(Image source: Samsung)

BY EVAN THOMAS

Samsung took another -- rather protracted -- poke at Apple on Super Bowl Sunday with an advertisement touting the Galaxy Note.

This spot was a little different than Samsung’s previous ads.

The Verge says Samsung should be commended for cramming a musical into 90 seconds, but in doing so it might have missed the point, saying...

“...the ad ultimately spends more time on its Glee-esque theatrics than it does explaining to the viewer exactly what the Galaxy Note is.”

The Galaxy Note is a 5.3-inch monster of a phone, so tablet-like that Samsung even included a stylus. CNET says the ad makes a selling point of the pen -- and the response is surprising.

“Just one look at the Galaxy Note--yes! it has a pen! what a magical revolution!--and they break ranks and utterly lose their mentalities.”

Market tracking showed Samsung spiking past Apple for consumer awareness at the start of the “fanboy” ad campaign back in December. That’s since tapered off. Business Insider explains.

“Interest peaks for Samsung when a new ad is released, but it hasn't improved since the launch of Samsung's first ad in this series. That's a problem for Samsung because a huge chunk of its advertising is based entirely on bashing Apple...”

And Apple-bashing will only get one so far, says Betanews.

“The commercial is fun, but the last laugh belongs not to the funnier marketer but to the one taking the most money to the bank. That's Apple, baby.”

Speaking of banks, Business Insider says Samsung’s 90-second ad, which ran during the fourth quarter of the Superbowl, might have cost as much as $10.5 million.

(Image source: Flickr/mkumm)

BY EMILY SPAIN

You're watching multisource business and U.S. news analysis from Newsy. 

Once filing for bankruptcy, now projecting record profits. The tide at General Motors might be turning in the company’s favor. Three years after a government bailout, the company reports it is targeting a $10 billion annual profit.

GM’s chief financial officer told the Wall Street Journal the company would increase its profit margins from six to 10 percent in order to reach the profit goal.

An analyst on CNN Money has faith that GM is on its way up.

“GM is really on its way, it’s moving forward. It reports earnings next week and the expectation is that it will say that it earned $8 billion in profit for all of 2011. Gosh, once upon a time that was almost unthinkable.”

But a writer for 24/7 Wall St. says GM’s profit target is unrealistic... and tears apart GM’s argument that it can rely on China - the world’s largest car market - to help make its profit goals.

“That plan has two barriers. The first is that the growth of the market for cars and light vehicles in the People’s Republic has slowed. The other is … GM no longer just competes with other foreign car companies in China. Local firms want to take market share from GM … ”

Fox Business reports American taxpayers still own one-third of General Motors, because the company has paid back just $24 billion of the $51 billion bailout. Stuart Varney on Fox notes GM’s progress, but also reminds us where the company’s coming from.  

VARNEY: “So, is General Motors back? You can say that it is profitable, it is stable and it has got good profit margins, but it is still very much in the hole to the taxpayer.”

Street Insider reports the company is expected to announce its fourth quarter and fiscal year 2011 results on February 16.

Transcript by Newsy.

(Image Source: Flickr.com)

BY LEAH BECERRA

ANCHOR LAUREN ZIMA

Holy copyright infringement, Batman! Mark Towle, owner of Gotham Garage -- made custom Batmobiles for a living. But a judge just ruled that’s copyright infringement. Digital Trends explains.

“Towles had originally attempted to dismiss the lawsuit, claiming that the Copyright Act doesn’t protect ‘useful articles’ like a car and its design, but … according to the judge, the ‘useful articles’ exception doesn’t apply when there are so many elements of the car that serve no practical, well… use.”

This ruling could affect more than Towle -- he’s one of many who have made Batmobile look-a-likes.

Gizmodo shows one built in 2011 -- the only Batmobile that is actually propelled by a turbine.
 
The Hollywood Reporter was explains how the ruling went down.

“DC … accused Towles of violating its copyright and trademark and confusing the public into thinking that his cars were authorized products. Trademark is one thing, but can an automobile design really be copyrighted?”

The answer is, “yes,” according to the judge. But as Wired points out -- it’s not over till the fat Penguin sings.

“The opinion does not necessarily mean DC Comics wins its lawsuit that also alleged trademark infringement. However, the judge’s ruling doesn’t provide much hope for Towles, who can settle with DC Comics or defend himself at a copyright infringement trial.”

But Forbes argues that DC could have benefitted from Towle's business.

“...wouldn’t you think the occasional custom Batmobile would be just about the best sort of free advertising DC Comics could hope for? It’s not like they’re building cars.”

(Image Source: GigaOM)

BY MADISON MACK

ANCHOR NATHAN BYRNE

Thinking about investing in Facebook? You may want to reconsider. The company has filed its IPO, but …

It will still be a few months before Facebook stock hits the open market. And so far, many in the media don’t like what they see. CNET reports.

“ … how much growth potential is there in a company that already has 845 million users, per its filing? I don't doubt the company will be successful for a long time, but I suspect the days of hockey-stick growth are over. A wise man tells me often that you only make money by not doing what everyone else is doing. Even if I could invest in Facebook, something tells me it would only disappoint.”

According to Facebook’s SEC filings, 85 percent of the company’s revenue comes from ad sales. On WebProNews, an analyst points out – some of those numbers are troubling investors.

“They have 845 million average monthly average users. Of that, 450 million are mobile users. The thing is – right now they don’t have any revenue from their mobile base and that base is increasing.”

A former social media CEO explains to Al Jazeera – when start-ups go public – it is the end of true innovative risk-taking.

“When you’re private you can get away with anything, you can build your business, you can make radical shifts. Mark has been adamant about making radical shifts and iterating and improving Facebook. I think once they’re public…” (FLASH :48-51) “If your stock dips at any point you may get burned and start taking fewer risks.”

But CNBC’s Jim Cramer sees a lot of potential in Facebook stock, noting the company has big momentum right now.

“Facebook at the right price could be the deal of the century. Now when I mention that, think of Google at the right price.”

Still thinking about investing? Gizmodo explains, IPOs are not a democratic process and there’s a long, long line ahead of you.

“…in a big IPO, institutional investors typically nab up to 90% of shares before Joe Investor can get involved. And chances are, there are plenty of Joe Investors with bigger wallets and better ins than you and I have. Shares will be available eventually, of course. Just as soon as the stock's risen enough that the big dogs feel comfortable cashing out.”

(Image source: Business Insider)

BY LAURA JANVIER

ANCHOR LOGAN TITTLE

The Huffington Post is making the move to TV. The new media giant announced Thursday its plans for an online news channel. KUVE has the details.  

“A new television network -- on the web. The Huffington Post says this summer it will begin providing 12 hours each weekday of live original programming. The content will be similar to the Huffington Post website.”

They’re calling it the Huffington Post Streaming Network, or HPSN. Arianna Huffington, editor-in-chief of the Huffington Post Media, told Beet.TV what makes the product unique is that it will be interactive.

“And it is much more the way my children, my two daughters who are in college watch television, which is they open up different windows: their Facebook, their Twitter feeds, their email.”

The idea is to create a network where viewers can interact with the anchors through social media. Demo clips showed commenters being invited on the show via Skype to speak directly with journalists about their stories. A writer for Forbes says this could be a glimpse into the future of television.

“All of this is probably what every cable network will be doing more of as viewership shifts from one-way television sets to internet-enabled devices. But if AOL can get there first, the opportunity could be large.”

But the opportunity won’t come cheap. A writer for DigiDay outlines just how big of a project this is.

“The service itself is ambitious, but even more so is the investment AOL is putting behind it: $30 million, according to an AOL source. HuffPo plans to create all the video itself. It will dedicate 100 employees to the operation. The scale of the effort would put it on track to be one of the largest producers of original for the Web video around.”

Venture Beat says even though this is a big investment, AOL stands to make big returns if it’s successful.

“The choice to transform the Huffington Post into a video network also makes a lot of sense. [AOL Chief Executive Tim] Armstrong said 70 percent of Huffington Post articles contain embedded videos. So, by producing the bulk of those videos in-house, AOL will be able to gain more leverage on advertising.”

The service is planned for this summer and they plan to extend content to 16 hours a day by 2013.

(Image source: VeriSign)

BY EVAN THOMAS

ANCHOR LAUREN GORES

If you’re an Internet company, when do you tell your users you were hacked? Internet infrastructure company VeriSign reported in a quarterly SEC filing that hackers breached its security and made off with unspecified information multiple times-- back in 2010.

The biggest concern is that hackers could have compromised the domain name system, or DNS. The DNS directs Internet traffic to the correct IP addresses -- so when you enter Google.com, you go to Google’s website, and not Amazon’s or Facebook’s.

Verisign maintains two of thirteen DNS servers for .com and .net web domains -- more than 100 million addresses. Wired explains -- a hacker could reroute the DNS, and users wouldn’t know a thing.

“A breach of the DNS network could allow attackers to redirect users to malicious web pages or redirect and intercept e-mail communications.”

PC Magazine says Verisign’s security team knew about the breaches, and didn’t say anything.

“...while the hacks occurred in 2010, VeriSign's information security group did not tell management about the attacks until September 2011. VeriSign said it has since changed its reporting policies to make sure the same thing doesn't happen again.”

But those changes came too late. The IT community is condemning VeriSign’s lack of immediate action, saying it put individual web users and entire companies at risk. PCWorld elaborates.

“The million dollar question right now is ‘at risk of what?,’ or perhaps ‘how much risk?’ … The risks involved are a function of exactly what was hacked, or what information was compromised, and we don’t have those details.”

In its SEC filing, VeriSign says there’s no indication the DNS was compromised. But it also says a hack like this could happen again.

“...given the nature of such attacks, we cannot assure that our remedial actions will be sufficient to thwart future attacks or prevent the future loss of information.”

Despite that, MSNBC says we probably shouldn’t panic.

“That's terrible, but it's not new. Virus writers have been compromising certificate issuers with abandon for the past 18 months. … structures are in place to deal with fraudulent certificates.”

Structures like the other eleven DNS servers. MSNBC notes the companies that maintain them would likely work together to restore control and stop any attack.

(Image Source: Conservative Daily News)

BY JIM FLINK

ANCHOR MEGAN MURPHY

Euphoria.

With a healthy dose -- of skepticism.

That’s the reaction to the latest unemployment numbers.

The New York Times has the headline from the Labor Department.

“The private sector remained the engine of new job gains. While federal agencies and local governments continued to lay off workers, private-sector employers added 257,000 jobs in January. The industries with the biggest gains were manufacturing, professional and business services, and leisure and hospitality.”

The jobless rate fell to 8.3 percent -- its lowest rate in three years.

It’s also the fifth straight monthly decline in unemployment -- giving some analysts hope -- this is a sustained economic recovery.

An analyst for Bloomberg says, other numbers tell an even bigger story.

“But we had an enormous increase in the number of people who got jobs in the household survey -- 847 thousand people where unemployment fell by 339 thousand.”

Of course, skeptics will point to the fact, these numbers often get revised.  And -- need more analysis to truly comprehend.

Some CNBC analysts wonder -- if U.S. employers are simply turning a blind eye to the elephant in the room -- the European economy -- which is still in dire straights.

“An now, I don’t even know what we think about Europe after this.”

“No, it’s still in recession.”

“Europe’s got problems.”

“Yeah.”

“But it doesn’t matter to us.”

“Well, Q4’s negative, and Q1’s negative.”

“No, the thing is, there’s no spillover.”

Still -- it should be noted -- the sobriety of some numbers still resonates through the economy.

“There are still 12.8 million people out of work, though that is the fewest since the recession ended. An additional 11 million are either working part-time but would prefer full-time work, or have stopped searching for jobs. When all those groups are combined, nearly 24 million are considered “underemployed.” (The Washington Post)

(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)

BY MEREDITH BALDWIN

Economic recovery is slow. Spending levels are unsustainable. And the fed is sticking to its current policies of low interest rates. Those are the three main points that Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke’s focused on in his testimony to the House Budget Committee on Thursday. C-SPAN has a clip.

“Although we cannot expect our economy to grow it’s way out of our fiscal imbalances, a more productive economy will ease the trade offs that we face and increase the likelihood that we leave a healthy economy to our children and grandchildren.”

In short, he is urging Congress to not cut deficits too quickly or it will be a mess.  But market analysts aren’t so quick to back Bernanke. An economic correspondent for the Wall Street Journal said he’s not quite sure what Bernanke’s thinking.

“You know, it looks like the economy’s on a more solid track, and yet the Fed is saying ‘we’re going to hold off on raising interest rates even longer than we said before.’ There’s a certain incoherency about this.”

A guest speaker for FOX Business said Bernanke’s take on the market isn’t just incoherent, but wrong.

“He’s trying to pretend that interest rates are rising because the economy’s improving. That’s not the case.”

Bloomberg points out that if interest rates stay low, budget deficits could reach an unprecedented high in the next ten years.

“The deficit would reach $1.5 trillion by 2022, CBO estimated, and the debt would rise to levels unseen since the government was paying off its World War II expenses.”
 

(Image source: Gizmodo)

BY EVAN THOMAS

ANCHOR JIM FLINK

Is Windows Phone ready to take on its iPhone and Android competition? Details about the upcoming Windows Phone 8 software have surfaced in a leaked video intended for Nokia -- and it’s making waves.

The video has since disappeared, but PocketNow managed to dissect some of its details. Windows Phone 8 will sport NFC capability, closer integration with the desktop version of Windows 8, baked-in Skype and cache servers to speed up mobile web service.

CNET says it is all good news -- namely, Microsoft has relaxed some of its requirements for developers and phonemakers.

“The version, codenamed Apollo, will allow vendors more choice with how they build their phone... That allows the handset manufacturers to better compete and stand apart from each other with varying levels of specs.”

And the benefits could reach well beyond the latest gadget. Business Insider says this overlap will be good for Microsoft’s full product line.

“This makes sense. Now that Microsoft has bet on Windows 8 as its operating system for tablets, there's no business reason to maintain a separate platform for smartphones.”

Microsoft’s plan is to bring technical specs closer to parity with competitors from Apple and Android. TechCrunch says -- it’s about time.

“In my opinion, Windows Phone Mango is a solid platform that’s quicker and smoother than anything I’ve seen on Android. Still, when looking at devices from Microsoft, Apple, and Google side-by-side, the Windows Phone always seems to lose in the spec department.”

It’s not known which phones will get an eventual update to Apollo. As it is, the latest Windows phones from HTC, Samsung and Nokia especially have been pulling down critical acclaim for a while now. GigaOM says popular devices, coupled with software that fills lots of performance gaps, could signal the start of some serious momentum for the platform.

“...the improved hardware potential will be welcome and should make a fast operating system even faster. ...Microsoft should see more people thinking twice before leaving a store with the iPhone or an Android device once Apollo hits.”

Microsoft, meanwhile, has declined to comment on the leak.  So, Apollo must not quite be ready -- for liftoff.
 

BY BRIAN LEWIS

ANCHOR CHRISTIAN BRYANT

(Image Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Honda-Civic-hybrid.jpg)

It was a big day in small claims court this week when a California Honda owner won her case against the automaker. CNN has the story.

“Heather Peters was awarded just under $10,000 yesterday. She claims she was misled by Honda’s claim that its Civic hybrid could get 50 miles per gallon.”

To go it alone in small claims court, the Honda owner, who’s a former attorney, had to opt out of a large class action suit against the automaker. Time’s Moneyland blog breaks down the settlement she rejected.

“In a proposed class-action settlement against Honda, Civic Hybrid owners would receive $100 to $200, plus a $1,000 credit toward the purchase of a new car. Trial lawyers, on the other hand, stand to pull in $8.5 million.”

Jalopnik offers one reason why this court victory is unique – no lawyers were involved.

“Unlike a class-action lawsuit, small claims court usually allows an individual to file a complaint without having to hire an attorney. In the case of L.A. County, for instance, even Honda wasn't allowed to use a lawyer in court.”

Law blog Above the Law covered the story when the suit was filed, and offered kudos to Peters for taking the fight away from the lawyers.

“Sounds like a typical class action to me. Fat stacks for counsel, peanuts for the plaintiffs. … It will be interesting to see if Peters’s case is at all effective. Will it blow the lid off a new method of suing large companies?”

If this is the start of a trend, a former prosecutor tells CBS it could become a huge bleed on the auto industry.

“It starts with this one ten thousand dollar judgment. But when others file and hundreds of thousands of people file, it could end up in the billions of dollars.”

Honda plans to appeal in a court where they are allowed to use lawyers. They argue the Environmental Protection Agency comes up with the mileage estimates, not the auto company.

(Image Source: Pinterest)

BY JIM FLINK

Heard of Pinterest? If not, you might be missing out on the next Facebook. Or at least -- so says a poster on Pinterest -- now making the rounds.

It asks -- is Pinterest the next social commerce game changer? There seems to be evidence it could be.
Interest in Pinterest rose 429 percent from September to December 2011. Same store referral traffic to five specific retailers rose 389 percent. And, in December, Pinterest was second only to Google -- in retail referral traffic.

So, all of a sudden, people with absolutely no clue about Pinterest -- are indeed -- taking an interest. The site works like a virtual scrapbook, letting users share images of whatever they find interesting.
Mashable notes -- growth seems to be the six-letter word driving interest in Pinterest.

“The darling network of brides-to-be, fashionistas and budding bakers now beats YouTube, Reddit, Google+, LinkedIn and MySpace for percentage of total referral traffic in January... Pinterest’s traffic increased more than fourfold between September 2011 and December 2011, bringing in 7.51 million unique visitors in December alone....”

But Mashable also points out, there is scant data for true conversion between referrals and buyers.
Still, Forbes notes, Pinterest wants its users to do three things -- consume, create and share.
The faster that happens -- the more Pinterest seems to grow.

“Pinterest has what I call an ‘obvious secret,’ the kind of insight that creates breakaway non-consensus companies. An obvious secret is when a startup has discovered a deep insight about its users, which is not obvious to the outside world, but is the key to the business’s success. However, to those who do not know this insight, the company appears to be little more than a novelty.”

Pinterest does have some competition in the pinning game -- GimmieBar, for example, has features Pinterest doesn’t.
And Search Engine Journal notes -- there are things that aren’t intuitive when it comes to pinning.

“You can’t pin anything from a Flash site, which is still a favorite of many high end retailers, so that is a completely missed opportunity. More subtle problems arise with product sites that offer nifty image preview tools. If you are a savvy user, you can click on ‘switch to JPG view’ and be able to pin that image, but most people will not know to take that extra step.”

Once over some of those hurdles, Pinterest is pretty simple to use, so long as you’re not averse to its requirements. Aced Magazine was -- at first.

“There isn’t much thinking involved, as Pinterest immediately sets up followers based on what categories appeal to you (ie: fitness, technology, photography, etc.). I initially did not like the idea of following Pinterest-ers whom I knew nothing about, but then I realized the goal of the network is to find IDEAS from others that inspire your own.”

The Wall Street Journal has called Pinterest -- one of the hottest new media sites on the web.
The Toronto Star asks Pinterest veteran and retail consultant Christina Martinez if that presents a problem.

“The danger is that if it is overtaken by corporate interests, it may lose its charm, much of which is based upon the gentle tone and DIY projects... But Martinez says, Facebook and Twitter have survived corporate invasion and she thinks Pinterest will too.”

(Image: SlashGear)

BY EVAN THOMAS AND JJ BAILEY

ANCHOR MEGAN MURPHY

Sir Howard Stringer, CEO of Sony, is on his way out; to be replaced by the head of Sony Entertainment America Kazuo Hirai. Effective April 1st. But an analyst tells Bloomberg Hirai has his work cut out for him. Sony is having trouble finding winners in its product lineup.

“It’s nowhere in tablets, it’s just had to buy back its share of Sony Ericsson to try to get back into phones ... TVs, its onetime glamor area, is the business losing all the money.”

Barron’s Senior Editor Tiernan Ray tells The Wall Street Journal, Hirai is a good first step. He has a different leadership style from Sir Howard Stringer.

“I think he may be seen more as someone-- Kaz Hirai-- as someone who likes to get into the nitty-gritty of how do they move units.”

According to Business Insider, Sony’s stock is nearing a 20-year low, and the company is on its way to it’s fourth straight year of losses.

But electronics companies have been down and out before, and Electronista says Hirai will likely be taking his cues from a similar story.

“Hirai has and will present a more absolutist structure like that at a rival such as Apple, where management dictates the overall strategy and divisions are there to make that vision real.”

And listening to an interview Hirai gave the Journal on February 1st, his plan seems to be echoing that of Apple’s founder and visionary, Steve Jobs. He says Sony needs...

“...to become a company that provides a very unique and compelling user experience, as opposed to just a company that provides great hardware products.”

Stringer, meanwhile, has been appointed as chairman of Sony’s board of directors.

Image Source: Giga OM

BY MADISON MACK


The speculation and rumors can end, at least for now. Right on queue, Facebook has officially filed for its initial public offering. Here’s Bloomberg.

“The eight year old company looking to raise five billion dollars in the most anticipated IPO in years. The prospectus is jammed pack with numbers and facts on Facebook’s business.”

Engadget takes a look at some of those mind-boggling numbers.

“…the service has 845 million active users each month, nearly half of which log in and actuate 2.7 billion likes and comments each day. It also shed light on the company’s prior revenue and earnings … with profits of $229 million and $606 million in 2009 and 2010, respectively -- easily bested by a whopping $1 billion in 2011.”

The Verge points out – CEO Mark Zuckerberg owns 28 percent of the company but as for his salary -- probably not what you’d think.

“He’s got a base salary of $500,000, peanuts for a man who ranks as one of the wealthiest on the planet … As you can imagine, those figures don't tell the full story once you factor in stock benefits … As of January of next year, Zuckerberg's annual salary will drop to just $1, a common practice among wealthy chief executives with a lot of skin in the game.”

The stock won’t hit the open market for a few months – after the SEC has reviewed all the paperwork. And buried in that paperwork is a passionate letter from Zuckerberg which GigaOM notes – gives some insight into Zuckerberg’s vision for his company’s future.

“There is a huge need and a huge opportunity to get everyone in the world connected, to give everyone a voice and to help transform society for the future.  The scale of the technology and infrastructure that must be built is unprecedented, and we believe this is the most important problem we can focus on.”

The company is currently valued at $100 billion and has applied to trade under the ticker symbol FB.





 

(Image source: Microsoft)

BY EVAN THOMAS

ANCHOR CHRISTINA HARTMAN

Microsoft is looking to grab some market share using a decidedly low-tech method-- the software giant is smearing Google’s new privacy policy in print ad campaign.

Microsoft has taken out full-page print ads in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and USA Today. The ads claim Google’s new policies are aimed at making users more valuable to advertisers, rather than improving Google’s own services. In a blog post, Microsoft explains:

“The changes Google announced make it harder, not easier, for people to stay in control of their own information. … if the news about Google has you feeling frustrated, or concerned, or both, we have some great, award-winning alternatives...”

It sounds good on paper, but Microsoft hasn’t made any changes to its offerings. According to VentureBeat, Microsoft is simply saying, “We exist!”

“Microsoft ... is making ‘come to papa’ gestures... There’s no new launch to announce, just a new angle to pitch — and the angle is ‘We’re not Google.’”

But Marketing Land says-- that might be enough.

“If Microsoft had tried this type of campaign a month ago, I think plenty of people would have laughed off the idea that Microsoft was somehow looking out for its customers more than Google. Maybe that will still happen today. But Google’s in a weaker position now.”

PC Magazine points out-- there’s precedent for this sort of behavior. Remember Apple?

“Years ago, long before Apple was the most valuable company on the planet, the company waged exactly the same type of war against Microsoft with its ‘Switch’ campaign. That multi-million dollar war of PC propaganda eventually gave rise to the ‘I’m a Mac’ television commercial series...”

