Author: Serkadis

January 19th was the best day for stocks so far this year. The Dow was at 10,725, the NASDAQ Composite at 2320, and the S&P 500 at 1150.

And we’re not that far off today.

Things are looking good for the markets as the Dow continues to climb toward its January high, currently resting around the 10,600 mark. The S&P is even closer – only 5 points away from breaking its 2010 record.

And the NASDAQ? Been there, done that. We’re now past the old high, sitting at 2350.

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See Also:

• This Is What A Market Running On Fumes And Rumors Looks Like
• Perma-Bear Bob Janjuah Makes A Bullish Call
• The Biggest Winners And Losers On The S&P500

Google and Italy haven’t been seeing eye to eye lately, but perhaps there’s hope yet with the announcement of a partnership between the company and Italy’s Ministry of Cultural Heritage to scan and add historical books from the National Libraries of Florence and Rome to the Google Books project. Google has signed with several other big libr… (read more)

It’s no secret that I’m pretty skeptical of the longterm viability of just about any newspaper paywall. Among the “success stories,” however, many people point to the Financial Times, which has a policy of only letting unregistered users see a single story per month before locking them out. If you register (still free) you get ten stories per month. After that you have to pay (or you erase your cookies, or use Google searches, since you can get access if you come via Google). This has resulted in about 126,000 customers, which isn’t bad, though I still question if it can last (I’ll explain my reasons at the end of the post).

However, in an interview, Rob Grimshaw, the managing director of the Financial Times, suggests that lots of others can do well with a paywall if they just had “balls” and “put their mind to it.” Really:

“Publishers should have more balls, they should have more confidence about what they’re doing,” is how Rob Grimshaw, managing director of FT.com put it.

“If they put their mind to it then they can produce compelling products online which people will pay for.”

You would think that someone working for a savvy business publication, like the FT, would offer a bit more in the way of strategic detail. Confidence alone doesn’t change the market position. I agree that if they put their mind to it, others can come up with compelling products that people will pay for — but these have to be products of scarce value. The FT has mostly been able to do this with good financial/business content, but that may not be sustainable. It’s really a huge opportunity for someone else to step in and offer top financial and business content for free and pick up the readers that don’t want to pay for either the FT or the WSJ.

And that group of people is growing. The younger generation (that’s rapidly hitting the business world) has never paid for a newspaper subscription and see no reason to start now. None. So, the papers with the paywalls are limiting themselves to an audience that will die off. That’s dangerous. Furthermore, as we keep pointing out, news consumers today aren’t there to just read, but to share the news. In other words, the very act of putting up this paywall makes the newspaper less valuable to the current news consumer, because they can’t freely share the content with others.

There are strategies for alternative revenue streams for publications, but locking up your content and hoping people will just pay to access it is an attempt to set up artificial scarcities in a world of abundance. It’s a strategy that’s hard to make last for very long.

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Thursday is always PlayStation Day. New games, big and small DLC, and every little thing will have to wait until Thursday, when the PlayStation Store regularly updates. Tomorrow will be a little bit bigger than usual, because

Filed under: Convertible, Mercedes-Benz, First Drive, Luxury

Convertibles have long been something of an acquired taste. Devotees steadfastly defend the unique sensation of elemental motoring that can only come when plugged in to one’s surrounding breezes, noises and smells. Conversely, detractors have traditionally lambasted droptops for their lackluster foul weather performance, added weight, vulnerability, and creaky, ill-handling platforms. And while the naysayers may have had a point in the era of tonneau-covered British roadster pilots with their tepid heaters, dubious structural rigidity and leaky, masochistic roof mechanisms, modern topless numbers like this 2011 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabriolet give lie to the idea that convertibles make lousy year-round companions.

Follow the jump to find out why.

Photos by Chris Paukert / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.

Continue reading First Drive: 2011 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabriolet is a smooth Spanish Fly(er)

First Drive: 2011 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabriolet is a smooth Spanish Fly(er) originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 11:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If the solid rumor that Facebook is getting into geolocation soon hasn’t been enough to make it clear that location is going to be very big very soon, it’s now clear that Twitter is just about to enable geolocation features on Twitter.com, perhaps as soon as this week. The features went live for a short period on the site, as TechCrunch spotted, but … (read more)

Infiniti announced today that it will offer four new G Anniversary Editions to celebrate 20 years of selling vehicles in the United States.

