am Is There Really a Key to Reboot the Internet? [Voices]By Jemima Kiss, Media Reporter, Guardian.co.uk It sounds like a Fellowship of the Ring for the internet age – a carefully chosen alliance of technology warriors, safeguarding a mythical key that could one day shut down the internet. According to yesterday’s news reports, these keyholders will share responsibility for “rebooting the web” in the event of a catastrophic global meltdown. Read the rest of this post on the original site Source: All Things Digital | 30 Jul 2010 | 1:01 am Video Content Farms: HowcastContent farms have been in the spotlight over the past year. They're companies that generate hundreds or thousands of new pieces of content on a daily basis. Much of their traffic comes from Google search,...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 30 Jul 2010 | 1:01 am First, Give Away the Game [Voices]By Nick Wingfield, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal More videogame companies, angling for larger audiences for big-budget online games, are making their products free to play in the hopes they can make more money by charging players for virtual goods. Videogame makers in Asia, who years ago figured out how to make money from free services by began charging players for virtual goods on free services, like weapons and outfits. Now that approach is catching on in the U.S., even among makers of big-budget online games. This week, Sony Corp.’s (SNE) videogame unit said it plans to soon offer a free version of “EverQuest II,” the company’s flagship online fantasy game, while allowing players to upgrade their characters by purchasing better virtual armor and other items. It’s a big change from the $15-a-month subscription fee Sony normally charges for the game—a plan that will continue to exist for players who don’t want to pay a la carte fees for virtual goods. Read the rest of this post on the original site Source: All Things Digital | 30 Jul 2010 | 1:00 am Daily Crunch: Gift Bag Edition
The Goodbyn Lunch Box: You Know, For Kids
Source: CrunchGear | 30 Jul 2010 | 1:00 am Exclusive: Google, CIA Invest in 'Future' of Web Monitoring [Voices]By Noah Shachtman, Editor, Danger Room, Wired.com The investment arms of the CIA and Google (GOOG) are both backing a company that monitors the web in real time — and says it uses that information to predict the future. The company is called Recorded Future, and it scours tens of thousands of websites, blogs and Twitter accounts to find the relationships between people, organizations, actions and incidents — both present and still-to-come. Read the rest of this post on the original site Source: All Things Digital | 30 Jul 2010 | 1:00 am 'Nightmare' start for iPhone 4's latest launch (AFP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 30 Jul 2010 | 12:59 am TripAdvisor Teams up With Nokia to Empower Even More TravellersLONDON, July 30, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- - TripAdvisor Now Available Through Nokia's Ovi Maps and Ovi Store: Includes Flights, Hotels, Restaurants and Attractions TripAdvisor(R), the world's largest travel site, has announced a new partnership with mobile giant Nokia which will include an Ovi app for Nokia's Ovi Store, and integration of the TripAdvisor service into Nokia's Ovi Maps. The TripAdvisor for Nokia app allows travellers to search for popular hotels, restaurants and attractions in their vicinity, as well as find the cheapest airfares available. The app is available in 12 different languages, giving travellers around the globe a localised TripAdvisor experience. With the tap of a finger, Nokia users can now find and filter hotels and attractions by rating, distance and price. Travellers can also post reviews while they're on the road and their experiences are still fresh. "Our collaboration with Nokia further strengthens our commitment to providing trusted and valuable travel advice at home or on the go," said Steve Kaufer, TripAdvisor founder and CEO. "We are thrilled to launch TripAdvisor for Nokia, which gives even more travellers a new way to access the more than 35 million traveller reviews and opinions available on TripAdvisor." As part of the agreement, a dedicated TripAdvisor service will also be integrated into the popular Ovi Maps environment. "The ability to find the best places around you is a key advantage of connected mobile services. The Trip Advisor integration means Nokia users get immediate access to the latest user reviews of the restaurants, hotels, and attractions in their immediate area, or anywhere else in the world they may want to discover while on the go. Global free drive & walk navigation on Ovi Maps means that once you find that great place, you are sure to get there hassle-free using Ovi," said Robert Rogers, Senior Manager, Ovi Publish. The TripAdvisor for Nokia app is available for free to all Nokia Symbian touchscreen smartphone users globally today on the Ovi store. Trip Advisor for Ovi Maps launches today in select markets, with full global roll-out scheduled within a month. Note To Editor: TripAdvisor also has free apps available for iPhone, Android and Palm Pre users, and the TripAdvisor mobile website is compatible with all major cell phones and smartphones. About TripAdvisor Media Network TripAdvisor(R) Media Network, operated by TripAdvisor, LLC, attracts 46 million monthly visitors* across 17 popular travel brands: TripAdvisor(R), http://www.airfarewatchdog.com, http://www.bookingbuddy.com, http://www.cruisecritic.com, http://www.familyvacationcritic.com, http://www.flipkey.com, http://www.frequentflier.com, http://www.holidaywatchdog.com, http://www.independenttraveler.com, http://www.onetime.com, http://www.seatguru.com, http://www.smartertravel.com , http://www.travel-library.com, http;//www.travelpod.com, http;//www.virtualtourist.com, http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk and http://www.kuxun.cn. TripAdvisor-branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, with more than 37 million monthly visitors*, 15 million registered members and 35 million reviews and opinions. Featuring real advice from real travellers, TripAdvisor-branded sites cover more than one million destinations, hotels, restaurants and attractions and operate in the U.S. (http://www.tripadvisor.com), the U.K. (http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk ), Ireland (http://www.tripadvisor.ie), France (http://www.tripadvisor.fr), Germany (http://www.tripadvisor.de), Italy (http://www.tripadvisor.it), Spain (http://www.tripadvisor.es), India (http://www.tripadvisor.in), Japan (http://www.tripadvisor.jp), Portugal and Brazil ( http://www.tripadvisor.com.br), Sweden (http://www.tripadvisor.se), The Netherlands (http://nl.tripadvisor.com), Canada (http://www.tripadvisor.ca), Denmark (http://www.tripadvisor.dk), Turkey (http://www.tripadvisor.com.tr), Mexico (http://www.tripadvisor.com.mx), Norway (http://no.tripadvisor.com), Poland (http://pl.tripadvisor.com) and Australia ( http://www.tripadvisor.com.au). TripAdvisor also operates in China under the brand daodao.com (http://www.daodao.com). TripAdvisor(R) Media Network provides travel suppliers with graphical advertising opportunities and a cost-per-click marketing platform. Collectively, the sites comprising the TripAdvisor Media Network have won hundreds of awards and accolades from press and industry worldwide. TripAdvisor and the sites comprising the TripAdvisor Media Network are operating companies of Expedia, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPE). TripAdvisor and the TripAdvisor logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of TripAdvisor LLC in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other logos or product and company names mentioned herein may be the property of their respective owners. (c)2010 TripAdvisor LLC. All rights reserved. *Source: comScore Media Metrix, Worldwide, June 2010 SOURCE TripAdvisorSource: RedOrbit News - Technology | 30 Jul 2010 | 12:58 am GEAR4 UnityRemote Saves Your iPhone From Cumbersome DonglesBy Andrew Liszewski I like the idea of using an iPhone or an iPod Touch as a universal remote, but I’m not so crazy about having to stick it in a case, or attach some cumbersome dongle to give it...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 30 Jul 2010 | 12:34 am Eutelsat Communications Reports a Record Full Year 2009-2010 with Revenue and EBITDA Growth Above 11%- Targets surpassed: - Revenue growth of more than EUR100 million: +11.3% at EUR 1.047 billion - Record profitability: EBITDA[1] at EUR 827.8 million (+11.5%) - Group share of net income: EUR 269.5 million (+9.0%) - Proposed dividend growing by +15% at EUR0.76 per share - Exceptional visibility: backlog at EUR 4.9 billion (+24%) representing 4.7 years of revenues - Solid outlook: - Revenue Compound Average Growth Rate above 7% over the next three years, with revenues exceeding EUR1.12 billion in 2010-2011 - EBITDA margin target maintained above 77% for each fiscal year until June 2013, with EBITDA target above EUR875 million in 2010-2011 The Board of Directors' meeting of Eutelsat Communications (ISIN: FR0010221234 - Euronext Paris: ETL), under the chairmanship of Giuliano Berretta, met yesterday and reviewed its financial results for the year ended June 30, 2010. Twelve months ended June 30 2009 2010 Change Key elements of consolidated income statement Revenues EURm 940.5 1,047.2 +11.3% EBITDA EURm 742.1 827.8 +11.5% EBITDA margin % 78.9 79.0 +0.1 pt Group share of net income EURm 247.3 269.5 +9.0% Diluted earnings per share EUR 1,126 1,224 +8.7% Key elements of consolidated cash flow statement Net cash flow from operating activities EURm 654.7 698.3 +6.7% Capital expenditure EURm 416.6 494.4 +18.7% Operating free cash flow EURm 358.7 203.9 -43.2%[2] Key elements of financial structure Net debt EURm 2,326 2,424 +4.2% Net debt/EBITDA X 3.13 2.93 Backlog Backlog EURbn 3.94 4.88 +23.8% Commenting on the full year 2009-2010 results, Michel de Rosen, CEO of Eutelsat Communications, said: "Our record growth of more than 11% achieved for both revenues and EBITDA benefited from the rapid take-up of the in orbit expansion programme which we began three years ago. Our strategy puts us at the heart of the most dynamic markets of the digital economy: television and broadband in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Our backlog has increased by 24% in one year to 4.9 billion euros, reflecting the strength of our orbital positions in markets with high potential for growth. It gives us exceptional visibility equivalent to 4.7 years of sales. Our ambition for the long-term is to continue to deliver growth, profitability and reliability. Seven satellites currently in construction will increase our in-orbit capacity by 25% within three years. Our goal over this period is clear: to exceed the average rate of 7% annual growth in revenues achieved since 2005, while maintaining an EBITDA margin of more than 77% which ensures we can continue to deliver an attractive return to our shareholders." RECORD REVENUE GROWTH OF MORE THAN EUR100 MILLION Note: Unless otherwise stated, all growth indicators or comparisons are made against the previous fiscal year or June 30, 2009. The share of each application as a percentage of total revenues is calculated excluding "other revenues" and "one-off revenues". Revenues by business application (in millions of euros) Change Twelve months ended June 30 2009 2010 (in EUR (in %) million) Video Applications 679.7 742.0 +62.3 +9.2% Data & Value Added Services 173.0 203.7 +30.8 +17.8% Data Services 134.1 157.4 +23.2 +17.3% Value Added Services 38.8 46.3 +7.5 +19.3% Multi-usage 75.4 98.1 +22.7 +30.1% Others and one-off revenues [3] 12.5 3.4 -9.1 NM Total 940.5 1,047.2 +106.7 +11.3% At a constant euro-dollar exchange rate, revenue growth would have been 12.6% compared with 2008-2009 fiscal year. Excluding one-off revenues and at a constant euro-dollar exchange rate, growth would have been 12.4%. The reported sales performance is the result of the development of Eutelsat's in-orbit resources, particularly: - full year impact of the three satellites that entered into service in the course of the previous year; - doubling of capacity at the 36degrees East orbital position, following the entry into service in January 2010 of the W7 satellite (70 transponders) which is co-located with the W4 satellite. VIDEO APPLICATIONS (71.1% of revenues[4]) Video Applications registered strong growth of +9.2% at EUR742 million. - The premium HOT BIRDTM video neighbourhood serving extended Europe was further strengthened by the renewal and extension of existing contracts with leading pay-TV operators including Sky Italia. The number of TV channels broadcast from this neighbourhood was 1,122 as of June 30, 2010, up by 81 channels over the same period last year. - The number of channels broadcast from video neighbourhoods serving the Second Continent[5] increased by 20.7% year-on-year with the addition of almost 300 channels. This progress was particularly strong for the neighbourhoods where Eutelsat increased capacity, specifically at 7 degrees West and 36 degrees East. In total, the number of TV channels broadcast by Eutelsat's fleet at June 30, 2010 was 3,662, marking an increase of 471 channels (+ 14.8% year-on-year). HDTV was a major growth factor with the number of HDTV channels up by 69 (+80%). As of June 30, 2010, Eutelsat's fleet was broadcasting 155 HDTV channels of which 61 from its premium HOT BIRDTM and EUROBIRDTM 1 neighbourhoods targeting Western Europe, and 94 from other neighbourhoods serving the Second Continent. Sharp increase in the number of TV channels broadcast from video neighbourhoods serving the Second Continent Orbital Markets 30/06/09 30/06/10 % Change position 7 degrees West North Africa, Middle East 181 321 +77.3% 7 degrees East Turkey 181 198 +9.4% 9 degrees East Europe 245 272 +11.0% 16 degrees East Eastern and Central Europe, 376 415 +10.4% Indian Ocean islands 36 degrees East Russia, Africa 451 525 +16.4% Total 1,434 1,731 +20.7% DATA and VALUE-ADDED SERVICES (19.5% of revenues) Data and Value-Added Services registered strong revenue growth of 17.8%. The entry into service in May 2009 and in January 2010 of two satellites offering excellent coverage of Africa and of the Middle East resulted in the strengthening of Eutelsat's position on these markets which enjoy robust demand for satellite capacity for corporate networks, interconnecting GSM networks and backbone Internet connectivity for Internet Service Providers beyond range of fibre. During the past fiscal year, Eutelsat further extended its distribution network for the TOOWAY(TM) consumer broadband service in anticipation of the arrival of the KA-SAT satellite in 2011 which will support service roll-out on a large scale. A total of 63 distributors in 30 countries are now part of the distribution network for TOOWAY(TM) which addresses homes beyond range of high-speed networks. With KA-SAT, Eutelsat will also be able to sell innovative solutions targeted at professional data networks, and local or regional television. MULTI-USAGE (9.4% of revenues) Multi-usage services (up 30.1%[6]) continue to benefit from strong demand from governments, notably to serve regions in Central Asia and the Middle East. Business momentum benefited from the redeployment of the EUROBIRD(TM) 4A[7] satellite to 4 degrees East in June 2009. OTHER AND NON-RECURRING REVENUES Non-recurring and other revenues mainly include payment of late delivery penalties related to the W2A and W7 satellites. LEASED TRANSPONDERS INCREASED 9% Having successfully anticipated increased demand from its main markets, Eutelsat brought its available resources to 652 transponders in stable orbit as of June 30, 2010, marking an 11% increase (or 63 transponders) compared to the prior year. These resources were activated within the framework of the Group's ambitious investment programme which is fully self-financed from cash generated from operations. The Group leased an additional 47 transponders (+9%) during the year. The fill rate consequently fell to 87.5% as of June 30, 2010. Fleet evolution As of June 30 2008 2009 2010 Operational 501 589 652 transponders[8] Leased transponders[9] 468 523 570 Fill rate 93.4% 88.8% 87.5% Note: The evolution of the number of operational transponders during the second half 2009-2010 is explained by the entry into service of the W7 satellite, by the relocation of several satellites and by the end of life in January 2010 of the W2 satellite which had 27 transponders. REMARKABLE 23.8% INCREASE OF BACKLOG AT EUR 4.9 BILLION The backlog increased by 23.8% during the fiscal year thanks to additional capacity leased by leading operators such as Intersputnik (Russia), MultiChoice Africa (Africa), Nilesat and Noorsat (both in the Middle East). This performance substantially increases the Group's long-term visibility on revenues and operating cash flow. Based on 2009-2010 revenues, the backlog is equivalent to almost 4.7 times annual revenues, with weighted average residual life of contracts of eight years. Backlog[10] main indicators: As of June 30 2008 2009 2010 Value of contracts (in billions of euros) 3.4 3.9 4.9 In number of annual revenues based on last fiscal 3.9 4.2 4.7 year Weighted average residual life of contracts (in 7.4 7.8 8.0 years) Share of Video Applications 93% 92% 92% FURTHER IMPROVEMENT OF KEY INCOME STATEMENT METRICS EBITDA margin maintained at the highest level of leading satellite operators Significantly above the initial target of more than EUR795 million, EBITDA registered a strong increase of 11.5% to EUR827.8 million compared with the prior fiscal year due to excellent sales performance and continued tight cost control. Operating expenses as a percentage of revenues were almost flat compared with the prior fiscal year. The 10.6% increase in operating expenses, which was lower than revenue growth, reflects: - policy of strict cost control; - increase of resources dedicated to supporting the development of new offers (FRANSAT, TOOWAY(TM)); - evolution of marketing and selling expenses in markets with high potential; - rise in satellite insurance costs, in-line with the fleet expansion. Thus, EBITDA margin was 79.0%, slightly above the level of 2008-2009 (78.9%). Group share of Net income increase of 9% to EUR269.5 million The efficient refinancing of the Eutelsat S.A. subsidiary, and the foreign exchange and interest rate hedging policies kept the financial result at a level almost identical to last year, despite non-recurring costs related to the refinancing and the unwinding of certain derivative interest rate hedging contracts tied to the previous financing. Those charges were noteably offset by a sharp reduction in loan interest, after the effect of the hedges, linked to lower interest rates. Group net share increased EUR22.2 million (+9.0%), despite the non-recurring income of EUR25.0 million recorded in the previous fiscal year in exchange for the transfer of certain rights related to Hispasat.