Whether the ads work, ReadWriteWeb says to call them what they are-- a jab.

“This is just a shady PR attack by Microsoft, and the press is buying it. Microsoft doesn’t deign to inform its readers about Google’s policy. It uses a few kumbaya words up front and then gets straight to the point: it’s BAAAAD. But we’ve seen less spun talking points in the Republican presidential debates.”

Google’s new privacy policy won’t go into effect until March 1st. Microsoft’s ads will run in the papers through Friday.

(Image source: CNNMoney)

BY DAVID EARL

ANCHOR CHRISTINA HARTMAN

The deal that would have forged the world’s largest stock exchange is officially dead. Euronews has the headline.

“Competition regulators in Brussels have blocked a merger that would have created the world’s biggest stock exchange. Deutsche Boerse and NYSE Euronext say they will now unwind the deal.”

Leading up to Wednesday’s announcement, the head of EU’s Competition Commission told Bloomberg the deal between US-based NYSE and German exchange Deutsche Boerse was anything but done...

“My conclusion is that some problems of competition will not be solved by this merger, but will be aggravated.”

In fact, Fox Business quotes EU officials coming out with some pretty harsh antitrust descriptions for the deal. According to one of them...

“The merger between Deutsche Boerse and NYSE Euronext would have led to a near-monopoly in European financial derivatives worldwide. These markets are at the heart of the financial system and it is crucial for the whole European economy that they remain competitive.”

You can guess the head of Germany’s flagship exchange wasn’t too pleased to hear the news. A German TV station has the soundbite...

“This is a black day for Europe and its future competitiveness on world financial markets.”

And a financial reporter for the BBC seems to agree.

“Where are these stock exchanges going to go? There’s a feeling that when you’re talking about a global market you have to be globally competitive and you have to be big.”

At least one person on the US-side of the pond likes the deal’s death. The familiar name in national politics, big-city real estate, and prime-time reality TV talks to CNBC....

Donald Trump: “The New York Stock Exchange should be this country...I’m very happy to see it, Becky, I think it’s a good thing for the country.”

This is the latest merger to fall through for America’s oldest exchange. Back in April, rival NASDAQ attempted and failed at a hostile takeover of the NYSE.

(Image source: Chrysler)

BY CELIA MURRAY

ANCHOR CHRISTINA HARTMAN

Chrysler has posted its first annual net income since 1997. This-- just a few years after filing for bankruptcy-- and getting bailed out by the federal government. KENS has the details.

“An automaker that was bailed out by tax payers is now making a profit. Chrysler reported today it raked in $183 million last year...”

So what’s behind the comeback?  Experts believe the sales spike may be due in part to a more modern image for the brand. According to CBC:

“Chrysler spent much of 2010 designing new vehicles and trying to spruce up an archaic lineup that wasn't selling well.”

And as USA Today reports-- it looks like Chrysler is ready to ride the wave-- announcing last month -- it’s hiring thousands of new employees to help with its Jeep Cherokee line.

“Chrysler Group...will hire another 1,100 workers at its Jefferson North Assembly Plant in Detroit to build the diesel and boost production of the Jeep and the mechanically similar Dodge Durango. That will bring employment at JNAP to about 4,000.”

But as good as things are now-- Bloomberg reports automakers, including Chrysler, may lose market share this year despite growth.

“GM, Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler Group LLC, coming off a year in which all three added share for the first time since 1988, may drop a combined 1.3 percent of U.S. market share in 2012...”

What’s on tap for 2012 that could cause Chrysler to dip? The Wall Street Journal explains.

“The company now faces dual challenges to maintaining its sales momentum this year with fewer new models to stir consumers and the return to full production by Japanese auto makers such as Toyota Motor Corp. that were hurt by natural disasters last year.”

The Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne is calling 2012 the ‘transition year’, while the ‘real story’ will unfold in 2013.

(Image Source: Planned Parenthood) 
 

BY GILLIAN STEDMAN


Well-known breast cancer charity the Susan G. Komen Foundation, is racing away from Planned Parenthood. WFAA in Dallas says...

“Susan G. Komen and Planned Parenthood are cutting ties.  Last year Komen donated $680,000 for breast cancer screenings, but the charity has a new policy barring grants to organizations under investigation.”

A recently formed congressional committee is investigating Planned Parenthood on how it spends funds. But Planned Parenthood isn’t buying the Komen foundation’s reasoning. KMSP reports ...

“Officials with Planned Parenthood argued the move is connected to the hot button debate over abortion.”

CBS News quotes Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards.

“We are alarmed and saddened that the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation appeared to have succumbed to political pressure. Our greatest desire is to reconsider this policy and recommit to the partnership on which so many women count.”

And WRAL has a statement from Komen.

“While it is regrettable when changes in priorities and policies affect any of our grantees, such as a long-standing partner like Planned Parenthood, we must continue to evolve to best meet the needs of the women we serve and most fully advance our mission.”

The Komen cuts are in effect, and will Planned Parenthood be hurt financially? The Hill reported Wednesday -- maybe not -- an online campaign in wake of the Komen news raised $400,000 for Planned Parenthood in 24 hours.

“More than 6,000 people have donated, Planned Parenthood said. … ‘People respond powerfully when they see politics interfering with women’s health’ …”
 

(Image Source: Post Crescent)

BY DAVID EARL

One World Trade Center. It’s the new anchor of lower Manhattan and a national icon -- rising from the ashes of 9/11. When it’s completed, it’ll be the tallest building in the United States.  But The Wall Street Journal reports the tower once named Freedom, is adding $700 million to its price tag....

“...which brings it to about $3.8 billion, which would make it by far the world’s most expensive office tower. More than the Burj Dubai.”

But The Huffington Post points out -- there are some key differences between the building costs of One World Trade Center and the Burj Dubai.

“ [The Burj Dubai] was built with migrant labor and without nearly as many security concerns.”

The tower has signed some A-list tenants -- like Conde Nast and international law firm Chadbourne & Parke. But WCBS says they might not be able to move into their new digs when their lease begins at the Port Authority owned building.

“Now the Port Authority has discovered that the loading docks underneath the building won’t be ready in time for its tenants, and will have to spend millions more on temporary ones.”

With costs ballooning, the New York Post says an audit is on the way.  

“1 WTC is a project with a purpose: to provide state-of-the-art office facilities in a city desperately in need of them. But news of a rushed change in plans as the tower nears its 104-story height is the last thing the embattled [Port Authority], facing a scathing audit, needs.”

At least one person doesn’t find the skyrocketing skyscraper costs surprising.  Former New York City Mayor Rudy Guiliani tells Fox News the World Trade Center had a history of being a burden on budgets.

“It was rarely ever full, and it was operating on a hundred million dollar -- basically -- New York City tax subsidy.”

1 World Trade Center is expected to open in 2013.

(Image source: The Boston Globe)

BY ZACH TOOMBS

A bill put forward by Republican Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown aims to stop insider trading in Congress and the executive branch. And the proposal is finding few opponents on either side of the aisle.

Brown explained the need for his bill Monday on the Senate floor.

“With the bill before us today, we can take a small step to re-establishing the trust between the American people and Congress.”

Brown says it was a CBS 60 Minutes investigation last fall that prompted him to propose the new measure, called the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge, or STOCK, Act.

“If you are a member of Congress, and you are on the Defense Committee, you are free to trade defense stock as much as you want to. If you are on the Senate Banking Committee, you can trade bank stock as much as you want. And that regularly goes on.”

Brown introduced the proposal two months ago, but it wasn’t until President Obama highlighted Congressional insider trading in his State of the Union address that the bill gained traction. An exchange between Brown and Obama caught on camera after the speech might explain why.

BROWN: “The Insider Trading Bill is on Harry (Reid)’s desk right now. Tell him to get it ready. It’s already there.”

OBAMA: “I’m going to tell him. I’m going to tell him to get it done.”

But the bill’s effects are complicated. The use of insider information in making financial decisions is already illegal -- but laws focus on the private sector, not information gained through Congressional matters. CNN’s John King tells us what’s in the bill.

“Any member of Congress or their staff must report transactions within 30 days. Make sure insider trading laws apply to members of Congress. That’s the most ‘big duh’ to most people, but OK. And bars the use of non-public information for personal gain.”

The Huffington Post writes the measure would allow regulatory agencies and the Justice Department to prosecute any member of Congress who violates it. Despite broad bi-partisan support for the bill, Brown’s critics aren’t entirely pleased with his proposal. The Boston Globe writes:

“One of Brown’s Democratic opponents in this year’s US Senate race, Elizabeth Warren, has voiced support for a proposed Democratic amendment that would go even further, banning members of Congress form owning any stocks in the industries over which they have jurisdiction, citing Brown’s investments in Exxon-Mobil and Bank of America.”

This week, Brown boasted the bill might have set a legislative speed record -- it was introduced Nov. 15, and the Senate chose to move to a full vote Monday. As of yet, no date is set for a vote in the House.

(Image source: technorati.com)

BY LIAM KEEGAN

ANA COMPAIN-ROMERO


Apple is under intense media scrutiny over working conditions in its FoxConn factories in China.


That’s after a couple of high profile exposés -- especially this piece from The New York Times titled “In China, human costs are built into the iPad”. The article says FoxConn employees work …

“…excessive overtime, in some cases seven days a week, and live in crowded dorms. Some say they stand so long that their legs swell until they can hardly walk… and under-age workers have helped build Apple products.”

The story is stirring chatter about Apple’s responsibility to the workers.  Bloomberg writer Andrew Winston says the company should be doing more to improve working conditions in factories worldwide.

“Combine Apple's incredible earnings with the reality of life in its supply chain, and it's clear that the tech giant could afford to do much better by workers. It's not sustainable for any company to continue relying on people with such limited rights and life prospects ...”

And tech writer Dan Lyons tells CNN--  it’s up to Apple users to demand change.

“Our entire way of life is being brought about on the backs of people who are being treated in ways that we would never allow ourselves or our countrymen to be treated.”

But Peter Nowak for Canadian Business looks at it from another angle-- saying the media is blowing the story out of perspective. Nowak says the Times article doesn’t provide enough context -- and adds-- other outlets have been too quick to condemn something they know little about.


“... the real question media should be asking is whether Chinese workers are better off for those factories being there in the first place … There’s certainly room for improvement, but when it comes to things such as labour conditions and pollution, it’s hypocritical for Western governments and media to play the blame-and-shame game with China … ”

A communication worker in Washington D.C, has set up an online petition to put pressure on tech giants over working conditions in China. As of Tuesday afternoon, the petition has more than 150,000 signatures on Change.org.

(SOC)

image source: Facebook

More developments in Facebook’s IPO preparations. Mutterings on Wall Street say the company could start its IPO process as early as this morning.

All Things Digital is citing unnamed sources close to Facebook who say an IPO is imminent. The company is expected to file a preliminary prospectus for $5 billion -- lower than investor estimates.

ZDNet explains -- there’s a reasoning behind the smaller offering.

“A smaller IPO will increase demand for Facebook shares and therefore its valuation. It will also give Facebook options to increase the number of shares available prior to the IPO while still keeping a tight hold over pricing.”

Portfolio manager Larry Haverty tells CNBC-- demand won’t be a problem. Everyone wants a piece of Facebook’s stock.

“I think it’s going to be a fantastic feeding frenzy, Melissa. Every growth investor on the planet will be involved. Tremendous public demand. It’s obviously going to go up in the first two days of trading.”

VentureBeat reports Facebook has hired five investment banks to handle the IPO process.

“Facebook has selected five bookrunners to help get its offering processing, and it has put Morgan Stanley in the lead-left role. Goldman Sachs, Bank of America/Merrill Lynch, Barclays Capital, and JP Morgan will also help with the deal.”

Meanwhile, NASDAQ and the New York Stock Exchange are fighting over Facebook’s listing. The Wall Street Journal reports Facebook is waiting for its best deal.

“It’s just a negotiating ploy. The longer they wait here, the better the chances that they’re going to negotiate better terms for themselves.... what it seems like they’re going to do, is just wait as long as they can before making a final decision.”

Facebook won’t be tradeable until its paperwork passes SEC muster, which could take a few months. But in the meantime the company has reserved ‘FB’ as its ticker symbol.
 

(Image source: Venturebeat)

BY DAVID EARL

ANCHOR LAUREN ZIMA

There’s bad financial news for electronics retailer RadioShack. Dividend.com has the details...

“Late Monday [RadioShack] warned that its fourth quarter earnings would fall well below Wall Street expectations, sending its shares plummeting in aftermarket trading.”

Shares plummeted even more Tuesday, falling 30 percent. But a columnist for Fox Business thinks RadioShack’s problem isn’t so much a numbers game, it’s a little more basic: it’s having an identity crisis.

“RadioShack’s problem is that nobody knows what it is. Is it the 7-Eleven of electronics retailers? Is it just another strip-center shop selling mobile phones? Or is it … a place for all your radio-controlled toy car needs?”

And if it’s the place that just sells you cell phones … the Wall Street Journal says it’s running into stiff competition.

“Lately there have been some signs of cracks in the mobile strategy...Everyone is getting into these mobile device sales now in a bigger way. Best Buy and all the other retailers want to get a piece of that growth.”

But financial blog, The Motley Fool, doesn’t see RadioShack’s bad data as a death blow...they’re just calling it a big fat mess.

“RadioShack isn't going away anytime soon. The company's still flush with cash. Its credit facility remains largely untapped … However, there are signs that RadioShack's contracting margins are here to stay. [It’s] in preservation mode now.”

But CNBC’s Mad Money man Jim Cramer saw today coming and says this stock won’t bounce back any time soon...

“And why is that? It’s all courtesy of secular competition from Internet based retailers like Amazon that are pantsing the brick and mortar guys.”

RadioShack’s 30-percent hit in stock price on the last day in January comes close to describing its performance last year. For 2011, the stock price saw a 47-percent decline.

(Image source: Wikimedia Commons)

BY KEVIN DUBOUIS

ANCHOR LAUREN GORES

Starbucks announced plans to bring its coffee shops to India through an $80 million joint venture with Tata Global Beverages. The company expects to open 50 outlets by year’s end. Bloomberg has comments from Starbucks’ China and Asia Pacific president John Culver.

“What they provide to us is the opportunity to build up this business in the right way. They have local knowledge, they have local infrastructure, we have a grand iconic brand.”

The Seattle Times reports Starbucks has been eyeing the Indian market for several years but the economic situation there had delayed any business agreements.

“The chain first planned to launch in India in 2007, when it still bragged it would reach 40,000 stores worldwide. The recession and Starbucks' overexpansion ended that talk. An overhauled Starbucks, at 17,250 stores worldwide, also plans less robust growth.”

India’s Daily News and Analysis says Starbucks and Tata eventually agreed on a 50:50 partnership.

“For Starbucks, Tata’s retail stores will help it sell its packaged coffees and other products. There will also be a co-branded premium tea that the two companies will work together on. Under a separate agreement between Starbucks Coffee Company and TataCoffee Ltd, the latter will roast coffee at its upcoming facility in South India for the whole of Starbucks India operations and to export to the Starbucks globally.”

The Indian business newspaper The Economic Times has comments from Tata Global Beverages’ Vice-chairman who sees the partnership with Starbucks as a development ...

“…‘that fits into the specific architecture of Tata Global Beverages which is to go into more valuated, superior category of the market place...’”

The New York Times reports India’s finance minister -- Pranab Mukherjee -- said coffee is becoming more popular in India, where tea had been the traditional drink of choice.

“ ... ‘India presents opportunity at this moment that cannot be ignored,’ Mr. Mukherjee said … India, long a country of tea drinkers, has experienced an explosion in cafes and restaurants over the last decade because of its growing middle class and a large youth population.”

And The Financial Times reports on Starbucks’ challenges.

“Starbucks will face competition from a handful of incumbent coffee chains… Starbucks is seeking to reduce the dominance of the US in its operations. More than 12,000 of its 17,000-plus stores are in its home market. The Americas region – including a few hundred stores in Canada and Latin America – accounts for three-quarters of its revenue.”

(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)  

BY VICTORIA CRAIG

You're watching multi-source video news analysis from Newsy. 

U.S. banks tried to keep lending low in the last part of 2011, but a Federal Reserve survey says loan requests are on the rise. Bloomberg explains why banks are hanging onto their money.

“Domestic American banks say commercial and industrial, and commercial real estate loan demand is up. Small business demand increased by the most in any quarter since 2005 But lending standards were little changed.”  

And Bloomberg notes -- standards for lending didn’t change much. So, what’s the reason behind the tightened standards and increased desire to borrow money? 24/7 Wall Street explains. 

"The rise in funding was due to inventory restocking, covering accounts receivable, and mergers and acquisitions. For banks where lending fell, the chief reason was less need for capital investment." 

A senior economics reporter for CNBC says the results of the Fed’s latest survey could be a sign of good things to come.

“A bunch of good stuff there that I think was something that we’ve been waiting to see in this recovery here, Bill, but haven’t seen too much which is loan demand and of course, it was a reversal of the prior quarter but we’ll see if this continues.”

Dow Jones notes -- Europe’s financial troubles could be helping U.S. banks see less competition from their European counterparts. But the Wall Street Journal takes that analysis one step further, highlighting the possible downside to less investment.

“Banks in the U.S. started to tighten credit in the second half of 2011 as Europe's debt crisis worsened, following almost two years of easier standards on business loans. The tighter credit conditions could hurt the fragile U.S. recovery, which has recently shown signs of improvement.”

While banks aren’t too keen on easing their lending standards for commercial and industrial loans, CNBC reports some banks are easing standards on credit cards and other consumer loans.

(Image source: Wired)

 

BY EVAN THOMAS

ANCHOR NATHAN BYRNE

You're watching multisource video news analysis from Newsy.

The Fire is spreading. Analysts are saying Amazon’s Kindle Fire sold as many as six million units in the fourth quarter.

Stifel Nicolaus analyst Jordan Rohan is upping his estimates just in time for Amazon’s Tuesday earnings call. All Things Digital quotes Rohan on Amazon’s successful business model.

“Kindle Fire has staked out an important market position due to its loyal Amazon customer base and attractive (low) device pricing.”

That price -- $199 -- undercuts similar offerings from Apple and Samsung by as much as $300. The Fire doesn’t have the same sort of hardware muscle as its competition, but analysts say -- its instant access to Amazon’s vast library of digital content is what makes the Fire a winner.

Amazon is mum on actual sales figures, but AppleInsider notes Amazon has traditionally played information like this close to the chest.

“Amazon has never formally provided sales figures for any of its Kindle-branded hardware products... While that practice is expected to remain intact, the online retailer may provide some additional color on the success of Fire when it reports fourth quarter results on Tuesday.”

But according to CNET, the numbers speak for themselves. The Fire is a big chunk of the Android market.

“If Rohan's estimates are true, that would mean Amazon's Kindle Fire accounted for over half of all Android tablet shipments last quarter.”

Flurry Analytics compiled the numbers -- The Fire ate a third of the Android tablet market, just over the holiday season. Flurry says this is likely due to Amazon’s content and experience-first approach, similar to the way Apple markets the iPad.

The strategies may be similar, but the Fire is still cold compared to the iPad. Apple reported in its earnings call last week that it sold more than 15 million tablets on the quarter.

(Image source: Wired)

BY EVAN THOMAS

ANCHOR NATHAN BYRNE

Groups in the Netherlands are taking steps to prevent online piracy-- but the ISPs aren’t going down without a fight.

Dutch anti-piracy group BREIN issued formal requests to service providers KPN and T-Mobile, asking that the ISPs block access to torrent site The Pirate Bay. Both providers have gone on record stating they won’t regulate traffic without a court order. In its statement, KPN says a change of online business practices will help curb piracy, not a blockade.

“What is needed are robust, attractive business models that are easy to use and offer a fair deal to both producers and consumers of content.”

Geekosystem says the ISP’s failure to block Pirate Bay is a notable development, because ISPs don’t often choose sides.

“...as providers of bandwidth, the ISPs are surely not interested in being made gatekeepers of copyright no doubt preferring to leave that to law enforcement. However, aligning themselves with the concept of a free and open Internet as well as challenging the tactics of organizations like BREIN is an interesting move.”

Interesting is only the half of it, some media outlets say. TorrentFreak believes the decision to stand up to BREIN is likely to end only one way.

“If BREIN follows up on threats that were made earlier, both ISPs can expect to be sued by the anti-piracy outfit in the near future.”

But, as Forbes points out -- even if the providers are sued, that development alone is not likely to stop traffic.

“It’s not at all clear whether the new rules will actually block access to the torrent site. The problem with heavy-handed enforcement is that Internet users can usually find a work-around.”

The news comes as the two largest Dutch ISPs, Ziggo and XS4ALL, are preparing to block traffic to The Pirate Bay in accordance with a court order BREIN won earlier this month.

(Image source: Barnes & Noble)

BY EVAN THOMAS

ANCHOR NATHAN BYRNE

Barnes & Noble is getting ready to carve out a bigger nook in the tablet market. The bookseller is said to be finishing up its latest tablet for release this spring.

A New York Times article on the retailer cites company executives giving the ballpark release date. Nobody is saying anything further, but the rumor mill has it from here. CNET speculates on the two most likely offerings.

“Another tablet, perhaps a larger model (think iPad size but with a $300-$350 price tag)? An even more affordable e-ink e-reader that might allow the company to break the sub-$50 barrier?”

Engadget thinks the latter is more likely. A refreshed e-ink device would fit the trend.

“Given last year's release schedule, timing-wise the device would fall closer in line with the company's e-ink line of products...”

Barnes & Noble holds about 22% of the e-reader market share in the U.S., according to a report published last year by Goldman Sachs. That’s about a third of Amazon’s slice. The two companies have similar offerings on both the e-ink and tablet ends of the market. Android Police says Barnes & Noble could use something innovative to set its fifth tablet apart.

“We are talking about the company that built a dual-screen device with both e-ink and color touchscreen displays. Perhaps B&N will come up with yet another new category.”

In the meantime, Barnes & Noble will be expanding the market for its existing readers. The New York Times reports the company has plans to take its Nooks to bookstores in Britain.
 

(Image source: Forbes) 

BY MADISON MACK  
ANCHOR NATHAN BYRNE

After a rocky 2011, Netflix is winning back the hearts of customers and investors alike.  Fox Business reports.

“Shares of Netflix are popping after hours trading after the company reported better than expected 4th quarter results. Earnings beat estimates by 18 cents to 73 cents a share.”

Eight hundred thousand Neflix customers straight-up revolted back in September after the company announced plans to raise prices and split its DVD and streaming services. So how did stocks start to soar? The International Business Times explains – Neflix still managed to add subscribers.

“But added 600,010 net new subscribers in its home US market, helping revenue leap 47% to 876 million dollars.”

And what’s next? Netflix announced in October its intention to shift its focus from DVDs to streaming and original content. An analyst on CNBC says that Netflix will struggle in the future because streaming isn’t as profitable as DVD rentals.

“What the street’s really missing here is that the new streaming subscribers just aren’t that profitable and the subs that we’re now adding aren’t the same kind of subs we’ve had in the past. These guys are going to need 4-5 streaming subscribers for every DVD customer that leaves."

But on Bloomberg another analyst says after a series of giant missteps, Netflix is heading in the right direction.  

“The number one thing Netflix has to protect is their relationship with their customers …”
 

“The fact that they are growing at all, the fact they added subscribers at all, that’s a good thing. They made money, that’s a good thing.”

And a Harvard Business Review blogger points out, Netflix still has a lot of room to expand.

“Given that Netflix has 20MM paid streamers, it may still be in a category growth mode. In other words, Netflix has only tapped half of the existing market for viewers with demand for streaming content, and that market is presumably growing.”



 

(Image Source: Gothamist)

BY LAUREN ZIMA

It could be an episode of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. A woman named Denise Rich is listing her Fifth Avenue penthouse for a whopping $65 million -- making it, as Bloomberg reports ...

