Author: Serkadis

With MySpace buying up some of iMeem’s assets (and leaving many musicians with little hope of getting paid what they’re owed), one of the big complaints was that all of iMeem’s public playlists simply disappeared overnight. This was particularly obnoxious, because plenty of people had relied on iMeem for legal music streaming of playlists they had put together. It appears that last week MySpace decided to add insult to injury and quietly started replacing all iMeem playlists with giant ads. I just checked the one iMeem playlist I had created on a different blog, and, sure enough, in its place was a giant flash ad for Beyonce ringtones.

This should be a warning for anyone using any third party widget maker for placing content on your site. You’re basically giving others control over what they display on your site, but it’s particularly obnoxious to replace something like a music playlist with an advertisement. Many sites that included iMeem playlists were non-commercial, and sneaking ads into them could potentially impact other issues. As we were recently discussing, Vimeo says that you can’t post its videos to sites with ads (even though it seems to ignore most people who do). But what if you had Vimeo videos on a site that also had an iMeem playlist? Suddenly that site has “gone commercial” with ads, even though the owner of the site might not even realize it.

As many people are claiming that streaming services like Spotify and the now-Apple-owned Lala are “the future of music,” including their ability to post streamable playlists, it’s worth remembering what happened in this instance. It’s certainly making me think twice about ever using a third party app for streaming content, knowing that they might just replace it with an ad down the road.

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D-Link just went official on the Boxee Box. But they still didn’t answer our only last question: the price. All they said is that it will be less than $200. Thanks, we kind of figured that along with that the device will stream media from various big-name sources like Netflix, Pandora and Last.fm. Stay tuned though, more info is likely going to drop at CES in a day or two.

D-LINK DEBUTS BOXEE BOX AT CES 2010; DIRECTLY LINKS INTERNET ENTERTAINMENT SERVICES TO TVs EVERYWHERE

Networking pioneer and popular entertainment software
create the best way to get the free entertainment the Internet has to offer with no monthly fee

LAS VEGAS, CES Booth 36232, South Hall, LVCC, Jan. 5, 2010 – D-Link made lots of geeks and early adopters happy today by introducing the revolutionary Boxee Box by D-Link, winner of the CES Best of Innovations award in the Home Entertainment category.

The Boxee Box by D-Link reinterprets what TV should be. The Boxee Box delivers movies, TV shows, music, and photos from a user’s computer, home network, and the Internet to their HDTV with no PC needed. Additionally, Boxee’s core social features make it easy for friends to discover new content from each other through social networks like Facebook, Twitter, and more.

Internet Entertainment
Boxee is a popular PC, Mac, and Linux software program that lets users watch hundreds of thousands of popular TV shows and movies. Instead of sifting through millions of confusing Web sites, when users search on Boxee, TV shows and movies are delivered to them with the click of a remote control. Nearly a million Internet users around the world have already downloaded Boxee to enjoy their online entertainment.

The Boxee Box by D-Link takes the same popular software and offers it up as a great device — the perfect companion to a high definition TV. The Boxee Box by D-Link provides access to more than just traditional TV content. It includes a huge library that spans the Internet, such as university courses, panel discussions, academic lectures, presentations, web-only videos and more from TED, Stanford, FORA.tv, Kid Mango, Next New Networks and others. Boxee also makes it easy for users to add their own favorite entertainment sources with simple RSS or XML feeds available for most online video.

In addition to video content, Boxee users can access great music from sites like Pandora, last.fm, shoutcast, and We are Hunted as well as stunning photos from sites like flickr, Picasa and Facebook.

Personal Entertainment
For entertainment lovers who have built their own collections of digital media stored on their computer hard drive or home network, Boxee automatically identifies their content and downloads relevant cover art, synopses, reviews, subtitles, lyrics and more. This feature turns boring files and folders into beautiful media libraries that make it simple and appealing to navigate a collection of favorite movies, TV shows, and playlists with a simple remote. Furthermore, the Boxee Box by D-Link has extensive format support (see below) which ensures that when users hit the play button, they get instant gratification, with no need to download codecs or drivers. Also, with built-in 802.11n Wi-Fi support, it can transfer files without delay and from longer distances within a user’s home.

Social Features
The Boxee Box by D-Link keeps people connected with social features to help users discover new content from friends, experts, and tastemakers.
The first step to discovery is sharing, and Boxee makes this easy by letting people recommend any playing content to friends. Additionally Boxee automatically uses recommendations from a user’s Twitter and Facebook friends so they can find new content and instantly enjoy it on the big screen. Since anyone can build on top of Boxee’s open App platform, users can craft their own truly custom experience by creating or downloading plug-ins, add-ons, games, and more.

