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United States bans Samsung Note 7 for all Air Lines

2016-10-15T06:47:00.000-07:00

Due to bundle of complaints and the incidents of battery explosion of Samsung Note 7, a big amount of airlines have banned Samsung Note 7 use in their flights. There are news that the replaced devices also have the same problem.

After this situation, Samsung has advised the users to exchange with the new devices. After the news of explosion of the replaced devices, Samsung offering now Pay back schemes.

The U.S. government also has issued an emergency ban of Samsung's exploding Galaxy Note7 devices from all airline flights, urging users to take advantage of the company's exchange and refund offers.

According to Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration, Galaxy Note 7 users are not allowed to carry the devices in person, baggage and hand carry. In any case the device can´t be shipped as cargo due to the ban. This ban is into effect from Saturday.

Under this ban if any passenger found guilty to carry the device, could face criminal prosecution or penalties. According to agencies, Passengers who attempt to break the ban by keeping the phone in any kind of luggage or hand carry are increasing the risk of deadly incident.

Samsung is working to handle the situation on a very scale, they have introduced exchange or pay back offers and they actively working in to inform and educate the people to avoid any kind of incident. The company is working with airlines to communicate the ban, a spokeswoman said by email. "Any Galaxy Note7 owner should visit their carrier and retail store to participate in the U.S. Note7 refund and exchange program now," she added by email. "We realize this is an inconvenience but your safety has to remain our top priority."

Galaxy Note 7 was launched in August and the battery explosion incidents were being reported in start of September. FAA immediately advised the users not to turn on or charge the device on flight.

"The fire hazard with the original Note 7 and with the replaced Note 7 is simply too great for anyone to risk it and not respond to this official recall," Elliot Kaye, chairman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, said in a press release. "I would like to remind consumers once again to take advantage of the remedies offered, including a full refund. It’s the right thing to do and the safest thing to do.”

World Expo --- EXPO 2020 Dubai

2013-11-08T22:16:00.002-08:00

World Expos

The Great Exhibition, held in London in 1851, inaugurated World Expos as the hallmark events of a world aspiring to strengthen its connections, celebrate its cultural diversity and marvel at its technological wonders.

Today, World Expos remain a key meeting point for the global community to share innovations and make progress on issues of international importance such as the global economy, sustainable development and improved quality of life for the world’s population.

Every five years, World Expos attract millions of visitors who explore and discover pavilions, exhibitions and cultural events staged by hundreds of participants including nations, international organisations and businesses.

Each World Expo is a catalyst for economic, cultural and social transformation and generates important legacies for the host city and nation. For instance, Shanghai 2010 World Expo helped transform a heavily industrial city-centre area into a thriving cultural and commercial district while also bringing its theme “Better City, Better Life” to the attention of 73 million people.

The next World Expo takes place in Milan, Italy, in 2015. The focus: “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life”.

What is difference between lifi and wifi?

2013-10-30T07:00:00.000-07:00

In wifi, modulated signal is radio wave where as life modulated signal is light. It is visible electromagnetic spectrum and has higher bandwidth than wifi but has Line of sight limitation.

LiFi, The Next Generation of Wifi : Its Send Data via Light

2013-10-29T22:56:00.000-07:00

A study produced a technology called Light Fidelity or LiFi promises faster transfer speeds than WiFi and LiFi likely to replace in the future.

WiFi or Wireless Fidelity ears are probably already familiar to computer users. WiFi is also often referred to as WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) that uses radio waves to frekuensi2, 4GHz using the IEEE 802.11 standard.

Recently, researchers have developed UniversitasEdinburg wireless networks or wireless systems capable of producing speeds up to 130mbps transfer using light technology.

The technology called LiFi (LightFidelity) using LED (Light Emiting Diode) to transmit data kepenerima with changes in the intensity of light is so fast that he could not be seen by the human eye.

A physicist and a professor of German, Harald Haas through the projects of the company's Pure VLC smartlighting developed methods that allow light is used to transmit and receive data that can reach speeds up to 50 Mbps.

At present it must be admitted that the data transfer speed of Light Fidelity technology is not yet able to beat the speed of data transfer standard Wireles Fidelity last generation.

Harald Haas, adding that he and his team continue to strive to develop LiFi system in the laboratory to produce a unit speed up to gigabits per second.

As reported by ArsTechnica, LiFi has several advantages such as broad-spectrum transmission and 10,000 from the broader-based wireless fidelity radio waves. LiFi also capable of providing wireless connectivity at home or dikamar without fear of leakage signals.

What Is Lifi? Why we Use?