[11] Unlike the previous year, the Group share of Net Income for fiscal year 2009-2010 did not have any significant non-recurring items. The progress reflects: - an increase of EUR36.9 million in operating profit[12], limited by the non-recurring EUR25.0 million mentioned above in the last fiscal year and an increase of EUR19.1 million of amortisation ; reflecting the increase of the fleet capacity; - income from associates of EUR1.9 million (+11.8%) which reflects the continued quality of the performance of Hispasat. Extract from the consolidated income statement (in millions of euros)[13] Twelve months ended June 30 2009 2010 Change (%) Revenues 940.5 1,047.2 +11.3% Operating expenses[14] (198.4) (219.4) +10.6% EBITDA 742.1 827.8 +11.5% Depreciation and amortisation[15] (294.3) (313.4) +6.5% Other operating income (charges) 23.8 (5.8) NM Operating income 471.6 508.6 +7.8% Financial result (99.6) (100.6) +1.0% Income tax expense (128.0) (143.2) +11.8% Income from associates 16.0 17.8 +11.8% Portion of net income attributable to (12.6) (13.0) +3.0% non-controlling interests Group share of net income 247.3 269.5 +9.0% HIGH LEVEL OF NET CASH FLOW FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES Net cash flow from operating activities: nearly EUR700 million, or 66.7% of revenues Confirming the strength of its business model, the Group continued to generate high cash flows from its operating activities, up EUR43.6 million (+6.7%) compared to last year despite the following: - reimbursement of a deposit in 2008-2009 of corporate tax in the amount of EUR21.6 million paid in 2007-2008; - gain in 2008-2009 of non-recurring EUR25.0 million income mentioned above[16]. Excluding these non-recurring items, cash flow from operating activities would have increased 14.8%. More than EUR200 million of operating free cash flow remains a surplus. The decline of EUR154.8 million compared to the previous year is the result of: - an insurance payment in 2008-2009 of EUR120.5 million for the W2M satellite; - an increase of 18.7% in capital expenditures for EUR 494.4 million: this amount is consistent with the average annual target of EUR450 million over the period 2009-2012 announced in July 2009. These investments include the completion and launch of the W7 satellite, which occurred November 24, 2009, as well as the ongoing major programme of renewal and expansion of orbital resources detailed below. Excluding non-recurring items[17], operating free cash flow would have increased 6.4%. Strengthening of Group financial structure The net debt[18] to EBITDA ratio improved for the fifth year in a row, from 3.13x a year ago to 2.93x at June 30, 2010, despite increased investments and distribution to shareholders (up 10% at EUR156.2 million). Net debt to EBITDA ratio As of June 30 2009 2010 Change (EURm) Net debt at the beginning of the EURm 2,422 2,326 -96 period Net debt at the end of the EURm 2,326 2,424 +98 period Net debt / EBITDA X 3.13 2.93 In March 2010, Eutelsat S.A. of which Eutelsat Communications owns 96% of the share capital, fully refinanced its EUR1.3 billion credit facility which was due to maturity in November 2011. The Group's financial debt now comprises: - EUR1.6 billion senior unsecured credit facility, with maturity ending in June 2013, issued by Eutelsat Communications; - EUR300 million senior unsecured revolving credit facility (undrawn as of June 30, 2010), with maturity ending in June 2013, issued by Eutelsat Communications; - EUR850 million senior unsecured bonds bearing coupon of 4.125%, with maturity ending in March 2017, issued by Eutelsat SA; - EUR450 million senior unsecured revolving credit facility (undrawn as of June 30, 2010), with maturity ending in March 2015, issued by Eutelsat SA. Given the refinancing of Eutelsat S.A., average maturity of Eutelsat Communications' debt was extended to 4.8 years as of June 30, 2010, compared with 3.2 years as of June 30, 2009. The average cost of debt drawn by the Group decreased to 3.61% (after hedging) in 2009-2010 compared with 4.15% in 2008-2009, reflecting lower interest rates. CONTINUATION OF IN-ORBIT renewal and expansion programME Eutelsat continued to implement its investment programme with seven satellites in construction and scheduled for launch over the coming three years. Its objective is to increase fleet capacity by 25% over this period and to renew five satellites[19] coming to their end of life. The Group has selected Thales Alenia Space, EADS Astrium and Space Systems/Loral to build, respectively, the W6A, W5A and EUROBIRD(TM) 2A (in partnership with ictQATAR) satellites which are expected to be launched in 2012-2013: - W6A: its mission will be to replace the W6 satellite and increase by more than 50% the resources available at 21.5 degrees East, a core neighbourhood anchored for data, professional video and government services across Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia; - W5A: its mission will be to replace the W5 satellite and more than double resources available at 70.5 degrees East. It will be used for a range of professional applications that include government services, broadband access, GSM backhauling and professional video exchanges in Europe, Africa and Central and South-East Asia.; - EUROBIRD(TM) 2A: being built in the framework of a partnership with ictQATAR, representing the state of Qatar, its mission will be to replace EUROBIRD(TM) 2 satellite at 25.5 degrees East. Its payload of 46 transponders in Ku and Ka bands will be shared with ictQATAR. The launch of the W3B and KA-SAT satellites are scheduled respectively for September and November 2010: - W3B: will be launched at 16 degrees East, where its initial mission will be to renew and double capacity available at this position in order to support the development of digital TV in Central and Eastern Europe and French-speaking Indian Ocean islands, as well as open new resources for data services over Africa; - KA-SAT: this multi-beam satellite will offer competitive consumer and professional broadband solutions and support development of local and regional TV in Europe and in the Mediterranean Basin. It will be equipped with unmatched Ka-band capacity in Europe, in a frequency band which is complementary to the Ku-band. The W3C and ATLANTIC(TM) BIRD 7 satellites are under construction with launches scheduled in fiscal year 2011-2012: - W3C will replace W3B satellite at 16 degrees East allowing the latter to be relocated at 7 degrees East where it will be collocated with the W3A satellite. This configuration will enable Eutelsat to offer significantly enhanced security from 7 degrees East for clients requesting this service, and to increase operational transponders at this neighbourhood by more than 50 per cent.; - ATLANTIC BIRD(TM) 7: its mission will be to replace the ATLANTIC BIRD(TM) 4A satellite at 7 degrees West, a key neighbourhood for digital broadcasting markets in the Middle East and North Africa, which Eutelsat operates in close collaboration with the Egyptian satellite operator Nilesat. DISTRIBUTION TO SHAREHOLDERS OF 62% OF GROUP SHARE OF NET INCOME The July 29, 2010 Board of Directors decided to submit to the approval of shareholders at the November 9, 2010 AGM the distribution of 0.76 euro per share, compared with 0.66 euro for fiscal year 2008-2009. This amount which represents an increase of 15% over the previous year and a pay-out ratio of 62%, demonstrating Eutelsat's willingness to regularly offer its shareholders an attractive remuneration. MEDIUM-TERM OUTLOOK: GROWTH, PROFITABILITY AND VISIBILITY Solid Medium-term growth outlook The Group now targets revenues in excess of EUR1.120 billion for fiscal year 2010-2011 and a 3-year CAGR above 7% over the next three fiscal years 2010-2011 to 2012-2013. This increase is consistent with the 25% fleet capacity expansion (including KA-SAT) planned over the same period by the investment programme described above. Objective of high level profitability Given the excellent performance achieved in 2009-2010, the Group is adjusting its profitability objectives: it targets EBITDA margin above 77% for each fiscal year until June 2013 - against the objective announced in July 2009 of around 77% - with EBITDA above EUR875 million for fiscal year 2010-2011. Active and targeted investment policy With the aim of leveraging its unique positioning in Western Europe and in the rapidly growing markets of its Second Continent, the Group will pursue an active and targeted investment policy with average capital expenditure of EUR450 million per annum over the period fiscal years 2011 - 2013, to finance the acquisition and launches (including insurance) of the seven satellites listed above. Sound financial structure The Group intends to maintain a sound financial structure targeting a net debt to EBITDA ratio lower than 3.5x, in order to keep its investment grade credit ratings attributed by Moody's and Standard & Poor's. Attractive shareholder remuneration Over the period fiscal years 2011 - 2013, the Group is committed to share its profits with its shareholders targeting a pay-out ratio in the range of 50% to 75%. CORPORATE GOVERNANCE In June 2010, the Board of Directors of Eutelsat Communications co-opted two new directors: - Francisco Reynes is Chief Executive Officer of Abertis, which he joined in May 2009 from the post of Managing Director of Criteria CaixaCorp, the investor holding company of la Caixa, Europe's largest savings bank. He replaces Carlos Sagasta Reussi who resigned; - Olivier Rozenfeld, board member and former financial director of Iliad Group. He began his career in international finance at Merrill Lynch and Goldman Sachs at their London and New York offices. He is an independent director and replaces Pier Francesco Guarguaglini who resigned. Both nominations will be submitted for approval to the next Ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders. With these two new appointments, the Board of Eutelsat Communications comprises 11 directors, including two independent directors. *** Documentation Consolidated accounts are available at http://www.eutelsat.com in Investors section Results presentation meeting to Analysts and Investors Eutelsat Communications will hold an analysts and investors meeting on Friday July 30, 2010 to present its financial results for the full year 2009-2010. The meeting will take place at Group headquarters, 70 rue Balard, 75015 Paris, starting at 10am. The call-in numbers for audio (French and English) are 01-70-99-42-66 (from France) and +44-20-7138-0824 (from abroad). A replay will be available from July 30, 2010 from 2pm (Paris time) to August 5, 2010 midnight (Paris time), by dialling +33-01-74-20-28-00 (from France), access code: 7491462#, or +44-207-111-1244 (from abroad), access code: 6074112#. Conference call in English Eutelsat Communications will also hold a conference call in English for analysts and investors on July 30, 2010. The call will begin at 3:30pm Paris time (New York: 9:30am, London: 2:30pm). This conference call will be webcast live from the home page of the Investor Relations section at www.eutelsat.com. It can also be accessed via the following telephone numbers: - +33-01-70-99-42-70 (from France) - +44-207-138-0826 (from Europe) - +1-212-444-0481 (from the United States). A replay of the call will be available from July 30, 2010 at 8:00pm (Paris time) to August 5, 2010 midnight (Paris time), by dialling: - +33-01-74-20-28-00 (from France) - +44-207-111-1244 (from Europe) - +1-347-366-9565 (from the United States). Access code: 1714998#. A presentation and consolidated accounts will be available on the Group's website (http://www.eutelsat.com) from 7:30am (Paris time) on July 30, 2010. Financial calendar The financial calendar below is provided for information purposes only. It is subject to change and will be regularly updated. - November 4, 2010: financial report for first quarter ended September, 30, 2010. - November 9, 2010: Annual Shareholders Meeting. - February 17, 2011: earnings for the first half ended December 31, 2010. - May 10, 2011: financial report for third quarter ended March 31, 2011. - July 28, 2011: earnings for the full year ended June 30, 2011 About Eutelsat Communications Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL, ISIN code: FR0010221234) is the holding company of Eutelsat S.A.. With capacity commercialised on 26 satellites that provide coverage over the entire European continent, as well as the Middle East, Africa, India and significant parts of Asia and the Americas, Eutelsat is one of the world's three leading satellite operators in terms of revenues. At 30 June 2010, Eutelsat's satellites were broadcasting more than 3,600 television channels. More than 1,100 channels broadcast via its HOT BIRD(TM) video neighbourhood at 13 degrees East which serves over 120 million cable and satellite homes in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. The Group's satellites also serve a wide range of fixed and mobile telecommunications services, TV contribution markets, corporate networks, and broadband markets for Internet Service Providers and for transport, maritime and in-flight markets. Eutelsat's broadband subsidiary, Skylogic, markets and operates access to high speed internet services through teleports in France and Italy that serve enterprises, local communities, government agencies and aid organisations in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas. Headquartered in Paris, Eutelsat and its subsidiaries employ nearly 661 commercial, technical and operational employees from 28 countries. http://www.eutelsat.com Appendix Quarterly revenues by business application (financial year 2008-2009) Three months ended In millions of euros 30/09/2008 31/12/2008 31/03/2009 30/06/2009 Video Applications 166.7 169.8 172.3 170.8 Data & Value-Added Services 41.1 43.2 42.3 46.4 Multi-usage 15.6 19.3 19.7 20.8 Other 3.2 4.5 2.2 0.8 Sub-total 226.7 236.8 236.5 238.8 One-off revenues - - - 1.8 Total 226.7 236.8 236.5 240.5 Quarterly revenues by business application (financial year 2009 -2010) Three months ended In millions of euros 30/09/2009 31/12/2009 31/03/2010 30/06/2010 Video Applications 180.8 180.6 189.6 191.0 Data & Value-Added Services 47.7 48.7 52.0 55.3 Multi-usage 22.9 21.5 25.1 28.6 Other 1.7 1.0 0.7 (4.0) Sub-total 253.0 251.8 267.4 270.9 One-off revenues - 3.2 0.9 - Total 253.0 255.0 268.3 270.9 Note: At a constant euro-dollar exchange rate, revenue growth would have been 12.5% in Q4 2009-2010 compared with Q4 2008-2009. Excluding one-off revenues and at a constant euro-dollar exchange rate, growth would have been 13.3% in Q4 2009-2010 compared with Q4 2008-2009. Revenue breakdown by application (in percentage of revenues)* Twelve months ended June 30 2009 2010 Video Applications 73.3% 71.1% Data & Value-Added Services 18.6% 19.5% .......of which Data Services 14.4% 15.1% .......of which Value-Added Services 4.2% 4.4% Multi-usage 8.1% 9.4% Total 100% 100% *excluding other revenues and one-off revenues (EUR12.5 million in FY 2008-2009 and EUR3.4 million in FY 2009-2010) Change in net debt (in millions of euros) Twelve months ended June 30 2009 2010 Change (%) Net cash flow from operating activities 654.7 698.3 +6.7% Capital expenditure (416.6) (494.4) +18.7% Insurance indemnities on property and 120.5 - equipment Operating free cash flow 358.7 203.9 -43.2% Interest and other fees paid, net (102.8) (75.4) -26.6% Acquisition of minority interests and others (7.5) (6.7) - Distributions to shareholders (including (141.7) (156.2) +10.2% minority interests) Non-recurring expenses related following - (54.1) - Eutelsat SA refinancing[20] Other (11.1) (9.3) - Decrease (increase) in net debt 95.6 (97.8) Estimated satellite launch schedule Satellite Estimated launch Transponders W3B September 2010 56 Ku KA-SAT November 2010 > 80 Ka beams W3C June - September 2011 56 Ku ATLANTIC BIRD(TM) 7 September - December 2011 50 Ku W6A July - September 2012 40 Ku W5A October - December 2012 48 Ku EUROBIRD(TM) 2A H1 2013 32 Ku / 14 Ka Note: Satellites generally enter into service one to two months after launch. [1] EBITDA is defined as operating income before depreciation and amortisation, impairments and other operating income/charges (dilution profits (losses), insurance compensations, etc.). [2] Excluding non-recurring items, operating free cash flow was up 6.4%. [3] Non-recurring revenues comprise late delivery penalties and outage penalties [4] Percentage calculated excluding "other revenues" and "one-off revenues" [5] Eutelsat defines its 1st continent (Western Europe) and its 2nd continent