Author: Serkadis

At a pre-Detroit Auto Show industry dinner last night, GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz announced that GM has definitely green-lighted the virally popular Cadillac Converj EREV. The car, which is based on Volt technology, made its debut as a concept car at last year’s Detroit Auto Show.

Read more of this story »

Desperate times calls for desperate measures and it sounds like The Peacock could use a life preserver. Barbara Walters says NBC News tried to hire her back last June, but she decided to stay at ABC.

Walters — who spent 13 years on The TODAY Show before leaving the network in the late ’70s — says she met with NBC Universal chief executive Jeff Zucker and other officials.

“Last June, NBC came to me — NBC was my home for so many years before I came to ABC. And to my amazement, they made me an offer to come back to NBC News. At my age, it was a very flattering offer. … The fact that they would make an offer to someone of my age and consider that I still had years ahead was something that I think says something about them…” the 80-year-old journalist said Monday on The View.

NBC was even going to allow her to stay on The View, but ultimately chose not to go because she’s happy at ABC.

“It was a very flattering offer,” she adds. “So I just want to say that in spite of the fact it is young, young, they did make me this offer and now I can publicly thank them.”

Filed under: Apple Corporate, Apple Financial

It’s that time again. Apple will be live streaming their Q1 financial conference call on Monday, January 25, 2010 at 2pm PDT/5pm EDT. To follow along (Quicktime required), visit this page on the 25th.

Of course, TUAW will be live-blogging the event with commentary, so feel free to join us for all the announcements plus a lively discussion. If the analyst’s predictions are accurate, we should anticipate a blockbuster report. For example, Brian Marshall at Broadpoint.AmTech has estimated that Apple sold 3.3 million Macs during the last quarter, which would be an all-time single-quarter sales record.

Meanwhile, estimates of iPhone sales during the same time period range from 11.30 million units sold (according to Brian Marshall at Broadpoint AmTech) to 8.17 million units (according to Mark Moskowitz, J.P. Morgan). The interesting thing is that the low estimate, 8.17 million iPhones sold, would represent a 10.8% increase from the last September’s record of 7.37 million if true.

We’ll have all the facts in a few days.

TUAWApple announces Q1 financial conference call originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 11 Jan 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Buy This Item: [Click here to buy this item]

Read Original Article

An early-morning decision by the U.S. Supreme court has blocked cameras from a California court room, reversing last week’s decision to allow the delayed broadcast of the controversial trial on YouTube. The court is examining the constitutionality of Proposition 8, the same-sex marriage ban that was voted into law last year.

The trial was set to be the first of its kind, with its proceedings broadcast on a delay over YouTube. The San Francisco Chronicle is reporting that the ban on its rebroadcast will be in place until at least Wednesday, to give the justices more time to consider the matter. The trial began this morning at 9 a.m. in San Francisco.

Sponsor

Prop 8 supporters, the side that opposes gay marriage, have been pushing to stop the trial’s broadcasting altogether, saying that it might discourage witnesses from testifying. At the moment, it looks like their effort has been successful.

The SFist quoted a motion by William Tam, one of the defendants, who said that he feared for the safety of himself and his family were the trial to be broadcast.

“The first reason is because I am fearful for my personal safety and the safety of my family,” Tam wrote in the motion. “In the past I have received threats on my life, had my property vandalized and am recognized on the streets due to my association with Proposition 8. Now that the subject lawsuit is going to trial, I fear that I will get more publicity, be more recognizable and that the risk of harm to me and my family will increase.”

The order to block the cameras from the court room came just hours before the trial was set to begin.

Discuss

Buy This Item: [Click here to buy this item]

Read Original Article

To be blunt: in our view the jobs data were plainly miserable and disappointing.

Like many of our readers, I listened to the debate on CNBC and read numerous analyses. We will set aside the perennial optimists who find positive outcomes in any data set. Simply put: a 10% unemployment rate and a 17.3% underemployment rate are two extremely serious numbers.

They help explain the market’s immediate reaction, which was a Treasury bond price rally and a drop in the 2-year note yield to an intraday low of 0.936%. The 2-year note yield under 1% is a very important figure for market watchers. It is a key market-based pricing of expectations for the Federal Reserve’s interest-rate policy. This reaction essentially suggests that the Fed will maintain the policy-setting Federal Funds interest rate range of 0.0% to 0.25% for at least the first half of 2010.