“We are pleased to partner with Boxee and to be the first with such a ground-breaking device,” said Nick Tidd, vice president of sales of D-Link Pan America and vice president of marketing for D-Link North America. “This powerful device with its unique form factor truly leverages Boxee’s service and is the best way for consumers to quickly access the growing volume of Internet content, organize it and stream it to their TVs and home entertainment centers.”

“D-Link’s successful track record in bringing to market, award-winning digital home networking products, and its global marketing, distribution and channel sales capabilities made them a great fit for our first hardware vendor.” stated Andrew Kippen, vice president of marketing for Boxee, “The Boxee Box by D-Link gives consumers what they want – an easy way to watch Internet or personal entertainment in their living rooms with a simple set-top box that costs under $200 and has no monthly fees.”

The Boxee Box by D-Link is scheduled to ship in the first half of 2010 through the company’s vast network of retail and e-tail outlets, and at D-Link’s online store, www.dlinkshop.com.
Supported Codecs & Formats
Boxee can be used to play/view practically all common multimedia formats, including:

VIDEO:
Adobe Flash 10.1
H.264 (MKV, MOV)
VC-1
WMV
MPEG-1
MPEG-2
MPEG-4
AVI
Xvid
Divx
PCM/LPCM
VOB

AUDIO:
MP3
WMA
WAV
AIFF
FLAC
AAC
DTS
Dolby Digital
Ogg Vorbis

PHOTO:
JPEG
TIFF
BMP
PNG

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While much of the technology world is focused on the innovations rolling out at the Consumer Electronics Show this week, Microsoft is priming the pump for Office 2010 sales. The software giant on Tuesday revealed pricing details on the next version of its productivity suite.

Not surprisingly, Microsoft will offer Office 2010 in four versions, Office Professional, Office Home and Business, Office Home and Student, and Office Professional Academic. Microsoft said the multiple packages aim to make it easier for consumers to choose the most appropriate version.

Two pricing schemes are offered for each version: One for the boxed product and another for downloads. The education-only Office Professional Academic sells for $99 on the low end while Office Professional — with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, Publisher, Access and Office Web Apps — sells at $499 on the high end. The digital versions are $69 for Office Professional Academic and $349 for Office Professional.

Office Home and Student includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote and Office Web Apps for $149 boxed and $119 digital. Office Home and Business adds Outlook and a business license for $279 boxed and $199 digital.

The Office Home and Student boxed product is also available in a Family Pack, allowing consumers to install the software on three PCs in one house. The purchase rights for Office Home and Business, Office Professional, and Office Professional Academic boxed products allow usage on two PCs. The product key card downloads are valid for a single installation.

Office Momentum

“Heading into the new year, the Microsoft Office team is motivated more than ever by what we’re hearing about customers’ experiences with [beta] Office 2010,” said Rachel Bondi, general manager for the Microsoft Office team. “Many people think Office is just for the workplace, but millions of people are using Office at home, at school and for…

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Google is holding a press event to showcase the new Nexus One and possibly some other mobile innovations today. We already know quite a few details about the phone itself, but hopefully Google will also have a few surprises up its sleeve. The press conference should get under way at 10am PST and we will live blog the event here.

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We will post updates as they happen. Keep reloading this page to see the latest news.

10:00am As usual, the event is running a bit late.

10:06am Getting started. VP of Product Development takes the stage to talk about the Open Handset Alliance.

“We will unveil the next generation of the evolution of Android today.”

13 new memebers will join the OHC – including: NEC, China Telecom and Freescale.

Recapping the history of Android hardware (G1, myTouch, Droid)

10:10pm “A year ago we had 1 device, now we have 20 devices on 59 carriers.”

Google wants to prevent fragmentation – talking about compatibility test suite.

“Android today is about getting more users onto the mobile web.” Android users search the web over 30x more on Android than on feature phones.

From the beginning, Android was always about being developer friendly.

Talking about being able to multi-task (a subtle swipe at the iPhone?)

The Next Step in the Android Evolution

10:15am “We are only in the early stages of the evolution of Android.

Volume and variety of Android devices has exceeded Google’s expectations. “But we want to do more.

Wants to work closer with hardware partners to showcase the software.