2013-10-29T00:30:00.000-07:00

LiFi is a new way to establish wireless communication links using the Led lighting networks. The LiFi protocols are defined by the international standard IEEE 802.15 established since 2011 by the IEEE comity. This is the same comity that has defined previously the Ethernet 802.3 and WiFi 802.11 standards. For numerous specialists, LiFi is a major breakthrough technology for the mobile Internet community and for the connected objects domain.

After more than 4 years of scientific research at the University of Versailles, OLEDCOMM is the first European company that start to commercialize LiFi communication solutions a worldwide level.

When the lighting networks become wireless communication networks

The world of Lighting companies experiences a true revolution with the development of Led lighting devices. With reduced energy consumption and a longer liftime, Leds appear as a solution that cannot be overlooked to face up to the challenge of the CO2 emission reduction at the worldwide scale. The sale of Leds Lighting units knows an impressive increase these last years.

Ten times higher data rates compared to WiFi

Leds are different from the other kinds of lamps because they are semiconductors. This characteristic gives them the capability to switch-on and off within few nanoseconds or billionth of a second. Converted in terms of data rates, this corresponds to 1 Gbits/s. In order to compare, at best WiFi can reach 100 Mbits/s data rates and so 10 times lower.

Worldwide Economic and Green Impact

Thanks to the LiFi technology, the 14 billion lamps in the world will become gradually green mobile internet masts that will permit to respond to the impressive increasing demand of mobile conectivity. Also, this will allow reducing the electromagnetic pollution generated by the numerous radio wave solutions developed until now.

VMware Showcases Cloud Management Solutions at VMworld

2013-10-27T23:11:00.001-07:00

In the IT industry there's always someone, somewhere holding a convention: most recently it was VMware (again) hosting its VMworld 2013 event, this time in Barcelona. And when it comes to conventions, there are few finer places in the world to hold one than the Catalan capital — home city of Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, Lionel Messi and delicious tapas.

It's against this splendid backdrop that VMware has made a raft of announcements about new and upgraded products to keep its customers happy. There's another backdrop too, according to Martin Klaus, VMware's Group Product Line Marketing Manager.

"The backdrop for our announcements is the emergence of public clouds like Amazon, software-as-a-service (SaaS) offerings like Salesforce.com, social media, and easy access to IT," Klaus says. "IT departments are looking to become brokers of services, and VMware is trying to facilitate that by evolving from a virtualization provider to a cloud management provider."

It's not surprising that this is the VMware line, given that Hyper-V, Xen and KVM all do a perfectly respectable job in the server virtualization hypervisor department. That means that plain vanilla server virtualization is now officially boring, as far as VMware is concerned. Software-defined data centers (SDDCs) and cloud management systems, on the other hand, are where the company believes the action is.

40 Ways to Make Your Data Center More Efficient

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OK, so down to business. VMware made three main product announcements in Barcelona, and they are all about cloud management:

Cloud Automation: VMware vCloud Automation Center 6.0 (upgrade)
Cloud Operations: VMware vCenter Operations Management Suite 5.8 and VMware vCenter Log Insight 1.5 (upgrade)
Cloud Business: VMware IT Business Management Suite 1.0 Standard Edition (new) , VMware IT Business Management Suite 8.0 Advanced and Enterprise (upgrade)

So what exactly is new? Here are some of the highlights:

vCloud Automation Center 6.0:

Self-service catalogs providing a centralized approval and entitlement mechanism for infrastructure, application and other types of IT services. Visibility into the cost of VMs and the utilization of shared resources across internal infrastructure and public IaaS is also provided.
Anything-as-a-Service (XaaS) capabilities promise to allow IT departments to create "any" IT service, such as storage-as-a-service or backup-as-a-service.
Support for vCloud Hybrid Service and Red Hat OpenStack has been added, as has back-end support for Amazon, Azure and Hyper-V as well as VMware's vSphere.

vCenter Operations 5.8

vCenter Operations' analytics have been extended to include the monitoring of Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft SQL Server, and also to provide visibility into more vendors' storage systems through three supported APIs.

The software additionally now provides broader unified management capabilities with support for Hyper-V and Amazon's AWS public cloud.

IT Business Management Suite 1 Standard Edition

This is a new product that's aimed at the infrastructure team rather than the CIO or CFO, according to Klaus. Its aim is to make it easier to compare the cost of providing a given application at a given QoS level when implemented in-house in a private cloud, or hosted on Amazon or Azure public clouds.

"It will auto-generate a rate card, taking into account all the costs for the QoS you need, so you can make an apples-to-apples comparison of your cost with public cloud providers'," says Klaus. He expects that it will show that public clouds provide far lower savings levels than many infrastructure team leaders may imagine.