That has been Cumberland’s expectation for some time. The assumption of a very low US interest-rate policy continues to drive our investment decisions as we conduct stewardship over portfolios through these extraordinary times. Talk about an imminent exit strategy by the Fed is just talk. It is quite possible that the Fed will maintain the zero-bound rate for the entire year. Maybe, they will firm the rate to 0.25% instead of a range this summer. Our longer-term estimate is that we will not see the Fed Funds Rate above 1% until 2011 at the earliest.

Read more at The Big Picture >>

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Fed President Bullard: Near-Zero Interest Rates Until 2012
• EXPLAINER: Bernanke’s Secret Plan To Raise Rates Too Late
• -85K

Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, SUV, Dodge

Dodge is rolling out three special edition Nitros here at the Detroit Auto Show named Heat, Detonator and Shock. For now, we’re focusing on the Detonator, a massively loud yellow mid-size SUV. Aside from the eye-scorching paint, the Nitro Detonator gets standard 20-inch wheels, eight premium speakers hooked into a 368-watt amp plus a nine-inch subwoofer. Tinted glass, too.

The real news, however, is the engine. All three special edition Nitros get an aluminum 4.0-liter V6 that makes 23 percent more horsepower and 12 percent more torque. Specifically, the overhead cam V6 pumps out 260 hp and 265 lb-ft of torque. That’s some decent grunt, though a 4.0-liter-V6-powered Nissan Pathfinder makes 266 hp and 288 lb-ft of torque. However, the Nitro Detonator has gray stripes on the hood. Costs $25,995, too.

Photos by Drew Phillips / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.

Detroit 2010: Dodge Nitro Detonator is massively yellow originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 11 Jan 2010 14:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Buy This Item: [Click here to buy this item]

Read Original Article

Filed under: Concept Cars, Detroit Auto Show, Coupe, Audi, Electric

Audi is serious about EVs. Over the last four months, the four-ringed automaker has put out three (well, really 2.5) electric vehicle concepts: the first e-tron in Frankfurt, a repainted, slightly modified version in LA, and now this, the third e-tron – easily the best iteration to date.

Slightly shorter yet just as wide as its predecessors, the Motown e-tron is a refined version of the concepts that came before it, with electric motors driving each wheel and putting out a total of 204 horsepower and 1,955 pound-feet of torque (through some creative mathematics).

Comprised of an aluminum spaceframe coupled with a smattering of carbon fiber bodywork, the e-tron tips the scales at 2,976 pounds (550 pounds less than the previous concepts). With its reduced weight, more refined packaging and reworked drivetrain, the e-tron hits 60 mph in 5.9 seconds and – more tellingly – dispatches the run from 37 to 75 in 5.1 seconds. Audi claims the e-tron can run on a single charge for 155 miles after topping up from a 230-volt socket for 11 hours.

Along with a reworked interior, a new heat pump to boost efficiency and adaptive headlamps that modify their brightness and direction based on weather and steering input. Naturally, Quattro is part of the package, with the torque-vectoring all-wheel-drive system splitting the power 40:60 front-to-rear.

Audi restated that a production version of the e-tron will go on sale in late 2012, and this most recent concept is a clearer indication of what we’ll see on the road in two year’s time. Not only that, but Audi insists that the name “e-tron” will be a brand within the brand – like Quattro is today – and that means more e-tron-equipped models are most definitely in our future. Make the jump for all the details.
,

Photos by Drew Phillips / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.

Continue reading Detroit 2010: Audi e-tron take zwei… or drei? [w/video]

Detroit 2010: Audi e-tron take zwei… or drei? [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 11 Jan 2010 14:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Buy This Item: [Click here to buy this item]

Read Original Article

It’s exciting for us to see young companies like Jive grow so fast. But before we pop the champagne bottles, it’s important to take these results with a grain of salt.

Jive announced today that it had record results for the past year, up 85%. That’s impressive in the sense that Jive is proving that its technology is gaining acceptance in the market and the fact that the company, founded in 2001, is almost 10 years old.

But we also need to consider that with any young company, there’s a lot riding on news like this.

Sponsor

Jive has some big-league investors. It’s critical that Jive shows them that all is going well and the road ahead is paved with gold.

That may well be the case. Jive is an important player in the emerging Enterprise 2.0 space. Along with its record revenues, Jive also announced that its bookings are up and its employee count now stands at 200 people, up 50%. Also, its Jive World event in 2010 will be twice as big as last year’s.