Announcing the Nexus One

“Where Web Meets Phone”

10:18am Google calls this a new category of phones – the “super phones.”

Discuss

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Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported that BreakingNews.com was opperated by BNO.

MSNBC announced this morning that it is buying the BreakingNews.com URL. This follows November’s purchase of @breakingnews and its 1.4 million followers.

BreakingNews.com has made waves since it first appeared, often breaking news before its mainstream competitors. When we profiled its 19-year-old founder Michael van Poppel in July, the company was just about to release its iPhone app and had over 800,000 followers on Twitter. That number is now over 1.5 million.

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“Not everyone wants news surrounded by commentary or features,” said Charlie Tillinghast, president of the MSNBC Digital Network in the company’s press release about the purchase.

We can only hope, however, that MSNBC can do the job that BreakingNews.com was doing before. If Twitter followings are an indication of how reliable the public perceives a news source to be, when we looked at the purchase of @breakingnews, MSNBC’s own Twitter account was dwarfed by the alternative news outlet.

MSNBC Spokesperson Gina Stikes told us in an email that “Msnbc has acquired the URL only,” so what will happen with the BreakingNews.com staff remains to be seen. She did not disclose any further details, such as the purchase price.

Discuss

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Kai Wright’s “All together now, Shut up you Lefties!” gathers the latest volleys between the Villagers/Kool Kids, Centrocons, Dirty Hippies and Blognets.

The left-wing critics are right about the conspicuous flaws of the pending health-care reform–its lack of even a weak “public option,” its too meagre subsidies, its windfalls for Big Pharma, its capitulation on abortion coverage, its reliance on private insurance. And there are surely senators and representatives whose motives are base or, broadly speaking, corrupt. But it is nonsense to attribute the less than fully satisfactory result to the alleged perfidy of the President or “the Democrats.”

You see, lefties? You can’t hold your leaders accountable, because it’s the nameless, faceless “system” that’s to blame. Which is pretty much the same street-corner logic that leads millions of people to opt out of democracy altogether. Either the presidency matters or it doesn’t. Either our leaders are accountable for the policies they create or they are not. And if they are not, let’s drop the conceit of democracy and take the reform debate from there.

How about we drop the infighting and try to pass the agenda we came in on, before the crazies regain some seats?

Filed under: Concept Cars, Detroit Auto Show, Podcasts, Hybrid, Government/Legal, Technology, Ford, GM, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Toyota, Fiat, Electric, Luxury, Lancia

Rapier-witted analyst Jim Hall of 2953 Analytics joins Chris, Sam, and Dan for Episode #160 of the Autoblog Podcast. Announcements and news have heated up after taking a holiday break, and we jump right in. First up, it’s the speculation that four million fewer car sales might signal the end of days for the automobile. Once that’s thoroughly mulled over, we move on to the Mercedes S400 Hybrid before talking about new engines that would bolster Porsche’s efficiency, and discuss a turbocharged four-cylinder Mercedes C-Class coupe. Ford’s VEBA payment is next before we touch on what’s coming in Detroit. We wrap it all up by listing our #1 vehicle of the decade in a variety of categories. We hope you have as much fun listening as we did recording. See you next week!

Until next time, quality podcasting exists at Joystiq and Engadget. Let us know what you think of our podcast by dropping us an email at Podcast at Autoblog dot com, reviewing the show in iTunes, filling out our survey, or even leaving us a voicemail on our Google Voice line 734-288-8POD (734-288-8763). Thanks for listening!

Continue reading Autoblog Podcast #160 – Analyst Jim Hall raises the Podcast IQ

Autoblog Podcast #160 – Analyst Jim Hall raises the Podcast IQ originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 05 Jan 2010 13:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Open Handset Alliance — the raucous group of firms officially supporting and contributing to Android’s development — has added a staggering 13 new members today, including Freescale (Moto’s former chip unit) and China Telecom, China’s EV-DO carrier. Developing…

Open Handset Alliance adds 13 members originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Jan 2010 12:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NEWS RELEASE
January 4, 2010                                                       Contact: Erica Jesberger, 544-4916

Columbia Basin College Student Employment is prepping job seekers for this year’s Career Expo with several career development workshops.

The public is invited to learn resume writing skills and interviewing tips through a variety of free workshops beginning this Friday, January 8 and continuing through winter quarter, with 12 workshops leading up to the expo.

Workshops range from Make Your Resume Pop to Speed Interviewing, including a panel to learn about employer expectations. A full list of workshops, descriptions, times, and dates is available here.

