Author: Serkadis

We’ve heard that Verizon Wireless will be 100% carrying the Palm Pixi in addition to the Palm Pre, and that the official names will be the Palm Pre Plus and Palm Pixi Plus. We have also been told that the Palm Pre Plus (codenamed Russell) and Palm Pixi (codenamed Romo) will run the recently released webOS version 1.3.5 and not something newer at launch. Lastly, hardware specifications look to be identical to the original Sprint Pre and Pixi in terms of size.

Thanks, phenomenalone!

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According to a report by German daily Handelsbatt, Daimler AG is talking to Renault SA and other potential partners to forge a partnership for compact cars by mid-2010.

“But it could certainly also go faster than that,” Dieter Zetsche told the publication.

Daimler has been previously reported to be in talks with Renault on a new small car platform. Renault also named Daimler as a potential partner earlier this month. The German company is seeking a partnership that will help it expand its Smart brand and jointly produce engines for the Mercedes-Benz B-Class.

– By: Omar Rana

Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required)

It pays to have a girlfriend who croons pop songs for a living: Katy Perry gifted British beau Russell Brand with a Range Rover as the twosome celebrates their first Christmas as a couple.

The singer reportedly shelled out nearly $100,000 dollars for the fully-loaded black, 2010 SVU.

There’s only one problem — Russell can’t drive! Apparently, the truck comes with a warranty and a set of driving lessons.

“They are in love,” a source close to the reportedly engaged couple blabbed to RadarOnline Tuesday.

Brand, a recovering alcoholic and sex addict, has fueled reports that he will wed the preacher’s daughter after allegedly purchasing a love nest outside Los Angeles last week.

The European Commission (EC) itself has warned that the finances of half of the Eurozone's sixteen economies are at risk of becoming 'unsustainable', essentially bankrupt. As shown in the Wall Street Journal graphic below, Spain, Ireland, Netherlands, Slovenia, Slovakia, and Greece are all teetering on the brink.

While relatively better off European nations would prefer not to bail out their flailing neighbors, the problem with the euro currency union is that their fates are ultimately all tied together via the euro, even if politically they believe themselves to be separate countries. Thus an old criticism of the euro system is appearing more relevant than ever.

WSJ: They said a monetary union unsupplemented by a political union risked a fiscal free-for-all among governments, especially in a full-blown recession. The next year will be a good time to prove them wrong.

The focus in early 2010 will remain on Greece and its budget deficit at 12.7% of GDP, four times the EU limit. The Greek government is trying to hammer together a political consensus in parliament for a plan to bring down public spending without triggering more social unrest seen in the country's streets at the close of 2009.

Read more here.

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See Also:

• EU-Imposed Austerity Regimes Creating Anarchy And Terrorism In Southern Europe
• Europe's Trade Surplus Spikes
• Europe Drops Antitrust Case Against Microsoft Over Browsers

General Motors acaba de llamar a revisión a ni más ni menos que ha 22.000 Chevrolet Corvette debido a un problema que puede ocasionar que el techo se desprenda del propio vehículo (puede resultar muy cómico aunque es algo muy peligroso).

En concreto los modelos llamados a revisión son el Chevrolet Corvette C6 y el Chevrolet Corvette Z06 equipados con techo desmontable opcional dado que se ha detectado un defecto que podría terminar con el panel superior totalmente desprendido.

El problema radica en que el adhesivo utilizado para unir la parte exterior del techo a la estructura del coche no es muy seguro y con una serie de vibraciones y filtraciones de agua puede terminar por desprenderse del vehículo. Por último, cabe destacar que sólo han sido llamados a revisión los modelos de Estados Unidos (Por el momento).

Related posts:

1. General Motors confirma la producción de nuevos Chevrolet Camaro Cabrio
2. General Motors suprime varios modelos en Estados Unidos
3. General Motors liquida los modelos de Pontiac y Saturn

It has taken longer than anticipated, but the Boox e-reader that we toyed with at CeBIT earlier this year is finally available for order here in the US of A, with shipments expected to begin in a fortnight. Onyx International’s 6-inch reader — which features WiFi, a Vizplex e-ink display, a 532MHz processor, 512MB of memory, a 1,600mAh battery and an SD / SDHC expansion slot — is bring slung across the seas courtesy of Dulin’s Books, and while it won’t ship with integrated 3G support, it’s still coming here with a lofty $349 price tag affixed to it. Sure, that WebKit browser may impress some, and the bundled white leather cover is a pleasant touch, but we can only wish it luck as it tries to rival the (less expensive and more capable) Nook and Kindle.

[Thanks, Jorge]

Dulin’s Books brings Onxy’s 6-inch Boox 60 e-reader to US shores for $349 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Dec 2009 06:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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{img align=left}Piston heads from all around the world have been fantasizing about an F version of the Lexus GS ever since rumors speculating its existence appeared about two years ago.

As more and more performance vehicles due to be launched were cancelled or delayed by manufacturers, the wave of enthusiasm seemed to be in vain, with the launch of an M5 rivaling Lexus GS becoming highly improbable.