The obvious omission here is of VMware public cloud providers in the comparison charts, and it's one that must be galling to them given their support for VMware technologies. But Klaus says that adding support for them is "on the roadmap" and will happen at some point in the future. "But Azure and Amazon is where the action is at the moment," Klaus adds.

And that just about wraps up the key product news, except to point out that they are announcements and not product launches — expect the new software to ship some time before the end of the year.

So for those lucky enough to be in Barcelona, it's back to the delicious tapas…

Paul Rubens is a technology journalist and contributor to ServerWatch, EnterpriseNetworkingPlanet and EnterpriseMobileToday. He has also covered technology for international newspapers and magazines including The Economist and The Financial Times since 1991.

Twitter users make headlines as tweets 'turn everyone into reporters'

2013-10-27T00:47:00.001-07:00

Twitter has transformed the media industry and turned ordinary members of the public into reporters, one of the social networking site's top bosses told a conference in the UAE capital on Wednesday.

Speaking at the Abu Dhabi Media Summit, Shailesh Rao, Twitter’s vice president in Asia Pacific, Latin America and emerging markets, said: “Traditionally, it was through mainstream media that people received information. Today it’s different and it seems like everyone is doing it. Tweets, or visualisation through tweets, inform people about what is happening.

“Everyone with a computer, smartphone or any other gadget can send tweets and pictures of what is going on across the globe.”

Twitter has transformed the media industry and turned ordinary members of the public into reporters according to one of the social network's bosses

The social networking expert was giving a speech on how conversation media and Twitter play a major role in disseminating information.

“Twitter users have the power to dictate what stories spread through discussion, retweets and favourites,” he said adding that the reader is no longer a passive recipient of news but also participates in reporting or pursuing news deemed to be of interest. Mainstream media such as 7DAYS, according to Rao, can also use Twitter as a powerful tool to draw audiences to their news websites, using a tweet that includes links to stories with greater depth than a 140-character tweet could ever offer.

He noted that it is necessary for traditional media outlets to pay fresh attention to what content is successful, as well as providing new ways of measuring success to compete in the digital era.

iPhone 5/S vs. Samsung Galaxy S4 Comparison: Best Buy Offering $100 Off Deal for Smartphones; LG G2, Moto X, Note 3 Too

2013-10-26T07:30:00.000-07:00

Best Buy is cutting $100 off the cost of several top smartphones as part of a new limited-edition offer.

Smartphone consumers can head over to a Best Buy store to pick up an iPhone 5S for $99 on contract (AT&T, Sprint and Verizon only) and a Galaxy Note 3 for $199 without having to trade in old devices. The retailer is also selling the LG G2, Moto X and Samsung Galaxy S4 for $100 off. The deal only covers customers signing new contracts, however, so if you're simply looking to upgrade, you would still have to pay the regular price for these smartphones. Most of the deals are available online and there are plenty of other smartphone options as part of the offer to choose from.

Here are the official prices of the aforementioned smartphones:

-iPhone 5S - $99

-Galaxy Note 3 - $199

-LG G2 - $99

-Galaxy S4 -$99

-Moto X - $99

Apple has taken over the top spot for US smartphone sales in September, according to new data from Counterpoint Research provided to theGuardian.

The Cupertino-based company passed Samsung thanks to the new iPhone 5S and 5C, despite the smartphones' 10-day availability for purchase in the month. Apple's 4.8 million iPhones sold during September accounted for 38 percent of the US smartphone market, which dropped Samsung out of the top spot for the first time since May.

The new iPhones sandwiched the Samsung Galaxy S4, as the 5S led individual sales and the colorful 5C finished third.

According to Counterpoint's data, the rest of the Android sellers did not fare well. LG reported sales of under 10 percent despite the launch of its G2 model, Motorola claimed 5 percent and HTC finished with about 3 percent. Nokia was below HTC, suggesting it sold fewer than 400,000 smartphones in the US in September.

Samsung and Apple have controlled the share of smartphones sold since April, accounting for a combined 41.9 million smartphones sold, or about 61 percent of the market. Samsung individually sold 23.4 million phones during the period, which beat the 18.5 million reported for Apple.

Galaxy S4 vs. iPhone 5 Comparison

The Samsung Galaxy S4 and the iPhone 5 battle has been one of the more memorable smartphone comparisons for smartphone users in recent years. Each device has its own fanatics and critics, and while the average smartphone user doesn't understand the complicated technolgy behind each device, they are adamant on which phone provides a better experience for them.