which comprises: Central and Eastern Europe, Russia, Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia. [6] At constant euro-dollar exchange rate, revenue growth would have been 33.1%. [7] Formerly W1 which was redeployed to 4 degrees East. [8] Number of transponders in stable orbit, excluding spare capacity. [9] Number of transponders leased on satellites in stable orbit. [10] Backlog represents future revenues from capacity lease agreements (including contracts for satellites yet to be delivered). These capacity lease agreements can be for the entire operational life of the satellites. [11] A leading satellite operator for Hispanic markets, of which Eutelsat holds 27.69% [12] Excluding non-recurring items, the operating proft would have grown by 13.4%. [13] For more detail, please refer to Group interim consolidated accounts at www.eutelsat.com. [14] Operating expenses is defined as the sum of operating costs and of selling, general & administrative expenses. [15] Comprises amortisation expense of EUR 44.4 million corresponding to the intangible asset "Customer Contracts and Relationships" identified during the acquisition of Eutelsat S.A. by Eutelsat Communications. [16] In exchange for the transfer of certain rights in Hispasat. [17] They include insurance indemnity proceeds related to the W2M satellite (EUR 120.5 million), the non-recurring income of recorded in exchange for certain rights in Hispasat (EUR 25.0 million) and the reimbursement of corporate tax deposit (EUR 21.6 million). [18] Net debt includes all bank debt, bonds and all liabilities from long-term lease agreements, less cash and cash equivalents and marketable securities (net of bank credit balances). [19] EUROBIRD(TM) 16, EUROBIRD(TM) 2, W5, W6 and SESAT 1. [20] It includes the cash settlement of outstanding balance corresponding to the unwinding of interest rate hedging instruments, following the repayment of Eutelsat S.A.'s senior credit facilities, the bond issue premium and fees related to the refinancing operation. Note : This press release contains unaudited consolidated financial statements prepared under IFRS, adopted by the Board of Directors of Eutelsat Communications on July 29, 2010 and reviewed by the Audit Committee July 28, 2010. These accounts will be subject to the approval of shareholders of Eutelsat Communications at the Annual General Shareholders Meeting of November 9, 2010. SOURCE Eutelsat CommunicationsSource: RedOrbit News - Technology | 30 Jul 2010 | 12:28 am Advanced Semiconductor Engineering, Inc. Reports Unaudited Consolidated Financial Results for the Second Quarter of 2010TAIPEI, Taiwan, July 30 /PRNewswire-Asia-FirstCall/ -- Advanced Semiconductor Engineering, Inc. (TAIEX: 2311; NYSE: ASX) ("We", "ASE", or the "Company"), the world's largest independent provider of IC packaging and testing services, today reported unaudited net revenue(1) of NT$46,416 million for the second quarter of 2010 (2Q10), up 122% year-over-year and up 24% sequentially. Net income for the quarter totaled NT$4,613 million, up from a net income of NT$1,674 million in 2Q09 and NT$3,395 million in 1Q10. Diluted earnings per share for the quarter was NT$0.76 (or US$0.120 per ADS), compared to diluted earnings per share of NT$0.29 for 2Q09 and NT$0.57 for 1Q10. To aid investors in understanding the significance of the Company's successful tender offer for 78.1% of the outstanding common shares of Universal Scientific Industrial Co., Ltd. ("USI") in the second quarter of 2010, this earnings release includes (i) the Company's pro forma and actual financial results both reflecting the consolidation of USI, and (ii) consolidated financial results for USI. USI's financial results are reflected in the Company's actual financial results for the first quarter beginning in February 2010 and for the second quarter of 2010. The pro forma financial results reflect the completion of the USI tender offer as if it had occurred on January 1, 2009. The presentation of the financial results for USI and the Company as described above are for purposes of this earnings release only. (1) All financial information presented in this press release is unaudited, consolidated and prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the Republic of China, or ROC GAAP. Such financial information is generated internally by us, and has not been subjected to the same review and scrutiny, including internal auditing procedures and audit by our independent auditors, to which we subject our audited consolidated financial statements, and may vary materially from the audited consolidated financial information for the same period. Any evaluation of the financial information presented in this press release should also take into account our published audited consolidated financial statements and the notes to those statements. In addition, the financial information presented is not necessarily indicative of our results for any future period. RESULTS OF OPERATIONS 2Q10 Results Highlights -- Actual Basis -- Net revenue contribution from IC packaging operations (including module assembly), testing operations, EMS operations and substrates sold to third parties was NT$25,700 million, NT$5,288 million, NT$14,726 million, and NT$702 million, respectively, and each represented approximately 55%, 11%, 32% and 2%, respectively, of total net revenues for the quarter. -- Cost of revenue was NT$36,500 million, up 123% year-over-year and up 22% sequentially. -- Raw material cost totaled NT$22,108 million during the quarter, representing 48% of total net revenue, compared with NT$17,130 million and 46% of total net revenue in the previous quarter. -- Labor cost totaled NT$5,164 million during the quarter, representing 11% of total net revenue, compared with NT$4,476 million and 12% of total net revenue in the previous quarter. -- Depreciation, amortization and rental expenses totaled NT$4,470 million during the quarter, up 7% year-over-year and sequentially. -- Total operating expenses during 2Q10 were NT$4,153 million, including NT$1,560 million in R&D and NT$2,593 million in SG&A, compared with operating expenses of NT$3,277 million in 1Q10. Total operating expenses as a percentage of net revenue for the current quarter were 9%, slightly down from 10% in 2Q09 and the same as the previous quarter. -- Operating income for the quarter totaled NT$5,763 million, up from NT$4,279 million in the previous quarter. Operating margin increased to 12% in 2Q10 from 11% in 1Q10. -- In terms of non-operating items: -- Net interest expense was NT$282 million, down from NT$292 million a quarter ago primarily due to lower loan balance during the quarter. -- Net foreign exchange loss of NT$80 million was primarily attributable to the appreciation of the U.S. dollar against the N.T. dollar. -- Gain on equity-method investments of NT$36 million was primarily attributable to our investment income of NT$43 million from Hung Ching Construction and investment loss of other investments. -- Other non-operating loss of NT$54 million was primarily related to miscellaneous loss. Total non-operating expenses for the quarter was NT$380 million, compared to non-operating expenses of NT$337 million for 2Q09 and non-operating expense of NT$206 million for 1Q10. -- Income before tax was NT$5,383 million for 2Q10, compared to NT$4,073 million in the previous quarter. We recorded income tax expense of NT$611 million during the quarter, compared to NT$455 million in 1Q10. -- In 2Q10, net income was NT$4,613 million, compared to net income of NT$1,674 million for 2Q09 and net income of NT$3,395 million for 1Q10. -- Our total number of shares outstanding at the end of the quarter was 6,049,280,572, including retroactive stock dividend and treasury stock owned by our subsidiaries. Our 2Q10 diluted earnings per share of NT$0.76 (or US$0.120 per ADS) was based on 6,010,598,704 weighted average number of shares outstanding in 2Q10. 2Q10 Results Highlights -- Pro Forma Basis Assuming USI Consolidated at the Beginning of Each Applicable Period -- Net revenue contribution from IC packaging operations, testing operations, EMS operations and substrates sold to third parties was NT$25,700 million, NT$5,288 million, NT$14,726 million, and NT$702 million, respectively, and each represented approximately 55%, 11%, 32% and 2%, respectively, of total net revenues for the quarter. -- Cost of revenues was NT$36,500 million, up 35% year-over-year and up 8% sequentially. -- Total operating expenses during 2Q10 were NT$4,153 million, including NT$1,560 million in R&D and NT$2,593 million in SG&A, compared with operating expenses of NT$3,616 million in 1Q10. Total operating expenses as a percentage of net revenue for the current quarter were 9%, the same as 2Q09 and the previous quarter. -- Operating income for the quarter totaled NT$5,763 million, up from NT$4,450 million in the previous quarter. Operating margin was 12% in 2Q10, slightly up 1% from the previous quarter. -- Total non-operating expenses for the quarter were NT$380 million, compared to non-operating expenses of NT$386 million for 2Q09 and non-operating expenses of NT$236 million for 1Q10. -- Income before tax was NT$5,383 million for 2Q10, compared to NT$4,214 million in the previous quarter. We recorded income tax expense of NT$611 million during the quarter, compared to NT$470 million in 1Q10. -- In 2Q10, net income was NT$4,613 million, compared to a net income of NT$1,883 million for 2Q09 and net income of NT$3,488 million for 1Q10. -- Our total number of shares outstanding at the end of the quarter was 6,049,280,572, including retroactive stock dividend and treasury stock owned by our subsidiaries. Our 2Q10 diluted earnings per share of NT$0.76 was based on 6,010,598,704 weighted average number of shares outstanding in 2Q10. 2Q10 Results Highlights -- IC ATM(2) Basis -- Net revenue contribution from IC packaging operations, testing operations, and substrates sold to third parties was NT$25,707 million, NT$5,288 million and NT$702 million, respectively, and each represented approximately 81%, 17% and 2%, respectively, of total net revenues for the quarter. -- Cost of revenues was NT$23,394 million, up 43% year-over-year and up 12% sequentially. -- Raw material cost totaled NT$10,278 million during the quarter, representing 32% of total net revenue, compared with NT$8,886 million and 32% of total net revenue in the previous quarter. -- Labor cost totaled NT$4,643 million during the quarter, representing 15% of total net revenue, compared with NT$4,135 million and 15% of total net revenue in the previous quarter. -- Depreciation, amortization and rental expenses totaled NT$4,093 million during the quarter, down 2% year-over-year and up 2% sequentially. -- Total operating expenses during 2Q10 were NT$2,936 million, including NT$1,143 million in R&D and NT$1,793 million in SG&A, compared with operating expenses of NT$2,629 million in 1Q10. Total operating expenses as a percentage of net revenue for the current quarter were 9%, down from 10% in 2Q09 and the previous quarter. -- Operating income for the quarter totaled NT$5,367 million, up from NT$3,818 million in the previous quarter. Operating margin increased to 17% in 2Q10 from 14% in 1Q10. -- In terms of non-operating items: -- Net interest expense was NT$275 million, down from NT$293 million a quarter ago primarily due to lower loan balance during the quarter. -- Net foreign exchange loss of NT$77 million was primarily attributable to the appreciation of the U.S. dollar against the N.T. dollar. -- Gain on equity-method investments of NT$313 million was primarily attributable to our investment income in USI. -- Other non-operating loss of NT$152 million was primarily related to miscellaneous loss. Total non-operating expenses for the quarter was NT$191 million, compared to non-operating expenses of NT$337 million for 2Q09 and non-operating income of NT$113 million for 1Q10. -- Income before tax was NT$5,176 million for 2Q10, compared to NT$3,931 million in the previous quarter. We recorded income tax expense of NT$525 million during the quarter, compared to NT$395 million in 1Q10. -- In 2Q10, net income was NT$4,613 million, compared to a net income of NT$1,674 million for 2Q09 and net income of NT$3,395 million for 1Q10. (2) ATM stands for Semiconductor Assembly, Testing and Material. 2Q10 Results Highlights of USI -- Net revenue contribution from EMS operations was NT$14,726 million, up 23% year-over-year and up 2% sequentially. -- Cost of revenues was NT$12,963 million, up 22% year-over-year and up 1% sequentially. -- Raw material cost totaled NT$11,838 million during the quarter, representing 80% of total net revenue, compared with NT$11,777 million and 81% of total net revenue in the previous quarter. -- Labor cost totaled NT$520 million during the quarter, representing 4% of total net revenue, compared with NT$487 million and 3% of total net revenue in the previous quarter. -- Depreciation, amortization and rental expenses totaled NT$231 million during the quarter, down 30% year-over-year and down 9% sequentially. -- Total operating expenses during 2Q10 were NT$1,218 million, including NT$417 million in R&D and NT$801 million in SG&A, compared with operating expenses of NT$988 million in 1Q10. Total operating expenses as a percentage of net revenue for the current quarter were 8%, the same as 2Q09 and up from 7% in 1Q10. -- Operating income for the quarter totaled NT$545 million, down from NT$626 million in the previous quarter. Operating margin was 4% in 2Q10, the same as the previous quarter. -- Total non-operating income for the quarter was NT$91 million, compared to non-operating income of NT$22 million for 2Q09 and non-operating expenses of NT$20 million for 1Q10. -- Income before tax was NT$636 million for 2Q10, compared to NT$606 million in the previous quarter. We recorded income tax expense of NT$85 million during the quarter, compared to NT$74 million in 1Q10. -- In 2Q10, net income was NT$549 million, compared to a net income of NT$349 million for 2Q09 and net income of NT$530 million for 1Q10. LIQUIdiTY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES of Actual Basis -- As of June 30, 2010, our cash and current financial assets totaled NT$28,061 million, compared to NT$40,417 million as of March 31, 2010. -- Capital expenditures in 2Q10 totaled US$366million, of which US$227 million was used for IC packaging, US$127 million was used for testing, US$7 million was used for EMS and US$5 million was used for interconnect materials. -- As of June 30, 2010, we had total bank debt of NT$68,446 million, compared to NT$78,317 million as of March 31, 2010. Total bank debt consisted of NT$15,494 million of revolving working capital loans, NT$2,136 million of the current portion of long-term debt, and NT$50,816 million of long-term debt. Total unused credit lines amounted to NT$86,585 million. -- Current ratio as of June 30, 2010 was 1.42, compared to 1.61 as of March 31, 2010. Net debt to equity ratio was 0.44 as of June 30, 2010. -- Total number of employees was 44,374 as of June 30, 2010, compared to 26,406 as of June 30, 2009 and 42,953 as of March 31, 2010. Business Review IC Packaging Services(3) -- Net revenues generated from our IC packaging operations were NT$25,707 million during the quarter, up NT$9,116 million, or 55% year-over-year, and up NT$3,619 million, or 16% sequentially. -- Net revenues from advanced substrate and leadframe-based packaging accounted for 85% of total IC packaging net revenues during the quarter, down 2 percentage points from the previous quarter. -- Gross margin for our IC packaging operations during the quarter was 22%, up by 3 percentage points from the same quarter last year and previous quarter. -- Capital expenditures for our IC packaging operations amounted to US$227 million during the quarter, of which US$186 million was used for wirebonding packaging capacity and US$41 million was used for wafer bumping and flip chip packaging equipment. -- As of June 30, 2010, there were 10,705 wirebonders in operation. 916 wirebonders were added and 28 wirebonders were disposed of during the quarter. -- Net revenues from flip chip packages and wafer bumping services accounted for 16% of total packaging net revenues, up by 1 percentage point from the previous quarter. (3) IC packaging services include module assembly services. Testing Services -- Net revenues generated from our testing operations were NT$5,288 million, up NT$1,411 million, or 36% year-over-year, and up NT$626 million, or 13%, sequentially. -- Final testing contributed 83% to total testing net revenues, which remained the same as the previous quarter. Wafer sort contributed 15% to total testing net revenues, up 1 percentage point from the previous quarter. Engineering testing contributed 2% to total testing net revenues, down 1 percentage point from the previous quarter. -- Depreciation, amortization and rental expense associated with our testing operations amounted to NT$1,403 million, down from NT$1,480 million in 2Q09 and up from NT$1,372 million in 1Q10. -- In 2Q10, gross margin for our testing operations was 39%, up by 11 percentage points year-over-year and up 4 percentage points from the previous quarter. -- Capital spending on our testing operations amounted to US$127 million during the quarter. -- As of June 30, 2010, there were 1,846 testers in operation. 