“The most expensive co-op in New York City. The 12,000 sq. ft. duplex has 19 rooms. The New York Post quotes Rich as saying she doesn’t need all that space anymore just for one woman.”

And Fox Business explains Rich’s rich history. She’s ...

 

“The ex-wife, by the way, of President Clinton pardonee Mark Rich -- the guy who invented the spot market for oil. It includes seven bedrooms, 11 bathrooms … three kitchens, a library, a full gym, and just for good measure -- its very own recording studio.”
“You know what that’s called? Real estate porn.”

The pricey pad also has a grand salon and a formal dining room that seats 22. There are three outdoor spaces -- one holds 200 people. Another Rich once turned into an ice-skating rink just for a party. And then there’s the wraparound terrace with views of Central Park. But while Rich’s ex-husband might be well-known, The New York Post reports she’s famous in her own right -- Rich is a Grammy-nominated song writer.

“Rich … penned the lyrics to such hits as the Aretha Franklin-Mary J. Blige duet, ‘Don’t Waste Your Time,’ and Mandy Moore’s ‘Candy’ … Stevie Wonder has tickled the ivories of her baby grand piano … and Celine Dion has sung in the apartment’s personal recording studio.”

Celine Dion, Stevie Wonder -- just having a few friends over.
 

(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)

BY SAMANTHA KUBOTA

ANCHOR ANTHONY MARTINEZ

The world’s most well liked social media giant may soon be available for purchase.

According to a Wall Street Journal report released Friday morning, Facebook could be set to file papers for an Initial Public Offering as soon as Wednesday of next week.

Mark Zuckerberg’s hand was at least a little forced on this one.  If a private company has more than 500 shareholders, it has to release financial data or go public.

The report doesn’t cite any specific sources but says Facebook is currently “looking at a deal that would value the social network between $75 billion to $100 billion.”

The Wall Street Journal also reports at that valuation, “Facebook is looking to raise as much as $10 billion.”

Now, all this is attributed to simple “people familiar with the matter” but that hasn’t stopped the speculation.

Mashable points out that Facebook halted its secondary market trading this past Wednesday, and an IPO would explain all the STUFF Facebook’s been rolling out recently.

This past week, Facebook announced everyone will get the timeline on their profile...ready or not.

And earlier this month, Facebook’s Director of Platform Products announced that more than 60 apps are immediately going live, including such favorites as Pinterest, eBay and Foursquare.

Why make all these announcements right before going public? The leading theory, as pointed out by Mashable, is that if Facebook files the paperwork for an IPO, they’ll have to go into a “quiet period,” which means no rolling out new stuff, announcements or movie sequels. Just kidding about the last one.

As you might expect, no one within the walls of Facebook is talking on camera, but there’s one guy we can always count on to have something to say: Sean Parker of Napster and Former president of Facebook.

“To the extent that there is any bubble in technology at all, it is really a bubble around Facebook in the sense that there is a huge amount of pent-up demand among retail investors for access to Facebook equity.”

Citing its unnamed sources, the WSJ also reports Morgan Stanley is among Facebook’s top picks to manage the offering. If Facebook files, it would be the fourth largest IPO in U.S. history, behind Visa, G.M. and AT&T.

According to the Wall Street Journal report, Facebook now has more than 800 million friends online.

(Image source: zscaler.com)

BY LIAM KEEGAN

Facebook and Washington State are suing a Delaware advertising company over “Like-jacking”.  KIRO explains why the tech titan and the state gov are teaming up to accuse Adscend Media of advertising trickery.

Here's KIRO.

“It’s called Like-jacking, drawing Facebook users to the popular Like feature and then enticing them to click on a website that can lead to identity and credit card theft.”

“Like-jacking” is a spin off of the term “click-jacking”-- which IT blog Naked Security explains is a gimmick that tricks users into sharing the virus with their friends, before leading them to surveys that ask for credit card information.

“No matter where you click on the webpage, whether it be ‘Lady Gaga found dead in hotel room’, ‘Japanese Tsunami Launches Whale Into Building’, naked photos of a female popstar or ‘101 Hottest Women in the World,’ you are actually clicking the Facebook Like button and further spreading the spam.”

And it looks like it works. According to TG Daily-- like-jacking has been pretty profitable for Adscend Media.

“According to the state attorney’s office, the practice earned as much as $1.2 million a month for ad network Adscend Media.”

Facebook says it will use “all tools at our disposal” to make sure the like-spammers don’t invade your newsfeed. But a blogger for The Register says-- actions speak louder than words.

“Despite the tough talk...Facebook hasn’t often used the significant bundles of cash at its disposal to pursue scammers through the courts. A notable exception came in October 2010, when a federal court awarded it a massive $360.5m in a case against prolific spammer Philip Porembski.”

The current lawsuit calls for damages and civil penalties against Adscend. Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna says the suit could result in millions of dollars in fines for the accused “like-jackers”.

image source: BoingBoing

 

BY EVAN THOMAS

ANCHOR CHRISTINA HARTMAN

Twitter’s getting tweaked-- the microblog is implementing a more specific censorship policy that will block illegal content and messages on a country-by-country basis.

Twitter already globally censors certain content in response to copyright claims or obvious illegal activity, like links to pirated software. Twitter explains in a blog post that this new method will comply with national laws, and will allow what might be censored in one country to still be visible in others.

Twitter says it’s committed to disclosing its censorship activity. If content is blocked, Twitter will post a notice and link users to an explanation of what was blocked, and why.

That’s great, GigaOM says. But the fact remains:

“...no matter how Twitter phrases it, this news is going to concentrate attention on one thing: that a corporate entity, however well-meaning, controls which tweets are seen or not seen.”

It’s a double-edged sword, TechCrunch says. Twitter allows for unfiltered global discussion. But if Twitter wants to expand into other countries, it has to be ready to deal with local rules.

“This diplomatic casting of the restriction of speech, from a company that is built around the idea of free communication, is troubling. Unfortunately, it’s a logical step for a platform that wants to be accepted worldwide.”

Mark Gibbs at Forbes points out-- humans won’t be the ones be monitoring the worldwide Twitter feed.

“...given that over the course of 2011 the number of tweets per second (tps) ranged from a high of almost 9,000 tps down to just under 4,000 tps, any filtering has got to be computer-driven.”

Gibbs goes on to wonder how Twitter’s computers will make accurate calls on millions of straightforward and sarcastic tweets. Even with a microscopic failure rate, he says, the software will be incorrectly blocking -- or incorrectly permitting --  thousands of messages every day.

And the system definitely won’t be bulletproof. The Next Web explains-- there’s a workaround built right into Twitter. If content is blocked in your country...

“...all you have to do if you want to see a ‘blocked’ tweet is to change your Country setting after reading the warning.”

In the meantime, Twitter is working with legal watchdog site ChillingEffects.org to closely document its new censorship activity. Updates will appear at chillingeffects.org/twitter.
 

(Image source: thegadgets.net)

BY EVAN THOMAS

ANCHOR JIM FLINK

You're watching multisource video news analysis from Newsy.

Tired of your iPhone 4s yet? Rumors out of Shenzhen say you may not have long to wait for Apple’s next phone.

9to5 Mac is citing a source inside Foxconn that says the latest generation of iPhone will sport at least four inches of screen, and will be longer and wider than previous models. 9to5 Mac says the source is reliable.

“This source is the same that indicated to us late last summer that the iPhone 5 was not happening against the prevailing tide of information, and that Apple was building the iPhone 4S model instead.”

Apple rumors taste best with plenty of salt, TIME says, but a larger screen is probably a safe bet.

“...the idea that the next iPhone might sport a bigger screen has been the subject of multiple rumors in the past and wouldn’t be a huge surprise, given the recent trend of larger and larger smartphone screens.”

And hardware’s not the only thing changing, according to CNET. The iPhone 4s bucked Apple’s trend of summer iPhone drops, and if Apple goes back to that now...

“A return to a summer release schedule would make the next iPhone the first to see a release in less than a year between models.”

PC World doesn’t think that will happen. People still love the 4s, after all.

“Apple doesn't need to rush ahead with the iPhone 5. Apple's use of an existing design and the same screen size was obviously not an issue for the average consumer.”

Who to believe? Wired is content to wait it out.

“...I guess we’ll find out for sure come June. Or October. Or whenever the next iPhone debuts. If one thing’s for sure, it’s that Apple likes to keep us on our toes.”

The rumors come on the heels of Apple’s biggest fiscal quarter ever, when it sold in excess of 37 million iPhones.

 

(Image Source: Leon Travel Club)

BY JJ BAILEY

Usually when we take long odds, we end up holding our breath while the bookies lick their chops. With Superbowl approaching, it seems the roles are reversed. Betting houses in Las Vegas are holding their collective breaths as the once-long shot Giants are making an improbable run. Here’s USA Today.

“A number of sports books in Nevada took significant bets on the Giants to win the Super Bowl at long odds earlier this season — some as high as 80 to 1 — putting some in a very precarious position if the Giants should knock off the Patriots in the Super Bowl again.”

They were at 80-1 when they were in danger of not making the playoffs.  While bets on the game are expected to be big- about $94 million- it’s the futures bets, or betting on the outcome of a teams season, that have odds makers worried.  The head of Lucky’s Race and Sports Book in Vegas told The New York Times, the situation looks dangerous for some bet takers.

“They got hit pretty hard at the high number,” … “If the Giants win this game, it could do some damage out here, there is no doubt. A lot of guys were rooting for San Francisco on Sunday, I can tell you that.”

At the very beginning of the season, the Giants were 20-1 long shots to win the Superbowl. At the start of the playoffs- 30-1. Now, sports books all over Sin City are facing what is called “tremendous exposure.” Many haven’t fully recovered from the sting of another unlikely run only a few months ago. The Atlantic Wire has a reminder.

“Making things worse is the fact that St. Louis Cardinals were installed at odds of 250 to 1 to win the World Series when they were 10.5 games out of playoff contention with 32 games left in the regular season. The Cardinals, of course, came back to make the playoffs and win the Series.”

According to the Huffington Post, the Superbowl pulls major bets outside the casino as well. In addition to recent news that rapper Birdman offered up $5 million on the Patriots to anyone who would take it, the Huffpo adds...

“Gambling expert R.J. Bell said the rematch could see $10 billion in wagers worldwide, with only 1 percent of that figure gambled in casino sports books in the Silver State.”

As it stands now, the Pats are favored by three over the Giants.

(Image Source: The Telegraph)

BY DAVID EARL

ANCHOR CHRISTINA HARTMAN

Fed chairmen are famously mum about economic issues, but in a rare press conference Wednesday, Ben Bernanke laid out the Federal Reserve’s plan for the next few years. Bloomberg was there...

“Economic conditions are likely to warrant exceptionally low levels for the federal funds rate at least through late 2014...”

In addition to the announcement of low rates through 2014, the Fed also issued an inflation target of 2 percent. The average US inflation rate for 2011 was just more than 3 percent.

“A higher inflation rate would reduce the public’s ability to make accurate longer term economic and financial decisions … where as a lower inflation rate would be associated with an elevated probability of falling in to deflation.”

Previous estimates on the Fed’s action had rates staying low through 2013 … now, with rates remaining low through an additional year, CNN Money explains how it will impact consumers.

“Keeping it at historic lows, as the Fed has done since 2008, is meant to stimulate spending by lowering interest rates on everything from mortgages to car and student loans.”

JP Morgan’s chief US economist gives his reaction to the announcement on Fox Business....

“So this is actually a little more on the accommodate side than we were expecting … and so once again, Bernanke, continuing to surprise us on how focused he is on getting growth going again.”

Global financial firm PIMCO founder Bill Gross told CNBC he’s a fan of how open the Fed has become...

“It’s gonna give the credit markets the most transparent scan of the feds brain that it has ever had.”

A Wall Street Journal reporter says the top investment firms think it’s about time...

“Is this a step that will make for better central banking? Better monetary policy making? They think it is and other central banks have done it and have had a fair amount of success with it.”

The Fed announcement sent stocks higher Wednesday. The DOW closed up 83 points, the NASDAQ gained 31, and the S&P climbed 11.
 

(Image Source: Set You Free News) 

BY DAVID EARL

ANCHOR ANA COMPAIN-ROMERO


Titans of industry … captains of capital … and reigning rulers from around the globe descended on Davos, Switzerland to kick off the 2012 World Economic Forum. Fox Business has part of the triple-A list for the billionaire bash...

“Everyone from Coca-Cola’s Muhtar Kent to Bob Diamond, leader of the gigantic UK bank Barclays, Bill Gates of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and of course Microsoft...”
 

But German Chancellor Angela Merkel offered a sobering dose of reality with the backdrop of the Eurozone financial crisis. She says the world needs quote, a big rethink.
 

“What sort of lessons have we learned from the global financial crisis and is it sufficient what we’ve learned. I think the answer to that is even in this year it’s still not quite sufficient.”
 

With austerity on the mind, Bloomberg talks to an NYU economist at Davos who says optimism in Europe won’t come quick … and it’ll take work.
 

“Fiscal centralization, reform in Italy and Spain and a number of other places, fiscal stabilization, I would describe it as patience but persistence.”
 

Amid speculation on all the Eurozone fallout, the Guardian reports attendees at Davos are tackling a host of other serious topics this year.
 

“Wednesday's programme in Davos kicked off with a debate on whether 20th-century capitalism is failing 21st-century society. A report on the risks facing the world in 2012 is titled The Seeds of Dystopia. It notes that many of the indicators of economic and societal health are going in the wrong direction... So, the good news in Davos is that the right questions are starting to be asked.”
 

But it’s still not all work. The one percent take breaks to play snow polo … this year, though, Bloomberg reports a familiar movement showed up too. Yep … you guessed it … the 99 percent.
 

“The Occupy movement that started on Wall Street is setting up camp in Davos. The demonstrators say delegates are detached.”


Policy debates, protests, and play at Davos 2012. The 25th World Economic Forum runs through January 29.

(Image Source: todaysiphone)

BY EVAN THOMAS

ANCHOR CHRISTINA HARTMAN

What would you do with $13 billion? Apple has to answer that question following its earnings call on Tuesday.
 

Apple reported $13.06 billion in profit on $46.33 billion in revenue for the first fiscal quarter of 2012, more than double last year’s numbers. It was the biggest quarter in the company’s history.
 

iPods, iPads and Mac computer sales all saw record growth. Apple sold more than 37 million iPhones alone, representing 128% growth since last year.


Analysts had predicted decent growth in the quarter-- but as The Wall Street Journal reports-- Apple beat those forecasts without breaking a sweat.
 

“They blew past revenue expectations by 19%. ...They came in well over $13 a share. It pretty much qualifies as a blowout quarter, compared to what expectations were.”


This from the company that was for a time last week worth more on the public market than all of Greece. On January 19th, CNN reported Apple’s market cap hit $400 billion.


CNBC puts that in perspective.


“474 companies in the S&P 500, if you added them all up, still don’t have a market cap of even that amount.”



Not only are Apple’s sales numbers on the rise-- the company’s growth rate is accelerating. A ReadWriteWeb blogger points out-- it’s tough for a large company to continue growing-- and it won’t be easy to keep breaking revenue records.


“Can it happen again? It's only going to get harder. To match this year's growth — 73% — Apple's December 2012 quarter would have to beat $80 billion in sales. That's a lot of iPhones.”



In the meantime, Gizmodo wonders what Apple is planning to do with all that money.


“...just think about how many space-ship campuses and lawsuits $13 billion of profit can buy.”



The Wall Street Journal reports Apple’s stock jumped more than 8% in after-hours trading following the news. That gives Apple a market value of $418 billion-- a number that makes the tech mammoth the most valuable publicly-traded company in the world.

 

(Image Source: Fox News)

BY HARUMENDHAH HELMY

ANCHOR JIM FLINK

This is Newsy Now and here are your latest headlines.
 

In U.S. news, the Navy SEALs rescued two kidnapped aid workers in Somalia in what the media call a ‘daring raid.’ Somalian pirates took the two aid workers -- an American and a Dane -- as hostages back in October. Fox News noted an interesting interaction between President Barack Obama and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta last night.
 

“If you watched the State of the Union last night, there was a hint of what was going down!”
Obama to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta: “Leon, good job tonight. Good job tonight.”
 

In world news, Cairo’s Tahrir Square was alive with rallies once again. Wednesday marks a year after the start of the uprising that toppled former President Hosni Mubarak. Al Jazeera talks to one Egyptian who says she’s not quite celebrating the anniversary.  
 

“For Shayma, January 25 is an opportunity to demonstrate, not a reason to celebrate.
Shayma: “All my Egyptian brothers who were killed, justice has not been served for them.”
 

In business news, Apple is reporting fourth quarter earnings that blew every Wall Street expectation out of the water — thanks to record iPhone and iPad sales over the holiday season. The company sold 37 million iPhones and doubled their iPad sales. One veteran CNN reporter says...
 

“I’ve never seen a quarter like this. And this is a company that today when it opens for trading, could actually be the largest publicly traded company in the world... it would surpass ExxonMobil.”

And in... somewhat entertainment news, Wikileaks founder Julian Assange is getting his own TV show. It will begin airing in March exclusively on Russia’s RT network. One of the network’s reporter has the details on what the show will be about.
 

“Basically what he’s going to be doing is discussing the issues of the day with people who he says will shape what tomorrow looks like essentially. And he’s going to be challenging them on his ideas on how to secure a brighter future.”
 

Stay with Newsy for more news analyses throughout the day. For Newsy Now, I’m Jim Flink, highlighting the top headlines making you smarter, faster.

(Image source: SuzeOrman.com)

BY DAVID EARL

ANCHOR NATHAN BYRNE

“Don’t get me started with all these credit card fees...these banks...these companies...it’s like what are they thinking?”

That’s personal finance guru Suze Orman. She hates fees....so she wants you to use her new prepaid debit card to make sure you get a fair shake. There are a lot of endorsed debit cards out there, but, if you charge her card with cash --- you avoid all those nasty fees. Right?

“Amex has a card with 1 fee, Lil Wayne Discover, 7 fees, the Rush Card 17,  Suze Orman’s card has 20 fees. 20 fees.”

HLN tallies up the fee frenzy you’ll face with Suze Orman’s Approved Card...

“Simply purchasing Orman’s Approved Card costs $3. Then, there’s a monthly fee of $3, but the good news is the first month’s fee is waived. The card is associated with ATMs in the Allpoint network and costs $2 per transaction, $1 to check a balance and another $1 if the card is declined by the ATM."

It also costs you anywhere from $3.50 to $4.95 to load money on the card. And if you lose the card? Three bucks. Orman insisted during a TIME interview that her card helps people manage their money... (I wouldn’t normally want to go to her twice in the same piece, but I get that the first one is more of a nat-sound open.)

“What the world needs is another prepaid debit card or debit card that gets people to pay in cash. People have got to learn if they don’t have cookies in the cookie jar, they can’t eat a cookie.”

So, Orman’s debit card is like an electronic cookie jar, and she says her debit card works to help build people credit. Fox Business ain’t buyin’ it.

“The reality is, if someone is going to lend you money, they want to know you will make do in the future. This doesn’t do that.”

Bloomberg’s Businessweek found Orman a little ticked at all the bad press. And it quotes....

“I am the personal financial expert of the world...I know what I’m talking about ... just keep it in cash! You don’t need the damn card.”

So, you need the card … but you don’t need the card … Either way, if you pick it up, be prepared to pay.

(Image source: GossipExposed.com)

BY DAVID EARL

ANCHOR NATHAN BYRNE

It looks like the magic of Macy’s no longer extends to the queen of housewives. The department store giant is suing Martha Stewart for flirting with discount rival JCPenney. Fox Business has the details...

“The move follows a decision by Martha Stewart Living to sell certain products to JCPenney....Macy’s claims Martha Stewart granted it the exclusive right to make and sell certain products.”

But … wait a minute. I thought you had to go to Macy’s to get your Martha pots and pans...remember this?

“Let’s go look at my cookware...maybe you’ll get an idea for a hat. I love hats. The new Martha Stewart Collection...only at Macy’s.”

The Wall Street Journal seemed confused too....especially because Penney’s is paying a pretty penny for its stake in Martha’s company...a whopping $38 million.

“That’s 16 percent of a company that trades for less than 250 million dollars in market cap...they are paying twice market rates....is JC Penny that desperate?”

A blogger for Refinery29 says Martha should be worried about breaching her contract with Macy’s...

“Martha Stewart's brand has survived a stint in jail, taped-to-live show switch-ups (despite this being her last season of The Martha Stewart Show), and slightly embarrassing made-for-TV movies starring Cybill Shepherd. However, this last court visit might do her in.”

But an ABC News blogger seems to think Martha will be just fine … in fact, the writer says Stewart is just maxing her merchandising cash.

“Stewart has bounced back before. In her insider trading case in 2004, Stewart was convicted of lying to investigators...and was incarcerated for five months. …[Martha’s] firm’s challenge is to rebuild advertising revenues while garnering as much merchandising income as possible … revenues grew very well during 2011.”

So what’s America’s crafter-in-chief got to say about the whole thing?

“Martha herself is keeping mum on the matter.”

News of the suit had stocks swinging Tuesday. As for the battle between department store and household name? It’ll play out in the New York State Court System.
 

(Image source: LAist)

BY BRICE SANDER

Starbucks is looking to get you buzzed in a new way. Bloomberg explains.

ANCHOR 1: “It’s going to be expanding its wine and beer offerings through Atlanta and Southern California. Up until now it’s only been in--
ANCHOR 2: “Woah, woah- I can get wine at Starbucks?”

Starbucks first tested alcohol sales in Seattle. The Wall Street Journal’s MarketWatch suggests the new nighttime offerings play into the company’s recent makeover.

“The concept comes as Starbucks has been shifting into more of a consumer-products company versus a predominantly retail shop chain. Most recently, it advanced that change by buying a small upscale juice maker and launching K-cup coffee packets...”

Starbucks stock was up 45% last year.  The guys at CNBC say this move from Starbucks to Barbucks will make 2012 another banner year.

ANCHOR 1: “They would not expand beer and wine sales if it were not working. Potentially good news for Starbucks?”
ANCHOR 2: “You would think so- absolutely. Interestingly enough it is now the most- number one- chatted stock on StockTwits.”

And The LA Times says the menu expansion won’t stop with alcohol.

“In addition to getting tipsy, customers will also have access to ‘premium food’ such as savory snacks, small plates and hot flatbreads. The alcohol available will be hand-selected and then modified over time to reflect local preferences.”

As for who the target audience might be for this new menu, LA Weekly has an idea.

“So if you're a screenwriter who spends your days at your local coffee shop, now you don't have to leave to go to the bar next door after, oh, seven hours of writing bad dialog. Just buy a CD of Tony Bennett duets and a beer and keep working. Lucky you.”

Still no word on whether your big boy beverages will come in tall, grande or venti.

(Image source: RIM)

BY EVAN THOMAS

ANCHOR LAUREN GORES

You're watching multisource video news analysis from Newsy.

The shuffle worked for Apple's iPod, and now Research in Motion has tried one of its own. Effective Monday, RIM co-CEOs Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis have stepped down.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the two said they made the decision themselves, though investors stung by RIM’s recent market performance have been calling for a similar shakeup.

Bloomberg reports Thorsten Heins has taken over as CEO, and has his work cut out for him.

“Chief Operating Officer Thorsten Heins will now take over in the CEO role, but he has, of course, a big challenge ahead of him: how to revitalize Blackberry and RIM’s products to effectively compete with Apple.”

For his part, Heins is already looking to the future.

“We have taken this to total new heights, and that journey isn’t over yet. If we continue doing well what we are doing, I see no problems with us being in the top 3 players worldwide in the next years in wireless.”

Heins says he’s confident in RIM’s current handset and tablet products. Engadget doesn’t share his optimism.