The iPhone 5 has been lauded for its smooth operating system right out of the box, but the Galaxy S4's advanced Android OS allows the user to personalize their experience. These are two of the most significant differences between these devices, which also shed a bit of light on the type of user that owns each smartphone.

However, one considerable factor consumers may want to consider when deciding between the smartphones is the cost it takes to build each model-which trickles down to your pockets during purchase.

Samsung's Galaxy S4 is all the rage these days, but its Apple competitor, the iPhone 5, may still have a leg up on its smartphone counterpart in at least one category: the iPhone is a cheaper model to make.

An estimate by HIS iSuppli suggests quite a difference in prices between the two mobile phones. This, of course, means Apple will have more profit and, as a result, more money available from the smartphone business for innovation, marketing, support and price competition.

According to the His iSuppli estimation, the Apple iPhone 5 with 16GB of storage costs $196 to manufacture (for the lowest-end model), including materials. The cost for the 32GB version is estimated at $217, while the 64GB version runs $238.

Samsung Galaxy S4 estimates to cost $244 for the 16GB model at the high-speed packet access version (a 4G mobile standard), with $236 going for materials and $8.50 for manufacturing. That means the S4 roughly $48 more per unit to make than the equivalent iPhone. The LTE version of the S4, with 16GB, is $3 cheaper.

"Although [the S4's] hardware is not radically different from the Galaxy S III introduced in April of 2012, the Samsung Galaxy S4 includes some critical component updates that enhance its functionality as well as its BOM cost," said Vincent Leung, senior analyst for cost benchmarking at IHS, in a statement. "Among the upgrades are a larger, full high-definition display; a beefed-up Samsung processor; and a wealth of new sensors that set a record high for the number of such devices in a smartphone design."

(Source)

iPad Air, Sony Vaio Tap 11, Sharp Mebius Pad Price, Specs, Reviews: Some Of The Best Tablets In Markets And Around The Corner, How Do They Compare?

2013-10-26T01:30:00.000-07:00

'Tis the season for new tablets! With some of the best ones rolling out into markets this season, what can we expect? Here we have a comparison between the iPad Air, Sony Vaio Tap 11, and Sharp's Mebius Pad, set to debut next year.

APPLE iPAD AIR

Apple reveals that it is only 1 pound, where it's 9.4 inches long, 6.6 inches wide, and .29 inches deep. There is also a cellular-enabled version, where it is compatible with all major US carriers.

SONY VAIO TAP 11The iPad Air features retina display with 2048x1536 resolution with 264 ppi, and fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating. It also runs on an A7 chip with a 64-bit architecture and M7 motion coprocessor. The front camera has 1.2 MP with 720p HD video, where the back camera takes 5MP photos. The battery is a built-in 32.4-watt-hour lithium polymer battery with up to 10 hours of consistent use, and a USB charger. It also operates on the new iOS7 system.

The iPad comes in gray and silver, the first time it has had color variants. It also ranges in 16, 32, 64, and 128 GB options, where the 16GB iPad starts at $499, where the Wi-Fi enabled 16 GB device starts at $629.

According to SlashGear, it is the thinnest full-Windows tablet around. The 12x7.4x.39-inch tablet weighs 1.7 lbs, slightly longer than the Surface Pro. However, it is thinner and lighter, but still slightly larger than the iPad 4 in length.

It features an 11.6-inch Full HD 1920x1080 IPS LCD touchscreen with Sony's TRILUMINOS Display. This offers a 10-point multitouch with rich blacks and vibrant colors, where viewing angles are good. It also has a digital stylus that uses N-Trig technology, which was featured in the VAIO Duo 11 from last year.

Engadget reports that the VAIO Tap 11 has a kickstand, USB port, pen-enabled display, and the thin keyboard attaches to the tablet magnetically. However, the keyboard doesn't cost extra with the VAIO Tap 11, where it does with the Surface Pro 2.

As for other specs, the battery lasts 5:14. It also has a 1.5GHz Intel Core i5 4210Y processor with a 4GBDDR3 SDRAM 2,600MHz memory. It features 1739MB Intel HD Graphics 4200 and 128GB SSD hard drive.

The VAIO Tap 11, according to Sony, is $999.99.

SHARP MEBIUS PAD

Sharp has just introduced its new Windows 8 tablet, the Mebius Pad at this week's CEATEC show in Japan, and from the looks of it, we want to get our hands on it ASAP.

Engadget reports that tablet has a 2,560x1,600 resolution display, much higher than the current 1080p Windows 8 tablets that are on the market today, including the Microsoft Surface 2, making it one of highest on the market.