242 testers were added and 30 testers were disposed of during the quarter. EMS Services -- Net revenues generated from our EMS operations were NT$14,726 million, up NT$2,748 million, or 23% year-over-year, and up NT$220 million, or 2%, sequentially. -- Electronics Packaging & EMS products contributed 22% to total EMS net revenues, down by 6 percentage points from the previous quarter. Computers & Peripherals products contributed 16% to total EMS net revenues, down by 9 percentage points from the previous quarter. Communications products contributed 32% to total EMS net revenues, up by 11 percentage points from the previous quarter. Network Storage & Servers products contributed 10% to total EMS net revenues, up by 1 percentage point from the previous quarter. Industrial & Automotive products contributed 20% to total EMS net revenues, up by 3 percentage points from the previous quarter. -- In 2Q10, gross margin for our EMS operations was 12%, up 1 percentage point from 2Q09 and the previous quarter. -- Capital spending on our EMS operations amounted to US$7 million during the quarter. Substrate Operations -- PBGA substrate manufactured by ASE amounted to NT$2,560 million during the quarter, up NT$721 million, or 39% year-over-year, and up NT$230 million, or 10% from the previous quarter. Of the total output of NT$2,560 million, NT$702 million was from sales to external customers. -- Gross margin for substrate operations was 27% during the quarter, up by 10 percentage points year-over-year and up by 3 percentage points sequentially. -- In 2Q10, our internal substrate manufacturing operations supplied 45% (by value) of our total substrate requirements. Customers IC ATM consolidated Basis -- Our five largest customers together accounted for approximately 29% of our total net revenues in 2Q10, compared to 32% in 2Q09 and 30% in 1Q10. No single customer accounted for more than 10% of our total net revenues. -- Our top 10 customers contributed 43% of our total net revenues during the quarter, compared to 46% in 2Q09 and 44% in 1Q10. -- Our customers that are integrated device manufacturers, or IDMs, accounted for 35% of our total net revenues during the quarter, compared to 30% in 2Q09 and 37% in 1Q10. USI consolidated Basis -- Our five largest customers together accounted for approximately 62% of our total net revenues in 2Q10, compared to 66% in 2Q09 and 63% in 1Q10. There are four customers accounted for more than 10% of our total net revenues. -- Our top 10 customers contributed 78% of our total net revenues during the quarter, compared to 83% in 2Q09 and 79% in 1Q10. About ASE, Inc. ASE, Inc. is the world's largest independent provider of IC packaging services and testing services, including front-end engineering testing, wafer probing and final testing services. ASE, Inc.'s international customer base of more than 200 customers includes such leading names as ATI Technologies Inc., MediaTek Inc., NEC Electronics Corporation, NVIDIA Corporation, NXP Semiconductors, Qualcomm Incorporated, RF Micro Devices Inc. and STMicroelectronics N.V. With advanced technological capabilities and a global presence spanning Taiwan, China, Korea, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia and the United States, ASE, Inc. has established a reputation for reliable, high quality products and services. For more information, visit our website at http://www.aseglobal.com . Safe Harbor Notice This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including statements regarding our future results of operations and business prospects. Although these forward-looking statements, which may include statements regarding our future results of operations, financial condition or business prospects, are based on our own information and information from other sources we believe to be reliable, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which apply only as of the date of this presentation. The words "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "intend", "plan" and similar expressions, as they relate to us, are intended to identify these forward-looking statements in this presentation. Our actual results of operations, financial condition or business prospects may differ materially from those expressed or implied in these forward-looking statements for a variety of reasons, including risks associated with cyclicality and market conditions in the semiconductor industry; demand for the outsourced semiconductor packaging and testing services we offer and for such outsourced services generally; the highly competitive semiconductor industry; our ability to introduce new packaging, interconnect materials and testing technologies in order to remain competitive; our ability to successfully integrate pending and future mergers and acquisitions; international business activities; our business strategy; general economic and political conditions, including the recent global financial crisis; possible disruptions in commercial activities caused by natural or human-induced disasters; our future expansion plans and capital expenditures; the strained relationship between the Republic of China and the People's Republic of China; fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; and other factors. For a discussion of these risks and other factors, please see the documents we file from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our 2009 Annual Report on Form 20-F filed on June 11, 2010. Supplemental Financial Information IC ATM Consolidated Operations Amounts in NT$ Millions 2Q/10 1Q/10 2Q/09 Net Revenues 31,697 27,423 20,881 Revenues by End Application Communications 46% 45% 50% Computers 18% 20% 18% Automotive and Consumer 36% 35% 31% Others 0% 0% 1% Revenues by Region North America 52% 50% 55% Europe 14% 12% 11% Taiwan 20% 23% 22% Japan 9% 10% 8% Other Asia 5% 5% 4% IC Packaging Services Amounts in NT$ Millions 2Q/10 1Q/10 2Q/09 Net Revenues 25,707 22,088 16,591 Revenues by Packaging Type Advanced substrate & leadframe based 85% 87% 91% Traditional leadframe based 6% 6% 5% Module assembly 5% 4% 2% Others 4% 3% 2% Capacity CapEx (US$ Millions)* 227 137 30 Number of Wirebonders 10,705 9,817 8,501 Testing Services Amounts in NT$ Millions 2Q/10 1Q/10 2Q/09 Net Revenues 5,288 4,662 3,877 Revenues by Testing Type Final test 83% 83% 82% Wafer sort 15% 14% 15% Engineering test 2% 3% 3% Capacity CapEx (US$ Millions)* 127 43 13 Number of Testers 1,846 1,634 1,510 USI Consolidated Operations Amounts in NT$ Millions 2Q/10 1Q/10 2Q/09 Net Revenues 14,726 14,506 11,978 Revenues by End Application Electronics Packaging & EMS 22% 28% 32% Computers & Peripherals 16% 25% 23% Communications 32% 21% 22% Network Storage & Servers 10% 9% 8% Industrial & Automotive Products 20% 17% 15% Capacity CapEx (US$ Millions)* 7 9 -** * Capital expenditure amounts exclude building construction costs. ** < US$1 million. Advanced Semiconductor Engineering, Inc. Summary of Consolidated Income Statements Data -- Actual Basis* (In NT$ millions, except per share data) (Unaudited) For the three months ended For the period ended Jun. 30 Mar. 31 Jun. 30 Jun. 30 Jun. 30 2010 2010 2009 2010 2009 Net revenues: IC Packaging 25,700 22,081 16,591 47,781 26,799 Testing 5,288 4,662 3,877 9,951 6,645 EMS 14,726 10,139 -- 24,864 -- Others 702 673 413 1,375 834 Total net revenues 46,416 37,555 20,881 83,971 34,278 Cost of revenues (36,500) (29,999) (16,310) (66,499) (29,031) Gross profit 9,916 7,556 4,571 17,472 5,247 Operating expenses: Research and development (1,560) (1,301) (825) (2,861) (1,575) Selling, general and administrative (2,593) (1,976) (1,203) (4,569) (2,522) Total operating expense (4,153) (3,277) (2,028) (7,430) (4,097) Operating income (loss) 5,763 4,279 2,543 10,042 1,150 Net non-operating (expenses) income: Interest expense -- net (282) (292) (340) (574) (775) Foreign exchange gain (loss) (80) (3) 106 (84) (1) Gain (loss) on equity-method investments 36 32 58 69 82 Others (54) 57 (161) 4 104 Total non-operating (expenses) income (380) (206) (337) (585) (590) Income (loss) before tax 5,383 4,073 2,206 9,457 560 Income tax benefit (expense) (611) (455) (559) (1,067) (509) (Loss) income from continuing operations and before minority interest 4,772 3,618 1,647 8,390 51 Minority interest (159) (223) 27 (382) 57 Net income (loss) 4,613 3,395 1,674 8,008 108 Per share data: Earnings (losses) per share - Basic NT$0.78 NT$0.59 NT$0.30 NT$1.36 NT$0.02 - Diluted NT$0.76 NT$0.57 NT$0.29 NT$1.34 NT$0.02 Earnings (losses) per equivalent ADS - Basic US$0.122 US$0.092 US$0.045 US$0.214 US$0.003 - Diluted US$0.120 US$0.089 US$0.044 US$0.210 US$0.003 Number of weighted average shares used in diluted EPS calculation (in thousands) 6,010,599 5,890,374 5,680,034 5,957,463 5,693,239 Exchange rate (NT$ per US$1) 31.78 31.95 33.16 31.86 33.49 * Figures above reflect consolidation of USI starting in February 2010. Advanced Semiconductor Engineering, Inc. Summary of Consolidated Income Statements Data - Pro Forma Basis Assuming USI Consolidated at the Beginning of Each Applicable Period (In NT$ millions, except per share data) (Unaudited) For the three months ended For the period ended Jun. 30 Mar. 31 Jun. 30 Jun. 30 Jun. 30 2010 2010 2009 2010 2009 Net revenues: IC Packaging 25,700 22,080 16,588 47,780 26,799 Testing 5,288 4,662 3,877 9,950 6,645 EMS 14,726 14,506 11,978 29,232 22,661 Others 702 673 412 1,375 826 Total net revenues 46,416 41,921 32,855 88,337 56,931 Cost of revenues (36,500) (33,855) (26,921) (70,355) (49,134) Gross profit 9,916 8,066 5,934 17,982 7,797 Operating expenses: Research and development (1,560) (1,432) (1,206) (2,992) (2,315) Selling, general and administrative (2,593) (2,184) (1,773) (4,777) (3,667) Total operating expenses (4,153) (3,616) (2,979) (7,769) (5,982) Operating income (loss) 5,763 4,450 2,955 10,213 1,815 Net non-operating (expenses) income: Total non-operating (expenses) income (380) (236) (386) (616) (626) Income (loss) before tax 5,383 4,214 2,569 9,597 1,189 Income tax benefit (expense) (611) (470) (637) (1,081) (634) (Loss) income from continuing operations and before minority interest 4,772 3,744 1,932 8,516 555 Minority interest (159) (256) (49) (416) (78) Net income (loss) 4,613 3,488 1,883 8,100 477 Per share data: Earnings (losses) per share - Basic NT$0.78 NT$0.59 NT$0.32 NT$1.37 NT$0.08 - Diluted NT$0.76 NT$0.58 NT$0.32 NT$1.34 NT$0.08 Number of weighted average shares used in diluted EPS calculation (in thousands) 6,010,599 5,994,358 5,933,203 6,009,168 5,933,203 Advanced Semiconductor Engineering, Inc. Summary of Consolidated Income Statements Data - IC ATM Basis (In NT$ millions, except per share data) (Unaudited) For the three months ended For the period ended Jun. 30 Mar. 31 Jun. 30 Jun. 30 Jun. 30 2010 2010 2009 2010 2009 Net revenues: IC Packaging 25,707 22,088 16,591 47,794 26,799 Testing 5,288 4,662 3,877 9,951 6,645 Others 702 673 413 1,375 834 Total net revenues 31,697 27,423 20,881 59,120 34,278 Cost of revenues (23,394) (20,976) (16,310) (44,370) (29,031) Gross profit 8,303 6,447 4,571 14,750 5,247 Operating expenses: Research and development (1,143) (1,035) (825) (2,177) (1,575) Selling, general and administrative (1,793) (1,594) (1,203) (3,387) (2,522) Total operating expenses (2,936) (2,629) (2,028) (5,564) (4,097) Operating income (loss) 5,367 3,818 2,543 9,186 1,150 Net non-operating (expenses) income: Interest expense -- net (275) (293) (340) (568) (775) Foreign exchange gain (loss) (77) 14 106 (63) (1) Gain (loss) on equity-method investments 313 327 58 640 82 Others (152) 65 (161) (87) 104 Total non-operating (expenses income (191) 113 (337) (78) (590) Income (loss) before tax 5,176 3,931 2,206 9,108 560 Income tax benefit (expense) (525) (395) (559) (921) (509) (Loss) income from continuing operations and before minority interest 4,651 3,536 1,647 8,187 51 Minority interest (38) (141) 27 (179) 57 Net income (loss) 4,613 3,395 1,674 8,008 108 Per share data: Earnings (losses) per share - Basic NT$0.78 NT$0.59 NT$0.30 NT$1.36 NT$0.02 - Diluted NT$0.76 NT$0.57 NT$0.29 NT$1.34 NT$0.02 Number of weighted average shares used in diluted EPS calculation (in thousands) 6,010,599 5,890,374 5,680,034 5,957,463 5,693,239 Universal Scientific Industrial Co., Ltd. Summary of Consolidated Income Statements Data (In NT$ millions, except per share data) (Unaudited) For the three months ended For the period ended Jun. 30 Mar. 31 Jun. 30 Jun. 30 Jun. 30 2010 2010 2009 2010 2009 Net revenues: Total net revenues 14,726 14,506 11,978 29,232 22,661 Cost of revenues (12,963) (12,892) (10,620) (25,855) (20,120) Gross profit 1,763 1,614 1,358 3,377 2,541 Operating expenses: Research and development (417) (398) (381) (815) (741) Selling, general and administrative (801) (590) (571) (1,390) (1,145) Total operating expenses (1,218) (988) (952) (2,205) (1,886) Operating income (loss) 545 626 406 1,172 655 Net non-operating (expenses) income: Total non-operating (expenses) income 91 (20) 22 71 85 Income (loss) before tax 636 606 428 1,243 740 Income tax benefit (expense) (85) (74) (78) (159) (125) (Loss) income from continuing operations and before minority interest 551 532 350 1,084 615 Minority interest (2) (2) (1) (4) (2) Net income (loss) 549 530 349 1,080 613 Advanced Semiconductor Engineering, Inc. Summary of Consolidated Balance Sheet Data -- Actual Basis* (In NT$ millions) (Unaudited) As of Jun. 30, 2010 As of Mar. 31, 2010 Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents 24,771 36,505 Financial assets -- current 3,290 3,912 Notes and accounts receivable 34,309 33,396 Inventories 24,905 20,687 Others 3,481 5,623 Total current assets 90,756 100,123 Financial assets -- non current 2,389 2,430 Properties -- net 95,906 86,748 Intangible assets 16,419 16,504 Others 4,579 3,993 Total assets 210,049 209,798 Current liabilities: Short-term debts -- revolving credit 15,494 20,797 Current portion of long-term debts 2,136 1,438 Notes and accounts payable 24,896 23,787 Others 21,513 16,263 Total current liabilities 64,039 62,285 Long-term debts 50,816 56,082 Other liabilities 4,116 3,991 Total liabilities 118,971 122,358 Minority interest 7,055 7,235 Shareholders' equity 84,023 80,205 Total liabilities & shareholders' equity 210,049 209,798 Current Ratio 1.42 1.61 Net Debt to Equity 0.44 0.43 * Figures above reflect consolidation of USI starting in February 2010. Universal Scientific Industrial Co., Ltd. Summary of Consolidated Balance Sheet Data (In NT$ millions) (Unaudited) As of Jun. 30, 2010 As of Mar. 31, 2010 Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents 10,769 10,144 Financial assets -- current 415 597 Notes and accounts receivable 13,405 14,054 Inventories 7,455 6,892 Others 596 541 Total current assets 32,640 32,228 Financial assets -- non current 571 575 Properties -- net 4,975 4,886 Intangible assets 158 155 Others 995 941 Total assets 39,339 38,785 Current liabilities: Short-term debts -- revolving credit 5,592 5,219 Current portion of long-term debts -- 140 Notes and accounts payable 13,525 14,160 Others 3,827 2,104 Total current liabilities 22,944 21,623 Long-term debts 200 210 Other liabilities 340 334 Total liabilities 23,484 22,167 Minority interest 35 33 Shareholders' equity 15,820 16,585 Total liabilities & shareholders' equity 39,339 38,785 Contact: ASE, Inc. Tel: +886-2-8780-5489 Fax: +886-2-2757-6121 http://www.aseglobal.com Joseph Tung, CFO / Vice President Allen Kan, Manager Email: ir@aseglobal.com Clare Lin, Director (US Contact) Email: clare.lin@aseus.com Tel: +1-408-986-6524 SOURCE ASE, Inc.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 30 Jul 2010 | 12:20 am 3 Promising Digital Business Card SolutionsAs our professional lives increasingly happen in the cloud and on the go, one decidedly old school aspect of networking that remains prevalent is the paper-based business card. Dozens of Web and mobile...