The mergers and acquisitions (M&A) market is a vast one. It consists of lucrative contracts, enormous fees charged by all the parties involved and it can either help or hurt the value of a stock. For the average person, they’re indifferent to these business deals, but they’re … [Read more...]
Apple Inc. (AAPL) aims to make the iWatch the new iPhone
Naysayers abound in the tech world, and Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is one of their favorite targets, partly due to it prominence and perhaps also to its perceived haughtiness. The iWatch has come under fire as a "blue sky project," criticism that is prompted by the very real fact that … [Read more...]
WSJ says AT&T will be exclusive carrier for rumored Amazon 3D smartphone
For more than a year now, it has been rumored that Amazon was in the midst of developing a high-end, 3D smartphone that does not require the user to wear glasses. Sources close to the situation told the Wall Street Journal last summer that the mobile device would have retina-tracking … [Read more...]
Ireland in trouble with EU over possible Apple Inc. (AAPL) tax haven
In an era when many companies seek international solutions that in simpler times might have been openly labeled "tax evasion," governments around the world are seeking to ensure they are not cheated of legally due taxes by what is now euphemistically called "profit shifting." Apple … [Read more...]
LOL: Rogue Greenpeace employee loses $5.2 million on foreign exchange bet
Greenpeace International, a global environmental awareness organization, apologized to its contributors in an issued statement after it had lost more than $5 million in foreign currency exchange contracts. The group confirmed that it had acquired foreign currency at a fixed … [Read more...]
U.S. consumer prices rise due to food and transportation costs
Despite the various statements made by economists and Federal Reserve officials who say there is no inflation, the Department of Labor confirmed that United States consumer prices increased last month by the largest amount in more than a year. The biggest inflation jump occurred … [Read more...]
Japan’s ruling party foregoes bitcoin regulation, urges self-regulatory measures
After the collapse of one of the biggest bitcoin exchange websites, Mt. Gox, there were numerous calls for the Japanese government to install regulations and to become an active participant in ensuring consumers are protected. Although the government has investigated the matter, the … [Read more...]
Russian company Elcomsoft develops method to compromise Apple (AAPL) iCloud backups
Proving once again that Russian software experts make superb hackers, Elcomsoft Proactive Software of Moscow, Russia has created a tool that enables accessing the iCloud backups of users who are logged in to their iCloud account, without their cooperation or consent. The tool takes … [Read more...]
iOS (AAPL) platform no more secure than Android (GOOG)
Marble Labs issued its Mobile Threat Report (PDF) for June 2014 today, providing an in-depth analysis of the relative security offered by the iOS and Android mobile platforms. Though the general impression is that Apple Inc.'s (NASDAQ:AAPL) iOS features an almost sacrosanct security … [Read more...]
TigerDirect expands its bitcoin payment acceptance in Canada
Earlier this year, TigerDirect garnered headlines when it announced that it would become one of the major electronics retailers to accept the peer-to-peer decentralized virtual currency bitcoin. The adoption of bitcoin has been a success – it has reported bitcoin sales of $1 million – … [Read more...]
Apple Inc. (AAPL) granted patent for ‘faceprinting’ digital images of famous people, objects
Among the 31 patents granted to Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) today by the United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO), one of the more unusual concerns methods of "faceprinting" famous people, places, landmarks, or images automatically when a digital photo is taken, and offering … [Read more...]
Survey finds nearly three-quarters of Americans never heard of Internet of Things
The Internet of Things (IoT) is a scenario that will likely become a ubiquitous, everyday experience in the near future. This is a situation where people, animals or objects are given unique identifiers and the function of immediately transferring data over a network without needing … [Read more...]
Ban on plastic microbeads from facial scrubs may hurt business but improve environment
This week, the state of Illinois became the first jurisdiction in the world to ban plastic microbeads from personal care products (PDF). Moving forward, companies are prohibited from selling body scrubs and facial exfoliators that consist of the plastic spheres. Environmentalists are … [Read more...]
Apple Inc. (AAPL) funds U.S. operations with credit-free commercial paper
The sheer scale of Apple Inc.'s operations means that the Cupertino tech company can find workarounds for problems that might completely stump a less powerful enterprise. One of case of this is highlighted in a Wall Street Journal article, which points out that Apple is able to get … [Read more...]
oPhone aims to bring high-tech smell-o-vision to Apple Inc.’s (AAPL) iPhone
A new device, slated for crowdfunding on the Kickstarter rival IndieGoGo, aims to revive the concept of smell-o-vision for the modern era with a scent-releasing mechanism compatible with Apple Inc.'s (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhone. The device's tagline, "bringing scent to mobile messaging," … [Read more...]
Charitable donations hits new record of $335.17 billion in 2013
As the United States economy slightly improves and disposable income of millions of households rises, more individuals and families are giving money away to charitable organizations and non-profit entities. New numbers show that charitable giving is increasing again. An annual … [Read more...]
Report: Bitcoin investments this year outpacing Internet from 1995
The peer-to-peer decentralized digital currency bitcoin market is a behemoth. Each day, there are new announcements of bitcoin projects, companies adopting the virtual currency as a method of payment and bitcoin financial products hitting Wall Street. Venture capitalists are intrigued … [Read more...]
Has Jony Ive effectively inherited Steve Jobs’ mantle?
According to a voluminous article that appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has passed the mantle of design of Jony Ive, while Tim Cook concerns himself with overall strategy and the company's now-prominent environmental and social activism. The article also … [Read more...]
Peter Schiff suggests investors should avoid U.S. financial markets
The United States economy is in a quagmire at this point and time. The stock market is up, the consumer is consuming again and some statistics suggest things are getting better. However, there are other data points that highlight how the labor market is in a crisis, the overall cost … [Read more...]
Brooklyn Holiday Inn accepting bitcoin according to Charlie Shrem
Not all of its locations, but the global hotel chain Holiday Inn will launch a pilot bitcoin program at its Brooklyn, New York venue. The announcement was made by Charlie Shrem, a founding member of the Bitcoin Foundation and facing indictment charges relating to Silk Road, at the … [Read more...]