It also has a 10.1-inch IGZO panel that isn't exactly known for its power, where it runs on Intel's Atom Z3370 SoC. However, it is also water and dust proof, with certifications pending for the IPX5, IPX7, and IP5X. You may also buy it with LTE radios in early 2014.

It will come with Windows 8.1 and Office on the high-resolution display, making this tab great for business use. An optional stylus is also available for purchase, another reason that it is very appealing for business professionals.

Techspot reports that there is no set release date, but it is expected to leave Japan's shores sometime early 2014. We'll watch out for this tablet, where it could very well be the Surface 2 Pro's next competition, especially if it is priced well.

The 64-bit A7 Chip and the iPad Air

2013-10-25T23:39:00.000-07:00

Today in Apple: 64-bit A7 chip and the iPad Air. Plus: CNN thinks iPad sales are in decline, and Sculley wants Apple to ignore Icahn

The 64-bit A7 chip has been a big driver in iPhone 5S sales, and PCMag think it's really going to rock in the iPad Air.

For graphics, Anandtech found the A7 to contain a PowerVR G6430 GPU that supports OpenGL ES version 3.0, which Apple is claiming to be twice as fast as the prior generation iPad 4. We'll see when we get the two of them side by side, although we've already done plenty of benchmarking with the iPhone 5s and found it to be a stellar performer. And there's also a companion M7 coprocessor that handles sensor input, which frees up the A7 to do other tasks, or just rest and conserve battery life.

So what's the big deal about 64-bit architecture? For now, on tablets, it's a buzzword. But as new apps optimized for the A7 begin to appear, you'll see the rewards in performance. iOS 7 is already 64-bit-aware, and as a result will run more smoothly, with better multitasking, on the iPad Air and Air mini with Retina display.

Then there's content creation—that thing pundits claim is ill-suited for the tablet form factor, and that yet so many people are already doing on iPads anyway. Today, most creative professionals stick with desktop PCs for processing photos, HD video, 3D modeling, and 24-bit/192kHz audio tracks. But that could very well change, as 64-bit versions of video editing and audio recording apps gain the ability to run dozens of plug-ins and keep greater chunks of content in memory.

But the A7 enables the iPad to run console-quality games in a way no iOS device could before, with Infinity Blade III being the earliest example. And as the iPad's skyrocketing popularity as a gaming platform indicates, not everyone feels the way I do about hardware controls.

More at PCMag

The comment about gaming is an understatement and a half. Mobile games are hugely popular on the iPad, they make up quite a lot of the Top Paid iPad Apps and the Top Grossing iPad apps. The A7 is likely to increase the popularity of games as they get better by taking advantage of the chip's capabilities.

See the screenshots below for a look at the Top Paid Apps and Top Grossing Apps for iPad. Note how many of them are games.

GITEX TECHNOLOGY WEEK 2013 is set to be the most internationally diverse edition of the show ever.

2013-10-24T09:00:00.000-07:00

This year’s event has seen the number of international exhibitors increase by 26%, with a grand total of 61 countries present.

New participating countries at the thirty-third edition of the show include Official Country Sponsor Serbia; Belarus, Brazil, Finland, Kenya, Lithuania, Slovenia, Tunisia and Ukraine. Delegations of senior officials were also present from countries including Bahrain, Egypt, India, Jordan, Morocco, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Tatarstan, Tunisia and United Kingdom.

There was strong participation from the other countries of the GCC, with 500 businesses and organisations from Saudi Arabia in attendance; and more than 300 coming from each of Qatar and Kuwait.

The show also drew a good presence from many established exhibitor countries. France and Germany, both had more than 30 exhibitors on site, while the UK had 67 companies participating. South East Asia, meanwhile, accounted for 21 companies.

Many of the participating exhibitors drew strong support from the governments of their home countries. The Indian Pavilion was inaugurated by Sanjay Verma, Consul General of India. India has a strong presence at GITEX Technology Week, with thirty-six companies taking part under the aegis of India’s Electronics and Computer Software Export Promotion Council.

The Nigeria pavilion, part of an increasing involvement from African nations, was opened by Hon Omobola Johnson, Minister of Nigeria’s Ministry of Communication Technology.

DWTC’s Africa in Focus programme, now in its second year, once again contributed to a significant rise in attendees from Africa.

Trixie LohMirmand, Senior Vice President at Dubai World Trade Centre, says: “GITEX Technology Week is an all-encompassing and multi-faceted event that has always looked to engage the wider ICT community in a nuanced and constructive way. Year-on-year, we have improved our ability to attract and support international businesses, organisations and visitors, and we are proud to say that 2013 is one of our most internationally diverse shows yet.”