However, Japan’s Best Car magazine has brought the GS-F perspective… (read more)

The Queen of Pop has been blamed for a downturn in donations to the Malawi orphanage where she adopted daughter Mercy James.

Organizers at the Kondanani Orphanage claim the facility is struggling to raise funds because people wrongly assume pop philanthropist Madonna has donated thousands of dollars, according to The Daily Mirror. Orphanage officials insist potential benefactors are failing to offer their help because of The Material Girl. They insist the singer has not offered a huge donation, but has given the impression that she has. That impression, they say, is scaring off dollars.

“We find it a day-to-day struggle to survive. Some days we don’t even know if there will be enough food to feed the babies. Donors are not giving because they are under the impression Madonna paid us vast amounts of money…..”

This top-performing enzyme provides yield increases for starch bioethanol production. In early 2009, Novozymes broke ground on a new USD 200 million production facility in Blair, Nebraska, to meet demand for enzymes for the production …

These top-performing enzymes provide yield increases for starch bioethanol production. Novozymes launched Liquozyme SC 4X for liquefaction. This top-performing enzyme provides yield increases for starch bioethanol production. …

Last week it emerged that China intended to start a second wave of its ferocious dollars-for-hard-assets campaign that went into full gear in the first half of the year.

It looks as though Canada will continue to be a major beneficiary of China’s plans.

MineWeb: Canadian mining stocks jumped on Tuesday after Corriente Resources Inc (CTQ.TO), which has a copper-gold project in Ecuador, agreed to be taken over by Chinese suitors in their country’s latest bid for an international resource developer.

The C$679 million ($653 million) bid from Tongling Nonferrous Metals Group Holdings Co Ltd and China Railway Construction Corp Ltd (601186.SS), announced on Monday, comes more than a year after Corriente started talks to sell the company.

…

Other active miners on Tuesday included Guyana Goldfields Inc (GUY.TO), up 11 Canadian cents at C$7.85, and Stornaway Diamond Corp (SWY.TO), up 8 Canadian cents at 64 Canadian cents.

The bid for Corriente follows a slew of takeovers of Canadian-based firms by Chinese state companies that are flush with cash and hungry for resources.

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See Also:

• The Next Wave Of Chinese Binge Commodity Buying Begins
• CEO Of Goldman Sachs-Owned Molycorp Is Psyched About Treasury’s Protectionist Attitude Towards China And Gold Mining
• CIBC: There Is No Gold Bubble, Diversification And A Mining Shortage Will Push It To $1400

I didn’t love “David After Dentist“, the YouTube clip of a doped-up 7-year-old talking to his dad after surgery. Kinda creepy, IMHO. But that’s just me: It was one of most popular things on Google’s (GOOG) video site this year, and has logged 42 million views to date.

But here’s where one of YouTube’s most interesting conventions comes in — the “response” video.

If you’re a cynic, you’d argue that creating a “response” video to a popular clip is just a crude attempt to piggyback your way to exposure. And sure enough, “David’s” clip has 26 responses, and most of them aren’t terribly interesting.

Except for this one, from the reliably funny guys behind Chad Vader. Which is why it has nearly 9 million views of its own:

Bonus parody, which hasn’t actually been labeled a “response”, from the excellent people at the Upright Citizens Brigade (if you live in New York and haven’t been to one of their Sunday night Assscat shows, you’re doing something wrong):

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Joel from J2i.net has published this comparison video of the various voice command implementations on Windows Mobile and Android.  While Joel prefers the easy access on Windows Mobile, the lack of an API for 3rd party developers to access the software means it remains a closed system, while the Android system is fully extensible by developers.

Hopefully this is something Microsoft can revise in future versions of Windows Mobile, especially with their purchase of Tellme, which brings all the technology in-house.

Heritage Key (Owen Jarus)

A massive one ton granite statue of the pharaoh Taharqa has been found in Dangeil, deep inside Sudan. Taharqa was a pharaoh of the 25th dynasty of Egypt. This was a period of Kushite rule, which means that Taharqa and his fellow rulers were from Nubia and drew their power-base from there.

The site is located approximately 350 km northeast of the modern Sudanese capital of Khartoum – in the general vicinity of the fifth Nile cataract.

In addition to Taharqa, archaeologists have found statues of two other Napatan kings at the site – Senkamanisken and Aspelta. Neither of these rulers controlled Egypt.

We all know that the holidays are supposed to make us better, more understanding persons. But still, there’s a limit to the good deeds one can perform. According to What Car? leaving your car in a public parking spot can be a lot more dangerous than you can imagine.

A survey performed on the website revealed that only 37 percent of the drivers who took part in the research would definitely report damaging a parked car. Of the remaining, 18 percent would surely drive away just like… (read more)

Sorry, Film Fans: Mr. T has turned down an opportunity to make a cameo appearance in the upcoming A-Team movie.

The 57-year-old actor – who became a pop culture star for his portrayal of BA Baracus on NBC’s crime-fighting ’80s series – has confirmed he won’t appear in the film adaptation when it opens in theaters this summer because it “just wouldn’t be right” to appear in the movie unless he has a major role.