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 30 Jul 2010 | 12:15 am Qualcomm Announces Collaboration with Global Holding Corporation and Tulip Telecom in New India LTE VentureMUMBAI, India, July 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Qualcomm Incorporated (Nasdaq: QCOM), the winner of Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) spectrum in four telecom circles in India, today announced Global Holding Corporation Pvt. Ltd. and Tulip Telecom Ltd. as initial shareholders for its India LTE venture. Subject to receipt of government approvals, Qualcomm will have a 74 percent stake in the venture, while Global Holding Corporation and Tulip Telecom will hold 13 percent each, as required by applicable Indian Foreign Direct Investment regulations. Qualcomm will have the benefit of the proven expertise of its initial shareholders to enable best-in-class mobile broadband for India. Global Holding Corporation is the holding company of the Global Group, which is a market leader in providing network services to India's mobile operators and owns India's largest independent and neutral telecom tower infrastructure. Tulip Telecom is India's largest enterprise data connectivity service provider and has significant experience in creating and managing large networks across industry verticals, such as telecom, banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI), retail, education, health care and government. "Our objective was to secure initial shareholders who are operator-neutral, yet bring strong telecom and broadband experience, and we are extremely pleased we met that objective with Global Holding Corporation and Tulip Telecom," said Kanwalinder Singh, president of Qualcomm India and South Asia and senior vice president of Qualcomm. "With our initial shareholders, and operators we intend to bring into the venture in the future, Qualcomm will facilitate accelerated deployment of LTE in concert with 3G HSPA and EV-DO networks, which protects and enhances the significant investment made by Indian operators in securing 3G and BWA spectrum." "We are delighted to collaborate with Qualcomm, a world leader in wireless technologies, to enhance the broadband penetration in India by making mobile broadband a mainstream phenomenon," said Manoj Tirodkar, founder of the Global Group. "Global Group brings extensive experience and strategic advantage in the network services and telecom tower infrastructure space." "Tulip is extremely pleased to collaborate with a global technology leader like Qualcomm in this venture," said Lt. Col. (Retd.) H.S. Bedi, chairman and managing director of Tulip Telecom Limited. "As one of the largest enterprise data service providers in the country, Tulip Telecom considers this as an opportunity to play a significant role in addressing the demand for high-bandwidth mobile broadband services in some of the highest density telecom circles in India." In the recently concluded BWA auction, Qualcomm won one slot of 20 MHz TDD spectrum in the 2.3 GHz band covering the key telecom circles of Delhi, Mumbai, Haryana and Kerala. Qualcomm's objective is to facilitate the deployment of LTE, which is best suited to address the demand for high bandwidth mobile broadband services in the 2.3 GHz band, and seamlessly interworks with current and upcoming 3G HSPA and EV-DO networks. Qualcomm will continue to play a central role in fostering the LTE ecosystem with a focus on enabling the creation of 3G/LTE multimode devices and services best suited for India. Qualcomm had previously stated its plan to secure initial Indian shareholders in compliance with applicable Indian Foreign Direct Investment regulations. Having done so, in addition to securing government approvals, the venture will work towards demonstration and commercialization of LTE. Qualcomm expects to attract one or more experienced 3G HSPA and/or EV-DO operators into the venture for construction of an LTE network in compliance with the Indian government's roll-out requirements for the BWA spectrum and then to exit the venture. Barclays Capital is acting as exclusive financial advisor to Qualcomm on India LTE venture partner selection process. About Global Holding Corporation Global Holding Corporation Pvt. Ltd. is the holding company of "Global Group" that has seven operating companies. Global Group is India's leading business group focused on Network Services and Shared Telecom Infrastructure. Global Group is expected to have revenues in excess of US$ 1.5 Billion, Balance sheet size of over US$ 5 Billion, own 32,500 Telecom Towers, and more than 35,000 professionals (FY 2011E). The Group has Operations across 46 countries, employs people of 22 nationalities and supports 18 social causes. Global Group Enterprises have received more than 35 accolades and awards for excellence in Business, CSR and Corporate Governance. For more information, visit: www.globalgroupenterprise.com. About Tulip Telecom Tulip Telecom Ltd. (BSE: 532691/NSE: TULIP) is India's leading enterprise communications service provider. The Company's data network has the largest reach of over 1,700 locations in India. The Company has a national presence with over 2,800 employees and more than 1,600 customers across India. Tulip designs, implements and manages communication networks of large enterprises on long-term contracts to include enterprise communications connectivity, network integration, managed and value added services. About Qualcomm Incorporated Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM) is the world leader in next-generation mobile technologies. For 25 years, Qualcomm ideas and inventions have driven the evolution of wireless communications, connecting people more closely to information, entertainment and each other. Today, Qualcomm technologies are powering the convergence of mobile communications and consumer electronics, making wireless devices and services more personal, affordable and accessible to people everywhere. For more information, visit Qualcomm around the Web: www.qualcomm.com Corporate Blog: http://www.qualcomm.com/blog Twitter: www.twitter.com/qualcomm Facebook: www.facebook.com/Qualcomm Except for the historical information contained herein, this news release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties, including the Company's ability to successfully accelerate India's mobile broadband growth through the deployment of LTE in India, the speed by which and the extent the LTE ecosystem develops, the Company's ability to successfully design and have manufactured significant quantities of 3G/LTE multi-mode chipsets on a timely and profitable basis, the Company's ability to obtain approval under the applicable Indian Foreign Direct Investment regulations and successfully complete the engagement of its Indian partners, the venture's ability to timely and successfully develop, finance, and execute its strategy, the venture's ability to timely satisfy the Indian Government's rollout requirements, the Company's ability to exit the venture on a timely basis on satisfactory terms and conditions, and changes in economic and competitive conditions of the various markets the Company serves, as well as the other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's SEC reports, including the report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 27, 2009, and most recent Form 10-Q. The Company undertakes no obligation to update, or continue to provide information with respect to, any forward-looking statement or risk factor, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Qualcomm is a registered trademark of Qualcomm Incorporated. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Qualcomm Contacts: Tina Asmar, Corporate Communications Phone: 1-858-845-5959 Email: corpcomm@qualcomm.com Warren Kneeshaw, Investor Relations Phone: 1-858-658-4813 Email: ir@qualcomm.com Monalisa Sahoo, Qualcomm India Phone: 91-9323-198-828 Email: msahoo@qualcomm.com Global Holding Corporation Contacts: Vikas Arora Phone: 91-9820329847 Email: vikasa@gtllimited.com Ramakrishna Bellam Phone: 91-9819063292 Email: ramakrishnab@gtllimited.com Tulip Telecom Contact: Gaurava Yadav Phone: 91-9999755254 Email: gauravy@tulip.net SOURCE Qualcomm IncorporatedSource: RedOrbit News - Technology | 30 Jul 2010 | 12:01 am The New Kindle, And Ebooks Generally: My Questions Answered [Video]
In the hope of finally getting some answers, I hopped on to Skype with CrunchGear‘s Devin Coldewey and interviewed him until he begged for mercy. Video below.      
Source: TechCrunch | 29 Jul 2010 | 11:57 pm 1-in-1,000 Chance of Asteroid Impact Inastroengine writes "Sure, we're looking 172 years into the future, but an international collaboration of scientists have developed two mathematical models to help predict when a potentially hazardous asteroid (or PHA) may hit us, not in this century, but the next. The rationale is that to stand any hope in deflecting a civilization-ending or extinction-level impact, we need as much time as possible to deal with the threatening space rock. (Asteroid deflection can be a time-consuming venture, after all.) Enter '(101955) 1999 RQ36' — an Apollo class, Earth-crossing, 500 meter-wide space rock. The prediction is that 1999 RQ36 has a 1-in-1,000 chance of hitting us in the future, and according to one of the study's scientists, María Eugenia Sansaturio, half of those odds fall squarely on the year 2182." |
 PhysOrg.com | YouTube Gives Users 15 Minutes of Upload Time eWeek YouTube filled the top request from its users July 29, increasing its upload time from 10 minutes to 15 minutes. YouTube attributed the minute increase to its ability to protect copyrights for videos uploaded to the Website. YouTube, looking to make ... Secrets to Maximizing Your 15 Minutes on YouTube YouTube Increases Video Upload Length to 15 Minutes YouTube now gives users 15 minutes of fame |
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Section: Communications, Cellphones, Smartphones
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It looks like the first major app attack has hit Android pretty hard. Over one million users reportedly downloaded the malicious app which is designed to steal personal information and report it back to some unknown Chinese website. The malicious app is Jackeey Wallpaper, an app that provides users with wallpaper themes such as My Little Pony and Star Wars. As you can probably tell, the app would have been really popular with young teenagers who have Android phones. It looks like the app only collects phone number, subscriber identifier, and voicemail information. The only official statistic regarding the number of downloads of this app is 1.1 million - 4.6 million. Perhaps we’ll see official word from Google about this malicious app attack because I’m sure it caught everyone who downloaded the app by surprise.
Via [Mobile Beat]
Full Story » | Written by Natesh Sood for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
People movers. What would we do without them? Walk, I suppose. Unfortunately, that’s not the best solution for some, whom age, injury, or circumstance have rendered less than ambulatory. For them, the Segway (or its peanut-esque cousin, Honda’s U3-X) may be a bonanza.
It was only so long before the knock-offs hit; it’s testament to the Segway’s legitimately innovative design that it took until now for something like this to hit. Or maybe it’s just that no one thought it worthwhile.
The Ewee-PT (don’t ask me) is a Segway knock-off just the way Chinese iClones are: ape the functionality, mimic the look, and reduce the cost. In this case, the functionality isn’t really complete: while it does balance on its own and you lean to accelerate or decelerate, you control steering with a joystick. The look is present, and I actually prefer it over the SkyMall-chic of the original. This one looks like they put it together in shop class, and it lends it a form of authenticity. Those little wheels might not be sufficient for off-roading, though.
And the cost is certainly reduced. It’s selling for €799, or around $1039 — a fraction of the cost of a new Segway. You can use the money you saved to buy some friends, nerd!
[via Engadget]
If you’re like me, your MacBook Pro is “gently loved”, and the lid is a little scratched up. Or maybe you just want something that looks a little more custom then what the rest of the Mac users are packing around. Whatever the reason, Recover’s skins are made in my home town of Portland, Oregon from real wood veneer. Compared to the prices you see from some vinyl sticker companies charge for cheesy graphics or cheap stickers, I’ll go with the feel and look of real wood. For example, Recover’s product for my pre-unibody MacBook Pro is just $35. That’s right around the same price many vinyl sticker companies charge. You can also get real wood veneer for your iPhone 4, iPhone 3G/3GS, or iPad. Go check them out, and if you see me at CES, I suspect my MacBook Pro will have real wood covering the lid.
Rocky and Balls's "Girls Like Boys With Skills" is probably the dirtiest double-entendre ukulele ditty since George Formby sang "With My Little Ukulele In My Hand."
Source: Boing Boing | 29 Jul 2010 | 7:03 pm
Not sure how much exactly this cost Firaxis, but the Governor of Maryland has named September 21st, 2010 to officially be Civilization 5 day. This date was not selected randomly, as that coincidentally happens to be the release date announced by 2K Games. To be fair, Firaxis and Sid Meyer are both from Maryland, and the Civilization series has been considered to be educational from a historical standpoint. So congrats Sid and Firaxis, that is quite an honor.
[via Gamasutra]
Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile
Earlier today, we reported the leaked image of the myTouch 3G HD smartphone device rumored to launch on T-Mobile as its first HSPA+ phone. At the time, details were relatively scant and the only image leaked was of its frontside, but today, the same tipster revealed to TmoNews the backside of the myTouch 3G HD. Unfortunately, the details are once again relatively scant, but at least we now have two pictures of the myTouch 3G HD. The backside image shows a camera of a unknown megapixels, and that’s pretty much it. Whether the 3G HD turns out to be the first HSPA+ smartphone, only time will tell.
Via [TmoNews]
Full Story » | Written by Natesh Sood for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
According to CEO Andrew Mason, the service is churning out 75,000 transactions per day. Through personalization, Groupon will be able to offer 20, 30 or more deals per city per day. Assuming the current growth rate in subscribers — in the last four months the site has more than doubled to 12 million registered users— 2x is likely a prudish estimate.
It’s hard to fault a company that is making money hand over fist; however, as a user, I do have one piece of advice: loosen that death grip on the daily deal mantra.
According to Mason, the personalization system will give a user one deal a day based on their preferences, their purchase history and their profile. Although there will be several, simultaneous deals in any given area, a user will only be able to access one main deal from his/her account. However, if the user finds a link to a different deal from a friend, a blog, or a daily deal aggregator, that link can be used by anyone. (In the early stage of the personalization program, Mason says, Groupon users may see multiple deals but eventually Groupon will turn that off.)
Thus, all the local deals are theoretically open to every subscriber but Groupon is playing air traffic controller in order to maximize the number of deals they can offer (aka cha-ching) and to ensure a nice distribution of users for their advertisers. It’s easy understand Mason’s rationale here, at just one deal a day their hands were somewhat tied, unable to fully absorb the number of interested advertisers. In turn, Groupon’s limited inventory has directly benefited the “army of clones,” who have swooped in and picked up impatient retailers.
“We believe in the deal a day model, but we were running into a problem where the demand for merchants to be featured has been absolutely overwhelming,” Mason says. “We have something like 35,000 businesses lined up that want to be featured, 97% of the businesses that we feature want to be featured again, so the problem is only getting worse. And what it means is for every business we’re featuring, we have to turn away 7.” (See video above.)
Understandably, Groupon is trying to optimize the bottom line and enhance the consumer experience with personalized deals, but this structure also potentially creates a frustrating user experience. Under this system, a user knows that there could be 20, 30 deals floating around but s/he can only automatically access one. Thus, if a user doesn’t want their preselected deal of the day, she will have to scour the web and ping friends in a cyber goose chase. Of course, this search will be eased by the plethora of daily deal aggregators— but that doesn’t seem like an ideal solution for Groupon either. Why encourage users to jump off your website and spend more time on independent aggregators, where their wallets will be exposed to competitors’ deals.
From the launch of Groupon, Mason has adamantly defended the model of one deal a day, a structure that has obviously served his company well (and its army of clones) and catapulted Groupon to a billion-dollar-plus valuation. However, I believe the massive demand in the market indicates that there’s some flexibility in the business model. The data suggests that consumers can stomach several deals a day— maybe not hundreds— but certainly more than one. From the vantage point of a user, I would like to see Groupon send just one personalized deal a day to my inbox because I think there is real value in that spotlight. However, on Groupon’s website, I also want the option to log-in and access all (or at least several) of my local deals in one simple repository, perhaps ranked according to my tastes and profile.
Groupon, consider this my 700-word comment card. However, regardless of how you tackle the challenge of personalization, I get the feeling you’ll probably do just fine.
Mason dropped by TechCrunch TV on Wednesday and we got a chance to discuss the new personalization campaign (above) and Groupon’s early days. In the second video (below), he discusses the key moment when Groupon kicked into second gear.
Team America lives on.
Jeff Koyen sends this along and asks, "Anyone remember Evil Bert spotted alongside Osama in Bangladesh?"
Indeed. At left, a snapshot of the original Kim Jong Il puppet from the Team America movie. I shot the photo during a visit earlier this year to South Park Studios. The little guy does get around.
Source: Boing Boing | 29 Jul 2010 | 6:46 pm
 Kansas City Star | Motorola profit beats estimates, powered by Android Los Angeles Times Demand for its Droid phones, which run on the Google operating system, fuels a surge in net income. Motorola Inc., the US mobile-phone maker, reported second-quarter earnings that beat analysts' estimates, helped by demand for its new line of smart ... Motorola Android Strategy Pays Off as Smartphone Sales Rise Spotted: Motorola Droid 2 cases at Best Buy Motorola Reports Strong Q2 Smartphone Sales |
Despite their clear commitment to the hardware version of the Kindle, Amazon continues to make the Kindle apps that run on the iPad and iPhone better. Today, version 2.2 of the app brings a full dictionary with it. This matches the functionality of Apple’s own iBooks app, but the Kindle implementation is even a little better.
Now in the Kindle app when you highlight a word, a definition will automatically appears at the bottom of the screen. And that’s not all — there you’ll also find links to further investigate the word on Google or Wikipedia. Though this dumps you out of the app and into the iPhone/iPad web browser, it’s a pretty nice feature.
The feature also includes a link for the “Full Definition” of the word. Clicking on this will take you to the new Oxford American Dictionary that is automatically downloaded with this 2.2 version of the app. This dictionary contains some 250,000 entries, Amazon says.