Finally Released: DMASOFTLAB RADIUS MANAGER BILLING SYSTEM v4.1

2013-10-24T01:17:00.000-07:00

Finally Released: DMASOFTLAB RADIUS MANAGER BILLING SYSTEM v4.1

Source: http://www.dmasoftlab.com/cont/revision

** v 4.1.0 ** 2013-10-23 **

NEW FEATURES:

-enhanced SMTP mailer with authentication and freely configurable port
-SMS alert indicating the account is going to expire
-support for BulkSMS HTTP->SMS gateway
-alert type is selectable in user preferences (ACP / UCP)
-enable traffic report per user in ACP even if global traffic report is disabled
-service change is allowed for Hotspot MAC accounts
-auto logout expired ACP sessions
-FreeRadius 2.2.0 support
-DOCSIS upstream SNR data in CM overview table
-DOCSIS upstream SNR is available for each CM
-CMTS upstream SNR monitoring
-Mikrotik Gigawords support added for NAS disconnection mode (PPP, Hotspot)
-NAS disconnection mode total traffic limits are supported (Hotspot)
-Paypal Express Checkout order summary is available
-PayFast payment gateway support (South Africa)
-separate checkbox for IAS SMS verification
-option for filtering duplicate email and mobile numbers in self registration and IAS purchase
-Hotspot MAC users can edit account details in UCP
-recover lost IAS password
-option in system settings to add new managers and NASs to all services or not
-custom text field on PDF cards (print online time, MB, expiration, other text)
-syslog record for all unix events and rmscheduler actions
-syslog event for sent SMS, email
-selectable user group in card generator module
-massmail select group option
-prepaid service details on invoice
-disable accounts due to expired contract (selectable option)
-user definable character set for card PIN codes and passwords
-find traffic data per NAS
-find traffic data per AP
-traffic summary per NAS
-traffic summary per AP
-bulk email supports UTF8
-bulk SMS with group support
-separate poller pause for MT API access (radiusmanager.cfg)
-log unsuccessful RADIUS authentications
-restart radiusd automatically when updating / deleting / editing any of NASs
-option to exclude zero priced invoices in postpaid batch billing
-option to exclude disabled accounts in postpaid batch billing
-welcome SMS for all account types (IAS, self registered, regular, Hotspot MAC, DOCSIS)
-filter registration date in list users view
-new registration method: mobile number is the user name, auto generated password is sent to cell phone
-UCP payment success shows a disconnect button if next service is active
-ACP record login failures
-filter activated / not activated classic prepaid cards
-notifications sent in user specific language
-selectable language per manager
-multi language password recovery form
-enhanced password recovery (user name is mandatory due to possible duplicate email addresses)
-configurable default sim-use value for self registered users
-user selectable views: list users, list online users, list online cm
-postpaid invoice status in edit user account overview
-disabled next service support (disabled ip pool etc.)
-multiple email address support per account
-show last logoff date in list users view (useful for finding inactive accounts)
-self reg email + SMS activation option
-captcha in self registration forms
-authorize.net extended currency support (USD, CAD, GBP, EUR)
-optimized rmscheduler.php with delayed disconnection to gain speed
-logging new self registered and IAS accounts
-quick last invoice overview (showing the last page first)
-added email address validation for UCP user edit, self registration, ACP registration, IAS purchase

BUGFIXES:

-sim-use is added to privileged fields
-account refill vulnerability fixed (UCP)
-user coordinate latitude / longitude fix
-rm_services cmcfg field size = 10240, enabling large tftp boot files
-entering privileged user data issue fixed in new user registration form
-carry over adds new credits to zero if the actual balance is negative
-duplicate PIN problem fixed when prefix is used
-generate card show own service only
-store new IAS mobile, email
-new user registration error fixed when apostrophe is used in service name
-rmacnt crash issue fixed
-list refill cards issue fixed
-dhcpd.conf file ownership issue fixed
-sim-use is no more editable when privileged data editing is disabled
-rmscheduler expired CM logout issue fixed
-store email, mobile number in IAS purchase
-ACP edit user restricted mode: disable CPE address fields
-added missing index parameter to 2CheckOut review cart
-self registration upper case user name problem fixed
-dhcpd.conf access mutex problem fixed
-blank password fix for regular and Hotspot MAC accounts
-ACP refill negative balance vulnerability fixed
-PayPal Payments Pro order total price higher than 1000 issue fixed
-scheduled service changes next page problem fixed
-language cookie path traversal vulnerability fixed
-UCP service change vulnerability fixed
-accidental authorize.net double charge issue fixed
-cancel monthly invoice even if it is active (negative amount is allowed)
-ACP / edit IAS grouped thousands price issue fixed
-online payment submit button issue fixed (Chrome issue)
-duplicate accounting issue fixed
-special periods connection problem fixed

Open first regional office in Dubai LinkedIn

2012-10-01T23:00:00.001-07:00

First of its kind in North Africa and Middle East

US based Professional networking site, LinkedIn, has opened its first office in the Middle East right here in Dubai.