Job seekers can also attend a workshop to learn how to present a Live Resume/One-Minute Commercial to a room full of potential employers on the morning of Career Expo.

This year’s Career Expo is Thursday, February 18, 2010 on the CBC Pasco campus from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the HUB Atrium and Byron Gjerde Center with live resumes from 8-9 a.m. in the HUB Osprey Sunroom.

Career Expo allows job seekers to network with as many as 80 businesses and agencies all in one place, at one time. This free informational job and internship fair gives students and community members the opportunity to explore careers, obtain employer information, establish contacts, and submit resumes. By attending these pre-expo workshops, job seekers can learn valuable, life-long skills to put to use during the event.

6:  Utility Scale Geothermal developers

Perpetual motion machines, unicorns… utility-scale geothermal?

Unfortunately for geothermal developers, it seems that tapping the earth’s core to generate energy has increasingly been consigned to fantasy land. Swiss authorities shut down one project, backed by former oilman Markus Häring, because studies showed that it could trigger earthquakes and cause damage to properties.

Then Google-backed AltaRock Energy gave notice to the Department of Energy in early December that it was abandoning its Geysers drilling project near San Francisco. Add these setbacks to the enormous cost and inexact science of drilling holes miles in the ground and you’ve got a technology that appears not to be ready for large-scale development.

The DOE remains keen, saying the technology has “enormous potential.” Recently, however, we’ve only seen enormous setbacks.

7: The French Carbon Tax

Back in September, French President Nicolas Sarkozy rolled out a carbon tax, making good on a campaign promise to put his country at the forefront of the climate change fight. The legislation barely passed the French Assembly and was set to go into law this month, that is, until France’s highest court stepped in and ruled that its web of loopholes, benefiting energy companies and energy-dependent sectors like farming and fishing, rendered it ineffective in cutting down carbon and green house gas emissions. Had it come into effect, the law would have raised some 1.5 billion euros ($2.15 billion) in its first year.

The court ruling, which came as a surprise, underscores the hurdles faced by industrial economies as they attempt to clean up their energy consumption by pricing carbon. The French government is now scrambling to get another law into the books.  It plans to have a new draft ready by January 20th.

8: Joseph Romm, blogger Climate Progress, Senior Fellow,Center for American Progress

GER’s rankings are a month-by-month rundown of who’s hot in green energy, so most folks appear once and then disappear until they do something interesting again. Not Climate Progress blogger Joe Romm. He’s always hot. Cold December got you feeling like maybe global warming is overblown? Please allow Joe to correct you. Don’t like The Washington Post’s editorial or op-ed pages? Please allow Joe to smack them down for you. Your eco hero, Bill McKibben, doesn’t like President Obama’s performance in Copenhagen? You’re wrong Bill, Joe said so. He sometimes goes overboard with his rhetoric – his attacks on The New York Times’ Andrew Revkin are still a little inexplicable – but if anyone is going to combat buzzsaws like Sen. James Inhofe and blogger James Delingpole, it’s Romm.

9: Copenhagen, home of the United Nations Climate Change Conference

Copenhagen, for two weeks became the home for all things climate change. Had it been successful, the event could have linked the city to a seminal, historical agreement. But China stepped in to ensure that a Copenhagen Agreement was not. Instead, as had been rumored in the weeks leading to COP15, chances of a global binding agreement were dead on arrival. Copenhagen will likely go down in history as a minor milestone in the world’s ongoing quest to cut carbon and green house gases emissions. But, while there will not be a historical “Copenhagen Agreement,” the city and the conference organizers did effectively put the issue of climate change at the forefront, hosting both skeptics and believers.

The failed talks have firmly placed China and the U.S. in the front seat of climate change talks, and put and the U.N. system in the backseat. The city of Copenhagen might not be linked to a much-needed climate change agreement but, at the very least, it could go down in history as the the place that laid the foundations for a more efficient negotiating process that could ensure that a binding climate change agreement eventually sees the day.

10: Earth Capital Partners, cleantech-focused private equity fund

Earth Capital Partners, a London-based clean energy-focused private equity fund, announced last month the first close of its debut fund, the €750 million ($1.125 billion) ECP Renewable Energy Fund One. The fund plans to invest in solar, biomass, biogas projects in Europe, the Middle East and Africa and is managed by a seasoned energy pro, former AES executive Christoph Waltenspul.