As I said, this dictionary functionality matches that of Apple’s own iBooks app. But those definitions are an extra click away (you highlight a word then select “Dictionary” which bring up the definition in a pop-up).
The latest iPad version of the Kindle app also allows you to search inside a book for the first time. This too matches iBooks functionality. (The in-book search for the iPhone has also been improved with 2.2.)
Other small improvements include better line spacing on the iPad version, and fast-app switching for iOS 4 devices.
If your inner tree-hugger cringes every time you get a single book or knick-knack wrapped up in enough packing materials for ten, then this is for you. Oh, and you have to live in Seattle.
Amazon has started a program in which you can get your packages delivered to the Seattle area in these cute reusable tote bags, which they seal with tape (and a kiss) and pick up the next time they come by.
The downside is that the totes are only delivered once per week, so if you’re in a hurry to get your item, this isn’t the best option. I wish I could do this with everything I get in the mail; my storage room looks like a UPS warehouse.
[via Giz; image via Giz commenter Kevin]
Not content just to “kind of” look like Apple devices, QingTing AKA Dragonfly has basically ripped off Apple wholesale, stealing the design of three of its “flagship products” – shown here is the Q Pro – as well as their web design. Who says China can’t compete in the marketplace of stolen ideas?
You can check these morons out right here if only to get a “More gorgeous appearance” with a “more fashionable feeling.”
Their iMac knock-off costs about $450, which isn’t too shabby, and they even sell something called the QPad which, oddly enough, runs either the Q OS or the QT os, depending on who you ask. After all, who doesn’t want to “enjoy the new playing methods of computers?”
Manning remains in pretrial confinement pending an Article 32 investigation into the charges preferred against him on July 5. Manning was transferred because of the potential for lengthy continued pretrial confinement given the complexity of the charges and ongoing investigation. The field confinement facility in Kuwait is designed for short-term confinement.
The criminal investigation remains open. Preferral of charges represents an accusation only; Manning is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The case will be processed in accordance with normal procedures under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
With this transfer to Quantico, Manning is now under the General Courts-Martial Convening Authority of Maj. Gen. Karl Horst, the commander of U. S. Army Military District of Washington. Manning will remain in pre-trial confinement as the Army continues its investigation.
An Article 32 investigation is similar to a civilian grand jury hearing or a preliminary hearing. The investigating officer will make findings and recommendations that the chain of command considers in determining whether to recommend the case be referred to trial by court-martial.
Earlier today, an announcement that investigators had found evidence linking Manning to the Wikileaks material, and Wired reported of previous conflicts Manning may have had with Army higher-ups, over YouTube videos the 22-year-old uploaded containing information about classified facilities.
Source: Boing Boing | 29 Jul 2010 | 6:20 pm
Delicious Froyo will be hitting the huge and controversial EVO 4G starting in early August, according to Sprint. The update will begin its OTA rollout on August 3rd and they expet it to be done by “mid-August.” Once it goes public, I’m sure there will be a way to force it onto your handset if you don’t feel like waiting. We’ll detail that once it happens.
The improvements we’ve been talking about for weeks and weeks are forthcoming! But will it make the EVO last a full day on one charge? Only time will tell.
Meanwhile, here’s the full press release, minus a bunch of EVO review excerpts they included.
Android 2.2 offers HTC EVO 4G feature enhancements including Bluetooth® voice dialing, built-in Flash, the ability to store apps to the memory card and much, much more
The award-winning HTC EVO 4G just got that much better. We are excited to announce that beginning the week of Aug. 1; Sprint will begin rolling out the Android 2.2 upgrade to its HTC EVO 4G customers.
Sprint will be the first wireless carrier to bring1 the latest version of Android to its customers. The Android 2.2 software release provides a significant number of feature enhancements, including:
• Voice Dialing Over Bluetooth.
• Application Storage on External Memory, giving users more storage room for all their apps.
• Camera 4-way rotation allows the camera icons to rotate with the camera.
• Improved Browser Performance including a faster JavaScript engine and Flash 10x Support improving the user’s ability to view videos and available content associated with web pages.
“Sprint is thrilled with our customers’ response to HTC EVO 4G and the innovative and exciting experience it offers,” said Fared Adib, vice president – Product Development for Sprint. “It is exciting for us to lead the industry in bringing the Android 2.2 update to these customers and improve on the amazing experience they receive with America’s first 4G capable phone.”
Easy Downloading
Sprint will begin sending update notifications to users in waves beginning Tuesday, Aug. 3 and the upgrade should be available for all HTC EVO 4G users by the middle of August.
The notification will let the users know that the update is available and it will provide the simple two-step over-the-air download process.
1. Users will receive a notification that Android 2.2 is available for download.
2. Once the user has downloaded the update, they will be prompted to install the update. The user will be notified that their device will be disabled during the installation process. The phone will be ready to use once the process completes.
For those who just can’t wait to get Android 2.2, there will be an easy user initiated option to download the upgrade. Customers can access the software update through their HTC EVO 4G under the Settings Menu System Updates HTC Software Update. This will initiate the three-step process also.
We’ve just received official word from Google confirming that they are not currently blocked in China and that a server issue was most likely the cause of their dashboard misread. One month ago, Google put up their watered-down engine to avoid being shut down completely in Mainland China. Because the Chinese government did not like the auto redirect to Google Hong Kong previously in place, the new degraded version at the center of all today’s confusion simply links to Google Hong Kong.
From Google, in an email today:
Because of the way we measure accessibility in China, it’s possible that our machines could overestimate the level of blockage. That seems to be what happened last night when there was a relatively small blockage. It appears now that users in China are accessing our properties normally.
Please also note that the dashboard is not a real time tool.
The email also suggests that an error in measuring what turned out to be a small amount of blockage was responsible for the false alarm. The fact that the dashboard does not update in realtime is probably what lead to today’s mixed reports as to whether or not the service was working. When asked what specific issue caused the blockage, Google responded that they had nothing more to add.
Image: Bramus!
At Google I/O in May, the search giant indicated that they were about to take their commitment to location to the next level. Sure, Latitude had been around for a while, but everyone knew that Google could do more in the space. The announcement of some new location APIs seemed to a big part of the solution. And now comes the fun part.
Today on their Geo blog, Google is announcing that they’re beginning to open the Places API for business. The first developers getting access? Those working on check-in services.
Here’s what Google has to say:
We are going to focus initially on check-in applications. These are the applications that we feel the API currently caters to well, and we are excited to work with developers building these applications to understand their requirements, and ensure that we are offering them the best possible experience.
So does this mean the end of Foursquare, Gowalla, Loopt, and all the rest? Well, no. All this means is that it should be a lot easier for startups to build the next versions of those types of services. Of course, if you listen to Foursquare talk about it, they’ll say they’re already moving on to bigger and better things beyond simply the check-in.
Google is pointing those who wish to get access to this API to fill out this application form found here. Again, the focus at first will be on check-in apps, but they promise to expand the API to other uses once they feel it is up to speed.
They are also accepting check-in apps for this API built in conjunction with the Buzz API as well.
Just prior to I/O, Latitude manager Steve Lee hinted that some sort of check-in functionality was likely in the future for the service. At I/O, the Latitude API made it possible for others to build such functionality. But this new Places API will allow for location services built on top of Google’s data but independent of Latitude.
Panasonic announced today that it will buy out two of its subsidiaries, Sanyo and Panasonic Electric Works, for $9.4 billion.
Sanyo is the largest lithium-ion rechargeable battery producer and 11th-largest solar cell producer in the world with a quickly-growing solar panel manufacturing arm according to company statements.
Panasonic Electric Works makes a wide range of electrical products including temperature, lighting and motion sensors and controls.
Last year, Panasonic acquired a 50.27% stake in Sanyo for $4.4 billion.
The pair of acquisitions should help the company best known for its Panasonic plasma TV, camera and other consumer electronics expand into energy technology.
Panasonic aims to become the “No. 1 green innovation company in the electronics industry” by 2018.
I honestly laid in bed last night thinking about the Chevy Volt’s $41k price tag. Seriously. When I got the press release shortly before it crossed the wire yesterday, the price seemed about right for a first-gen Voltec vehicle. The $350 lease program looked even better. I was already totally sold on the Volt after driving an early mule over a year ago and the price tag didn’t even bother me one bit. It’s not like I planned on buying one, but I could see where GM was coming from.
Then my post went up at 12:00 pm yesterday and quickly filled with commentors railing against the $41,000 price tag. That was followed by nearly every national news program claiming the Volt’s price invokes a bit of sticker shock. I thought, “Did these people really think the Volt was going to be the same price as a Malibu?” Apparently.
But then Rush Limbaugh opened-up on the Volt today and two things became clear. One, many people including Rush (and previously Letterman) do not fundamentally understand the Volt’s capabilities. I believe most consumers expected the Volt to be a mass-market vehicle and an instant hit in a sort of iPhone way. Yeah, that’s just not how the auto industry works.
Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Email / IM, Smartphones, Mobile
According to a translated tweet from HTC Benelux regional director (who probably should know better), The HTC Desire should be getting an upgrade to Android 2.2 this week. The tweet was followed up by comments that not everyone would get it shortly due to bandwidth limitations but HTC. Earlier, HTC committed to an upgrade in Q3 and an earlier leak put the upgrade before the holidays.
“We beginnen vanaf morgen met de upgrades naar Android 2.2 voor Desire, later meer devices”. Dropping this statement into Google Translate says: “We start tomorrow with the upgrades to 2.2 for Android Desire later devices”.- Mark Moons via Twitter
Possibly confirming the above statement, Unwired View is reporting the HTC Desire is shipping in China with Froyo installed - no upgrade necessary. The Desire is amoung the first HTC branded devices to enter the Chinese market. Previously, the company rebranded their devices under the Dopod name.
Read: [Pocket Lint]
Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
I honestly laid in bed last night thinking about the Chevy Volt’s $41k price tag. Seriously. When I got the press release shortly before it crossed the wire yesterday, the price seemed about right for a first-gen Voltec vehicle. Then the $350 lease program looked even better. I was already totally sold on the Volt after driving an early mule over a year ago and the price tag didn’t even bother me one bit. It’s not like I planned on buying one, but I could see where GM was coming from.
Then my post went up at 12:00 pm yesterday and quickly filled with commentors railing against the $41,000 price tag. That was followed by nearly every national news program claiming the Volt’s price invokes a bit of sticker shock. I thought, “Did these people really think the Volt was going to be the same price as a Malibu?” Apparently.
But then Rush Limbaugh opened-up on the Volt today and two things became clear. One, many people including Rush (and previously Letterman) do not fundamentally understand the Volt’s capabilities. I believe most consumers expected the Volt to be a mass-market vehicle and an instant hit in a sort of iPhone way. Yeah, that’s just not how the auto industry works.
I guess part of my acceptance of the $41k price is that I have GM in my blood. The Internet would call me a GM fanboy, but it’s something a little more deep. I’m more of a GM loyalist — being born, raised and still living within minutes of GM’s long-forgotten birthplace — Flint, MI (70 miles from Detroit). This is the place where under the leadership of Billy Durant, a bunch of separate automakers joined together and formed General Motors starting with Buick in 1908. It’s now a sorry remnant of its storied past, but things are getting better, partly because of the Volt.
GM is spending $230 million in Flint, primarily to retool one of the old factories into the manufacturing facility for the Chevy Volt and Cruze’s 1.4L gasoline engine. The Volt’s battery pack is being developed and made across the state in Holland, Michigan. It’s safe to say that everyone around here is pulling for the Volt.
But if I set aside all the feelings I have about GM, I still believe that $41k is the right price for the first-gen Volt. Even without the tax credit worth up to $7500, most of the initial 10,000 available Volts will be snatched up at full retail. People are buying luxury cars right now and it’s undeniable that the Volt will give the Prius a run for its celebrity clientèle.
Bloomberg reported a few weeks ago about the state of luxury autos right now; BMW, Mercedes, and Audi simply cannot keep up with the demand. While I’ll be the first to counter that point by saying that a Chevy isn’t an Audi, the report clearly states that people have money to spend on cars. The $7,500 tax credit President Bush approved (Sorry, Rush, this isn’t Obama’s tax credit) back in the recession of 2008 is just a bonus for the first round of buyers.
With a price tag of $41k, GM is clearly targeting this higher-end market. The Chevy Volt isn’t a car for the masses — at least it isn’t yet — and that’s fine. It doesn’t need to be. The Volt isn’t a consumer electronic like the iPad. It’s a car and its story isn’t finished within the first month of sales.
General Motors isn’t just in the business of selling one vehicle. The once king of automakers originally earned that title by developing many similar vehicle’s around common platforms and powertrains. This practice, along with the “it’s good ’nuff” attitude, is one of the main reasons for its demise as well, but the Volt’s powertrain, named Voltec, isn’t the overused 3800 engine used by countless Buicks, Chevys, Pontaics, and Oldsmobiles for two decades. It’s one of the keys to General Motor’s future.
There’s no way to tell how much R&D went into the Volt, but it’s probably safe to say that it was far more than the average vehicle. Rest assured that the entire investment isn’t riding on this one car (two if you count its European twin, the Opel Ampera), but rather on the multitude of vehicles that will share the same underpinnings and electric powerplant.
GM already showed off a few such vehicles like the Cadillac Converj sports coupe concept and the production-bound MPV5 crossover. Those are just the beginning, too. The Volt is the first model in what is sure to be a large line-up of extended-range electric vehicles with the same electric motor backed by a gasoline-powered generator.
Part of the reason for the Volt’s higher initial price than, say, the Leaf is that the Volt’s essentially the first of its kind to be designed with mass production in mind. Simply put, it’s an electric vehicle with a range of 40 miles that also has a small gasoline engine that will power the motor with excess sent to the batteries until the tank reads E — supposedly another 260 miles. Think of it as a hybrid with the powerplants in different roles. In a traditional hybrid like the Prius, the gasoline engine and electric motor can run separately — electric during slow speeds, braking and idle — or combined together during hard acceleration. However, it requires gasoline to go and the Volt doesn’t (Volt’s primary power plant is the electric motor).
This is what sets the Volt apart from other alternative vehicles; you literally don’t need to run on gas — the gas generator might still pop on to regulate the climate if it gets too hot or cold while the Volt’s parked, though. But then the Volt can also drive long-range as long as there’s gas in the tank. Sure, it’s not the best at either as many EVs have longer range and estimates peg the Volt’s gas mileage around 50mpg, but the real story is that it does both, which no other vehicle can claim. Well, maybe the coach-built Fisker Karma but that also carries a $87k pricetag.
$41,000 is a lot of money for a vehicle that many thought would be the savior of General Motors. But the Volt doesn’t have to be a breakaway hit for it to be success in GM’s eyes. The Prius will no doubt outsell it for years and the same probably goes for the Nissan Leaf. But GM’s in this for the long run and the Volt is just the beginning.
 CBC.ca | 'Suspicious' Android wallpaper app nabs user data Register An Android wallpaper application that collected data from users' phones and uploaded it to a site in China was downloaded "millions of times", according to mobile security firm Lookout. ... Android App Data Theft: Advantage Apple? Google Suspends Android Wallpaper Apps Study finds 14% of free iPhone apps can snoop contacts |
As promised, All Things Digital is posting the full videos from our eighth D: All Things Digital conference, held in early June.
Here’s the interview Kara did at D8 with AOL (AOL) CEO Tim Armstrong.
Here’s the full video of the D8 interview session with Armstrong.
Want to see it bigger? Click here.
Note: We’ll be posting full D8 videos on Mondays and Thursdays. Next up: The demo by Kno, a tablet device for students.
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Few engineering projects have the scope, costs or risks involved in building a new bridge.
San Francisco Bay Area residents got a peek at what’s involved Wednesday, when builders set in place the first segment of a tower that will soon hold up a brand-new span of the San Francisco Bay Bridge.
Wired captured photos of the event, as well as many inside photos of the new bridge that we shot on a recent tour of the massive construction project.
More than 250,000 vehicles pass over this bridge every day, carrying people and freight between San Francisco and the east side of the bay. You can’t exactly ask that much traffic to wait patiently while you tear down the existing bridge and replace it with a new one.
Complicating matters is the fact that the San Francisco Bay Area is one of the most seismically active regions of the United States. Any bridge built here has to be able to withstand a massive quake — since some big shaker is almost certain to hit sometime during the bridge’s expected 150-year lifespan.