“...call us crazy, but he'd be wise to just spout out reality and make clear that RIM's existing lineup is nowhere near competitive in the grand scheme of things.”

GigaOM agrees. To be competitive again, RIM will require some immediate innovation.

“There needs to be a radical improvement in execution, some very mind-blowing ideas introduced and some real progress shown on the app developer front.”

A good first step, according to The Globe and Mail, is building a reputation for credible, reliable business.

“If the company can do that, then developers and retailers will take to RIM no matter who is standing on the stage introducing the products.”

Meanwhile, RIM’s old guard isn’t leaving the company entirely behind. Balsille is now a director on the company’s board, and Lazaridis is the board’s vice chairman.

(Image Source: The New York Times)


BY ADNAN S. KHAN


The New York Times calls it a ‘day of reckoning.’ Morgan Stanley made a stunning announcement that it is capping all bankers’ and traders’ cash bonuses for 2011 at $125,000 and cutting pay by around 20 to 30 percent. Even the bigwigs at the top are taking massive cuts.

The Wall Street Journal reports Morgan Stanley CEO James Gorman took a 25 percent pay cut compared to 2010.  He did receive $5 million in restricted stock -- though that’s a 32 percent drop from 2010, and he got no stock options for 2011.
 

In all, Gorman will receive around $11 million less than last year. So why are the top dogs at Morgan Stanley tightening their belts? The Wall Street Journal reports it’s mostly due to poor performance throughout Wall Street.
 

“Across Wall Street, total compensation is expected to be the lowest since the 2008 financial crisis, thanks to declining revenue and uncertainty over the economic, financial-market and regulatory environments. The pullback comes at a time when public sentiment against large pay packages is mounting amid protests such as the Occupy Wall Street encampment in New York.”
 

Morgan Stanley actually posted the only trading revenue increase among major U.S. banks in 2011, but it still fell short of meeting the goals Gorman set. Bloomberg reports…
 

“Profit fell 13 percent last year to $4.11 billion as the firm had a 4 percent return on equity, below Gorman’s goal of ‘mid-teens.’”


And in an article titled, ‘The Dawn of Lower Pay on Wall St.’ The New York Times asks -- will this newfound pay system stick?


“A culture in which self-worth is measured by pay isn’t going to change overnight, or even in a few years. But virtually everyone I spoke to agreed that Wall Street pay, while still lofty, will be lower for the foreseeable future, and may never return to the heady days of 2007.”






 

(Image source: The Sacramento Bee)

BY CHRISTINA HARTMAN

ANCHOR ANA  COMPAIN-ROMERO

New numbers suggest there could be hope for homes.  

CNBC: “The housing market showed some signs of life at the end of last year.”

Bloomberg: “More evidence the U.S. real estate market may be stabilizing.”

Home sales rose 5 percent in December over the previous month -- marking the third month in a row of growth. Leading analysts to ask -- is this is an early sign of recovery? Not necessarily, suggests Fox News’ Megyn Kelly.

“But sales are still depressed and ended 2011 well below healthy economic levels.”

Not only that, but T.Rowe Price Investment’s chief economist tells Fox Business -- activity levels are still low.

“...a lot of these are distressed sales, and you can say just as easily this is just selective buyers and selected buyers in a tighter credit environment, picking out good values.”

Still -- inventory reached its lowest level since March 2005. The LA Times’ Alejandro Lazo notes it now...

“...represents a supply of six months and a little less than a week. Economists consider about six months of supply to be a stable market.”

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, foreclosures and short sales made up 32 percent of December’s sales.
 

(Image source: ghacks.net)

BY EVAN THOMAS

ANCHOR CHRISTINA HARTMAN

The U.S. government is calling it the Mega conspiracy: on Thursday the Department of Justice and the FBI shut down file-sharing site Megaupload and seized the company’s assets.

Al Jazeera reports authorities in New Zealand arrested four people connected to the site on suspicion of facilitating piracy on a global scale.

“Within New Zealand, we have seized in excess of $6 million worth of motor vehicles, and over $10 million in cash from several New Zealand finance companies.”

Ars Technica says this was only a matter of time.

“For years, the site has claimed to take down unauthorized content when notified by rightsholders. But the government asserts that Megaupload merely wanted the veneer of legitimacy, while its employees knew full well that the site’s main use was to distribute infringing content.”

The Justice Department alleges that Megaupload has done more than half a billion dollars of damage to U.S. copyright holders. If convicted, the seven members of the “Mega conspiracy” could spend as long as 50 years in prison.

The indictment is one of the largest copyright cases ever brought by the U.S., and came hard on the heels of hallmark Internet protest over piracy bills currently circulating in congress. When the FBI hit Megaupload, the Internet noticed.

Hours after Megaupload went offline, Anonymous hammered down the websites of the RIAA, MPAA, the Department of Justice and Universal Music with Distributed Denial of Service attacks.

Anonymous claimed credit for the attacks on Twitter, and asked the FBI--

“...you feel censored yet? We sincerely hope you like your own medicine!”

Net censorship has been a hot-button issue of late, says Molly Wood at CNET, but these latest attacks just evaporated any gains the Internet made this week in Washington.

“If the SOPA/PIPA protests were the Web’s moment of inspiring, non-violent, hand-holding civil disobedience, #OpMegaUpload feels like the unsettling wave of car-burning hooligans that sweep in and incite the riot portion of the play. “

And The Verge is reporting rumors that Anonymous has more in mind.

“...it would seem that organizations that are in very public support of MegaUpload’s demise are going to be best served to have their IT departments on high alert this afternoon.”

Some of the sites Anonymous targeted are now back online-- but Universal Music is still “under maintenance.”
 

(Image source: Flickr)

BY HARUMENDAH HELMY

ANCHOR CHRISTINA HARTMAN

This is Newsy Now and here are your latest headlines.

In U.S. politics, after a strong debate performance, GOP presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich now has the lead in the latest poll of likely South Carolinian primary voters. CNN says the race to the nomination is closer than ever.

“A poll from American Research Group -- it shows a dead heat. Thirty three percent of likely Republican voters are backing Newt Gingrich, we’ve got 32 percent who are backing Mitt Romney.”

In world news, Thursday was the last official day of the Arab League monitor mission in Syria. The mission’s leader is set to present its observations on Sunday. Euronews reports the league is expected to extend the mission for another four weeks -- saying... 

“Some successes were reported on Thursday, with a local truce getting a tank pullout from the town of Zabadani near the Lebanese border. But overall there are no signs of a halt to the violence.”

In tech news, the U.S. Department of Justice has taken down the online file-sharing site Megaupload for hosting infringed content. Seven of the company’s employees were indicted - including enigmatic leader Kim Dotcom. The news comes a day after an Internet-wide protest of the two anti-piracy acts under consideration in the U.S. Congress. Here’s HLN. 

“There’s pictures of the FBI raiding a Washington, D.C. data center for Megaupload. Four people were arrested in New Zealand. The FBI says Megaupload helped people rip off companies by half a billion dollars.” 

And finally, in business news, Google reported a fourth quarter earnings and revenue that are significantly lower than street expectations. Its stocks immediately took a hit. CNBC says analysts had been looking for Google to report its most prosperous quarter in its history. 

“...but the big surprise the search giant collected less money per click on its online ads. You can see what that did to the earnings last night that stock down by over 8 percent.”

Stay with Newsy for your news analyses throughout the day. For Newsy Now, I’m Christina Hartman, highlighting the top headlines making you smarter, faster. 

(Image Source: Orlando Sentinel)

BY GINA COOK

ANCHOR EMILY SPAIN

It seems it was no coincidence why President Obama chose Disney World in Florida Thursday to announce his plan that eases restrictions on certain visas.  He says it would boost tourism in the sunshine state and around the country. 

According to USA Today Obama’s executive order will reduce the time it takes for travelers from China and Brazil, the fastest growing markets for U.S. travel, to obtain visas.

The Economic Times says the White House has estimated that more than 1 million U.S. jobs could be created in the next decade if the country increased its share of the international travel market.

Here's MSNBC with part of Obama's speech.

“That’s what this is all about, telling the world that America is open for business, making it as safe and simple as possible to vist.  Helping our businesses all across the country grow and create jobs.”

The tourism and airline industries favor the change. A blogger for The Hill has a quote from Republican Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa - who’s apparently not on board.

"Once again, this administration is pushing the envelope and using their authority beyond congressional intent, allowing untold numbers of foreign nationals to bypass the in-person interview requirement, and risking national security in the process."

Mitt Romney also spoke out against the move saying it’s fitting that Obama made the proposal in quote “fantasyland.”

The Economic Times reports, with the Florida primary election less than two weeks away Obama is trying to counter some poor poll numbers in Florida. 

“Florida, which relies heavily on foreign tourist dollars, is a political battleground state considered crucial to Obama's re-election prospects.”

(Image Source:  Wikimedia Commons)
 

BY ALYSSA CARTEE
ANCHOR CHRISTINA HARTMAN

NewsCorp fesses up -- and now --- it’s paying up. Rupert Murdoch's News International is settling several lawsuits brought against the company by high-profile actors and crime victims. Plaintiffs sued the company for allegedly hacking into private voice mails for details to publish in the company’s tabloids. Sky News reports on the accusers’ reactions.

“They are now saying they are satisfied with the settlement. It isn’t just about the money. It’s also about an acknowledgement of wrongdoing. They wanted the apology. They wanted the facts to come out into the open.”

One of the most high profile accusers, actor Jude Law received over 200,000 dollars. The actor released a statement explaining why he pressed charges.

“I owed it to my friends and family as well as myself to do this. I believe in a free press but what News Group did was an abuse of its freedoms. … They were prepared to do anything to sell their newspapers and to make money, irrespective of the impact it had on people's lives.”

The editor of Newsweek tells CBS’s Early Show the News Corp case reaches much farther than the company’s reputation. It reflects on British media as a whole.

“It goes beyond News Corp. This morning, David Cameron’s in South Africa on a State visit and he’s answering questions at press conferences about this and it’s hurting his political standing. So he might be vulnerable as well.”

For the majority of civil lawsuits filed, this is the end of the road. Now, the attention turns to the criminal phase of the investigation. British Labour MP Chris Bryant, who received a settlement of over 46,000 dollars, says a trial was not his goal.

“The whole aim of bringing these cases in the first place was to try and get to the truth. The truth will now come out either in court when the criminal investigations are completed or in the Leveson inquiry.”

Several lawsuits remain unsettled and are currently scheduled for trial on February 13.  

(Image Source The Verge)

BY JIM FLINK

ANCHOR CHRISTINA HARTMAN

We told you about the rumors.
Now, Apple is on the record about its plans for textbooks and ipublishing.
And it could revolutionize education.
Here’s Apple’s promotional video -- with a sneak peek.

“Digitization of education is going to be the opportunity of this century.  The textbook on the iPad is so much bigger, broader and more dynamic, because, what it does, is it brings the curriculum alive.”  
 

Apple is teaming up with some of education’s biggest textbook publishers -- and opening up the keys to self-publishing to nearly anyone.
Ars Technica reports on some of the features unveiled today.
 

“Books created for iBooks 2 can have all manner of media attached, complete with multitouch capabilities … including multiple-choice questions with immediate feedback within the text, the ability to make notes ... ways to explore embedded graphics and 3D animations, full-motion movies, and more.”
 

So -- so long heavy cumbersome textbooks -- hello lightweight, interactive learning?
The blog LockerGnome says -- imagine the possibilities here.
 

“But imagine layering on video, and interactivity, and threading, and collaboration.  The world is your oyster as a student.”
 

Not to mention -- the world of textbooks -- just got cheaper.
Appropriately, Fortune, takes a snapshot.
 

“At least a dozen iPad textbooks are already available from such major educational publishers as Pearson and McGraw Hill for $14.99 or less. That’s a price that could prove disruptive in an industry where textbooks often start at $60 apiece.”
 

So -- why would textbook publishers go along with this plan?
All Things Digital says -- follow the math here with one of Apple’s e-partners.
 

“...McGraw-Hill ... will sell its books directly to each student, who will use the book for a year, then move on. They’ll be able to keep the digital text, but won’t be able to resell it or pass it along to another student...  So Terry McGraw figures that over five years, he’ll generate the same total sales selling $15 ebooks as he would selling $75 books.”
 

SplatF says -- skeptics remain.
 

“The initial skepticism I’m seeing is around the cost of adoption: Sure, digital textbooks are cheaper and lighter, but iPads are expensive! And school systems are broke!”

Going on to say....


“This is going to happen. And in many places, it’s going to start with us, not them.”
 

Apple also announced the unveiling of hundreds of college courses from places like Harvard and Yale -- available now -- for free -- on iTunes.

 

(Image source: The Daily Caller)

BY EVAN THOMAS

ANCHOR ZACH TOOMBS

You're watching multisource video news analysis from Newsy.

Venerable camera maker Eastman Kodak filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Wednesday.
But many in the tech industry say this development -- has been a long time coming. Bloomberg explains.

“The company has filed for bankruptcy protection saddled with $6.8 billion in debt. Kodak’s been struggling to make a profit in recent years, and the shares, well, they’ve taken a beating, sliding almost 90 percent in the last 12 months.”

Such is the status of tech business these days, says VentureBeat.

“The expected move shows that no technology or business franchise lasts forever, no matter how enduring it seems.”

The consensus is that Kodak misstepped when the imaging industry started its move from film to digital. Steve McGrath tells The Wall Street Journal -- Kodak didn’t take the lead, and that was a big mistake.

“In fact camera brought a developed mass-market digital camera back in 1975. But they shelved it because they were so worried that it was going to eat into their very profitable film business. Now, by the time they realized how big a mistake that was, they were so far behind that it was impossible to catch up.”

Of course, that missed opportunity hasn’t stopped Kodak from making billions licensing-- and protecting-- its digital imaging technologies. Because of that, All Things Digital says Kodak won’t go down without a fight.

“In recent months the company has sought to capitalize on its patents and, in recent days, has sued Apple, HTC and Samsung.”

In a press release, Kodak says it has obtained a $950 million loan from Citigroup to maintain its operations and payroll during chapter 11. Chairman and CEO Antonio Perez says the company will forge ahead, with its focus on digital imaging and printing. 

But getting a complete picture on whether Kodak’s moment has come and gone will likely have to wait for next year.  The company expects to complete its restructuring in 2013.

(Image Source: Boy Genius Report)

BY ADNAN S. KHAN

ANCHOR CHRISTINA HARTMAN

After a year of falling stock prices and failed products, there appeared to be a ray of hope for Research in Motion, or RIM:  a rumored buyout by Samsung.  Alas, the acquisition wasn’t meant to be. PC Magazine reports.
 

“Rumors swirled Tuesday after the technology blog Boy Genius Report, citing an unnamed source, reported that Samsung was interested in RIM. But Samsung said the rumors are untrue - emphatically stating that it has no plans to purchase the Canada-based BlackBerry maker.”
 

The rumors did help jump RIM’s stock price by 10 percent. Even after the rumor-busting, eWeek reports, analysts still seem to have a positive feeling about RIM.

The firm is planning a number of changes in order to be successful. According to eWeek, RIM is planning on licensing BlackBerry 10, is about to appoint a new chairman of the board and is looking to a possibility of a major company restructuring.

All of which is a valiant effort. But many in the media say the problems RIM is facing are more fundamental than leadership or ownership. One of the problems, according to TechCrunch, is its email.
 

“For most of this decade, IT shops have been able to send out fleets of BlackBerry products without concern simply because there was nothing better for email and messaging. Over the past three years, however, that claim has gone completely out the window.”
 

The other problem RIM faces -- apps. InformantionWeek says Blackberry 10 will have a hard time catching up to the competitors.
 

“Between Android and iOS, there are more than one million active applications available for download … Just look at Microsoft. It has more than 50,000 apps available to its Windows Phone platform and the smartphone operating system still hasn't gained much traction with consumers, enterprises, or developers. RIM will effectively be starting at zero.”
 

All doom and gloom aside, CNBC says the company still has some solid credentials.
 

“It is interesting, when talked to people and they try to say, ‘what is RIM?’  You wanna come out and you wanna say RIM is more like – you know – Palm. But you know the reality is that they have good cash flow, they’ve got a balance sheet so people say nah its more like Yahoo.”

The Boy Genius Report has since backed off the rumored Samsung buyout, but still insists RIM is a ‘solid takeover target.’

(Image Source: The Hollywood Reporter)

BY DAVID EARL
ANCHOR CHRISTINA HARTMAN

Grilled on Capitol Hill, celebrated on Wall Street Goldman Sachs this week announced fourth quarter profits fell 58 percent, though the company still beat analysts’ expectations.

The Financial Times reports the numbers...

“Goldman responded to market conditions and client retrenchment – cutting its operating expenses by 14 per cent during the year to $22.64bn. That includes a striking 2,400 subtraction in headcount and a 21 per cent reduction in employee pay – including bonuses paid to its bankers.”

Back in October more than 20 analysts had downgraded estimates for Goldman.
The Wall Street Journal explains Goldman’s right-sizing moves in the wake of the financial crisis...

“Pretty much across the board firms are retrenching and trying to sit back and look for where the opportunities are going to be.”

But Forbes notes Goldman still raked in a billion dollars in profit last year, and CNBC reports, despite the cuts, the financial giant paid out 42 percent of its gross earnings to employees.
Bloomberg talks with a securities analyst who sees plenty of good in Goldman’s strategy.

“The first thing I look at as a securities analyst is are you managing your costs? And we’ve seen a couple of the banks who aren’t necessarily doing that very well but Goldman Sachs clearly has a good handle on that.”

Even after demolishing Q4 earnings expectations by 60 cents a share, a writer for financial blog The Motley Fool isn’t impressed.

“So what we see is an earnings beat with lowered expectations. On Wall Street, where you eat what you kill, there’s been less big game to share.”

A Wall Street Journal host isn’t impressed with Goldman’s 3.7 percent return on equity either.

“Once upon a time in the  go go years of 2006-07 I believe the return on equity was over 30 percent at some point....so basically they’re not making any money right now.”

With it all, Goldman cashed in Wednesday. Shares were up 6.6 percent -- closing at the highest price since the beginning of 2012.

 

(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)

BY VICTORIA CRAIG
 

You're watching multi-source video news analysis from Newsy.

Nations of the world should prepare for a global economic crisis worse than the one in 2008.
That’s the stern warning from the World Bank, which issued a report announcing it slashed global economic growth projections for 2012. Fox Business explains the details of the report.

“World Bank, which cut its growth projections today over a recession in Europe and a slowdown in developing countries. The bank is now projecting those countries will see a growth rate of 5.4 percent this year, down from its prior projection of 6.2 percent.”

And that’s just for developing countries.
One of the authors of the report tells the BBC a slowdown in Europe could have even more severe consequences for the world’s poorest countries.

“We are concerned they have less fiscal space available to them and they would be operating in a situation where the high income countries aren’t going to be able to offer the same kind of counter-fiscal policy, the same kind of support.”

And when you take into account the poorest countries -- growth is more in the two to three percent range.
Still, a columnist for the Wall Street Journal says, the end result will not be the kind of disaster headlines suggest.

“....given that recoveries after financial crises tend to be slow, drawn-out affairs, that's not too surprising—and 2.5% is not a disaster. The global economy still has some sources of resiliency, particularly in emerging markets. Still, growth will be very uneven and there is a higher risk of a worse outcome than a pleasant economic surprise.”

Adding to that point, one CNBC contributor says the World Bank’s report might no longer be relevant. Adding, by the time the report is out, global markets are already working past the news.   

“I follow them when they come out with these reports all the time;  they’re always lagging. I know because there’s a big internal process by which they get these reports out, that their ability to respond to incoming information is, really, they’re very lag behind.”

Late or not, Fox News reports the US economy and others around the world are already seeing signs of global slowdown. Evidence you might not want to dismiss the  World Bank’s report just yet.

“Exports to Europe fell 6 percent in November, the Commerce Department said last week. That helped push the trade deficit up 10.4 percent to $47.8 billion. Global trade has also fallen, partly because banks are cutting back on a type of lending known as trade financing.”

So, how will the bank’s revised figures affect global stock markets? A reporter for CNBC tells NBC’s Today, investors shouldn’t be too concerned -- the revised projections likely won’t affect markets much at all.

“The main reason for the economic slowdown warnings is a possible recession in Europe -- something that is not a surprise to markets. And traders already consider the regions debt crisis somewhat ‘baked in’ to stock prices.”

The World Bank’s sister organization, the International Monetary Fund, is expected to update it’s World Economic Outlook late this month as well. The IMF says it will cut it’s global projections from a those it issued in September.

(Image source: Yahoo)

BY EVAN THOMAS

ANCHOR NATHAN BYRNE

What is Yahoo! -- without Yang?
We’re about to find out.
Yahoo! announced yesterday co-founder Jerry Yang has resigned from the company’s board of directors.

A press release from Yahoo says Yang is leaving the company after a nearly 17-year run, where he served as CEO and as a member of the board.

CNET says Yang’s move is probably for the best.

“Yang was too emotionally tied to the company he co-founded. With Yang gone, Yahoo can better pursue a few options that may have clashed with its co-founder.”

And CNBC adds-- some are probably happy to see Yang go.

“This is particularly important news for activist investors like Third Point’s Dan Loeb, who had specifically wanted Yang to step down, seeing him as an impediment to restructuring there.”

Restructuring that could be much easier now, according to The Wall Street Journal.  

“This wipes away the slate of players that have been at Yahoo over the last few years.... Yahoo’s new management arguably has a clean slate to start over.”

Business Insider says Yang is apparently leaving some rough patches behind.

“It looks like he just decided to walk away instead of fighting the endless battles inside and outside of Yahoo. There’s only so much crap a nice guy can take.”

But, as Wired says, there’s something to be said for a guy who stuck with his company through the dot-com rollercoaster.

“...Yang helped create one of the original dot-com wonders, one of a small handful of companies who weathered the bursting of the first bubble to become a global titan. This is a significant moment.”

Yang also left his positions on the boards of Yahoo Japan and Alibaba Group, some of Yahoo’s biggest Asian holdings. Yahoo’s stock jumped more than 3% on the news.
 

(Image Source: Facebook)

BY LAUREN ZIMA

America likes fast food and fast delivery -- why not combine the two? Seems that’s what Burger King is thinking -- the fast food chain is now offering home delivery at some of its stores. KUSA reports.

“It’s in Virginia and Maryland. The fast food chain has quietly rolled out delivery services at nine of those stores in those states. They plan to offer at six more stores in Virginia next week. No word on when or if they might go nationwide.”

The Washington Post has details.

“Available from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., deliveries cost $2 and there is a minimum order of $8 to $10, depending on the market … Burger King doesn’t deliver fountain drinks, milkshakes, coffee and breakfast foods …”

On CNBC, panelists think this fast idea will … fade fast.

“Herb, you think it’s disgusting.”
“It’s ridiculous. Who wants Burger King delivered to their home? By then, the fries will be soggy. ... If you’re gonna get the fast food, go get it -- walk -- good exercise. ... This will be a failure.”

But Fox Business points out, BK has a solution to the soggy fries problem.

“ … Burger King said it has developed new packaging technology, including thermal bags to keep food ‘hot and fresh.’”

Still, Gawker sees an issue with the timeframe. BK says it will deliver within 30 minutes -- but only offers delivery to homes within 10 minutes of a store.

“The plan is to get Americans to pay extra to wait 30 minutes to get food from a restaurant that is less than ten minutes away. … Should be a smashing success.”

But Burger King says it has had success with delivery - just not in the US. The chain offers delivery in Mexico, Turkey, Brazil, Columbia and Peru. And MSNBC says the company has even more motivation ...