….If that makes sense. (Shrugs…..)

“He said it wasn’t about money, because he turned down the chance to appear in the film before that was even discussed. He said it just wouldn’t be right for him to be in it. If his character BA Baracus isn’t the main guy, then why do it? What’s wrong with the film that they need him to make a cameo?” says Latino Review columnist George “El Guapo” Roush.

The star was also concerned the filmmakers would overuse his name to promote the movie.

“They would market the film with him being in it, and he didn’t want his friends and family to think he would have some big role when he wouldn’t,” Roush added. “He told me he has nothing against the cast or even the fact that they’re doing a remake. But a cameo is just something he wasn’t interested in. He said he’s very happy with his life right now and enjoys giving back to the community.”

The A-Team Movie — featuring Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Sharlto Copley, Patrick Wilson, and Jessica Biel — is scheduled for release in July 2010.

GM has announced that it is prepared to wait before determining the fate of Saab, however, it will continue winding down the brand in the mean time. Saab board member Paul Aakerlund has said if that there is a bid that GM finds sufficient, it would be willing to ignore the December 31st date that it set for itself.

Spyker CEO Victor Muller, whose company has been involved in talks to acquire Saab, remains hopeful that he still has a chance. Muller expects to be contacted soon, as GM has set the deadline for the 31st of this month.

Spyker’s first bid on the possibly-doomed Swedish carmaker was rejected by GM, only to be followed by a second offer two days later; the offer that Muller is waiting to hear back on. A Wyoming based group, Merbanco Inc., is also rumored to be involved in some sort of offer.

– By: Stephen Calogera

Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required)

Book sales, just like almost all existing businesses, are being disrupted by the Internet. Amazon started out as an online book retailer and built an e-commerce empire from that. Brick-and-mortar books sellers weren’t thrilled, but there wasn’t much they could do about it. In Germany a rather interesting, albeit protectionist, law demands that all sellers have the same prices for the same books supposedly to help smaller retailers keep up with the large chains which can afford to make massive discounts, even if at a loss. Amazon.de, though, apparently doesn’t adhere to this rule and is selling books at a lower price leading to one small book shop suing the company.

The Buchhandlung Schopf bookstore from the town of Brunsbüttel, Germany is suing Amazon for the price irregularities, citing the aforementioned law. Its owners claim that many customers were demanding that the online retailer’s prices were lower than those of the bookstore and that some were choosing to buy at Amazon.

In a capitalist economy, this is what is called “competition” and, it’s safe to assume, than many would do away with the whole concept. Fortunately for them, Germany believes that competition is a bad thing when it comes to books and has a government-mandated price-fixing law to ensure that everyone sells at the … (read more)

Lensman Guy Ritchie is eyeing Brad Pitt for the role of Professor Moriarty in the sequel to the holiday’s box office blockbuster Sherlock Holmes, according to a new report.

Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law have reportedly already signed up to reprise their roles as Holmes and Dr. Watson in a second installment of the new big screen adaptation of the classic detective stories. Richie, who worked alongside Brad in the 2000 film Snatch, was rumorred to have considered the actor for a cameo role in the latest feature, but it now appears the dad of six will land the role of Holmes’ arch enemy in the follow-up movie, a tipster tells PopEater.com.

“The director, Guy Ritchie, loves Brad. He has worked with him before and thinks he is one of the most underrated actors working today. Guy knows that everyone thinks of as a Pitt as a pretty boy and can’t wait to turn him into the world’s greatest supervillain. It will definitely make the sequel a must-see.”

In response to the news that Fannie Mae (FNM) and Freddie Mac (FRE) had been given complete blank checks, Paul Krugman offered a reasonably sensible defense, which was basically:

Look, they’re going to do what the Fed’s been doing — launch an aggressive mortgage-buying campaign for the purpose of pushing down rates. Quantitative easing, basically, except through fiscal policy.

That’s almost certainly true (though others have theorized that they’ll do much more, including an aggressive push into principal reduction and measures like that).

Still, we think Krugman’s basically correct, except we’re not sure this is a welcome development or a compelling defense.

Everyone loves to talk about Fed independence, and how Congress shouldn’t meddle with it, and how it should be vigilantly protecting the dollar as a check against the insane spending of the Congress.

But the situation is becoming reversed. It’s the Federal Government that’s becoming an arm of the Fed, as every agency can perform its own version of “quantitative easing,” buying up whatever it wants in order to push down rates or prices.

By opening up the spigots so wide, Bernanke has given the greenlight to spend on everything, and the easiest thing to spend on — especially if we can’t find enough suitable projects — is financial assets.

So watch other arms of the federal government, whether in the automotive, infrastructure, housing, educational, or agricultural areas, step up their purchase of financial assets, all as part of some gigantic quantitative easing scheme.

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Relax About The Fannie And Freddie Bailouts, They’re Just In The Same Business As The Fed
• Obama Terrified Of Another Leg Down In Housing, As Fannie Mae And Freddie Mac Are Set To Go In Dramatic New Direction
• Here’s The Secret Reason We Eliminated The Bailout Caps On Fannie And Freddie