In fact, engineers are designing the new Bay Bridge segments to withstand the largest earth movements predicted for the next 1,500 years. The specifications call for the bridge to be open to traffic within hours after such a massive quake, with minimal repairs required.
No wonder it has taken two decades to come up with a replacement for the Bay Bridge’s damaged eastern span.
This page: What locals call the Bay Bridge is actually three bridges: a pair of suspension bridges leading from San Francisco in the west to Yerba Buena island in the middle of San Francisco Bay; and an eastern section made out of steel girders, leading from the island to Oakland, on the east side of the bay. Connecting the two is a 76-foot wide, 58-foot high tunnel — the largest bore tunnel in the world — going through the heart of the island.
It’s the eastern span, shown here, that took a hit during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. A section of the upper roadway collapsed in that quake.
Photo: Stefan Armijo/Wired.com
In this Instructable, talbotron22 shows how to make "Kitty Crack," an ultra-potent catnip extract containing nepetalactone, catnip's active ingredient. One pound of catnip yielded 143mg of nepetalactone.
A note about safety. Yes, it is safe to use this extract on cats. I have looked into it, and there are a number of studies (very interesting in their own right) using pure nepetalactone on cats in experiments trying to figure out why it causes them to go bonkers. The upshot is that it's pretty safe. In the last of the references below, the LD50 of nepetalactone was determined to be 1550 mg/kg (about the same as aspirin), meaning you would have to force feed your average 5 kg cat ~8 grams in order to cause it any harm. So as long as you are reasonable with the extract it should pose no harm.DIY Kitty Crack: ultra-potent catnip extract
Source: Boing Boing | 29 Jul 2010 | 5:21 pm
Sure, it doesn’t have nearly as many sizes of this and that as your regular suitcase-sized tool box, but it makes up for that in cuteness. I think you could still fit a few more in there, though. And a tape measure, too. Designed by Tim Oelker.
[via NotCot]
Just recently, I decided to hop on the minimal shoe bandwagon and picked up a pair of FiveFingers by Vibram. It’s easy to see why these things are getting popular. Racing to keep up with consumer demands, many running shoe companies have decided to follow with the minimalist shoe design.
With the Minimus, New Balance also joins the bandwagon of barefoot running. The shoes are going to offer a very breathable mesh material on top of a Vibram sole. Vibram, usually a sole maker, has its logo shown quite boldly on the shoe. We’re still not sure if it’s planned competition or some other partnership. And we’re also not sure if the New Balance shoe is going to have five fingers.
The Minimus looks great, and definitely will be worth looking into when the release next March. I’m all for the minimalistic barefoot running idea even after only days with the FiveFingers. Our own waddler-in-chief, John, however, swears by them. Remember, more competition is going to bring down those prices. $80 for a piece of rubber and mesh isn’t exactly bang-for-buck friendly.
If you’re skeptical of the whole thing check out barefootrunner. They have a lot of interesting info about the topic.
Section: Web, Websites, Online Music/Video, Google
For those who upload videos to YouTube often, the ten minute barrier might annoy you because you have to upload multiple videos. According to Boing Boing, YouTube will be changing the upload limit from 10 minutes to 15 minutes, but YouTube did not release a timeframe. While five additional minutes may not seem like a whole lot, it will certainly make a difference for users who’s video is slightly over 10 minutes and would otherwise have to make two videos.
In addition, YouTube plans to hold a “15 minutes of fame” contest in order to publicize the increased upload limit. No word on when the contest is set to begin, but probably after YouTube officially increases the limit from 10 to 15 minutes.
Via [Boing Boing]
Full Story » | Written by Natesh Sood for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Telegraph.co.uk | Another ugly reminder to check your Facebook settings — NOW! msnbc.com Hey you! Don't be blind to your Facebook privacy settings! Adjust them now! Do it! Do as I say! Obey me! by Helen AS Popkin You know that guy who just posted the personal details of 100 million Facebook profiles in an online downloadable file? ... Searchable Facebook user data posted to Pirate Bay Facebook data hoarder speaks out 100 Million Facebook Users Learn True Meaning of Going Public |
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
The Canon 60D is one of those ongoing gadget bugaboos that we have seen around for months, yet have no direct confirmation. This listing, found on image testers DxO Labs’ site, seems to indicate a 60D coming out soon. Previous rumors put it out in late August or early September, so this seems to coincide nicely with that.
[via Canon Rumors]
Section: Apple, Computers, Software / Applications
Microsoft has taken to YouTube and offered up an Office for Mac 2011 teaser video. Overall its nicely done, though most of what we are looking at has been shown off before. That said, its 1 minute and 16 seconds of Office for Mac including some footage of Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and MSN Messenger.
Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
By Beth Callaghan
Based on the content of one video clip that it said disseminated extreme views, a Russian court has ordered Internet provider Rosnet to block access to YouTube in the city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur. Rosnet President Alexander Yermakov appealed to reverse the order and declined to enforce it, calling the judge “incompetent.” Google Russia’s Alla Zabrovskaya said that the ruling was an “obvious violation of the right to obtain information.” The ruling is a textbook scenario of a longstanding human rights concern in Russia: that the state may gag a media outlet simply by accusing it of spreading extreme views.
Evidently Google’s Mainland China Service Availability page is not the best indicator of the availability of the company’s mainland China services. Though that page at the moment shows Google’s Web search, YouTube, mobile and ads as blocked in the country, they are in fact available–as a number of China-based Twitter users will tell you.
Why the discrepancy? “Because of the way we measure accessibility in China, it’s possible that our machines could overestimate the level of blockage,” a Google spokesperson told me. “That seems to be what happened last night when there was a relatively small blockage. It appears now that users in China are accessing our properties normally.”
An earlier version of this post noted that Google’s Mainland China Service Availability page inexplicably showed a number of the company’s services as blocked in China.
Prepare to have your mind blown.
Certain dinosaurs—physically disparate enough that we've always thought of them as different species—may actually be the same animal at different stages of its life cycle. Also: Those big, protective-looking bone formations surrounding some dinos' heads and necks probably weren't all that useful as a defense against predators.
Case in point, triceratops. Or, maybe we should be calling it torosaurus now, I'm not sure. See, according to research done by scientists at Montana's Museum of the Rockies, the familiar triceratops is really just the juvenile form of the more-elaborately be-frilled and be-horned torosaurus.
This extreme shape-shifting was possible because the bone tissue in the frill and horns stayed immature, spongy and riddled with blood vessels, never fully hardening into solid bone as happens in most animals during early adulthood. The only modern animal known to do anything similar is the cassowary, descended from the dinosaurs, which develops a large spongy crest when its skull is about 80 per cent fully grown.
Scannella and Horner examined 29 triceratops skulls and nine torosaurus skulls, mostly from the late-Cretaceous Hell Creek formation in Montana. The triceratops skulls were between 0.5 and 2 metres long. By counting growth lines in the bones, not unlike tree rings, they have shown clearly that the skulls come from animals of different ages, from juveniles to young adults. Torosaurus fossils are much rarer, 2 to 3 metres long and, crucially, only adult specimens have ever been found. The duo say there is a clear transition from triceratops into torosaurus as the animals grow older. For example, the oldest specimens of triceratops show a marked thinning of the bone where torosaurus has holes, suggesting they are in the process of becoming fenestrated.
There are other species this might apply to, as well. Some with even bigger shifts in appearance.
While this is a Big Hairy Deal for dinosaur science, it also elicits a little bit of a "duh" moment when you go back and look at the animals in question. What you should really be getting out of this story is an illustration of how difficult it is to study a creature that's been extinct for millions of years.
After all—as my husband pointed out—nobody would be shocked to learn that a baby chick, an adult chicken, and plate of parmigiana were all the same animal. But that's because we've experienced chickens. Were an alien to drop in on Earth for one afternoon, they might be just as amazed at the life cycle of poultry as we are now at the triceratops/torosaurus'. Paleontologists are tasked with reconstructing the lives of animals nobody has ever seen alive. And that creates a world where the obvious just isn't.
New Scientist: Morph-o-saurs: How shape-shifting dinosaurs deceived us
(Via John Taylor Williams)
Image courtesy Flickr user lindseywb, via CC
Source: Boing Boing | 29 Jul 2010 | 4:19 pm
 The Tech Herald | Ballmer: Microsoft feels tablet 'urgency' CNNMoney Tablet software is "job one," Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said Thursday at the company's annual meeting with financial analysts. By David Goldman, staff writerJuly 29, 2010: 6:32 PM ET REDMOND, Wash. (CNNMoney.com) -- Microsoft Chief Executive Steve ... Microsoft aims to be BFF with consumers Microsoft moving at snail's pace on tablets Ballmer Pushes Slates but Reveals Few Details |
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Web, Websites
The Motorola Droid 2 is all but official at this point. We have seen numerous rumors indicating an August launch, and today, the entire user guide for the Droid successor has been leaked online. The 70 page report doesn’t reveal any earth shattering features, but does confirm Android 2.2 and a MotoBlur Skin similar to the Droid X.
In case you like the MotoBlur skin featured on the Droid X, then you’ll be happy to know the Droid 2 runs the same MotoBlur skin. In addition, the Droid 2 comes pre-loaded with the Blockbuster app and Swype. Obviously, the most notable feature on the Droid 2 is its physical QWERTY keyboard, but combined with Swype, you have the option for speedy virtual messaging. Based on the Google search menu, the Droid 2 will run Android 2.2 (Froyo) out of the box.
All that we need to know now is official pricing and availability. Feel free to download the user guide in its entirety below.
Download [Droid 2 User Guide (MegaUpload)] Via [Droid-Life]
Full Story » | Written by Natesh Sood for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
"Are 3D-Printed Fabrics the Future of Sustainable Textiles?" (via Submitterator)...Designer-researchers like Freedom of Creation in Amsterdam and Philip Delamore at the London College of Fashion are cranking out seamless, flexible textile structures using software that converts three-dimensional body data into skin-conforming fabric structures. The potential for bespoke clothing, tailored to the specific individual, are as abundant as the patterns that can be created, from interlocking Mobius motifs to tightly woven meshes.
Source: Boing Boing | 29 Jul 2010 | 3:38 pm
Kite designer Tim Elverston sent in this video through Submitterator, showing his friend making a piece of kite line move "magically" with the help of static electricity. Also, they got shocked. If you listen to the video through headphones, you can clearly hear an electrical buzzing every time their fingers get close to the kite line.
Interestingly, the effect seems to have been dependent on the line material, and the bench the kite was tied to—both of which were made from plastic composite.
The two other identical kites flying in the same conditions were not doing the same thing. They were flying on different line material, and tied off to different things, a person and a wooden fence. There was visible lightning and electrical activity in a storm that was about 1-3 miles to the West of us. The only other two times I have experienced this were both while riding in my kite buggy, and I started to get a shock through my leg to the metal frame of the buggy.
Source: Boing Boing | 29 Jul 2010 | 3:34 pm
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile
Rogers has officially launched their budget-minded chatr wireless service. The offer seems simple enough, pick a phone and pick a plan. And the best (or worst) part, there are limited options available.
In the case of the calling plans—two. Those interested in chatr can choose between the $35 or $45 per month plan. As for what you get—in both cases unlimited incoming talk, unlimited incoming text and call display, call waiting, call forwarding and group calling. Otherwise, the $35 per month plan has unlimited outgoing talk to anywhere in your province, 50 outgoing text messages and a $0.25 per minute charge for voicemail retrieval. And as you would expect, the $45 per month plan better covers those basics. In this case the outgoing talk is expanded to anywhere in Canada, the outgoing text messages are unlimited and the voicemail retrieval is also included.
As for the phones, there are four available—the Nokia 1661 for $60, the LG GB125R for $75, the Nokia 2680 for $95 and the Samsung Gravity for $130. And all come with no contract.
Read [chatr]
Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Geeky gadgets | Apple's iOS4 Issues Take Center Stage PC World Now that Apple has pacified iPhone 4 customers with free bumper cases to alleviate antenna issues, the company is looking into problems with iOS 4 and the iPhone 3G. For more than a month, iPhone 3G owners have raged on Apple's support forums about the ... Apple Investigates iOS 4 Bogging Down iPhone 3G Apple looking into slow iOS 4 performance on iPhone 3G Apple probes complaints after iPhone upgrade |
Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones
Today, LG officially launched the Optimus Z Android smartphone in the korean market. It will be available with SK Telecom and KT, but pricing of the device is not yet known. In terms of specs, the LG Optimus Z features a 1 GHz Snapdragon processor, operates on Android 2.1, 3.5 inch Hyper LCD screen, T-DMB receiver, 5 MPcamera, 2 1350 mAh batteries, and should receive the Android 2.2 upgrade sometime this December.
One cool feature of the Optimus Z is its ability to sync with your PC and you can access phone controls from your computer. If you hook up your smartphone via Bluetooth or the data cable, the phone’s interface will be displayed on your PC allowing you to access the Market and other features. Another interesting feature is Drag & Shake, which allows you to share files with other smartphone users by shaking your phone. If this concept sounds familiar, you’re probably thinking of the free Android app - Bump. Lastly, the Optimus Z comes pre-loaded with over a 100 apps, which may be welcomed or detested, depending on your opinion of bloatware.
Hopefully LG will launch the Optimus Z in other markets soon, because it’s a solid high-end device that many people would like to use.
Full press release is below:
SEOUL, July 29, 2010 – LG Electronics (LG) today announced the Korean launch of its latest smartphone, LG Optimus Z (LG-SU950/KU9500). Offered through local tele-coms providers SK Telecom and KT, Part of LG’s Optimus Series, Optimus Z boasts a singular, stylish design and latest version of Google’s Android OS.
With the 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon at its core, Optimus Z is being launched with Android OS 2.1 with the option to upgrade to Version 2.2 before the end of the year. Advanced multimedia options include 3.5 inch WVGA “Hyper” HD LCD (800 x 480 pixels), Korea-specific T-DMB mobile TV, 5 MP camera, Dolby Mobile and DivX compatibility. Optimus Z comes with two 1,350mAh batteries, good for hours and hours of talking or entertainment. And at only 11.05 mm thin, Optimus Z and its unique “Z- style” design is more angular than previous LG smartphones and its matte-finish metal gives the Optimus Z a solid, durable feel.
In a first for Korean smartphones, the LG Optimus Z offers On Screen Phone function that lets user display their phone interface on the screen of their PC. Using Bluetooth or a data cable, the interface will appear onscreen, letting users manage the phone’s vari- ous functions – including applications and e-mail – on the computer. In addition, any documents, images or music files stored on the PC can be easily transferred to Optimus Z using this interface. Furthermore, Drag & Shake allows LG Optimus Z users to share files between smartphones with a simple shake of the handset, while LG Air Sync lets them constantly sync the phone with their PCs or other mobile digital devices.
The LG Optimus Z comes pre-equipped with more than 100 of the most popular appli- cations in Korea, along with 70 more that are not available in the Android Market. Additional applications may be downloaded through SK Telecom’s and KT’s respective application stores.
Optimus Z is the third device in LG’s Optimus Series family to be introduced globally. More Optimus devices are in the pipeline, including the launch of LG’s Android tablet in the fourth quarter of 2010.
Full Story » | Written by Natesh Sood for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
FROM GAMERTELL - A release date for the Nintendo 3DS will be announced in September.
MORE »
Full Story » | Written by NEWS for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
You know how we’ll know when we’re living in the future? When user manuals for gadgets start leaking out before that gadget even officially exists. Oh, that’s now. Welcome to the future!
If you’re just itchin’ to know all the right places to touch the Droid 2, you’re in luck: the user manual has just leaked out.
Unearthed by DroidLife, the guide confirms some interesting tidbits:
You can find the link to the full user manual here. Find any other gems lurking within its pages? Let us know in the comments below.
An Android app that offers free wallpapers is allegedly gathering data about its users, including their phone numbers, carrier subscriber identifiers and phone number of their voicemail accounts. The app then sends this data to a website based in China, says mobile security firm Lookout.
The Android app, called Jackeey, is estimated to have anywhere from 1 to 4 million downloads.