“ … it's about to be unseated by Wendy's as America's No. 2 burger chain (behind No. 1 McDonald's) for the first time since Wendy's was founded in 1969. … Wendy's 2011 sales were projected to hit $8.42 billion, a $53 million leg up over Burger King's sales in 2011.”

So will Americans go for delivery? As the LA Times puts it...

“Home delivery is convenient, and Americans love convenience.”

Burger King has 7,500 restaurants in the US and Canada. Currently, McDonald’s offers delivery only in Manhattan, and Wendy’s doesn’t offer it at all.

(Image Source: Flickr/ Tilemahos_E) 

BY VICTORIA CRAIG

You're watching multi-source video news analysis from Newsy. 

It’s back to the negotiating table for the Greek government and its creditors.
As the New York Times reports, the nation’s leaders will meet Wednesday with representatives from the European Central Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the European Union to discuss the next steps in a planned 130-billion-euro bailout deal.

“Representatives … resume negotiations ... even as they try to force hedge funds and other private holders of Greek bonds to accept large losses to make the country’s debt burden more manageable... If Athens cannot secure concessions from the bondholders or the bailout money it needs … Greece could default by March 20, when 14.5 billion euros in debt comes due and must be repaid.”

The Huffington Post notes, all of this comes on the heels of failed debt negotiations late last week, and a big downgrade for countries across the Euro zone.

“On Friday, S&P cut the ratings of nine European countries ... The mass downgrades added a layer of 

The Greek government still has time to work out a deal. But experts say the talks could get pretty messy. The Economist’s business editor tells CNBC what a post-March 20th doomsday deadline might look like for Greece and its economy.

“The bondholders need to agree on whether they’re going to take a massive haircut or an absolutely enormous one. Even if they take a 50 percent haircut, we’re still talking about Greek debt coming down to something like 120 percent of GDP, which is still a very, very high and barely sustainable figure.

But the chairman of Goldman Sachs Asset Management tells Bloomberg, a Greek default might not be such a big deal after all. Putting it into perspective, he says China creates the equivalent of a new Greek economy every four months. Adding -- Greece itself isn’t that important.

“What is important, I would say, about the whole European mess, is Italy and how Greece deals with this restructuring or default which seems quite possible, and the contagion of that through the rest of Europe.”

A reporter for The Wall Street Journal takes that sentiment one step further. He explains the implications of a Greek default on the rest of the world.

“The thing that’s especially scary about what’s happening in Greece right now isn’t how much Greece is the problem. The problem is that it shows how immensely complicated this would be to do in a much bigger country.”

Both the Greek government and its creditors hope to reach an initial debt-reduction agreement by as early as this week, with a final debt exchange by the end of February.

(Image source: webpronews)

BY EVAN THOMAS

ANCHOR CHRSITINA HARTMAN

It’s official: starting at midnight Wednesday, the English-language Wikipedia will drop offline for 24 hours.
The reason?  To protest -- SOPA -- the Stop Online Piracy Act working its way through Congress.
KNXV has the details.

“It’s a protest over anti-online piracy bills that Congress is considering. Wikipedia says the bills would make Internet censorship easier. Supporters say the legislation would crack down on online thefts of movies, music and other content.”

The English Wikipedia has more than 16 million registered users, and countless unregistered visitors. Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales circulated a warning on Monday via Twitter.

“Do your homework early. Wikipedia protesting bad law on Wednesday!”

Speaking of Twitter, not everyone thinks the blackout movement is the right answer.
One Twitter user wondered aloud if the microblog service would follow Wikipedia’s example and go dark for the day.

Twitter CEO Dick Costolo says -- no way.

“Closing a global business in reaction to single-issue national politics is foolish.”

The Next Web agrees, suggesting Wikipedia find an alternative which doesn’t lock anyone out of the site.

“...why not banners explaining that SOPA is bad and encouraging users to speak out against it. This could be done without the removal of a global resource for those in need of it.”

Question is -- will lawmakers on Capitol Hill even pay attention?  Technologizer says, not by themselves...but...

“...how would they react if even a small percentage of us who do care about Wikipedia were moved by the blackout to call our congresspeople and voice opposition to SOPA?”

Wikipedia is one of several websites blacking out in protest. Reddit, Destructoid and LOLcats archive Cheezburger Network will also go dark at midnight on Wednesday.

Image Source: The Verge

BY MADISON MACK

ANCHOR CHRISTINA HARTMAN

Zappos is joining the ranks of Sony, Gawker and Citigroup. The company is the latest victim of a major cyber attack. ABC reports.

“Zappos says the hackers broke into its internal network through a company server in Kentucky. Though no complete credit card numbers were taken, the last four digits of some cards, they may have been lifted. Names, phone numbers, addresses, they may all be at risk.”  

Zappos already voided and reset all passwords for its 24 million customers and is urging them to create new passwords as soon as possible. SlashGear says, the easiest way to keep yourself secure in this type of situation is to use a different password for each site you visit.

“If you’ve got an eBay account, an account for your online bank account, and an account for Zappos, you need, need, NEED to have a different password for each of them. What you do when you keep the same password for each of these sites is to open yourself up to a MUCH wider array of hackers than if you change your password for each.”

In an interview with ZDNet a cybersecurity expert explains what a hacker can do with personal information.

“So if you suddenly had names, last four digits and passwords, you would have a real treasure trove … Then the most logical attack is not phishing, it is attacking those accounts where the user already does business.”

That expert said hackers can basically impersonate the person or business with the information they have. And VentureBeat notes – as far as cyber attacks go, Zappos got the light end.

“ … things certainly could have been much worse for Zappos. Sony’s PlayStation Network hack, for example, compromised 12.3 million users’ credit cards and led to downtime of almost a month. Despite the breach, Zappos will continue running as normal.”

The company is asking customers to contact them via email and has temporally turned off its phones to deal with the influx of traffic. And Sophos’ Naked Security Blog points out, Zappos is known for its customer service.

“Although many may find the decision to turn off the telephones hard to swallow … it appears that the company is attempting to assist as many customers as quickly as possible … It's certainly an ugly situation - and if nothing else, the security breach underlines the damage that can be done to a company's brand by an attack.”

An investigation is underway. And if you need to change your password, follow the link in our transcript section.


 

(Image source: Facebook)

BY EVAN THOMAS

ANCHOR LAUREN ZIMA

You're watching multisource video news analysis from Newsy.

Ready to own a piece of the Social Network? All Things Digital is reporting Facebook’s IPO is coming in May.

“That’s if there are no issues, of course, such a turbulent market or thornier-than-usual questions from regulators that require amending the filing.”

And VentureBeat says Facebook’s deal will likely draw a lot of scrutiny. Facebook is huge-- more than 800 million people use the social network, to say nothing of the money involved.

“Facebook’s IPO is expected to be one of the largest technology-focused deals ever, with a rumored $10 billion offering on a $100 billion valuation.”

Shayndi Raice talked to Mark Zuckerberg for The Wall Street Journal. She says even with those big numbers looming, Zuckerberg is still focused on the user experience.

“What’s really important to him is the product.... his thinking behind it is that if he can build great products that will drive users to the site, that’s good for the business.”

ZDnet thinks that’s a good strategy, especially since last year’s tech IPOs were less than stellar.

“The focus should instead be on the company itself. Can the company that will have an estimated 1 billion users by this time next year succeed, and continue to thrive?”

That may depend on the Securities and Exchange Commission-- review of an IPO usually takes three to four months.
 

(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)

BY HARUMENDHAH HELMY

ANCHOR LAUREN GORES

This is Newsy Now and here are your latest headlines.
 

In U.S. news, today marks what would have been the 83rd birthday of civil rights activist Martin Luther King, Jr. This federal holiday was first celebrated in 1986, nearly twenty years after King was assassinated. Congress designated it as a day of service in 1994. Here’s CNN.
 

“Many people are going to celebrate the day by visiting the new memorial in D.C. dedicated to him. It’s the first MLK day, by the way, since it was completed.”
 

And in U.S. politics, former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, Jr. is dropping out of the GOP presidential nomination race. Fox News reports Huntsman will endorse another candidate he believes will have a better chance to beat President Barack Obama.
 

“He’s expected to endorse Mitt Romney. Keep in mind... I guess you could say this for most of the candidates. They have been attacking one another, here and there, and now, he’s going to support Governor Romney...”
 

In world news, the latest update on the cruise ship disaster off the coast of Italy. A sixth body has been found-- and the ship’s owner Costa Cruises is citing “human error” as the reason for the deadly disaster. MSNBC reports the ship’s captain is currently under investigation.
 

“Well just this morning, his company says he made an unauthorized deviation in the course of the ship. Brought it to close to shore then made mistakes in handling it.”
 

Still in world news, union leaders have suspended strikes in Nigeria after President Goodluck Jonathan announced the government will partially reinstate its fuel subsidies. The decision will push fuel prices down, but not as low as its initial price of about $1.70 a gallon. euronews says more negotiations are expected.
 

“The dispute has cost the country billions in lost revenue and will continue until the government and unions thrash out the details.”

 

And in entertainment, Hollywood kicked off its self-congratulatory awards season last night with the Golden Globes ceremony. Big winners included the film The Descendants, which won Best Drama, while its star George Clooney won Best Actor in a Drama.
 

And the black-and-white silent film The Artist won for Best Comedy or Musical. Meryl Streep won her 8th Golden Globe for her portrayal of Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher, while Michelle Williams won for her role as Marilyn Monroe. (Video: NBC's Today Show)
 

Stay with Newsy for more news analyses throughout the day. For Newsy Now, I’m Lauren Gores, highlighting the top headlines making you smarter, faster.

(Image Source: Flickr/Adam Baker) 

BY HARUMENDHAH HELMY
ANCHOR LAUREN ZIMA
 

It was a gloomy Friday the 13th in Europe. Standard and Poor’s downgraded nine countries’ credit ratings, saying European policymakers have not done enough to address the region’s debt crisis -- which could, in turn, get worse after the ratings cut. euronews has the summary.
 

“France and Austria have been stripped of their top-grade ‘AAA’ status. … Portugal, Italy, Spain and Cyprus have all gone down by two notches.”
 

And add Slovenia, Slovakia and Malta to that list. That’s nine out of 17 eurozone countries. Germany and the Netherlands are two major economies notably out of the downgraded list -- retaining their AAA status. (Graphic: The New York Times)
 

So what do these cuts mean? The New York Times explains, saying the downgrades add to the, quote “gloom pervading Europe’s economic climate.”
 

“...the downgrades may now add to the borrowing costs of the nations affected. Some commercial banks that are required to hold only the highest-rated government securities will have to replace French bonds with other assets, like bonds of Germany.”
 

It doesn’t end there. France is a major guarantor of the EFSF, an EU vehicle that provides financial help for eurozone countries in trouble. CNBC says a French downgrade could mean an EFSF downgrade... which would be bad, but not necessarily a death knell.
 

“That of course will then increase their borrowing cost, basically undermine the entire effort to stabilize the debt situation in Europe … But again, it’s only S&P, it’s only one notch...”
 

Not surprisingly, eurozone policymakers are not responding well to the S&P downgrade. One Al Jazeera reporter sums up much of their sentiment.
 

“It’s not really for a bunch of guys sitting in an office in New York, crunching numbers on screens to dictate government policies... to governments across Europe.”
 

Last August, S&P also downgraded the U.S.’s credit ratings by one notch -- from top-grade AAA to AA+. Though the stock market quickly plunged after that news, CNN notes -- it was a knee-jerk reaction, and things quickly looked up.
 

“You look at the U.S., it actually has rebounded pretty well after the downgrade, Brooke. And you look at interest rates, they’ve actually fallen since last summer.”
 

But, as the New York Times notes, the U.S. enjoys the title of the world’s largest economy, and none of the countries downgraded on Friday can say the same. Bond investors are still attracted to the U.S.’s debts, keeping the country’s interest rates low.

 

(Image Source: IGN)

BY ADNAN S. KHAN

ANCHOR ANA COMPAIN-ROMERO

Looks like Santa Claus gave out fewer video games last Christmas... and it cost the industry about $1.08 billion, according to market research firm NPD.
 

That’s a 21 percent drop in video game sales when compared to December 2010. A big surprise for many industry analysts considering some of the year’s top titles came out in late 2011. Video game sales for the whole year were down 8 percent.
 

So what kept the video gaming industry from getting those high scores for the holidays? A writer for Forbes takes a gander and explains the situation with one word – ‘Mobile.’
 

“Smartphones, tablets, time spent on messing around with smartphones and tablets. Plus streaming video on television and multiple other platforms ... Mobile app downloads in the US grew by more than 120% over Christmas 2011 even as consumers spurned video game consoles and movie theaters. Is there a link?”


And PC Magazine says the mobile-pwnage laid down on the video gaming industry has more to do with the consoles themselves. The magazine talked to an analyst for the NPD Group who says the consoles are just getting too old.


“Overall industry results are not entirely surprising given that we are on the back end of the current console lifecycle, combined with the continued digital evolution of gaming...”


And Los Angeles Times mirrors that viewpoint. It interviewed another analyst from Wedbush Securities who says...

“The stores were empty. They only came back during the week just before Christmas. Consoles in particular are way down. It’s weird, but people don’t seem to see them as gifts anymore.”


But back in December, a writer of Wired might have predicted the lower sales because of a particular game released in November. In an article titled ‘Why Skyrim is Bad For the Economy’ he explains...


“Skyrim’s hundreds of hours of gameplay may prevent me from contributing to the economy by keeping me occupied and unproductive, but it does damage in another way, too. Typically, during the busiest part of the game calendar, I would have played a half dozen games during the fourth quarter. Instead, I have played only one. Meanwhile, great games like Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, Modern Warfare 3, and Saint’s Row 3 will have to wait.”

Joystiq reports Call of Duty: Modern Warfare was -- surprise -- the top selling game of 2011 with Just Dance taking second and Skyrim taking third.

The NPD’s data couldn’t explain how a seizure-inducing game about funky dance moves...

...Beat out a seizure-inducing game about literally stabbing dragons in the face.

But the organization did suggest 2012 will be all about digital distribution of games.

(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)

BY ADNAN S. KHAN

ANCHOR CHRISTIAN BRYANT

A group of Foxconn factory workers in China used a rather extreme method of tackling labor disputes. PC Magazine explains.

“Electronics manufacturer Foxconn said it has settled a pay dispute with workers at one of its China factories after the employees protested last week by threatening to commit suicide.”

The New York Times broke the news of the settlement. The Times notes the dispute revolved around the relocation of employees in light of plant shutdown.
 

“One worker who participated in the Wuhan protest said by telephone that workers shifted to Wuhan had been promised about $450 a month in salary, including overtime pay, but that they had been given about a third less than that and that working conditions in Wuhan were much more difficult.”


The Telegraph notes Foxconn is one of the top electronic manufacturers and any news of suicide would be really bad for a company whose top customers include Apple, Amazon and Microsoft.


“It is one of very few firms in the world with the expertise and scale to build cutting-edge devices such as the iPhone, Kindle and Xbox 360 at low cost. As such, the technology industry cannot operate without its legions of low-paid assembly line workers.”


And CNN reminds everyone that this is not the first time Foxconn has been in this situation.


“In 2010, the company which employs more than a million people was rocked by a spate of suicides to the plant in Shenzhen, in the southern Chinese province of Quangdong.”


But, a writer for Forbes can see why the workers in China would go to such extent.


“I suppose in a country where worker strikes can be met with mass arrests, the threat of mass suicide is a more palpable one.”


The New York Times reported the details of the agreement weren’t released but most have returned to work. Some 45 workers have resigned and Microsoft is leading an investigation into the incident.

 

(Image Source: Newsy Staff)

BY CHRISTINA HARTMAN

They say blondes have more fun -- which, ahem, a brunette might not necessarily agree with. But either way -- Starbucks appears to be subscribing to the thought. The colossal coffee company is introducing a new roast.

“Being blonde is nothing new, but blonde roast is something new. Something subtle. Something soft.”

And this week -- WTHR reports -- Starbucks is allowing customers to taste test for free.

“And a free cup of coffee isn't enough incentive, customers who put their taste buds to the test will also get to take home a free bag of blonde roast to brew at home.”

So the company really, really wants you to try it. Thankfully -- journalists have done some of the work for you. The Boston Herald’s taste testers largely approved.

The Herald notes...

“Blonde Roast ... is meant to satisfy the estimated 54 million coffee drinkers nationwide who say they prefer a lighter roast coffee over Starbucks’ signature bold roast...”
 

A law student told the paper

“It’s nice... It smells really good.”

But The Daily Meal’s coffee connoisseurs were roundly less enthusiastic. And the blog itself has a different idea about the company’s motivation to go lighter.

One tester says the brew,

“...just tastes like watered-down, leftover coffee.”

And Daily Meal observes,

“What's more, the new roast profile will allow Starbucks to compete with companies like McDonald's and Dunkin' Donuts, who already specialize in a lighter roast style. (And presumably to ditch that not-so-affectionate ‘Charbucks’ nickname...)”


Then again, at least til Saturday, a free cup’s a free cup right?

(Image source: www.norebbo.com)

BY BLAKE HANSON

Google’s latest attempts to know its users better than Facebook might have reached too far, according to one Internet privacy watchdog group. The concern is over Google’s new “Search Plus Your World” feature, which incorporates Google Plus posts into search results. The LA Times describes what the group’s miffed about...
(Video: Google)

“Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, said his group is considering filing a letter with the FTC... [C]ritics contend Google, a laggard in social networking, is using its dominance in Internet search to favor its own products and take on its chief competitor.”

The Electronic Privacy Information Center -- also known as EPIC -- is the same group whose complaint in 2010 required Google to submit to independent audits of its privacy practices. Google says it attempted to include Twitter in its search results, but Twitter didn’t like the offer. eWeek reports...

“...Twitter...was one of the most vocal critics of the service. The microblog, which reportedly wanted more money than Google would pay to index Twitter's fire hose of tweets, complained that its tweets would not be as accessible as they were before with Google giving priority to Google+ content in personalized results.”

Slate writer Farhad Manjoo offers some harsh criticism for the change...

“Google just broke its search engine... How does new-and-not-improved Google work? I just searched for ‘Mitt Romney New Hampshire’, and among my results were a handful of posts and images that my friends and colleagues shared via Google+.”

So what do people think? A survey from “Ask Your Target Market” found most aren’t fans.

“A survey conducted by AYTM Market Research found that 39 percent of respondents believe Search, plus Your World ‘seems like a good idea,’ while 45 percent said they did not like the idea of their social activity factoring into search results.”
(Source: Brafton)

If you want to check it out for yourself, Google away. “Search Plus Your World” is active now.
 

(Image source: One Million Web Links)

BY CHRISTINA HARTMAN

ANCHOR MEGAN MURPHY

A “dramatic expansion of the Internet” is what the non-profit overseer of global domain names is promising. KNXV explains.

“As of today, companies allowed to submit proposals to use specific words to replace the typical suffixes and web addresses like .com or .net.”

So forget .com and .org. Think .hotels, .cats -- or even -- .Newsy. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers -- or ICANN --is now taking applications for new top-level domain names.

That -- despite more than a few concerns from organizations like the Federal Trade Commission.

Fox Business’ David Asman has beef. Here’s one of his concerns.

“What happens if Pepsi buys dot.coca-cola or dot.soda?”
REPORTER: “In that case the businesses would negotiate. If it failed there would be an auction, driving the price of further.”

Not to mention -- some companies worry they’ll have to buy domains just to protect their trademarks -- a sort of defensive move to keep cyber squatters or scammers from banking on certain names.

But a piece for MarketingWeek sees the new domains as great for business and consumers. MaryLou Costa writes, just think of the possibilities.

“For example, if McDonald’s was to register .mcdonalds as a new domain, it could also open up countless sub-domains such as menu.mcdonalds, olympics.mcdonalds, jobs.mcdonalds... In the case of a department store or online retailer, brands could even issue customers their own pages...”

But what if there were a .bankofamerica AND a .bankamerica? Observers ask -- couldn’t that get confusing? And the application ain’t cheap. ICANN wants a $185,000 processing fee. NPR spoke with a rep from the advertising industry who isn’t a fan of the plan.

"All that money is just wasted money because it's money thrown away to property rights that will never be used, never add to competition, never add to innovation, never do any of the things that ICANN is touting will be the great benefits...”

But ICANN says it’s self-policing to address those concerns. Companies applying will need to answer 50 questions -- and the organization could take up to 20 months to process and fully vet the applications. On its website, ICANN lists a few risks and benefits.

Among the benefits -- entrepreneurship, increased control and better brand awareness.

And among the risks -- ICANN warns companies competition from other applications as well as the so-called “uncharted territory” of the technology.

ICANN is accepting applications through March -- but don’t expect to see any of the new top-level domains til next year.

(Image Source: CNN Money / Ford Motor Co.)

BY ADNAN S. KHAN

ANCHOR CHRISTINA HARTMAN

Ford is putting the brakes on almost half a million vehicles because of a defect. KPIX has the details.

“Ford is recalling more than 450,000 vehicles here in the United States. Apparently there is a defect that can cause fires or loss of power. The effected vehicles include 2004 and ’05 Freestar and Monterey minivans and 2001 and ’02 Escape SUV’s.”

Bloomberg has more details on the extent of the problem.

“Ford … is recalling 2004 and 2005 model … minivans because the torque converter output shafts in their power trains may fail and cause sudden loss of power. The 2001 and 2002 model Escape SUVs may have brake-fluid leaks from the cap of their brake master cylinder reservoir leading to corrosion that may cause fire.”

But, CNN Money reports, as severe as the problem may seem, no major injuries have been reported relating to the defects.
 

“Ford spokesman Daniel Pierce said the company is aware of two minor accidents attributed to the minivan recall, with minor injuries reported in one and no injury in the other.”

According to  Bloomberg Businessweek-- this isn’t the first time one of the models, the Escape, has seen problems. Still, The New York Times points out-- Ford is not the worst recall offender. The outlet crunches some 2011 numbers for recalls throughout the automotive industry.  

“Honda and its Acura division led all manufacturers with 3.9 million vehicles recalled in 17 actions … Toyota ranked second, with 3.5 million vehicles in 13 recalls, followed by the Ford Motor Company, with 3.3 million vehicles in 13 recalls. General Motors performed the best of the Detroit companies, recalling only 500,000 vehicles…”

(Image source: Groupon)

BY NATHAN BYRNE

ANCHOR CHRISTINA HARTMAN

It’s the new face of frugality from Groupon. But for naysayers, the eyes have it. A CNNMoney reporter calls Clicky the Clickable Value Wheel, quote, “bizarre.” She says Groupon’s new gimmick...

“...with large eyes and pursed lips, looks more like a creature than a feature.”

Groupon’s Mike Bennett, whose title is truly “Head of Imagination,” uses comedy to convey the story of Clicky’s creation on the company’s website.

MIKE BENNETT, GROUPON HEAD OF IMAGINATION: “We took our trip out to Tahoe like we always do. It’s a five-week imagination vacation. And we fish, and we hunt, but for ideas. And after some intense self-finding, we landed on Clicky the Wheel.”

Laughing aside, this is serious business for Groupon, which will connect with Facebook on this venture. A Chicago Tribune writer explains how it works.

“Registered users can connect to the new promotion through a Facebook game application and then spin to score $5, $10, $50 or $100 discounts … The odds favor Groupon. Your chances of winning $100 is one in 100,000; $50 is 1 in 10,000; $10 is 1 in 100; $5 is 1 in 20.”

One Mashable writer says Clicky’s marketing charm worked on him.

“I’ve never taken part in a Groupon deal, but I gave the wheel a spin … the idea of getting a discount on top of a discount has appeal.”

Since its November 2011 IPO, Groupon has faced an uphill battle. The company could use some positive spin to bring up its stock price. Here’s CNBC’s Closing Bell...