In a blog post, LinkedIn’s first regional employee Ali Matar revealed that UAE alone has more than one million LinkedIn members with “several million more across the region.” The website has about 175 million users worldwide.

The office, based in Dubai Internet City will cater to the MENA region, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Egypt, Libya, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Pakistan, and Yemen.

A tablet designed for easy integration into corporate and government environments.

2012-10-01T22:37:00.000-07:00

HP announces ElitePad Tablet for business

A tablet designed for easy integration into corporate and government environments.

At long last, HP have unveiled their much-rumored tablet, having previously briefly appeared in a few HP promotional videos. Dubbed the HP ElitePad 900, the tablet will be a business-focused tablet that can be customized to suit various business needs. The 10.1 inch tablet will run Windows 8, and features a 1080p front-facing camera, Corning® Gorilla® Glass 2, and enhanced security options for integrating seamlessly into a corporate environment. The ElitePad also features ‘Smart Jackets’, which add things such as USB ports, a keyboard, and extra battery life. Pricing is not yet announced, but it’s expected to ship in January 2013.

Press Release: PALO ALTO, Calif. — HP today introduced the HP ElitePad 900, a tablet that balances a beautiful design with enterprise-grade features, functionality and support.

Designed for business and government, it features HP ElitePad Smart Jackets, which add connectivity options and an additional ultra-slim battery for longer runtime, along with specific add-ons that customize the tablet for specialized uses.

The HP ElitePad is an ultrathin, lightweight tablet designed for Windows 8 that delivers features to keep IT managers happy and touts a design that employees will crave. It offers the full serviceability, enhanced security and manageability found in HP Elite PCs, and military-grade durability for drops, vibration, dust, temperature extremes and high altitude.

“Businesses used to face a tough purchase decision: How to find a product that will delight employees and help them be more productive, while also making sure IT can secure and manage it,” said Todd Bradley, executive vice president, Printing and Personal Systems, HP. “The HP ElitePad meets all those tests. It combines the great style and user experience consumers demand with the features IT requires.”

A tablet that is made for business
Ergonomically designed to fit comfortably in the hand, the HP ElitePad offers a 10.1-inch diagonal display, weighs just 1.5 pounds and measures 9.2 millimeters (mm) thin. The 16-by-10 aspect ratio maximizes the display area for ideal viewing of traditional business applications, as well as video content. Precision crafted, with an eye toward fit and finish, the HP ElitePad uses stylish, premium materials such as CNC-machined aluminum and Corning® Gorilla® Glass 2.

Powered by next-generation Intel® mobile processors, the HP ElitePad delivers PC productivity for those on the go and Intel x86 compatibility for existing business application support. It is designed for Windows 8 and supports touch-, pen- or voice-based input. The HP ElitePad also provides power efficiency and smartphone-style convenience with compatibility for familiar Windows applications, as well as easy integration into existing IT environments.

The unique, productivity-enhancing ecosystem of HP Smart Jackets and additional accessories designed specifically for the HP ElitePad expand the tablet’s potential, turning it into a total enterprise solution:

- HP ElitePad Productivity Jacket—includes an integrated keyboard, connectivity ports, SD card reader and adjustable viewing angles for a complete computing experience.
- HP ElitePad Expansion Jacket—adds USB, HDMI and other connectivity to get more done on the go. Adds even longer battery life when bundled with the optional HP ElitePad Jacket battery.
- The HP ElitePad Rugged Case—provides military-grade reliability and enhances the stylish profile of the ElitePad for added protection.
HP ElitePad Docking Station—delivers an enterprise-class desktop experience with an added keyboard and monitor and also charges the tablet. Or, use it to set the tablet up as a secondary screen for phenomenal multitasking.
HP Executive Tablet Pen—lets customers write messages and notes in their natural handwriting directly on screen and then save or convert to typed text for use in other applications.
Loaded with tools for mobile work or play

The HP ElitePad tablet’s 1080p front-facing video camera and 8 megapixel (MP) rear camera with an LED flash and included CyberLink YouCam software help users easily communicate face to face, create high-definition (HD) web videos or record training videos without high production costs.