“These unique and very limited editions represent what Infiniti is all about – Inspired Performance,” said Ben Poore, vice president, Infiniti Business Unit. “Building on the popularity of the Monaco Red Leather and special Red-toned Maple interior that helped launch the G Convertible, the Anniversary Editions add a number of new styling touches that will make them instantly recognizable on the showroom floor and on the road.”

Click here to get prices on the 2010 Infiniti G37.

The G Anniversary Editions are based on the G Sedan Journey and AWD, G Coupe Journey and G Convertible. All are powered by the 3.7L V6 engine making 328-hp and 269 lb-ft of torque. Premium and Navigation Packages are standard on all of the Anniversary Editions.

Sales of the G Anniversary models will begin next month with prices starting at $43,350.

Hit the jump to see the prices of each model and the full high-res image gallery.

2010 Infiniti G37 20th Anniversary Edition:

Press Release:

Infiniti Adds Limited Production 2010 G Anniversary Edition Sedans, Coupes and Convertibles

– Infiniti Celebrates Two Decades of Luxury with New Anniversary Editions –

While every 2010 Infiniti G Sedan, Coupe or Convertible seems special to those who design, engineer, manufacture or market them – and also to their owners – Infiniti has just released four new G Anniversary Editions that stand apart from every other Infiniti G ever created. These uniquely equipped Anniversary G37s, built in commemoration of Infiniti’s 20th anniversary, will be available in very limited numbers – 350 G Sedans and 200 each for the G Coupe and G Convertible. They are scheduled to go on sale at Infiniti retailers nationwide in mid-April.

The Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Prices (MSRP)* for the four available 2010 Infiniti G Anniversary Editions are:

G37 Sedan Anniversary Edition	$43,350 USD
G37 Sedan AWD Anniversary Edition	$43,550 USD
G37 Coupe Anniversary Edition	$50,550 USD
G37 Convertible Anniversary Edition	$54,900 USD

The Anniversary Editions are based on the G Sedan Journey and AWD, G Coupe Journey and G Convertible and come standard with a 3.7-liter V6 engine and 7-speed automatic transmission. Premium and Navigation Packages are included on all of the Anniversary Editions.

The Anniversary Edition Sedans and Coupe also receive the Sport Package and 4-Wheel Active Steer (not available on Sedan AWD). The Convertible is offered with the highly desirable climate-controlled seats.

Each Anniversary Edition comes in a new Graphite Shadow exterior color that was just added for 2010, with the interiors appointed with Monaco Red Leather. The Coupe and Convertible interiors are accented with special Red-toned Maple and the two Sedans have the new Shodo-finish aluminum trim.

Other Anniversary Edition equipment includes special aluminum-alloy wheels, W-rated summer performance tires, Midnight Black grille, unique front chin spoiler or front fascia, sport side sills (Coupe and Convertible) and rear spoiler (except Convertible). The Coupe also receives an updated rear fascia.

“We wanted to ensure that the G Anniversary Editions are the sportiest and most distinctive Infinitis offered,” added Poore. “Though they won’t arrive until April, we wanted to release pricing early to allow interested buyers to reserve the Anniversary Sedan, Coupe or Convertible of their choice before they are all gone.”

– By: Omar Rana

Now that Final Fantasy XIII has seen daylight outside of Japan, Square Enix proudly announces that over 5 million copies of the game have shipped worldwide.
 
 
 
 

2010Mar1-2010Mar10: Rainfall in India between 2010March1 and 2010March10 (IMD, 2010).

Reference: India Meteorological Department. 2010 http://www.imd.gov.in/section/hydro/dynamic/seasonal-rainfall.htm

Image Description: see case description. Image Location: India Meteorological Department http://www.imd.gov.in/section/hydro/dynamic/seasonal-rainfall.htm Image Permission: This work is copyrighted and unlicensed. However, it is believed that the use of this work to illustrate the subject in question, Where no free equivalent is available or could be created that would adequately give the same information, on Interlinked Challenges, hosted on servers in the United States by Michigan State University, qualifies as fair use under United States copyright law.

Augmented Reality (AR) is a hot topic in the app stores these days. So, what’s AR? It’s multiple technologies being used simultaneously to provide you with data relevant to your location. This includes your phone’s compass to determine the direction you are facing, GPS to determine your exact location, an Internet connection to gather information about your surroundings, a camera to capture your reality and the screen to augment it with extremely specific data.

The app that gets the most free publicity is Layar for its on-again off-again relationship with Apple’s App Store. Whether or not this app should be allowed in the App Store is the issue people have been harping on for several months now. I think there is a much more urgent AR issue.