So, hats off to Jive in that regard for showing us, as an example, that its employee count is up. They are doing well, no doubt about it. But we have no idea how the results compare to last year and what the size of these deals look like. Jive does not share this information, as is the case with most private companies. It is up to us to make our own judgements about what’s really is meaningful.

We made the same point last week about Socialtext posting record results. We were equally curious about its results, too.

All of these companies reporting great news is a sign that the Enterprise 2.0 space is growing, but we need to be careful not to get too excited. Young companies can grow very fast. But it’s all relative compared to big companies. Numbers can look impressive but more often than not, you need to look at a number of factors before making any quick calls on how the company is actually faring in the market.

Discuss

Last week was a big one for private investing in cleantech, with close to ten companies in the sector getting funding — Coda Automotive, EcoFactor and Nordic Windpower among them. But on Friday, and now today, the government has stepped in to shower green businesses with cash, unveiling a series of big announcements worth millions for clean energy manufacturers, green-collar employers and — most recently — projects focusing on vehicle efficiency.

The latest, a package of $187 million in stimulus grants and matching funds from private industry, is being divided between nine projects working on how to make trucks and passenger vehicles more fuel efficient. Slated to create as many as 500 jobs for researchers and engineers and 6,000 by 2015 for assembly-workers, the aim is slash the amount of gasoline used every day in the U.S. by 100 million gallons. The byproduct of this would be reducing vehicle emissions by 20 percent by 2030, the DOE says.

A big chunk of the money, about $115 million, will go to projects making freight trucks 50 percent more fuel efficient. The goal is for them to produce technology they can actually demonstrate by 2015. They were looking into strategies like making trucks more aerodynamic, cutting down on idling, and recovering waste heat. The other six projects will receive $71 million, each working toward engines that could improve gas mileage by 25 to 40 percent for average drivers by 2015.

To highlight a few, Daimler Trucks North America got $39.5 million to downsize engines and electrify oil and water pumps to make long-haul trucks more efficient; Chrysler received $14.5 million to downsize engines and recirculate exhaust gases in its minivan model; Ford got $15 million to improve mid- and large-sedan gas mileage by 25 percent; General Motors landed $7.7 million to test a new emissions control system that could improve its Chevy Malibu’s fuel economy by 25 percent.

The DOE’s cleantech gravy train started rolling on Friday, with President Barack Obama announcing that it will award 183 manufacturing facilities across the country with 30 percent tax credits, amounting to $2.3 billion. The idea is to create more than 58,000 new jobs for people who have been laid off from traditional American manufacturing industries, like automaking. As a byproduct, it should also up American exports in the sector, and stimulate private investment in the clean energy industry.

Manufacturers will be selected from an applicant pool of 500 based on the nature of their technology, the likelihood of them being commercially successful, the number of domestic jobs they would create, how fast they could get up and running, and whether or not they will lead to a substantial decrease in greenhouse gas emissions. Recipients will be notified by mid-April.

The contenders are spread across the country and various areas of the business, including fuel cells, solar, wind and geothermal equipment, carbon capture devices, renewable fuel refineries and plug-in components for electric vehicles.

Shifting focus from domestic cleantech, on Friday, the DOE also selected three overseas organizations that it plans to collaborate with to advance low-emissions technologies. The Energy Efficiency Center in Costa Rica, partnered with the Natural Resources Defense Council, will train professionals to use energy-efficient techniques and devices, as well as produce research on related topics. The Organization of American States will work with governments in the Caribbean to teach sustainable practices and install more renewable energy systems. And the Dominica Wind Project will attempt to expand distributed wind power in a move away from big turbine farms.

Buy This Item: [Click here to buy this item]

Read Original Article

Sony Ericsson Xperia X2a appears on US site screaming ‘I’m coming!’ originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Jan 2010 14:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Sony Style USA  | Email this | Comments

Buy This Item: [Click here to buy this item]

Article

There’s always someone that will tell you that you can make the Rock Band experience more “realistic,” as if there was something more realistic than pressing buttons on a piece of plastic that vaguely resembles a guitar. And believe us, there was no shortage of companies with Guitar Hero / Rock Band controllers at CES — including Gambridge, whose Z line of dual game / MIDI guitars are full-sized instruments with built in sound modules that also function as game controllers, compatible with all major music video game titles. And, judging by what we saw at the company’s booth, their industrial design assures that no one will ever dream of stealing one from you. Pricing and availability to be announced.