With clean energy investments largely tapped from government funds these days, any successful fund raising of private capital is worth highlighting. Cleantech (thanks to unprecedented government backing) is making a comeback in the hearts of private investors, both in the U.S. and abroad.

The end of QE will be a big problem in the US. Yet what happens in the UK, where the BOE is openly monetizing, once their free liquidity ends, could be a watershed event. Couple this with the likelihood of a downgrade, and the UK’s fiscal and monetary future in 2010 is looking quite shaky. Today PIMCO’s Scott Mather told Dow Jones his expectation for a rating downgrade of the island nation: “It’s just a question of when on the current trajectory, not if.

Based on what we know today about the debt trajectory and about the inability to adjust that, I think it’s greater than a 50% likelihood for sure. Call it more like 80%.” And according to Mather, rates on gilts will shoot up by 100 bps once the bond-buying program ends. It is amusing that the fiscal health of the developed world now hinges on the amount of ink cartridge accessible by the two main central banks.

Read the whole story at ZeroHedge –>

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• PIMCO: How The Government’s Huge Debt Binge Means Corporates Will Rule In 2010
• PIMCO Slams The Brakes On US, UK, And Corporate Bond Buying, Amid Massive Debt Binge
• Everbody Is Obsessed With PIMCO’s "New Normal"

Norway, Europe | Natural Wonders

Hidden in Norwegian mountains, Kjeragbolten is a place that looks like something from Middle Earth.

Kjeragbolten is a boulder wedged in a mountain crevasse by the edge of the Kjerag mountain in Lysefjord near Stavanger. (You might have seen it in one of “Where the Hell is Matt” videos which feature a man doing a crazy dance in dozens of locations around the world.)

The boulder itself is a 5 cubic meter large block of stone, suspended above 984m deep abyss. Despite its impressive appearance it is easily accessible on foot without any special equipment needed. The whole of Kjerag mountain is a popular hiking area and Kjarebolten is a favorite photo spot.

Apparently, for some the thrill of standing on a boulder suspended between two cliffs isn’t quite enough, as Kjeragbolten has become a very popular spot for base jumpers to launch themselves into the air.

ESPN will launch its first 3D TV network in June.

On Tuesay, the Disney-owned sports unit announced the introduction of ESPN 3D, the industry’s first 3D television network. ESPN has been testing 3D for more than two years and produced the college football game between University of Southern California and Ohio State University in select theaters and on the USC campus last fall.

“This will be a meaningful step to drive adoption of 3D television sets and afford opportunities for our affiliates to create value through new product offerings, and our advertisers, who want fresh sponsorship opportunities,” Sean Bratches, ESPN’s executive vice president of sales and marketing, said in a statement this afternoon.

ESPN 3D will host its first broadcast –the World Cup soccer match between South Africa and Mexico — on June 11. The network expects to air at least 85 live sporting events during its first year.

“Pretzel Dough” Program Launches Nationally

Effective immediately, Kim & Scott’s Gourmet Pretzels is kicking off its Pretzel Dough program, an initiative that is offering schools across the country an unprecedented $1 per Kim & Scott’s Gourmet Pretzel UPC box flap collected and returned to the pretzel company during the 2009-2010 school year.

The schools are entitled to use this money however it’s most needed.

“‘Pretzels with a Purpose’ is how we choose to live and run our business,” says Kim Holstein, President and Chief Inspiration Officer of Kim & Scott’s Gourmet Pretzels.

“We’re a thriving pretzel business that is privileged and obligated to make a change in our communities.

Pretzel Dough is our way to give back to those schools that may have had funding cuts or just need a little money for supplies, equipment or school sponsored activities. There are similar box top programs out there, but during our inaugural year we’re reimbursing the school up to 10 times more than other companies.”

To enroll in the program, enthusiastic parents, teachers, students and administrators should visit kimandscotts.com.

The site will collect the volunteer coordinator’s name and school information. In turn, Kim & Scott’s will provide all of the information needed for the school to become an instant “Pretzel Dough” participant.

When Kim and Scott Holstein developed the idea for its all-natural, hand -twisted, nut-free soft pretzel business, they vowed that good would come from every pretzel made. And since then they have lived their “Pretzels with a Purpose” mantra.

“We feel it’s crucial to monetarily support schools while empowering kids along the way,” says Holstein.

“Kids can be raising “dough” for much needed programs, feel accomplished and enjoy a healthier, all-natural pretzel along the way. This is what Kim & Scott’s calls Pretzel Power in action.”