“Groupon is up about four percent on a mobile deal with Deutsche Telekom, as well as a new Facebook marketing game called ‘Clicky, the clickable value wheel.’ ... Now, so far this year, Pandora stock is up nearly 15 percent, but year-to-date, Groupon stock is down over seven percent.”

(Image Source: StarkInsider)

BY CHARLES MCKEAGUE

ANCHOR NATHAN BYRNE

The 2012 Detroit Auto Show kicked off Monday and innovation was everywhere.  From Ford to Nissan you can expect to see exciting new rides in showrooms late this year - and next. 

The Detroit Free Press says be ready to flip the switch on the new Ford fusion.

“This car’s got a new platform, new styling, very very aggressive styling. The front is low and wide with a grill that is sort of reminiscent of Jaguar styling.”

That’s on the outside - what’s on the inside is expected to be even more impressive, says Fox News.

“For the first time, Ford is gonna offer you the option of a plug-in hybrid power train, standard hybrid, or gas engine you can get that too.  Ford continuing its commitment to not just style and quality but to offer consumers the choice of what they want underneath the hood.”

And that’s not all. The New York Times reports Ford constructed its own amusement park-type cloud - to teach people all about its new cloud service. According to the Times, the rumored cloud could be pretty cool. (Video: The New York Times)

“In the cloud, I learned that I’ll soon be able to connect my car to my house. … Pulling out of the driveway, it will lock the house and set the alarm. On the road, the system will communicate with other vehicles in the vicinity and suggest alternate routes if it foresees traffic. Ford even claims that it will monitor your personal health — in case of emergency, it would take the wheel and steer you to safety.”

Another hot car at the show - the Nissan Pathfinder.  Nissan hasn’t made it to the show in recent years - but this year - the company showed off its newest SUV. Here’s Inside Line.

“Nissan has unveiled a fourth generation of its pathfinder.  Officially, this is only a concept.  But when quizzed the nice man from Nissan admitted that the production version would look exactly the same. … They reckon it will be 25% more fuel efficient than the old pathfinder.  … NIssan has sold over 1.7 million pathfinders over the past 27 years and it will be fascinating to see how that loyal fanbase will respond to a model that is more soccer mom than hunter gatherer.”

Also making a big splash this year - Nissan’s latest move to electrify the automobile. The Japanese automaker is showing off its e-NV200 concept which, if everything goes according to plan, could help reduce carbon emissions in big cities. MSNBC reports.

“The Nissan e-NV200 Concept may look familiar to some. The Nissan NV200 van is due to start service in New York as the city’s exclusive taxi beginning in late 2013. Nissan has been testing an electric variant for some time now, with examples under trial with the Japan Post Service and FedEx in London...”

It wasn’t a Ford or Nissan that took home the 2012 Car of the Year Award, though. The economically viable Hyundai Elantra won the award in what many are calling an upset.

(Image Source: Wikipedia)

BY LAUREN ZIMA

If you thought Hostess had the mostess -- think again. The company is preparing to file for bankruptcy. Here’s KOVR.

“Hostess brands could file for bankruptcy as soon as this week. This would be the second significant core restructuring for Hostess, which is a privately held company. The company is carrying nearly $900 million in debt, and rising prices for ingredients like sugar and flour are certainly not helping.”

The Wall Street Journal first reported the news, and says Hostess’ filing puts its 19,000 employees at risk -- but the company says rising labor costs are another part of the problem. The Journal reports:

“Hostess's filing would mark what is known as a Chapter 22 proceeding in restructuring circles, since the company had already sought bankruptcy protection once before. … The company has struggled since emerging from bankruptcy proceedings in February 2009.”

And TIME says, though the company has annual sales of about $2.5 billion -- sales of sweets are actually down.

“ … although we gobbled up 36 million packages of Twinkies last year, that’s actually a 2% decline from the year before.”

On her show, Wendy Williams, for one -- says she’s afraid of losing her sugar high. 

“We count on food for our comfort, right? Everybody’s gluten-free, but I know everybody is a secret fatty who loves a secret Hostess cupcake. ... Those chocolate cupcakes with that hard icing and that squiggly line, and when nobody’s looking you pull the icing off and you eat it like this.”

But -- don’t go stocking up on Ding Dongs just yet. The Journal reports this doesn’t necessarily mean snack-cake apocalypse -- Hostess has arranged for $75 million in financing to keep it afloat during bankruptcy proceedings.

(Image Source: Flickr/DonkeyHotey)

BY HARUMENDHAH HELMY

ANCHOR CHRISTINA HARTMAN

This is Newsy Now and here are your latest headlines.

In U.S. news — it’s primary day in New Hampshire and voters are already heading to the polls. Fox News explains why the results can be a barometer of national voting trends.
 

“Independent voters are a huge element here. Because unlike any other states, registered independents can walk in and vote in the GOP primary. So that would be a huge indication of which way things are going here. Most of the polling have shown a lot of them don’t know who they’re going to vote for yet!”
 

In world news — Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad took to the podium and addressed the Syrian public for the third time since the uprising began in March. The speech lasted two hours, with Assad blaming foreign conspiracy for the violence in the country. CNN has more.
 

“What he’s been saying is that what’s going on in Syria, the violence against protesters there, has made his heart cry. He’s called it events, not violence, but he does say it’s all a part of an external conspiracy. … All very sort of unusual euphemistic description for what have been the most bloody crackdown of many of the Spring uprisings of the Arab nations.”
 

Still in world news — North Korea announced it will grant amnesty to some prisoners come February 1. KNSD reports the event will mark the upcoming birth anniversaries of the country’s late leaders.
 

“Despite the announcement officials did not give any information as to how many prisoners would be released or who. Amnesty International estimates as many as 200,000 people are being held in political prison camps around the country. Last amnesty was announced in 2005 to mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of the country's ruling party.”
 

In business news — Ding Dong-maker Hostess Brands is close to bankruptcy once again. CNBC says the company is facing a cash crunch, despite receiving some loans last year.
 

“The Wall Street Journal says the Hostess brand is close to filing for Chapter 11 again, that would be the second restructuring for the private equity-owned company which went into bankruptcy nearly two years ago and emerged last September.”

 

Finally, in health news — a new study finds nicotine patches and gums may not be as effective in helping smokers quit and stay tobacco-free. USA Today reports in a study of 800 people over two years, about one-third of the quitters had started to smoke again.
 

The researchers suggest their findings might, quote, “have broad public health implications,” as the federal health reform law could have Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance plans cover the costs of nicotine replacement therapy.
 

(Image Source: CelebrityChatta)

BY LAUREN ZIMA

Ladies Home Journal is a veteran of the magazine world -- and now, after more than 125 years in publication -- the mag is putting its pages in the hands of readers.

The magazine, around since 1883, has announced starting in March its content will be largely written by readers. The mag will take stories readers upload on to its website, its Facebook page and other digital channels. LHJ says it will still fact-check and consult experts, but will, quote, “start with consumers where it can,” and will pay professional rates to readers for their work.

Ladies Home Journal says the big change is based on research that revealed readers want to be more involved in content. AdAge says the move is ‘highly unusual,’ especially for a magazine that guarantees advertisers a 3.2 million reader circulation.

“ … it is the largest traditional media brand to commit to so much user-generated content on an ongoing basis. … But the move could also help LHJ ... improve its traction with advertisers. … How the effort plays out over time remains to be seen. User-generated content is certainly no magic bullet …”

The magazine’s publisher says it hopes other outlets will follow suit. But Gawker won’t be one of them. A writer says the magazine is one of many to respond to the Internet changing traditional print media -- but that this response is all wrong.

“Some had layoffs. Other cut back on pages. … But Ladies Home Journal … just have readers write a bunch of crap and then put that crap in the magazine …”

And as for the ‘research’ about readers …

“Readers also want a golden helicopter, a personal Fabio harem, and a chance to be in the Olympics … But we don't give it to them, any more than we give children their desired all-Jolly Rancher diet. Because readers are stupid. We, the professional, know better, and that is why you pay us, the professionals, to write things which you, the reader, then passively consume.”

But LHJ remains positive. Media Bistro quotes its publisher.

“Diane Malloy, Publisher of Ladies’ Home Journal, thinks the move is great. “I’ve been asked a lot about whether we foresee this becoming a model that other magazines will start to implement … My answer is, ‘Gosh, yes, I think everyone is going to sit up and take notice.’”

(Image source: Beta News)

BY ADAM FALK

ANCHOR MEGAN MURPHY

Some are calling it the end of an era. Others the beginning of the end. Monday night marks the last time a Microsoft CEO will deliver the opening keynote at the Consumer Electronics Show.

It’s a tradition that goes back to 1995 and Bill Gates. But as The New York Times notes, current CEO Steve Ballmer’s CES address and the company’s decision to leave the show after 2012 highlight a change in the industry.   

“…the need for buzz and branding has become more acute. The most innovative players — like Apple and Amazon — need to stand out from the crowd and so have chosen to introduce their products at smaller, more narrowly defined conferences and company-only events.”

Just think about it. The iPhone, Kindle Fire and even Microsoft’s own Kinect -- three of the hottest gadgets around -- weren’t introduced at CES. San Jose Mercury News points to last year as a reason the show is powering down.

“Much of the buzz at last year's show, for example, focused on new tablets, such as Research In Motion's PlayBook and Motorola's Xoom, that would rival Apple's iPad. But those devices ended up being commercial busts.”

But a blogger for Technologizer says-- hold your criticism.  CES is more about showcasing new product categories, like this year’s expected influx of super-thin laptops -- called ultrabooks.

“CES has never had anything like a monopoly on major product announcements. … the Xbox 360 wasn’t announced at CES. And neither was the PlayStation 2, the PlayStation 3, or the Wii. Or Windows 95. Or TiVo. Or the PalmPilot. I could go on.”

So if we can theoretically look forward to Apple-style company launches from Microsoft in 2012, what should we expect from Ballmer’s keynote? CNET says...

“...rather than force news that's not quite ready, and fight for attention with the other product launches at CES, Microsoft will use this year's event to highlight announcements it's already made.”

So look for a some Windows 7 talk, a little Windows 8, definitely some Windows Phone and ultrabook pics and maybe even a dash of Xbox discussion. But perhaps just as likely, a few watery eyes as Microsoft says goodbye.

(Image Source: Facebook/Paramount)

BY LAUREN ZIMA

“The Devil Inside” is killing it in theaters across America. The low-budget horror pic is Hollywood’s first surprise hit of the new year -- taking in a scare-worthy $34.5 million its opening weekend. WFTV.

The flick -- featuring a cast of unknown actors -- had the advantage of being the only new movie of the weekend. But Friday, outlets were reporting it wouldn’t fare well. Here's 

“Because of the star power of Tom Cruise, movie critics believe ‘Mission Impossible’ will continue to come in the top spot.”

Unfortunately for Cruise, “The Devil Inside” cruised right by his flick and took that No. 1 spot, though “Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol” did well for the weekend -- its fourth -- and made $20.5 million. Paramount bought “The Devil Inside” for just $1 million, and ClevverMovies notes it more than made up for that...

“… just from the midnight release alone. It’s actually pretty rare to see a movie pay off for itself on a midnight release.”

Entertainment outlets are hailing “Devil” as the boost Hollywood needed after a disappointing 2011 -- a feat it accomplished even with bad reviews from both audiences and critics. USA Today notes …

“About 19% of audiences gave the film an F, says survey firm CinemaScore. According to … Rottentomatoes.com, only 57% of audiences said they enjoyed the movie, a low score considering that paying audiences rarely score a move below a 60%. Critics were savage: Only 7% gave the picture a thumbs-up … ”

But, Bloomberg BusinessWeek reports the movie’s success means …

“Box-office sales rose 30 percent in the first full weekend of the new year, suggesting studios and theaters owners are getting off to a faster start in 2012.”

Deadline calls the flick a quote, “crapfest,” but says it was marketed well for cheap. Ads ran with like-minded shows such as AMC’s “The Walking Dead,” and the movie profited from a more modern marketing strategy. Deadline quotes a Hollywood executive, who says the devil is in the mobile details.

“The Devil Inside iPad and iPhone application served as another opportunity to scare unsuspecting fans … The application is presented as a test to find out how possessed you are, that in turn surprises fans with a scare from the film. Since its launch in late December, the app continues to see [a] 4-star rating on iTunes from a global user base.”

Paramount also spiced up midnight screenings with food trucks, DJs and prize giveaways -- and advertised about the events via Twitter. But, despite “Devil’s” success -- Entertainment Weekly says, don’t get too excited, Hollywood.

“Is this a sign of things to come in 2012? Perhaps. But it’s more likely a sign of the recent popularity of possession movies.”

“The Devil Inside” had the third biggest January opening ever, behind “Cloverfield” and a re-release of “Star Wars.”

(Image source: Flickr / jdnx) 

BY EMILY SPAIN

ANCHOR LAUREN GORES

Things are looking up... The monthly U.S. jobs report is out with the lowest unemployment rate in three years, sitting at 8.5 percent. Plus the country added 200,000 jobs in December. This - all on the heels of rising consumer confidence, manufacturing increases and small business growth.  

A High Frequency Economics analyst praised the stats and told the New York Times: “This is the real thing ... This is finally the economy throwing off the shackles of the credit crunch.”  

But a writer for The Atlantic says wait a minute, this jobs report may be positive in comparison to where the nation’s been, but the reason why it’s good might actually be bad.

“...here’s the problem. The unemployment rate is falling in large part because millions of people have dropped out of the labor market entirely ... If the size of the workforce were the same as when Obama took office, the unemployment rate would be 10.9 percent.”

Wall Street hasn’t responded well to the latest job report either. Bloomberg reports stocks are still slipping because traders are skeptical.

“The U.S. trading session which has been negative since the opening bell. Yes, The jobs report appeared to surprise to the upside. But traders are not convinced today. You’re seeing euro weakness, continued concerns about what is opening in Europe. And you can see that stocks are down.”

But CNN reports people can’t expect things to get better over night, and notes restoring the economy will take time.

“You know what, call it human nature. Since things are improving, Kyra, expectations are rising. The economy has kind of taken off it’s training wheels at this point. But we really haven't seen it move into the fast lane where everybody wants it to be... But you have to be realistic. Normal could still be three to four years away.”

So will these first steps out of the economic slump help Obama in this year’s election? A writer for Salon says -- don’t count on it.

“Does that mean Mitt Romney will stop calling Obama a job-killer, or that the Democratic quest to hold on to the White House is assured? Of course not. Unemployment is still historically high, and the widespread perception that the economy is in bad shape won’t be changed easily.”

According to Fox News the stats may continue to get better in the months to come with many businesses saying they plan to start hiring in early 2012.  

Transcript by Newsy. 

(Image Source: Flickr/Ernest Duffoo)

BY HARUMENDHAH HELMY and DANNY MATTESON

ANCHOR CHRISTINA HARTMAN

You're watching multisource tech news analysis from Newsy.
 

An American business icon in danger of demise. The Wall Street Journal is reporting Kodak may soon file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. U.S. media aren’t taking the news so well. Take a look.
 

“Really a heartbreaking moment, Janet, brings to mind that old Paul Simon song, ‘Mama Don’t Take My Kodachrome Away.’” (Video: Fox News)

“It’s always sad, Chris, when an American icon like Kodak as you said, a company that we not only all know, but whose products we really enjoyed growing up, goes under...” (Video: MSNBC)
 

“Don’t you remember the flash cubes? I remember getting my first Kodak disk, I was so excited...” (Video: Fox News)

The Wall Street Journal broke the story Wednesday — quoting anonymous sources saying Kodak is teetering on the edge.

“That Kodak is even contemplating a bankruptcy filing represents a final reversal of fortune for a company that once dominated its industry, ... plowing money into research that produced thousands of breakthroughs in imaging and other technologies. The company, for instance, invented the digital camera—in 1975—but never managed to capitalize on the new technology.”

The Wall Street Journal says Kodak is still attempting to sell some of its patents. The company could avoid bankruptcy if it succeeds. Still, preparations to file Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection has reportedly begun, and it could happen as early as this month.

As of Thursday afternoon, Kodak has made no comment on the rumor. But, as WPEC reports -- the stock market could be talking for the company.

“Yesterday’s Kodak stock fell to 45 cents a share, a new all-time low. They must get it back to a dollar a share within six months of now, otherwise the company will be de-listed from the stock exchange.”    

Kodak is headquartered in Rochester, New York. The local newspaper, the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, admits there are plenty of red flags. For example, Kodak has had net losses since 2008. But the paper also has this to say:

“...Kodak issued a statement Sept. 30 stating it ‘has no intention of filing for bankruptcy.’ The company also doesn't face any major debt payments until 2013. … [One investment expert] maintained that bankruptcy fears in recent months are heavily fanned by short sellers of Kodak stock who are betting against the company.”

Finally, CNBC says -- no matter what happens, the name ‘Kodak’ probably won’t go away anytime soon.

Analyst: “Remember that this brand is one of the most iconic brands in the world and it has very substantial asset value in its own right. So ‘Kodak’ is not going to disappear.”
CNBC: “So do I understand... you could have a liquidation, and yet the Kodak name could live as a standalone product?”
Analyst: “Absolutely.”
Analyst 2: “We see it all the time.”

Eastman Kodak Co. is about 131 years old. It’s often been called the Apple or Google of its time.

(Image source: Bloomberg)

BY JIM FLINK

ANCHOR MEGAN MURPHY

Revealing - the crystal ball. The Fed is giving everyone who cares to look -- more insight -- into the future of the funds rate. Publishing a regular prediction into what it thinks will happen with its key lending rates.

The New York Times reports, The FOMC is giving its quarterly prediction of short-term interest rates into 2014.

“It also will summarize when they expect to start raising short-term rates, which they have held near zero since late 2008. And it will describe their plans for the Fed’s investment portfolio.  The forecast could reduce borrowing costs for businesses and consumers by convincing investors that the Fed intends to keep rates near zero for longer than expected.” 

So -- why’s it a big deal? Fox Business’ Liz McDonald says -- it’s less of a guessing game for a key part of the economy.

“The Fed has never telegraphed before.  The Central Banks overseas do.  They only basically have meeting and discuss the minutes of the meetings, and you can divine where the fed funds rate is going to go.  Now, for the first time they’re going to telegraph. ... The question for the federal reserve is when will you hike rates?  How will you hike rates?  And what will that do for the markets and investors?”

Now, four times a year, we’ll have an answer. And The Washington Post’s Ezra Klein believes, this can mean only one thing -- stimulus -- for an otherwise fledgling economy.

“...the real impact of the new projections could be on the consumers and businesses who will now have a better idea of how long they have to take advantage of low interest rates, for example, providing greater certainty and perhaps a stimulus of sorts to the economy.”

But, former Fed Dallas Chair Bob McTeer has always argued for less transparency. Writing for Forbes, he says, revealing too many secrets, makes the larger economy too reliant on the Fed’s actions.

“The economy is looking better—much better. While a “tight” monetary policy probably won’t be in order for some time, to me that doesn’t necessarily imply near-zero federal funds rates. The “financial repression,” meaning the loss of a return on saving and savings, may not be a serious matter during a normal period of easy money during a normal recession. After a few years, however, it must be taken more seriously.”

An analyst on Bloomberg agrees -- somewhat. While calling transparency -- on the whole, a good thing -- Barclay’s Julian Callow says, it also creates a dependency issue by the banks.

"This could have quite a significant impact, because the whole of the financial markets are going to get very much anchored on what the fed is saying ... It might actually be too much, so it’s going to take some time for the system to bed down...”

Not everyone is convinced the markets will move heaven and earth at the Fed’s announcements, though. The blog Mindful Money notes, the Fed often misses the mark on other predictions, so this one won’t be seen as reliable by those in the know.

“This move to my mind illustrates what has happened to central bankers, they have become addicted to announcements and cannot stop even when they have little or nothing to announce. Step by step they have become more like politicians and it is my opinion that this trend needs to be reversed.”

The more transparent Fed unveils -- January 25th.

(Image source: Flickr/Dave Delay)

BY HARUMENDHAH HELMY

ANCHOR MEGAN MURPHY

In U.S. news — an historic caucus result. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney defeated Rick Santorum ... by just eight votes in Iowa. Ron Paul comes in third. Fox News has more on the rankings.

“After a disappointing fifth place finish last night, Texas Governor Rick Perry says he’s going to go home to Texas to rethink things. He’s also canceled some campaign stops that he’s scheduled for today in South Carolina. … The Perry campaign spokesperson said Thursday would be the earliest any decision could be made. And how about Newt Gingrich? Finishing fourth in Iowa, but the former house speaker telling his supporters he looks forward to a great debate in the Republican Party.”

Still in U.S. news -- after finishing sixth in the caucus last night, Minnesota congresswoman Michele Bachmann is ending her presidential campaign. CNN explains.

“We will say for the next week, Mitt Romney must win New Hampshire. Well, the Michele Bachmann dynamic in this campaign was Michele Bachmann must win Iowa to prove she was a viable contender. Not even close, Suzanne. This is a simple case of simple math. She didn’t prove herself in the one place she most needed to prove herself.”

Also, in U.S. news -- President Barack Obama is set to announce a recess appointment to install the chief to a new federal bureau. With the move, Obama is sidestepping the Senate confirmation process -- and MSNBC says one group isn’t going to take it with open arms.

“A breaking news -- the, uh, Republicans aren’t going to be happy about it, President Obama making a recess appointment. He’s going to put Richard Cordray, the former attorney general of Ohio, as chief of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. … The Senate is on a holiday break. Politico is calling this a defiant display of executive power.”

In world news — after nearly two decades of courtroom battles, an Ecuador appeals court upholds the decision that American oil giant Chevron must pay $18 billion in damages for pollution.

That hefty sum makes it the most expensive environmental lawsuit in history — though Chevron is expected to continue its appeal. euronews has more.

“Chevron was originally found to be liable in February last year and ordered to pay 8.6 billion dollars. But the amount has been more than doubled since the company failed to make an apology which was a stipulation of the first ruling. The accusation is that a subsidiary of Chevron at the time, Texaco, dumped oil-drilling waste in unlined pits, polluting the forest and causing illness in indigenous people.”

In business news — Yahoo! has named PayPal President Scott Thompson as its new CEO. He will be the company’s fourth chief in less than five years. An analyst tells CNBC Thompson has quite a bit to prove.

“I think he’s been a very capable executive at PayPal, but that’s an incredibly different business than what Yahoo! has. He needs to come in and show people that he has a real vision, and that he can execute it.”

(Image Source: CNN)

BY HARUMENDHAH HELMY

ANCHOR MEGAN MURPHY

This is Newsy Now and here are your latest headlines.

In U.S. politics — it’s caucus day for Iowa and four GOP candidates are still neck and neck — according to an American Research Group poll. MSNBC reports -- the candidates’ jabs are now directed to the guy at the top of the poll.

“The latest polls show four candidates within striking distance of each other. In Iowa, Romney, Paul, Santorum and Gingrich. As Santorum becomes a competitive force here in Iowa, he’s getting increasingly aggressive in the campaign trail, aiming his shots at Mitt Romney. Santorum is not alone, of course, in going after Romney -- Gingrich trying to regain his footing after being cut down with a barrage of negative ads here in Iowa.”

Still on the Iowa caucus — Rick Santorum has been surging from behind at the polls and now -- thanks to an endorsement from a big family group of reality stars -- he might just get another push. Here’s Fox News.  

Bill Hemmer: “The stars of ‘19 Kids and Counting’ throwing their weight behind Santorum. They they are! Right there!”
Martha MacCallum: “Gotta have a lot of weight, with all those kids put together, right?”
Bill Hemmer: “They say voters with more conservative values have to get behind him too. They have 19 kids. They see a kindred spirit in Santorum, who has seven kids of his own.”
Martha MacCallum: “He’s a slacker.”