You look completely ridiculous when you use it.

Seriously. People take pictures all the time with their mobile phones. It’s a simple, quick task. But using an AR app is confusing and time-consuming. You have to maintain the phone’s direction and camera angle otherwise you lose the details on your screen. Your face is glued to your screen for a longer-than-appropriate time period. We have quickly grown accustomed to people looking down at their phones while walking around town (although some would argue that this is aggravating and dangerous). AR users have taken this awkward behavior to a new high since their phones are at eye level with people walking by.

Below is Layar showing the Drink layer. Note the confusing interface that requires thorough focus to decipher while you are standing on a sidewalk holding your phone in the air.

Here’s Yelp’s easier-to-comprehend (although it can quickly become cluttered) “Monacle” feature. Note: To activate this feature you must shake your phone when on the Nearby tab.

And finally, an innocent AR user begging to be mugged while trying to learn more about his location.

We can all agree that AR is extremely cool. Hopefully it will soon be a useful way to understand your surroundings. But for now these apps feel more like usability and HCI research experiments.

Related GigaOM Pro Research (sub req’d):

Augmented Reality: Lots of Promise, Lots of Hurdles

We’ve certainly covered many different practices by Apple that harm its developers, from arbitrarily choosing what gets approved to arbitrarily shutting down apps with little or no explanation. Now, the EFF has used a Freedom of Information Act request to NASA (who recently released an iPhone app) to get a look at the amazingly one-sided agreement that Apple forces developers to sign. The reason that the EFF was forced to file an FOIA request to see and post the document is that part of the agreement itself is that you won’t make any “public statements” about the agreement itself, a la fight club.

As the EFF notes, this is an incredibly one-sided document, which isn’t all that surprising, given Apple’s standard operating procedures. And while Apple remains a giant player in the market, many developers will just suck it up and accept it. But Apple may find, over the long term, that this comes back to bite them in some pretty serious ways. Treating your developers — the people who really make your platform valuable — like crap means that they’ll be ready to jump to other platforms as they become viable. Perhaps Steve Jobs believes that Apple can keep innovating ahead of the curve far enough that demand will remain ridiculously high for the iPhone and iPad, but it’s definitely a high wire act for the company, who could face serious developer defections if an alternative platform becomes really viable.

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It looks like everyone is launching an app store of some sort these days after the massive success Apple has had with its own App Store for the iPhone. But, judging solely by its launch partners, the Google Apps Marketplace seems to be the real deal. One of those partners is Aviary, not exactly a household name yet, but one that… (read more)

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Auctions

The DeTomaso Guarà was the last project of company founder and namesake, Alejandro de Tomaso. First shown at the Geneva Motor Show in 1993, the Guarà could be had as a closed-roof coupe or open-top barchetta. A more practical canvas-roof Spider was eventually added as well, but only five were ever made. The Guarà was based on the 1991 Maserati Barchetta Stradale concept and was built from 1993 through 2004, when the struggling Italian automaker went into liquidation.

During its production run, 10 to 12 Barchettas and about 50 Coupés were built, along with the handful of Spiders. The early cars, including all of the Spiders, were powered by a BMW 4.0-liter V8 putting out a modest 272 horsepower. Later cars, and all, um, two of the cars that have somehow found their way into America are powered by a 320-hp version of the Ford 4.6-liter V8 from the Mustang Cobra. The Guarà was made of fiberglass, Kevlar and other composites on an aluminum backbone, making it fairly light. Performance was decent with a 0-60 dash of about five seconds flat and a top speed quoted between 168 and 171 miles per hour for this 2,500-pound mid-engined sportscar.

The car’s racecar-like pushrod suspension made it a bit of a handful to drive on city streets, but its handling limits were pretty high by all accounts. This particular car is in Woodland Hills, California, and is painted a perfect Modenese yellow. It has just 10,000 miles on the clock and is being offered at the princely sum of $100,000. That might seem like a lot of coin for a fairly anonymous exotic with a Mustang engine, but considering its rarity and its association with the name DeTomaso, it could be a fun addition to someone’s collection. Are you listening Jay?

Gallery: DeTomaso Guara on eBay

[Source: eBay Motors]

eBay Find of the Day: 1996 DeTomaso Guarà is a rare treat originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A few years ago it would’ve been only the insane and the insanely prescient who were predicting that Apple would replace RIM in terms of world mobile phone market share. Now it doesn’t seem that outlandish, but the question of how soon we’ll actually see it happen remains up in the air.