“While the data accessed are certainly suspicious coming from wallpaper apps, we’re not saying that these applications are malicious,” Kevin Mahaffey, founder and CTO of Lookout wrote in an e-mail to Android Central. “There have been cases in the past where the applications are simply a little overzealous in their data-gathering practices, but not because of any ill intent.”
The Jackeey app does not touch the SMS and browsing capabilities of the phone. Lookout made the disclosure at the ongoing Black Hat conference in Las Vegas. (See Wired.com’s Threat Level blog for more coverage of Black Hat.)
Wired.com was not able to contact the developers of the Jackeey wallpapers.
While one Android app has been singled out, many iPhone apps also intrude into the users’ privacy, says Lookout. A survey of 300,000 applications for both the iPhone and Android OS found twice as many free applications on the iPhone have the capability to access the user’s contact data (14 percent) as compared to Android (8 percent).
“Ultimately, the device OS makers should focus on better security,” says Dimitri Volkmann, a vice-president at Good Technology, which provides mobile security and device management for businesses. “It’s more about the maturity of the vendors rather than control vs. open source.”
How the data gathered from users is handled has been a minefield for phone makers. In 2009, a developer found the Palm Pre’s operating-system webOS sent his GPS location back to the company every day. Palm was also monitoring the webOS apps he used each day, and for how long he used each one. The outcry forced Palm to change how it handles data gathered by the OS.
Android app Jackeey’s missteps in handling user data has hurt and embarrassed them. But with thousands of apps in the Android app store and little supervision, it’s just a matter of time before a bigger mobile-security risk has major consequences for consumers.
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Photo: (marketingfacts/Flickr)
BGR just managed to get some pictures of Verizon’s LTE USB modem, which is apparently currently under testing. The modem is made by LG, and uses the next gen LTE SIM card.
Because this is a prototype and still in testing, there’s not really any other information available at this time, but the hardware sure looks good.
Google’s Nexus One phone is going where few smartphones have gone before. A group strapped the Nexus One to the back of a rocket and launched it from the Nevada desert into the atmosphere to test the device’s performance up in the air.
The Mavericks Civilian Space Foundation, a group of rocket enthusiasts, used an Intimidator-5 rocket to send the device 28,000 feet into the atmosphere.
“The purpose of flying the Nexus One is to find a low-cost satellite solution,” says Thomas Atchison, chairman of the Mavericks Foundation. “The radio, processing power, sensors and cameras in smartphones potentially have the same capability as those in satellites.”
The idea is to drive down satellite cost by using off-the-shelf products and components, says Atchison.
“Today’s satellites are the size of Greyhound buses,” he says. “But I believe they are going to get smaller and more frequently deployed. This is a first-step effort.”
The Nexus One piggybacked on a rocket that’s being used as part of a project called Clotho that’s trying to find out how far off the earth’s surface life exists.
The test flight with the Nexus One was to see how the device behaves under a high-G environment, says Atchison.
“If you put a Nexus One in orbit, how will it perform?” he says. “How does the device handle the thermal temperature and vibrations. We wanted to see the results.”
The resulting video from the Nexus One is below. As expected, the video is a lot of shaking, blue sky and blobs of light, but it is still fun to watch. An earlier test brought Nexus One back with a shattered screen but the device did well on its second flight.
James Dougherty, one of the participants in the project, shows the payload with a biosampling module and the Google phone.
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Photo: The shattered Nexus One post launch (jurvetson/Flickr)
[via Make and Droid Ninja]
 Sydney Morning Herald | Important Lessons to Learn from the Black Hat ATM Hack PC World A security researcher named Barnaby Jack amazed attendees at the Black Hat security conference by hacking ATM machines in a session titled "Jackpotting Automated Teller Machines Redux". There are some important lessons to be ... ATM hack gives cash on demand Black Hat: ATMs are not well protected Armed with exploits, ATM hacker hits the jackpot |
Over the last few days, one of Apple’s new products has been all over the internet. Nothing new there, right? But which one do I mean? The new iMac? The 12-core Mac Pro? The cool new Magic Trackpad? Nope. I’m talking about the Apple Battery Charger.
It’s a nice charger, to be sure: it minimizes “vampire draw” by shutting off the power when the batteries are charged. It ships with six batteries which should last up to ten years and it has the usual Apple polish in the form of coded flashing or steady amber and green LEDs. But does this really warrant the amount of coverage that is being given to a battery charger? After all, there are countless chargers out there that are better featured, or simpler, and certainly cheaper.
What this insane news coverage really tells us is that, despite the endless whining comments to the contrary, Apple news is big news. People read it, people want it, and people click on it. Sure, Apple benefits from the almost continual din of free publicity, but so do the people publishing the news. And so do you, the reader: From the amount of interest in any Apple news, it’s obvious that it is in demand.
But back to that charger. The one that costs $30, that only holds two batteries that takes five hours to charge them. I’ll probably buy one. Why? Because it uses the little interchangeable power-prongs, which means one tiny thing less in my luggage.
Battery charger [Apple]
App store analytics provider Distimo in its latest report once again focuses on in-app purchases across a variety of mobile application stores, Apple's App Store in particular.
According to Distimo, the percentage of applications with in-app purchases is significantly higher in the App Store for iPad (10%) compared to that for the iPhone (2%).
It looks like Sprint is hell-bent on bringing at least some kind of iPhone to its network. An FCC filing shows a MiFi like device which not only creates a personal Wi-Fi hotspot but also acts as a cradle for the iPod Touch. It effectively turns the iPod into an iPhone, only without the actual phone part, nor the cameras, nor the GPS. But you sort of see the point.
The “Peel”, as it looks to be called, is an interesting idea, and isn’t outside the scope of Sprint’s iAmbition: remember the free iPad case which would also hold Sprint’s own 4G wireless router? This one would run on the slower but more pervasive 3G network, and use its own battery. It would also do away with the issue of tethering, as you could connect several devices to the hotspot.
If it escapes the FCC’s clutches, we’d expect to see this soon enough. And who knows? Maybe you could also wrap it around the iPhone thus avoiding both pesky dropped calls and AT&T’s flaky data network. Win win!
FCC Reveals ZTE Peel On Sprint, For Apples Perhaps [Phone Scoop via Cult of Mac's John Brownlee]
Follow us for real-time tech news: Charlie Sorrel and Gadget Lab on Twitter.
After posting about the ShutterSnitch/Eye-Fi combo on Monday, which lets you beams photographs direct from your camera to an iPhone or iPad, I was sold, and I bought both. After using them for a couple days, it turns out that the Eye-Fi, in its Pro form at least, pretty much sucks.
I went for the Pro as it is the only one that works with RAW files. It is latest Class 6 (X2 in Eye-Fi terms) fast-transfer version, with 8GB memory, Wi-Fi and geo-tagging. It’s the best card Eye-Fi makes, and cost me €131, or a ridiculous $171. On top of this I bought the ShutterSnitch App for $8. I was now in for almost 180 bucks. What did I get for it? Not much.
Geo-Tagging
While the Eye-Fi Pro will geo-tag JPG images, it won’t tag RAW. This is because RAW files, although they use standard EXIF metadata (the information about the photo such as shutter speed and ISO), they put it in non-standard places. That’s fine. You can just shoot RAW+JPG in-camera and then use the desktop software to copy it across on import, right? No. There is no way to do this without resorting to third-party apps.
And if you use this (or any other) Eye-Fi card for geo-tagging, be prepared for slow imports. The way the Eye-Fi works is to gather data about the surrounding Wi-Fi networks as you shoot. Back at the computer, when you import, this data is sent up to the Eye-Fi servers and converted to location data. It’s how the iPod Touch works out your position in the Maps app, only done on Eye-Fi’s servers.
The problem is that to get this to work, you need to let your photos import over Wi-Fi. Even though the cards come with their own (pretty good) SD-card reader, you have to import over the network to get the geo-data, even if the card is in the card-reader. This, if you are shooting RAW and have more than a few photos, takes forever. Worse, if all your machines aren’t on a fast 802.11n network, you’re looking at hours to pull in the photos from a full card.
Compare this to the cheaper alternative, a GPS tracker. For around $50, you can hang a keychain-sized dongle on your bag, get real (and more accurate) GPS data and then combine with the photos later, in seconds.
Could I just import the photos with a regular card reader and drag them all into the Eye-Fi Center software? Nope. Done this way, it mysteriously stops recognizing the RAW format of the files.
Tethered Shooting
Done straight to the computer, transfers are rock solid, and fast if you have a fast network. Using ShutterSnitch, though, things are less reliable, and that’s being generous. I managed to get direct transfers working just twice over the past days, and even then not all the photos would make it to the iPad. And yes, I followed the instructions, and read the forum threads and did what I was supposed to do. But really, this should just work, and it doesn’t, making it useless as anything more than a novelty.
Direct Uploading
The other functions, like direct uploading to the web, work great. But as I would never send a photo to Flickr without at least some tweaking, it’s moot for me at least. It’s also speed-limited by your internet connection, which means that large files will take a while to upload and therefore drain the battery. Which brings me to…
Battery Life
In short, using the Eye-Fi for wireless transfer drains the battery fast. Geo-tagging doesn’t appear to cause a problem, but the strain of beaming images across the network sucks at the battery life. If you thought the days of removing the card from your camera to transfer photos were over, you’re dead wrong. It’s a good thing the card comes with its own reader.
More
There are more niggles. The Eye-Fi Center software, used for configuring the card, is clunky and annoying. For example, it pops up a dialog box every time you save a setting (and you have to save before you can move to a different tab). This needs to be clicked to dismiss it, every single time, and that gets old, fast.
The application also runs on Adobe Air and inexcusably installs the runtime on your computer without asking. The first thing you’ll know about it is when Air starts contacting Adobe’s servers and trying to update itself.
The conclusion seems to be that if you don’t shoot many images, or if you take crappy, low-res snapshots and send them straight up to Facebook, then one of the cheaper Eye-Fi cards might be for you. On the other hand, you can do all that with the cellphone you already have. If you’re a pro, or an enthusiastic amateur like me, the frustrations and limitations are so numerous you should probably look elsewhere. For wireless transfer, suck it up and use a USB cable. For geo-tagging, buy a cheap GPS-logger. Right now, the “Pro” version of the Eye-Fi line is half-baked at best.
Eye-Fi Pro [Eye-Fi]
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Some sassenbergers at Driphter.com posted some images and video of the upcoming 9780 running RIM OS6 on GSM networks. They’re reporting that the new OS is quite smooth with an updated browser and better UI and it’s quite exciting for all those involved.
RIM is an odd duck. Millions of business folks have to carry them so they can’t really change the entire device or OS or else Fortune 500 companies will have to run “Your new Smartphone” training classes at massive cost. Therefore, the changes are pretty darn subtle and, except for speed, probably won’t effect you or your loved ones.
The current iPod Shuffle is tiny to the point of being hard to use. In fact, lose or break the Apple earbuds and you’re screwed, unable to control playback without the in-line remote in the cable. It is cool-looking though, in a how-the-hell-do-they-fit-an-iPod-in-there? kind of way.
Now you can make it even cooler-looking with the lamely-named Pod à Porter necklace, which despite all good sense seems to be for both men and women. The necklace is a velvet-finish, 3D printed polyamide loop. The iPod plugs into one end and the headphone cable threads around the loop to exit at the other end. The result is a tangle-free unit that keeps cables and everything else above the neckline, and can be worn whilst naked, Patrick Bateman-style.
As someone who has killed countless pairs of expensive headphones by catching cords on street-furniture as I dance through the city, I can appreciate the utility. But as a gadget writer and nerd, I like the manufacturing process even more. The Pod à Porter exists as a 3D computer model designed by Michiel Cornelissen and resides on the servers of Shapeways, the online 3D printing service. When you order, your necklace is cranked out of the printer and mailed to you. This feels a lot like the future.
The Pod à Porter costs $27 and comes in black, white, magenta, blue and green to match your iPod Shuffle.
Pod à Porter [Michiel Cornelissen]
Pod à porter – neckband for iPod shuffle [Shapeways]
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Follow us for real-time tech news: Charlie Sorrel and Gadget Lab on Twitter.
According to GetJar, its eponymous mobile app store is now seeing three million downloads per day. GetJar reiterated that its stats put it second only to Apple iTunes, with over 1 billion total downloads to date.
At current (self-reported) growth rate, the company should hit 2 billion downloads in about a year, if calculated on the back of a virtual envelope.
Ilja Laurs, GetJar founder and CEO, says daily downloads have grown more than 300 percent year-on-year, with significant growth coming from North America, Western Europe, Asia and South Africa. GetJar rightly notes that at this scale, they are able to tap into trends across the United States and the rest of the world, particularly since their users come from more than 200 countries and use some 2,000 different handsets.
Recently, the startup conducted a review of more than 70,000 apps within its store to identify user interests and trends among its millions of users. As of this month, YouTube, Facebook and Yahoo! Mobile remained among the top mobile applications, with games “Warships Sea on Fire” and “Racing Mania” top among its category.
Downloads by platform are also shifting quickly, adds GetJar CMO Patrick Mork:
Android wasn’t even a part of our business last year. Today, it’s the 2nd most popular platform developers are submitting on when uploading content to GetJar and we have at least 3 devices in our top 20 list of devices in the US that are Android powered.
GetJar just raised an $11 million Series B round from previous investor Accel Partners and others. The company said at the time that in the past year, it has tripled the number of employees while maintaining its profitability.
Recently, the company released results of an independent study which indicates that the market for mobile apps could grow to a whopping $17.5 billion within the next three years.
Really, the Panasonic RP-HJE 130 is just another earbud. Price is a good indicator of headphone quality, and after that you choose whether you need noise-canceling or an in-line remote and you’re done. But the real genius behind the RP-HJE 130, the thing that will make people buy a pair, is something that has nothing to do with Panasonic. It’s the packaging.
It’s fantastic, right? The design was done by the Scholz And Friends agency in Berlin, Germany, and shows the two hook-shaped buds as a pair of eighth-notes linked together by a bar formed by the in-line remote. The design was so good that it won a Cannes Lions award this year. These buds, it is certain, would jump off the shelf at you, whatever their specs.
And those specs remain a mystery. A Google search for “RP-HJE 130″ comes up with nothing but articles about this design. Switch to Google Shopping and you get precisely zero results. But then, I guess it doesn’t really matter. After all, it’s better to pick headphones on their quality, not their packaging, which will be ripped open and tossed into the recycling-bin after a few minutes anyway.
Panasonic Earphones: The Earphones Note [Coloribus]
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Most people I know who have an Apple Magic Mouse hate it. They hate the carpal-tunnel-inflaming multi-touch gestures, and they hate the stupid shape, which fits nobody’s hand. One thing they probably don’t hate, though, is the resilient glass surface on top.
Even the most cautious of Magic Mouse lovers would likely shy away from this $15 MouseGuard, essentially a screen-protector for something that sits on a desk all day. A screen-protector makes sense when that screen is swinging around your neck (camera) or sitting in your pocket with some carelessly forgotten keys (phone), but not when the worst that could befall the glass panel is being lightly scraped with an untrimmed fingernail.
It’s not even like you need to look through the screen. Seeing a scratch on the LED panel of your $800 camera is frustrating at best, but a mouse is something that is always covered by your hand when in use. In fact, the MouseGuard comes in two opaque flavors, white and gray.
What next? A case to protect your case? Even my friend Pedro, who buys cases for pretty much everything he owns and will likely be spending the next few weeks handling his new iPad with cotton gloves until he finds the perfect sleeve, would shy away from the MouseGuard. And when it comes to protecting gear from scratches, Pedro is an expert. You should listen to him.
MouseGuard [Moshi Mode via Oh Gizmo]
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Microsoft–which 
Even if not everyone will admit it, everyone likes taking pictures of themselves. I suspect it’s the not-so-secret reason why users are addicted to 
Kevin Kelly has compiled a list of the 100 greatest long-form magazine articles ever published. He has found links to the text of each article, and says: "I'd like to have folks start to vote up the best (although they can still add). There's a Top Five that has emerged. Maybe we can get a top 10."
This is kind of a strange rumor, and if it ends up being true, the Peel will be a strange device. Essentially, Sprint is developing another variation on the wifi hotspot – which is good – but this particular product works directly with the iPod Touch. 