In business news — escalating tensions between Iran and the West are pushing oil prices to rise a little above $100 a barrel. Iran is the world’s fourth largest oil producer — and it faces potential embargo sanctions from the West over its nuclear program. CNBC has more.

“The latest of course with military exercises happening with Iran in the gulf area and the fact that Iran officials are telling the U.S. Navy not to enter the Persian Gulf. On top of that we have tougher sanctions being called on by France against Iran and all of this is causing Brent Crude and NYMEX crude to reach the highest levels we’ve seen since the middle of December.”

And in world news — the latest reports show Spain’s jobless claims rose in December for the fifth consecutive month. euronews says the unemployment rate has now hit a 15-year high.

“Estimates vary between 4.4 and nearly 5 million for the total number out of work. The overall percentage wasn’t given, but it’s thought that almost one in four is jobless — more than twice the European Union average.”

And finally — look out Apple fanboys and girls. A Chinese modelmaker is coming out with a lifelike action figure of the one and only Steve Jobs. It’s a little pricey -- but CNN says the enthusiasm for the doll is already creating Twitter drama.  

“This generation’s action figures aren’t superheroes or He-Men, they’re nerds! It’s the new Steve Jobs doll, complete with a signature black turtleneck and the jeans. This is trending on Twitter because people are upset because he is pictured with a tiny iPhone accessory, but it’s not included. It’ll be available next month, folks, for $100! (laughter).”

(Image : The Sun News)

BY UNA LUE

ANCHOR LAUREN ZIMA

New year, but same old resolutions? If yours is to lose weight, a new app could help you finally get off the couch and to the gym. Here’s website GymPact, explaining its app.

“One. You make the pact and you decide how many days you want to work out. Two, set the stakes. How much you’re willing to pay if you do not go to the gym. Three, check into your gym using your smartphone. And every week money pay by the non-exercisers is tallied and divided up among who got to the gym.”

The Daily Mail reports you’ve got to make a minimum financial commitment of $5, but if you want to push yourself harder, pledge higher.

And, middle-school style, miss a session due to illness and you can ask your doctor to email the app an exemption note.

The app was created by a behavioral economics class at Harvard University and began with a pilot in Boston. One of the founders told the New York Times -- the pilot proved that cash incentives help most people achieve their goal.

“People don’t like losing money and it’s one of the strongest motivators, much more than winning money … about 1,500 people signed up prior to its official debut [and] make it, on average, to 90 percent of the days they commit to.”

But a writer for Tech Crunch isn’t completely comfortable with the idea asking -- how do you make sure people aren’t cheating by checking in on the fly?

“...I’d like to see a little more in the way of assurance that users won’t be subject to fraud, or false check-in crap. And just how precise they can be in determining whether or not users stay at the gym for 30 minutes at a time, and in what location? Have they discovered something that other check-in LBSes haven’t? If not, it’s a slippery slope.”

And, some are more concerned about their personal information than what’s fair. The app doesn’t allow you to sign up without ponying up your credit card number. Says TheVerge:

“...there's no immediately obvious way to cancel your account or change your credit card (though you can take a ‘break’ for as long as you want without your card being charged). ... it's a disconcerting experience to not be able to immediately remove your personal financial information.”

According to TechCrunch, another app called HealthRally also offers financial incentive to get in shape. But instead, users make pledges to their close friends and family.

(Image source: France 24)

BY JIM FLINK

ANCHOR LAUREN ZIMA

After ten years, is it the end of the euro? Greece, Portugal, Ireland, Spain and Italy are all in financial trouble. Some are predicting each -- or all -- could exit the European Union in 2012.

BusinessWeek has the impact on the Euro Zone.

“Ten years after euro bank notes replaced national currencies on Jan. 1, 2002, the euro has for the first time recorded two consecutive annual losses against the U.S. dollar while plunging to a record low against the yen.”

So, what to do about the crisis? Some say -- save the Euro Zone.  Others say, let weaker countries -- like Greece -- fail and leave. The BBC has both views.

“It seems highly unlikely that Portugal will survive as well, so Greece and Portugal have to go, and the million dollar question is, can you keep Spain at the Inn?  Can you create a firewall around them? ... As soon as one country leaves the European monetary union, it will be a threat to the European Union as such.”

With the advent of 2012 -- decisions will likely come soon. The New York Times reports.

“The first test for the Continent will come this Thursday, when France is expected to raise as much as 9 billion euros. On Jan. 12, Spain plans to auction 3 billion euros worth of euro debt, followed by Italy the next day with 9 billion euros. Along with governments tapping the market, European banks are also expected to keep borrowing heavily as loans come due.”

Most of Europe seems to be looking at austerity as the solution -- in stark contrast to the quantitative easing strategy adopted in the United States. But is that the correct course of action?

Bloomberg talks with two analysts who see optimism -- or pessimism -- in the offing.

“The latest auctions here in Europe, where Spain for instance sold debt for a very low price, were quite successful.  So, at the moment it looks pretty good.”


“They have a massive coordination problem of the 17 nations in the Euro Zone. This really started in May of 2010, and here we are at the end of 2011 and we’re still searching for a solution.”

So what’s the end game? Hindu Business Line notes, that depends on whom you ask.

“There are those who believe that the fault lines ... will force nations towards a far deeper union: A European version of the US constitutional convention of 1787, which brought together the bickering 13 states; the creation of a mighty United States of Europe. Then there are the doomsdayers who believe that 2012 could see the collapse of the Euro Zone and a return to drachma, pesos and Deutschemark, exactly a decade after the single currency first entered circulation.”

(Image Source: Flickr/PopGeekCulture.com)


BY ADNAN S. KHAN

ANCHOR LAUREN ZIMA


Seems the Internet made a pretty brutal example of GoDaddy’s support of SOPA. Now three of the top video game companies are also following GoDaddy’s lead and jumping the SOPA ship. Business Insider has the latest.


“Nintendo, Electronic Arts and Sony Electronics — some of the largest video game companies in the world — have all pulled their support for an online bill that could encourage censorship online, according to an updated list of supporters of the bill.”
 

That list is still pretty lengthy, with 60 plus supporters eager to make online pirates walk the plank.
 

A writer for Joystiq analyzes why the companies left the bandwagon -- especially when their games, at $58 a pop, are at a pricey risk of piracy.

“None of the three companies have commented on why they reversed their position on the controversial bill, but we imagine it’s because endorsing it makes the Internet pretty angry with you.”
 

If anyone knows about the wrath of the Internet, it’s Sony. Back in May, hackers descended on the company, crippling its online gaming infrastructure for a month and stealing personal information on about 77 million users. VentureBeat reports…
 

“In Sony’s case, it’s probably best to stay clear of any piece of legislation that would draw attention from activists. Earlier today, ‘hacktivist’ group Anonymous pledged to once again take down Sony’s Playstation online gaming network due to the company’s SOPA support.”
 

The resistance is gaining momentum, and a writer for CNET says SOPA opponents -- like Google, Facebook, and Twitter -- haven’t even brought out the ‘heavy artillery’ yet.

“When the home pages of Google.com, Amazon.com, Facebook.com, and their Internet allies simultaneously turn black with anti-censorship warnings that ask users to contact politicians about a vote in the U.S. Congress the next day on SOPA, you’ll know they’re finally serious.”
 

There are still numerous major companies that support SOPA, including Viacom and Time Warner -- and not all of the miscellaneous branches of Sony have dropped support of SOPA either. A Senate floor debate for the bill is scheduled for January 24, 2012.

 

(Image source: Bloomberg)

BY NATHAN GIANNINI

ANCHOR ANA COMPAIN-ROMERO

The other shoe has dropped in the sexual harassment claims against former Hewlett-Packard CEO Mark Hurd. A letter details of the sexual harassment case presented in court. 

Here’s Fox Business with the details.

“That letter was sent by Gloria Allred, on behalf of whom, Jodie Fisher, Hurd's accuser and a former employee at HP. It claims that throughout '08 and '09, Hurd tried to convince her to have sex with him and kissed and touched her inappropriately.”

And PC Mag has more of the unflattering details: “Hurd boasted of his attractiveness to various women in his attempts to win Fisher over, the letter claims, at one point ‘telling her about many different women that were crazy about [him] ... including [Sheryl] Crow.’”

For the record, when asked for comment, Crow’s manager told ABC News:  “I don’t think she even knows him.”

Now the president of Oracle, Hurd resigned from his post at HP after it was found he inappropriately used company funds to take Fisher to dinner.  But the company did not find any evidence of sexual harassment. 

The Delaware Supreme Court ruled Wednesday the letter detailing Hurd and Fisher’s relationship wasn’t subject to privacy laws. Here’s KGO with more.

“Hurd's lawyers argue that making the letter public would violate his privacy.  The Delaware supreme court says it is only mildly embarrassing, does not describe any intimate conversation or conduct and doesn't contain any trade secrets or inside financial information and is not protected from public disclosure.”

So why are we only learning about these details now? AllThingsDigital explains, Hurd was the subject of a shareholder lawsuit, brought by HP investor Ernesto Espinoza.

“Espinoza had argued that shareholders are entitled to read them in order to investigate possible corporate wrongdoing and waste arising from the relationship and Hurd’s subsequent resignation, including the terms of Hurd’s severance package from HP.”

That severance package was as much as $40 million, according to BusinessWeek. So what does this mean for Hurd and his new job as president of Oracle? Bloomberg’s Cory Johnson says -- he doesn't think much will change.

“I think it shows that what Larry Ellison and Oracle cares about is the performance that Mark Hurd delivers, they like the knowledge that the guy has about the computer industry ... And that’s why Oracle wanted him and didn’t care about the allegations.”

Hurd is married with two children. Along with the Gloria Allred’s letter, The New York Times has also published extracts from e-mails Fisher allegedly sent to Hurd -- the contents of which contradict details in Allred’s letter. 

(Image Source: USAF/Stephen Trimble)

BY HARUMENDHAH HELMY

ANCHOR JIM FLINK

It’s the first part to what would be the U.S.’s largest foreign arms sale in history. The U.S. and Saudi Arabia have struck a $29.4 billion deal that would provide the Royal Saudi Air Force with more than 80 brand new fighter jets. Fox News has the details.

“This deal was approved last year, by congress … The F-15 is not our most advanced fighter, but it’s still a pretty powerful jet and Saudi Arabia’s going to get a lot of them. 84 brand new F-15s, upgrades to 70 others, and this is a big deal, worth about $30 billion.”

The New York Times calls the deal ‘dramatic evidence’ of the Obama administration’s determination to maintain military power in an oil-rich region. The Times highlights the timing of announcement --

“Though the White House said the deal had not been accelerated to respond to threats by Iranian officials in recent days to shut off the Strait of Hormuz, its timing is laden with significance, as tensions with Iran have deepened and the United States has withdrawn its last soldiers from Iraq.”

As one analyst tells CNN, putting pressure on Iran by arming its neighbors is not a new strategy for the U.S. — though he notes the recent power shuffles in the Middle East may hinder its efficacy.  

“Remember what President Bush tried to do was kind of create a Sunni axis against the Shi’a Iran, by arming our Sunni allies, our so-called moderate Sunni allies ... I’m not exactly sure if that’s the best idea going forward, because as you know, this is not the Middle East that we were dealing with during the Bush administration. We no longer have just a handful of dictators that we can tell what to do.”

And a blog on Center for New American Security points out another key factor behind the announcement — the elections. The fighter jets will be built in Boeing’s assembly lines just outside of St. Louis, Missouri — a state President Obama narrowly lost in the 2008 elections.

“Cancelling the deal with Saudi Arabia would have been a tremendous blow to both Boeing and the people of St. Louis. I am not among those who argue we should keep U.S. defense spending high in order to support the U.S. economy, but in this case, I think it is naive to assume U.S. domestic politics did not play at least a small role in this sale.”

And, finally, the St. Louis Post Dispatch highlights how the transaction will affect the city’s economy.

“[The deal] promises job security through at least 2020 to about 2,000 Boeing production workers here. … Boeing hopes to start filling the Saudi orders in 2015. … A deal that will keep an estimated 60,000 people employed across the nation likely will not create any new jobs in St. Louis.”


The $30 billion transaction is a part of a total $60 billion arms deal set to be fulfilled within ten years. On top of the fighter jets, the package will also include, among others, an array of missiles and hundreds of helicopters.

(Image Source: Flickr/IowaPolitics)

BY HARUMENDHAH HELMY

ANCHOR MEGAN MURPHY

In U.S. news — less than five days away from the Iowa GOP caucus and presidential hopeful Mitt Romney is leading the latest NBC/Marist poll. MSNBC explains.

“Newt Gingrich is cratering, Rick Santorum is surging, and conservatives are splitting, and Mitt Romney’s the one benefiting. Romney gets the support of 23 percent of likely caucus goers identified based on interest, chance of voting, and past participation, by the way. (:43-:51) The conservative vote no longer coalescing on a single Romney challenger. Tea Party supporters who make up nearly half of caucus goers have completely splintered.”

In world news -- New Year’s Eve is coming a day early for residents of the tiny island nation of Samoa. This, after the country decides to move its time zone to the west of the International Date Line, aligning it with important trade partners, such as New Zealand. Fox News has more.
 

“Tonight at midnight, the nation will jump forward in time to Saturday. They’re doing this to make trade easier with their neighbors who have been operating one day ahead. Samoan government says though the residents scheduled to work Friday will still be paid.”

Still in world news — in a surprise move, Ukraine has moved jailed opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko to a remote prison 300 miles east of the capital, Kiev. euronews has the details.

“In a snub to the European Union, the Ukrainian government has rehoused Tymoshenko before her case can be heard in the European Court of Human Rights. … Tymoshenko has been sentenced to seven years for exceeding her executive powers whilst making a gas deal with Russia in 2009. The conviction is seen as politically-motivated by the US and EU, which has delayed some of its dealings with Ukraine.”

In business news — the incriminating letter that led to the ouster of Mark Hurd as  Hewlett-Packard CEO has been made public. The letter details Hurd’s alleged repeated attempts to solicit sex from a former HP employee. CNBC has more.

“It is very embarrassing. The idea that Mr Hurd had different women in different places, and was moving them around... And the question is of course, does this, does any of the content of the letter, does it help a shareholder lawsuit against Hewlett Packard at this point. Is there some irresponsibility on the company’s part, by allowing this behavior to occur?”
 

In tech news — Internet registrar GoDaddy has officially announced it is opposing the Stop Online Piracy Act, or SOPA.

This, after an Internet-wide call to boycott the company when it initially supported SOPA. According to PCMag, critics of the act say that it is too far-reaching and could potentially harm sites that do not actually contain infringing content.
 

It’s a gadget of some sort, but even its creators aren’t sure how to label it.
Samsung’s Galaxy Note, which the company calls a “smart device,” has shipped one million units worldwide since it was released late October, according to the company’s Flickr account.
Here’s the kicker … it’s not even available worldwide. CNET writes…

“Part smartphone and part tablet, the Note has seen a rise in sales across Europe and Asia, particularly France, Germany, Hong Kong, and Taiwan … Samsung called the Note’s sales ‘notable’ since the device is creating a new market for a cross between a phone and tablet.”

Cue the drumroll, here comes the specs. The 5.7-inch phone/tablet crossover is outfitted with Android 2.3 Gingerbread, a 1.4 GHz dual-core processor, 16 gigs on internal storage, and has an impressive 1280 by 800-pixel resolution. Remember the days when you needed a full size laptop to display anything close to a 1280 by 720 resolution? Yup … we feel old too.

Describing it as a ‘smart-doohickey,’ VentureBeat says the Note had to jump quite a few hurdles, mostly Apple copyright lawsuits, to reach the market. And also the Note’s size makes it hard to judge its future prospects.
 

“It’s too huge to be an entirely pocket-friendly smartphone, but its capabilities go beyond those of a tablet. Also, it’s got a stylus — a utilitarian accessory perfect for smaller screens, but one that’s never really made it into the mainstream consumer gadget market.”

Speaking of accessories that didn’t make the mainstream, Engadget says the “pocketable tablet” might make the once embarrassing mobile accessory bearable.

“…Bluetooth headset, which we would recommend. Holding something this large up to your ear can be rather unpleasant -- and unsightly.”

The Internet is littered with love notes to the “phablet hybrid” and ballads of its global success, but a writer for All Things Digital is more skeptical. He notes Samsung released the number of units shipped to retailers -- but not how many were sold in stores.

“These are shipments into the channel we’re talking about here, not end sales to consumers. That said ... sources tell AllThingsD that the device actually sold out in Hong Kong during its first month at market. So, clearly, the device is resonating with a certain portion of the mobile market.”
 

Since Samsung can’t decide what to call its latest thing-a-ma-jig, we’ll let you decide. Share your ideas in our comments section.

(Image source: Bloomberg)

BY JIM FLINK

Feeling optimistic about the economy?  Or pessimistic? Jobless numbers tell two stories this week. Weekly claims are up.  Monthly claims have hit a three year low.

CNN has the bad news.

“The number of Americans filing for first-time unemployment benefits took an upswing just before Christmas.”

BusinessWeek has the good.

“Fewer Americans filed applications for unemployment benefits over the past month than at any time in the past three years, a sign the U.S. labor market is on the mend heading into the new year.”

So -- what to make of it all? An analyst on Bloomberg says -- combined with stronger consumer confidence numbers, the lowest unemployment rates since the recession began in 2008 should be a good sign. But there are other more telling signs.

“Consumers, in my view, don’t really respond to the month to month changes in confidence, they really are, consumer spending is spurred by job and income growth, as well as what’s happening in the stock market.  Businesses on the other hand do respond very quickly when their confidence deteriorates, they will cut down on hiring quite quickly.”

What do other economic indicators say?

The Wall Street Journal reports pending-home sales have hit a 19-month high in November -- a sure sign of an improving housing market.


As for the stock market -- an analyst tells CNBC, 2012 could be a banner year for it.

Kass: “The beginning of the year, we’re going to see a stable and arranged Dow market. But I think that, a number of factors are going to conspire to move the market dramatically, beginning late April and early summer.”
CNBC: “What are those factors?”
Kass: “I think Americans are angry at our politicians’ inertia, and I think our populace is going to force our politicians to make a move on pro-growth fiscal policy.”

But Fox Business talks with an analyst who says, recovery isn’t likely -- more recession is.  Because that’s what’s happening with the rest of the world.

“Exports are extremely critical for us.  And, Europe is in recession, Japan is in recession, Brazil has sledded to a halt. Manufacturing activity is declining now in India and China.  And this suggests our exports will fall off, and we’re gonna lose our most dynamic sector.”

Finally, Reuters is quick to point out one final fact.  Fewer unemployment claims doesn’t necessarily translate into more companies hiring -- it could just mean less firing. When those hiring numbers become more clear, it reports, so too, might the shape of the U.S. economy.

(Image Source: Foresee)

BY ADAM FALK

ANCHOR JIM FLINK

Traditionally, it’s been a two horse race between Amazon and Netflix in ForeSee’s e-retail customer satisfaction survey.

While Amazon has taken the top sport 14 straight times, the two companies have usually been within a point or two of each other. But after seven years of back and forth competition, 2011 saw the companies going in two separate directions. First the winner...

Amazon took home another gold, notching a score of 88 out of 100.

So fast shipping and a huge selection is the way to customber’s hearts? Then what did confusion in corporate direction and price increases earn Netflix?

The streaming company dropped 7 points in the rankings, down to a 79.

ForeSee isn’t pulling any punches in its report. In fact, the CEO, Larry Freed offered a biting critique of the company this year.

“Netflix totally misread its customer base and is paying the price, damaging its brand among both consumers and investors... Raising prices by 60% and splitting the baby into separate DVD and streaming services totally undermines Netflix’s cost and convenience advantages. Customer satisfaction is predictive, which means that Netflix’s financial woes may be just beginning.”

But GigaOm isn’t seeing it that way, reminding readers the survey is of the top companies in the industry. Big picture- Netflix is still among the best in the biz.

“Netflix’s customer satisfaction aside, the index of the top 40 Internet retailers was actually pretty good, with the average score for the group increasing to 79. So for now, Netflix is just average among the top companies in the survey.”

But business analysts are saying batten down the hatches-- Netflix is about to run into a big storm. Kay Plantes, an industry expert in business model innovation, says the smart money is on Amazon in the future.

“With Amazon and Netflix now in the same market space for on-line movie and TV show viewing, I know which stock I’d bet upon. In an e-commerce war, customer satisfaction is like the highest hill on the battleground, conferring welcomed advantages in the battles ahead.”

The study looks at a number of factors on each company’s website, including content, functionality, merchandise and prices. Netflix saw a drop in each category. The lowest scoring company in the survey? Overstock.com- down four points to 72.

(Image source: ABC News)

BY NATHAN GIANNINI

ANCHOR LAUREN ZIMA

A National Retail Federation survey found gift cards were the No. 1 item on holiday wish lists for the fifth straight year, pulling in an estimated $27.8 billion. 

The survey found 80 percent of shoppers planned to purchase a gift card this holiday season -- but that between six and ten percent will go unused, adding up to a whopping $41 billion in unused funds since 2005.

So -- if that thirty dollars to Red Lobster wasn’t on your letter to Santa -- what can you do with it? Here’s Gothamist with some ideas.

“...if you know you won’t use that gift card to Build-A-Bear, you can sell it at Plastic Jungle, or one of the other sites that will pay around 80% or more of the card’s value. If you enjoy wringing the slightest amount of happiness out of every transaction in your life, you can also invest in a mutual fund with a gift card on GoalMine.com, where they accept increments as small as $25.”

Now, all these unused cards must be a goldmine for retailers, right? Well, maybe not so much. The Wall Street Journal reports -- the SEC only allows companies to count unused cards as income once they can reasonably claim the funds will never be redeemed, which can be two years or more. Even then, some states don’t allow it at all.

“They demand that companies give the money to the state after a certain period of time to add to unclaimed-funds accounts. States claim this is a way to reunite consumers with their unspent money, but practically it’s a way for cash-strapped governments to give themselves more liquid funds.”

The Journal notes -- for example -- in 2008, the state of New York collected almost ten million dollars in unredeemed cards, but only reunited owners with a little over two thousand. So if you want to get full value for your gift, KCBS has some advice:

“If you received a gift card for the holiday season, consumer experts say get out and use it now. Researchers say you may be charged inactivity fees if have you the bank-issued gift card. You could be charged a monthly fee after 12 months of inactivity. Also the retailer could go bankrupt. Even if the retailer continues to honor its gift cards there could be fewer places to redeem them or less time to do it.”

(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)

BY LAUREN ZIMA

As of January 1st, San Francisco will be the first US city to have a minimum wage that tops more than $10 an hour. Here’s Fox News with the numbers.

“$10.24 an hour. That is well above the California minimum of $8, and nearly $3 an hour higher than the Federal figure, which is $7.25.”

And KNTV explains the history of San Fran’s wage laws.

“Right now, minimum wage workers make $9.92 an hour. San Francisco is one of the few cities that sets its own minimum wage. In 2003, voters passed a law that calls for automatic yearly wage increases.”

The LA Times analyzes the increase, saying employees seem to be for it, but employers say the higher pay will mean they have to eliminate jobs altogether -- actually hurting employees in the long run. Still, the numbers, the Times says -- don’t match that attitude.

“ ... But San Francisco's economy has proved resilient. The city's unemployment rate was 7.8 percent in November, well below the 11.3 percent statewide rate.”

And while the federal minimum wage is not changing with the new year, nationwide, eight states are seeing increases, including …

Washington to $9.04, Oregon to $8.80 and Ohio to $7.70.


Truth-Out applauds those raises, but says -- still, not enough.

“The raises to come are modest by any measurement. …  those earning the minimum include many of our most valuable yet needy and exploited workers.”

The site argues that increasing minimum wages nationwide would help get some people off of welfare, thus strengthening the economy as a whole.