According to a new financial analysis company, Trefis (via Forbes), the iPhone will pass BlackBerries in 2011. So as of next year, the iPhone will supposedly overtake RIM’s varied line of smartphones, despite offering far less in terms of consumer choice, and being limited to only one network in major markets like the U.S. So how’s that supposed to happen?

Before we get to how, let’s look at why Trefis thinks this information is important. If you’re looking to buy Apple stock, then it’s very important indeed. Trefis estimates that around 52 percent of Apple’s stock value is dependent upon its mobile phone business, so that as the iPhone’s global market share continues to grow, the stock price will climb accordingly. They have a neat little tool that illustrates this, and you can set your own prediction to see how it affects the model.

It’s neat, but it’s also a gross oversimplification. Even without considering the potentially market-rearranging effect the continuing emergence of Android might have on mobile phones globally, other factors like the iPad will probably have a disproportionately large effect on the stock price of Apple in the coming months. Marketing hype definitely inflates consumer expectation and hopefully appetite, but it also misrepresents how important a product is to a company’s future.

If Apple does overtake RIM, however, it will mark a significant milestone for the iPhone, and one consumers should be wary of more than anything. As a disruptor of the status quo, Apple innovates, and innovates well. Once it reaches the top of the pile and subjugates its competition, that doesn’t necessarily continue to hold true. A victory over RIM in the mobile phone market could lead to a stagnation of iPhone innovation, something the minor updates to the iPhone 3GS were hopefully not a sign of.

The iPhone can overtake the BlackBerry by continuing to expand the markets in which it is available, and by going with multiple carriers in places where it only has presence with one or two so far. It may have seemed unusual to hang on to single-provider models for this long, but now it’s in a much stronger position in terms of negotiating with others. It’s also begun to grow its share in the enterprise, where the BlackBerry has traditionally held sway.

2011 could indeed be the year of the iPhone, but I’m hoping RIM makes a comeback before then to stoke the fires under Apple and stave off any impending complacency that might crop up.

Filed under: Truck, Recalls, Safety, Toyota

Last November, the Toyota Tundra recall to address premature rusting frames was expanded to include trucks from the 2000-2003 model years. That recall, though, only applied to 20 states and Washington, D.C. – those areas where cold weather and road treatments could cause expedited corrosion.

Today, however, The Associated Press reports that the recall has been further expanded to include Tundras from those model years in all 50 states. Toyota apparently hasn’t said how many trucks that means it is recalling, but if you have one of those Tundras, you might wish to give your dealer a call.

[Source: The Associated Press via Google]

Report: Toyota Tundra frame rust recall to go nationwide originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Delicious development team has been working lately on some interesting new features they often taunt users with on their blog. Recently, they’ve revealed to the world that they have been working alongside the Yahoo team to provide a simple way for Yahoo Messenger users to save links exchanged in the IM window to their Delicious account without h… (read more)

Masou Kishin it is. Famitsu has confirmed rumors that Masaki and his Cybuster (Cybaster?) will be getting the spotlight in the next Super Robot Taisen game.

The second stage of the Mozilla Jetpack extensions platform project is getting underway with the release of the first iteration of the new Jetpack SDK. The goal is to completely rewrite the Jetpack platform using the lessons learned in the first experimental series, but focusing more on scalability, stability and extendability, in short, on creating a platfo… (read more)

Toyota has confirmed that it will expand its November recall to fix all U.S. Tundra pickups for the 2000 to 2003 model year. The recall addresses a risk that part of the truck’s frame could corrode, causing the spare tire or the gas tank to drop on the road.

Originally, Toyota had recalled 110,000 Tundras in 20 cold-weather states. At the time Toyota said that heavy road salt could cause corrosion. But Toyota has now told its U.S. dealers that it will expand the recall by launching a repair campaign to cover trucks sold in the other 30 U.S. states. Toyota spokesman Brian Lyons was unable to confirm how many additional vehicles would be recalled.

The Tundra rust problem is obviously separate from the ongoing unintended acceleration issues that have Toyota going crazy. Fixing affected Tundras, however, is far more costly and in some cases, fixing a Tundra with serious rust problems could take more than 7 hours by a technician. The work could include replacing part of the vehicles frame, replacing fuel tank straps and the spare tire carrier, Toyota said.

– By: Stephen Calogera

Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required)