Gambridge Z line MIDI guitars compatible with Rock Band, sort of sound like guitars originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Jan 2010 14:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Gambridge  | Email this | Comments

Buy This Item: [Click here to buy this item]

Article

There’s no such thing as a perfect mobile app store strategy — you’re either too draconian, too arbitrary, or too loose in your policies, and as far as we can tell, there’s no way to find a balance that isn’t going to trigger an alarm here and there or get a few people worked into a lather. If you’re too loose, for instance, you’re liable end up with the occasional bout of malware, which is exactly what appears to have gone down recently in the Android Market with a few fake banking apps published by a bandit going as “Droid09.” As you might imagine, the apps end up doing little more than stealing your information and ending your day in tears; the apps have since been pulled, but that’s probably little consolation for those already affected. The moral of the story? Be vigilant, keep a close eye on those system permissions the Market warns you about as you install new apps, report sketchy ones, and — as always — use a hearty dose of common sense.

Phishing Android apps explain our maxed-out credit cards originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Jan 2010 14:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Slashdot  |  First Tech Credit Union  | Email this | Comments

Buy This Item: [Click here to buy this item]

Article

Last fall, we wrote about how the heirs of famed comic artist Jack Kirby had started alerting everyone that he intended to reclaim his copyrights on various popular comic characters, such as Spiderman, the Hulk, Iron Man, The Avengers and others, using the termination right in copyright law that was recently used by the heirs of one of the creators of Superman to reclaim some of those rights. Not surprisingly, Marvel, who owns many of the characters that Kirby’s heirs want to take back, isn’t particularly pleased about this (especially since many of those characters have recently become extremely lucrative movie franchises). So it has gone to court to insist that Kirby had no right to the characters and that his work with Marvel was a “work for hire” situation, where Marvel retains all the copyrights. Kirby’s heirs, not surprisingly, disagree. They point out that Kirby worked out of his own house as a freelancer with no contract or employment agreement.

I have to admit that I’m not a fan of the termination right for copyright, because it makes a huge mess of things. However, given that it’s there, it’s really pretty sickening the lengths to which big entertainment companies will go to try to block creators from using it. Remember, these are the same giant entertainment companies who will insist time and time again that they need special government protections to “protect the artists.” But any chance they get they’ll screw those artists over. You may recall the attempt a decade ago by the RIAA to change copyright law in the middle of the night (literally) by having a staffer slip four words into a larger piece of legislation that would have avoided some of these termination claims. The entertainment industry has no interest in protecting the artists. It only wants to protect its bottom line — and if that means screwing over the artists, it will do so at every turn.

Permalink | Comments | Email This Story

Gleeks rejoice! FOX has ordered a second season of its hit musical comedy, Glee, network entertainment president Kevin Reilly announced on Monday.

“We loved ‘Glee’ ever since it was a pilot script, so it’s been an incredible thrill to watch the show take root and see audiences embrace these characters in such a huge way this season,” Reilly, said in a statement. “The show is a true and rare gem in television.”

Glee focuses on a group of high school misfits who are marching to the beats of the drums by trying to revive the school’s glee club. The show is up for four awards at this weekend’s Golden Globes including Best Actor in a Comedy Series for Matthew Morrison, and Best Actress in a Comedy Series for Lea Michele.

In addition to the renewal news, Glee executive producers are holding a nationwide casting call to fill three new roles that will be added to the series in its second season. The casting search will air as a multi-part special leading up to the premiere of season two.

“’Glee’ has always been about finding new fresh exciting voices. Our second season search for young talent will be in the vein of our first season. We launched a nationwide search for talent for our first season with great unexpected results, and Season Two expands that search in an even bigger way,” said executive producer and creator Ryan Murphy.

Auditions will be open to “amateur individuals,” between the ages of 16 and 26. For more details, log on to www.fox.com/glee.

All-new episodes of Glee return April 13 @ 9 PM on FOX.

Either way, I’d love to hang it from my ceiling, crank up the hi-fi, and jam out to some Peaches & Herb.

The Plexiglass Lamp hides its bulb behind a half-sphere of transparent plexiglass rods. The rods have matte tips, making them glow while the transparent rods disappear into darkness. It’s also energy efficient, according to the designers at Leeuw & Vormgeving, but that’s not the important thing, is it? Of course not. The important thing is finding enough polyester to wear for your groovetastic Plexiglass Lamp parties. [Leeuw & Vormgeving via The Design Blog]