(Image Source: Fox News)

BY CHRISTINA HARTMAN & HARUMENDHAH HELMY

ANCHOR MEGAN MURPHY

First up, in world news -- former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is back in court today after a three-month break. The 83-year-old was seen wheeled into the courtroom on a hospital gurney. Fox News has more on the trial Mubarak is facing.  

“Mubarak is accused of ordering the killing of protesters during the uprising -- his attorneys want the judge to consider evidence of killings that took place after Mubarak step down as proof that he was not the one who was responsible. In the meantime, prosecutors are relying heavily on testimonies from members of Mubarak’s former inner circle.”

Still in world news -- more threats from Iran of closing a strategic strait through which a sixth of the world’s oil supply flows. But, according to MSNBC, the threat is doing little to shake the industry.

“Iran’s Navy chief is repeating the government’s threat that his country could close down the Strait of Hormuz if the west puts sanctions on Iranian oil shipments. Despite the threat, oil prices remain relatively stable today and countries in the Gulf said they would be able to offset any laws.”

Now in U.S. news -- Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson has announced he will not seek re-election in 2012. Bloomberg reports -- analysts think his party could take a hit in 2012.

“Getting on to the senate just got harder for the democrats. Ben nelson decided not to seek Reelection. In order to seize control, Republicans only need four seats in November.

Still in U.S. news -- Morgan Stanley is cutting 580 jobs from four offices in New York City. The cut is part of the planned 1,600 layoffs the company announced earlier this month. CNBC has more.

“Morgan Stanley says that rolling layoffs began Dec. 15. The company cites economic reasons for the cuts, and the sharp drop in investment banking and trading revenue across Wall St.”

Finally in entertainment -- Suncoast Primate Sanctuary has announced Cheetah the Chimp has died. Tampa’s WTVT has more.

“Cheetah was Tarzan’s loyal sidekick to 1930s. He was one of a number of different chimps used for role pin different scenes and different locations.”

(Image Source: Flickr/robinsonsmay)

BY HARUMENDHAH HELMY
ANCHOR MEGAN MURPHY

Two American staples in danger of becoming obsolete. Sears Holdings Corp. has announced plans to close 100 to 120 Kmart and Sears stores across the country, after seeing bad holiday sales numbers.

CNBC’s Joe Kernen can’t help but feel a little... nostalgic about the announcement, though his co-anchor is less sympathetic.

Joe Kernen: “[sigh].”
Co-anchor: “Have you been in one of these places?”
Joe Kernen: “No... When I say Sears and Kmart it just gives me sort of a sad feeling, I’m not really sure why...”
Co-anchor: “If they could just change the lighting for goodness sakes...”
Joe Kernen: “It’s from my childhood...”

Founded in the late 19th century, Sears was once the largest retailer in the United States. It merged with Kmart in 2005. In its press release, Sears Holdings cites declining holiday sales as the force behind its decision to shut stores. CNN Money has the details.  

“Sears Holdings said sales at stores open at least a year, a closely watched retail measure known as same-store sales, tumbled 5.2% in the eight weeks ended on Christmas Day. That came from a 4.4% drop in sales at Kmart stores and a 6% slide in sales at domestic Sears stores.”

But are declining sales the only problem? Fox News talks to one expert who points out another issue: too much property.

“The guy who came in and took over Sears and Kmart was valuing the company on a real estate value. And that was just fine -- up until 2005-2006, he failed to sell off that real estate, leaving Sears with a ton of stores, which people are not using like they used to, and real estate assets which are going down in value... Result: An American icon is very much in retreat this morning.”

And CNBC’s Squawk on the Street points out Sears seems to be an old company struggling to stay relevant, though not for lack of trying.

David: “They’re trying... smaller retail concepts that they’ve gone with. Certain acquisitions they’ve made that they’re incorporating in the stores -- they also seem to be going in a somewhat different direction. I’ll just direct people to their press release from this morning … (2:33-2:46) ‘We intend to accentuate our focus and resources to our better performing stores with the goal of converting their customer experience into a world class integrated retail experience.’”

Along the same lines -- Bloomberg talks to an analyst who says despite good efforts, Sears and Kmart just aren’t competing well with their peers.

Burt Flickinger: “Sears has hired a lot of good people, reconverted the stores to Lands’ End. But got caught in the crossfire between Macy's getting better along with Kohl's. And Target getting in a price war with WalMart... that was tough competitively for Kmart. “

Bloomberg also reports Sears’ current owners have seen more than 18 consecutive quarters of declining sales. Since merging with Kmart in 2005 -- Sears had closed 171 of its large U.S. stores.

(Image source: Wikimedia Commons / Thivierr)

BY ERIK SHUTE

This is Newsy Now and here are the headlines you need to know.

In business -- Sears says a disappointing holiday season will force the company to close some of its Sears and Kmart stores next year.  MSNBC has the details.

“Sears says it will close between 100 and 120 Sears or K smart sales because of bad holiday sales, shutdown marginally performing stores, means job loss, haven't laid out how many stores or jobs would be cost but not good news for Sears or employees today.”

A missing Indiana girl is found dead after disappearing Friday night.  CBS News reports the babysitter of 9 year-old Aliahna Lemmon was been taken into custody by police last night.

ANCHOR: “39-Year-old Mike Plumadore has been charged with killing Aliahna Lemmon. She had been missing since last Friday and her body was found yesterday...”

POLICE: “After three different interviews with one of the individuals involved, he was taken into custody tonight about and charged with murder. Aliahna's remains have been located.”

In world news - An 8-year-old American girl says she was targeted by ultra-Orthodox Jews in Israel.  Reports say while walking to school she was spit on and verbally attacked.  Euronews explains she’s not the only one - the problem is growing.

“Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to curb harassment and discrimination after complaints over the behaviour of ultra-Orthodox Jews. The town of Beit Shemesh near Jerusalem is under the spotlight, after an eight-year-old girl complained of being threatened by ultra-Orthodox men over her dress.  The graffiti reads ‘Israeli women: The Torah demands you dress modestly.’”

In Iraq -- Al Qaeda has come forward claiming responsibility for the multiple bombs detonated in its capital Baghdad last Thursday.  CNN’s Arwa Damon reports on the growing political turmoil since the U.S. pulled its troops out of Iraq.

“The political instability that Iraq is going through right now is causing great waves of fear especially for those living in the capital of Baghdad.  Iraq’s political instability has been brewing for a while, but boiled over after the Iraqi government issued an arrest warrant for Sunni Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi.”

A deadly helicopter crash kills all three crew members on board in Florida.  The tragic situation turns worse when its discovered the helicopter was on its way to pick up precious cargo.  Fox News explains.

“And a medical flight ending in tragedy when a helicopter crashes on its way to retrieve a

heart for a transplant. The chopper had just left the mayo clinic in Jacksonville, Florida and heading to Gainesville hospital but they never made it.  All three people on board died

instantly and the NTSB is now investigating.”

Stay with Newsy for more analysis throughout the day.  For Newsy Now, I’m Christina Hartman -- highlighting the top headlines making you smarter, faster.

(Image Source: Twitter)

BY LAUREN ZIMA

ANCHOR MEGAN MURPHY

What’s your worth on Twitter? A new lawsuit could have an answer.

Meet 38-year-old Noah Kravitz -- who in October 2010 uploaded his final video for his former employer, PhoneDog.com. Kravitz says he left the company on a good note.

NOAH KRAVITZ: “I’m going on to do some other things, but I will remain a fan of PhoneDog just like I hope all of you are and will remain. ... You can follow me online. On Twitter -- my new Twitter handle is just my name, NoahKravitz.”

Kravitz removed “PhoneDog” from his handle -- but kept the 17,000 followers he had built up in his four years at the company. Now, that good note seems long gone. PhoneDog has filed a lawsuit in California -- saying Kravitz’s followers belong to the site, not him. The company wants $2.50 per follower a month for eight months. That makes $340,000.

Kravitz told the New York Times PhoneDog said he could keep the followers if he kept Tweeting about the company, and that he thinks the suit was filed in retaliation to his request for 15 percent of the site’s advertising revenue because of his position as a partner. But the case is bringing up bigger issues -- should people be able to keep their followers when they leave a position -- and -- what are those followers worth? The Times spoke with a lawyer who handles intellectual property disputes. He says:

“‘It all hinges on why the account was opened … If it was to communicate with PhoneDog’s customers or build up new customers … then the account was opened on behalf of PhoneDog, not Mr. Kravitz. An added complexity is that PhoneDog contends Mr. Kravitz was just a contractor in the related partnership/employment case, thus weakening their trade secrets case, unless they can show he was contracted to create the feed.’”

And when it comes to that $2.50 a head -- The Atlantic Wire says -- hold the phone, PhoneDog. The writer says followers might have been following Kravitz for his writing, not the PhoneDog info -- and that lots of followers are spambots anyway.

“ … an absurd valuation. … Anyone who has used Twitter for any length of time knows that there are numerous tricks to inflating follower accounts and that the vast, vast majority of users are highly disengaged.”

PhoneDog won’t release how it arrived at that number, and media outlets agree cases like this one will probably become all too common in years ahead.

(Image Source: Inquisitr)

BY JJ BAILEY

ANCHOR LAUREN ZIMA

Eric Schmidt lit up the tech world with an announcement last week. Speaking to an Italian newspaper, the Google CEO hinted the Google Nexus tablet could occupy shelves within six months.

While the idea of a google tablet isn’t surprising, it’s the first time there’s been a timetable on the project. Now, in the holiday aftermath, speculation has begun on what this announcement could mean for the tablet arena.

Fox News isn’t hiding its prediction, calling the proposed tablet the ‘iPad Killer.’

“Soon Google could show tablet makers like ASUS, HTC, Lenovo, and Motorola how a real Android tablet is made. … Google typically helms the designs of those devices, and the final products are usually treated as the ideal pairing of hardware with Android software.”

But Digitimes takes a different look, saying the idea may be great for Google, but what about the rest of the food chain? With this many people using their Android OS, launching their own tablet will cannibalize other Android providers.

“A major concern of the local PC industry is that the Google Nexus is likely to run on Android 4.1, while those Ice Cream Sandwich models to be rolled out in the first half of 2012 are to be powered by Android 4.0 - a development which is likely to cause deferred effects in the purchase of Android tablet PCs by consumers, the sources argued.”

And Inquisitr says there was more in Schmidt’s comments than just tablet talk. What he said about the Kindle Fire seem to hint that the search engine giant is ready to take on all comers.

“He also expects that the Google Nexus will directly challenge the Apple iPad and the Amazon Fire, which hints that Google is planning to compete in the e-book sphere as well as just the tablet market. Google has reportedly been speaking to content providers such as book distributors and publishing houses as well as magazine distributors about content for the Google Nexus Tablet.”

But TheNextWeb has a cautionary word. According to the site, the interview was translated from Italian into English, and a few key details may have gotten blurry.

“It is distinctly possible that Schmidt has declared Google’s desire to formally enter the tablet market with a Nexus-grade tablet device but given the rough translation, he could simply mean that the company will partner with an OEM. This would mean that the search giant would promote devices created with a company like Motorola (with its XOOM tablet) and Samsung (with the Galaxy Tab 10.1 device), helping to push tablets powered by its new Ice Cream Sandwich software.”

And, just a fun fact for you -- that translation was done by none other than -- Google’s translation service.

(Image Source: Digital Trends)

BY ADNAN S. KHAN

ANCHOR CHRISTINA HARTMAN

Go Daddy -- a name usually associated with cheesy commercials and curvaceous women, and not congressional battles.
 

But when the web-domain registrar decided to support the Stop Online Piracy Act -- or SOPA --  it needed more than parade of bodacious babes to distract angry customers.
 

Mass boycotts ran amok, threats from Anonymous piled on and customers began threatening to pull their domains from the service. Ben Huh, CEO of Cheezburger, a company which runs a host of humor web sites, threaten to move over a thousand domains from Go Daddy.

And when Reddit and Wikipedia started making similar threats, Go Daddy finally caved late Friday. TIME has the company’s statement.
 

“Fighting online piracy is of the utmost importance, which is why Go Daddy has been working to help craft revisions to this legislation–but we can clearly do better … Go Daddy is rooted in the idea of First Amendment Rights and believes 100 percent that the Internet is a key engine for our new economy.”
 

A writer for Inquisitr questions why Go Daddy supported SOPA in the first place.
 

“The fact that GoDaddy -- a company whose bread and butter is largely dependent on the free and open web -- supported the internet killing legislation was kind of surprising in some ways … but not so much in others (the company has shown a relatively large disregard to customer sentiment in the past…)”
 

So is this a win for the SOPA opponents? ComputerWorld says -- not really.
 

“SOPA still has strong support in Congress and among companies in several U.S. industries. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, one of the driving forces behind the bill, has said that more than 400 organizations have voiced support.”

Even so, it hasn’t stopped the denizens of the web from celebrating. Gizmodo writes…
 

“If a sleazeball company like Go Daddy can ditch SOPA because of pressure from the Internet, you bet other companies currently supporting SOPA will cave too. Let yourself be heard and let’s freaking kill this bill.”
 

On the other hand--Bloomberg is taking a more ‘wait and see’ approach, considering that Congress is no longer in session.

Male Anchor: “It’s been a tempest in our teapot for a while here. I expect to hear about this more going forward. Cuz it is really a … you the two worlds of Bloomberg are colliding, right? It’s the copyright holders and big media companies the Comcast and the Time Warners fighting against the Googles… the Twitters… and the Facebooks… and those other companies that we cover so much.”
Female Anchor: “It will be really interesting to see what happens when congress comes back in session in January.”

(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)

BY ADNAN S. KHAN

Looks like one stocking is going to be a little light this Christmas. Netflix CEO Reed Hastings will be taking a $1.5 million cut in his annual stock-option allowance. MarketWatch has the not so jolly perspective on the cuts…

“Well, let’s be frank, getting $1.5 million in stock options for next year isn’t that bad of a stocking stuffer. But when you compare it to the $3 million that Hastings got this year, it looks like he found himself on Santa’s naughty list.”

And according to some in the media he is on that list for a number of reasons.
 

The company yelled price ‘PRICE HIKE’ in late summer, which scared off more than a few customers.
 

On top of that -- the company tried to separate the DVD mail-rental service by turning it into something nobody wanted, called Qwikster. Add that to a bad dreal with Starz and you can see why Santa and the shareholders are disappointed in the CEO.
 

At its peak -- Netflix stock hovered around $300. That was in July. Now shares are trading at $73. Thats a steeeep drop. Fox Business says the allowance cut is a fitting punishment.
 

“It would be difficult justifying a increase in options for the upcoming year as Hastings’ decisions transformed the company from a star on Wall Street to a dud in a matter of weeks. The company lost nearly one million customers, and those reverberations are expected to push Netflix into its first loss in a decade in 2012.”
 

So what would possess a CEO to make moves like he did? The Chicago Tribune says it was simple.

“Netflix wanted to shift as many customers to streaming, which costs the company less than shipping physical DVDs. Those that still want the DVDs would have to pay more so Netflix doesn't lose money on the service.”
 

That plan may have blown up in Hastings’ face, but a writer for The Motley Fool says his punishment may not be a pay cut at all.
 

“Shares of Netflix have fallen by 58% this year. In other words, $125,000 in granted options next month will give Hastings more shares than he received with $250,000 in grants in January 2011.”
 

And finally -- Bloomberg Businessweek notes - not everyone in the company is getting coal for Christmas.
 

“The 2012 salary for Neil Hunt, chief product officer, will be unchanged at $1 million and the option allowance will increase to $1.5 million from $900,000 … Ted Sarandos, chief content officer, will receive $1 million in salary and $1.8 million in option allowances, compared with $903,362 and $1.4 million, respectively, last year…”
 

Regardless of all the flak, Fox Business reports Hastings has remained steadfast on his position that higher prices will be forgotten as the service improves.

(Image Source: EHS Technologies)

BY JJ BAILEY

ANCHOR CHRISTINA HARTMAN

2011 was a year of big ups and BIG downs in the tech world.
First, the downs.
Several companies took big hits, but perhaps no two companies stumbled harder than RIM and Netflix.
Already trailing in the smartphone race-- and following a letter than talked of unrest in company management going public, a massive outage in October led to the company giving away free apps.

“Research in Motion is giving away $100 worth of app downloads to customers to say sorry for last week’s service outages. Starting Wednesday, free apps will be rolled out over four weeks and will be available for download until the end of the year.”

Then came a stock downgrade. But the biggest kicker came right after, when two RIM execs were so drunk on a commercial flight that the plane had to be re-routed across the Pacific just to get rid of them.
So where does the ailing company sit now?

“RIM? Hahaha, a number of analysts have come out today with sell or downgrading their estimates on the stock. They’re cutting their price targets, all sorts of things, stocks getting hit again...”

Well, better luck next year.
Now, if you wanna talk up and down, how about Netflix?

The company went from $175 per share in January, to almost $300 in July, alllll the way down to $67 a share in December.

Why? Let’s count the ways.... Doubling prices, losing 850 thousand customers in Q3 and Reed Hastings blogging about it didn’t help. Or it could be the creation of what may be the biggest biz joke of the year:  Qwikster.

Enough of the bad. 2011 saw some major successes too, perhaps the biggest of which belonged to Google’s Android OS.

According to ComScore’s latest survey, Android now owns nearly half of the platform market in the U.S., coming in at just over 46%. And in the global market? By October, they were already running away with it.

“The Android operating system is now on almost half of all cell phones around the world.  Mountain view based Google owns Android.  A high tech market analyst says Android now has a market share of 48%.  Cupertino’s Apple has a market share of 19%.

One in ten smartphone users may use an iPhone, but the upstart OS from Google has taken the world by storm.

But forget smartphones-- 2011 was the year of the tablet.

March 11 saw the release of the iPad 2, which shattered its predecessor’s sales records and sold out nation wide within hours, notching almost a million units sold in its first weekend.

A parade of competing products followed. The Nook, the PlayBook, the HP TouchPad ... dozens of tablets hit the market from non-Apple vendors. None really came close to challenging the Cuppertino juggernaut …. until November 15.

“Just days after Amazon’s Kindle Fire was announced analyst said it wouldn’t sell more than 2.5 million units. Now CNET places those expectations as high as 6 million units by the end of the fourth quarter.”

While Amazon appears to have struck gold with the Kindle Fire- smaller players tried to make a name for themselves as IPO-mania hit the tech industry. Some--were big winners.

“Well this weeks initial public offering for LinkedIn has everybody talking, shares closed at 94 bucks.”

Others didn’t do so hot.

“20.03, as low as that stock traded today. Still, a lot of questions here. Groupon loses money, there are many questions about the business model, zero barriers to entry in terms of the competition, LivingSocial coming on strong, you have the likes of Google and others getting into this space. So investors seem to keep questioning the revenue growth prospects for this company.”

But still to come-- what could be the biggest tech player to go public since Google.

“Facebook is looking to raise about $10 billion and could value the company at about $100 billion. They could file-- they’re still discussing the exact timing-- they could file before the end of this year, even, for an IPO that would be, as you said, in the second quarter of next year.”

Finally -- the biggest tech story of 2011 -- the passing of industry icon Steve Jobs. On October 5, the Apple CEO died after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 56.

“Steve Jobs led this company from really a floundering organization into one of the most powerful companies in all the world. He took Apple to a company through which millions and really hundreds of millions of people communicate.”

KNBC
“Jobs stared lovingly at his wife and children for a long time and then he seemed to look past them and repeated three times: ‘Oh wow, oh wow, oh wow.’”

Thanks for sticking with Newsy for all your top tech headlines in 2011-- we’ll keep ‘em coming in 2012.



 

(Image Source: AndroidOS.in)

BY JIM FLINK AND JJ BAILEY

Sorry Santa. No Ice Cream Sandwich to deliver this holiday season. Or anytime soon. At least for Galaxy S users.

On its Korean website -- Samsung says -- their most popular device won’t be getting the freshest OS.

Android and Me explains the decision -- and shares its disappointment with the news.

“Samsung has delivered a devastating blow, announcing that the original Samsung Galaxy S and Galaxy Tab will not be upgraded to Ice Cream Sandwich. Since the Galaxy S features the same hardware configuration as the Nexus S (which is currently receiving an OTA update to ICS), Samsung claims that the phone’s limited ROM and RAM are insufficient since they would not be able to fit TouchWiz, video calling software, and other various carrier services.”

The calamitous chorus was repeated over at The Verge.

“This will come as a massive blow to the great many users of the Galaxy S, who would have rightly expected the 1GHz Hummingbird processor and accompanying memory to be able to handle ICS — it's the same hardware as you'll find inside the Nexus S, and that phone is receiving Android 4.0 over the air right now.”

PCMag says, this is more than just a whiff on a product upgrade.
This has some more serious undertones.

“While the original Galaxy S wouldn't have qualified for Samsung's pledge to the Google Android Update Alliance this past May, it does underscore just how important that pledge was—which makes it all the more discouraging that the company danced around our question about Ice Cream Sandwich upgrades for several recent Samsung models, and if not, how the company would reconcile that with the pledge it made just seven months ago.”

And a broken promise has stung many -- who were anticipating the next big thing from Samsung.  Like the folks at GigaOm.

“I can understand that we’re looking at a smartphone and a tablet that debuted in 2010, and there’s a limited shelf life for future updates on mobile devices. What I don’t understand, nor accept really, is that the issue is Samsung’s user interface software. Even worse, I think Samsung is shooting itself in the foot.”

Finally, PCMag says, in the race for OS supremacy, Android is still struggling for one thing that it’s competitors already have: dependability.

It's almost never clear if your phone will ever get that upgrade—unlike with iOS or Windows Phones, which always get all upgrades (providing they meet the right hardware requirements). With Android, it seems to depend on the phone vendor, the specific model, the wireless carrier, the Android version itself, and whether Google sent the carrier an inflatable plastic food product as a token of its appreciation that week. Worse—and much to our chagrin—sometimes vendors make promises to customers before the sale that they don't keep once you own the phone.

(Image source: nois3lab_n3/Flickr)

BY JIM FLINK

A billion bucks. That’s about what it costs -- to keep the top spot -- as one of the top search engines.
Google won a war with its biggest competitors -- holding its spot as the default search engine for Firefox.

All Things Digital’s Kara Swisher broke the story.

“Google’s main rival in the bid ... was Microsoft’s Bing search service, which was aggressively trying to hip-check it from the main search spot on the browser. That’s because the software giant has been spending a lot of money in efforts to grow Bing’s market share in the search market.”

The news Mozilla and Google had struck a deal -- wasn’t new. But the dollar amount -- shocked almost everyone -- including the folks at ZDNet.

“Well, Mozilla certainly fooled us. Just when we were counting Firefox out as a major Web browser player in the years ahead. Sure, Mozilla signed a new deal with Google, but by itself though many of us didn’t think the deal meant much. I assumed, along with many others, that Google could support Firefox with its pocket change while devoting all its real attention to its own Web browser: Chrome. Boy, were we wrong!”

So is it worth it? According to Swisher -- the search giant’s set to make it all back -- guaranteed.

But there’s also -- a three word answer -- to why Google went so big -- says ComputerWorld’s Preston Gralla.

“Fear of Bing.  Given Google's dominance, why should it worry about Bing? Because even though Microsoft has faltered in search, Bing is a solid search engine, quietly gaining market share. And Microsoft has a history of eventually squashing competitors after a long slog.”

And make no mistake, says VentureBeat. Google knew exactly what Microsoft had in mind.

“Microsoft, hungry to buy Bing more exposure, salivated over the search spot like a ravenous wolf, and was said to have competed ferociously to oust Google from the Firefox throne. The company, which produces the most-popular browser, Internet Explorer, is a distant second in the search market. It would have likely benefited greatly, to Google’s detriment, from additional default queries originating via Firefox.”

So how much time does a billion bucks by in search space?  Three years -- and then the bidding will begin again.