“Pretzel Dough” is the most recent philanthropic effort launched by Kim & Scott’s Gourmet Pretzels.

The company’s philanthropic arm, Pretzels for Peace(TM), was started with the business’ inception more than 14 years ago. Pretzels for Peace(TM) regularly donates pretzels, time and a portion of its proceeds to organizations that make a positive difference in the world.

Some of the organizations that have benefited from Pretzels for Peace(TM) include: the ALS Foundation, the Avon Breast Cancer Walk, Breast Cancer Network of Strength (the organization formerly known as Y-Me), Children’s HeartLink, Homes for Our Troops, National Heart Association, the Special Olympics, and Trees for The Future.

Efforts like this ensure the company lives their mission, to make pretzels with a purpose.

Kim & Scott’s Gourmet Pretzels can be found in the frozen aisles of Whole Foods Market, Super Target and major grocery chains. They’re also sold in smoothie chains, coffee shops, movie theaters and airports around the country.

Kim & Scott’s Gourmet Pretzels was started in 1995 and is now run out of a 38,000 sq. foot Chicago bakery with annual sales projected at $10-15 million. Almost 15 years later they’ve transformed the pretzel from a snack to an anytime meal. Kim & Scott’s Gourmet Pretzels deliciously touts more than 12 varieties.

Each all-natural pretzel is twisted by hand and made from scratch. The company is proud that its pretzels are made in a nut-free facility, a great source of whole grains and free from trans fats, preservatives and hydrogenated oils.

About Kim & Scott’s Gourmet Pretzels

Kim & Scott’s Gourmet Pretzels was founded in 1995 by husband and wife team Kim and Scott Holstein. Since inception, the company has prided itself on its all natural, twisted by hand soft pretzels made in a nut-free bakery.

The pretzels can be found in the frozen grocery aisles of Albertson’s, Jewel, SuperTarget, and Whole Foods. Kim & Scott’s products and philanthropic efforts were highly praised in 2004 by Fortune Magazine as a company “Breaking Big” and recognized by Inc. 5000 as one of the “fastest growing companies in America.”

Additionally, they have been deliciously touted by USA Today, Entrepreneur, CNBC’s Power Lunch, CNBC’s Donny Deutsch’s “Big Idea,” Food Network’s Dean Brothers and Food Network’s Roker on the Road who even called the pretzels “the talk of the Windy City.”

For the past seven years, the pretzels have been sold on QVC to an audience of more than 87 million. In September 2009, Kim was recognized as the Entrepreneurial Woman of the Year by the Women’s Business Development Center of Chicago.

And for more, visit us on our blog, Twitter, Flickr and You Tube.

• kimandscotts.wordpress.com
• twitter.com/kimandscotts
• youtube.com/user/kimandscotts
• flickr.com/photos/kimandscotts

Filed under: Concept Cars, Budget, Minivan/Van, Hatchback, Suzuki, Misc. Auto Shows, India, Design/Style

Maruti Suzuki has unveiled its latest concept car, the R3 MPV inside New Delhi’s Auto Expo 2010. Despite its small footprint, the Indian-designed vehicle actually secrets six individual seats.

MSi has yet to detail what platform underpins the R3, let alone what powertrain is inside the concept (if any), but the concept is said to provide a very good look at a forthcoming Indian-market model that could hit the country’s roads within two years. Some sources are suggesting that the people mover could be motivated by anything from a Fiat-sourced 1.3-liter diesel to Suzuki’s own 1.2- or 1.4-liter gasoline engines. To our eyes, it looks eerily similar to the just-previewed next-generation Opel Meriva, could the R3 be a holdover twin from the days when General Motors and Suzuki were working together more closely?

It isn’t altogether clear if Maruti Suzuki will offer a production version of the R3 concept beyond India’s borders, as the marque already owns upwards of 50-percent of the fast-growing market and could potentially do adequate volume just within the country’s borders, especially if a bit of platform sharing is involved. Still, we can see something like the R3 playing well in the European marketplace. Do you think it would go over well in the States? Click on our high-res galleries below (thanks to Shrawan Raja for the live shots!), then make the jump to watch a video of its unveiling in New Delhi and check out the car’s official press release.

[Sources: Maruti Suzuki; Youtube; IndianAutosBlog | Live Images: Shrawan Raja]

Continue reading Auto Expo 2010: Suzuki shows off tidy R3 MPV concept [w/video]

Auto Expo 2010: Suzuki shows off tidy R3 MPV concept [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 05 Jan 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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