Powered by technology from HP Labs, the company’s central research arm, new HP PageLift is an application that automatically trims, correctly lights and orients a captured image of a whiteboard, paper contract or other document so it is ready to use or share without requiring manual editing.

Users can easily print directly from their HP ElitePad to any ePrint-capable HP printer or to a networked HP printer without the need for downloading drivers. HP ePrint software allows users to print remotely at more than 24,000 public locations such as hotels and business service retailers. The HP ElitePad also helps small workgroups connect with HP Wireless Hotspot, a desktop application that allows users to share a wireless internet connection and network bandwidth.

Additional user-experience software includes the CyberLink Media suite, which enables users to manage and create audio and video content with the same easy-to-use interface as other HP business PCs. Plus, users can record and listen to audio with a stereo microphone and headset jack that feature the richness of SRS Audio.

Information management is made easy with Evernote, which captures, saves and synchronizes information across devices with impressively quick search capability, and Skitch software that eases collaboration with colleagues by quickly marking up images with captions or sketches.

Manageability, deployment and security for IT environments
The HP ElitePad offers a long life cycle, stable image and HP Global Series Support, all of which IT managers expect in an enterprise tablet. It also features a one-year standard warranty, with the option for a three-year warranty via HP Care Pack Services. The HP ElitePad is fully serviceable with an optional, industry-unique service tool for HP Self-Maintainers that allows customers to access the panel, battery, motherboard and unibody chassis, helping reduce downtime and keep sensitive data and devices in-house.

In addition, organizations will appreciate the enterprise-caliber data, device and identity protection from HP Client Security, including HP BIOS Protection, Security Manager and HP Drive Encryption. Additional security features include Device Access Manager, Computrace and Sparekey.

Device deployment and ongoing support and maintenance are made easy with x86 compatibility and support for HP Client Management solutions. The LANDesk Management Suite(1) also increases security and eases management by providing differentiated tools to locate and protect data on lost devices, remotely capture SIM card info for mass WWAN activation and enforce geographic policies to remotely lock, full wipe or selectively wipe data.

The HP ElitePad 900 is expected to be available in the United States in January 2013. Pricing information will be announced closer to availability.

Views:+1: Expected Price Gains for Internet Stocks (GOOG, YHOO, AOL, BIDU, DMD, LNKD, MWW, RATE, TST)

2011-10-26T12:30:00.000-07:00

As the internet has developed over the past 15 years or so, a variety of business models have appeared — and some have disappeared. Revenue models are also different, running from advertising to subscription to content provider types. The dominant revenue model is advertising and the leaders there are Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ: YHOO) in display advertising and Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG). AOL Inc. (NYSE: AOL) and China’s Baidu Inc. (NASDAQ: BIDU) are other major ad driven sites.

LinkedIn Corp. (NASDAQ: LNKD) and Monster World Wide Inc. (NYSE: MWW) depend on subscriptions for revenue, while Demand Media Inc. (NYSE: DMD), Bankrate, Inc. (NYSE: RATE) and TheStreet, Inc. (NASDAQ: TST) provide original content surrounded by advertising.In addition to these publicly traded stocks the internet space also includes social networking company Facebook, social game company Zynga, and coupon site Groupon. The latter two have filed for IPOs and both are expected to come public as soon as next month.All financial data from Yahoo! Finance, unless noted otherwise.

Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) has a median target price of $727.50 from 30 brokers. Shortly after noon today, shares are trading today at $587.87, for an implied gain of $139.63, or 24%. Google’s forward P/E is 13.45 and the company does not pay a dividend. The stock’s 52-week trading range is $473.02-642.96, and at today’s price that’s about 24% above its 52-week low, posted earlier this morning, and 9% below the 52-week high. Google reaps nearly $10 billion a quarter in advertising revenues. Only a relatively small portion of that is mobile advertising, but as Google’s best selling Android mobile operating system continues to spread, the mobile ad revenue could continue its triple-digit growth rate for some time to come.

Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ: YHOO) has a median target price of $18.00 from 23 brokers. Shortly after noon today, shares are trading today at $16.33, for an implied gain of $1.67, or 10%. Yahoo’s forward P/E is 18.55 and the company does not pay a dividend. The stock’s 52-week trading range is $11.09-$18.84, and at today’s price that’s about 47% above its 52-week low, posted earlier this morning, and 13% below the 52-week high. Yahoo recently fired its CEO and is currently exploring strategic options. Much of the company’s value resides in its nearly 40% share in China’s Alibaba e-commerce site. The stock price is relatively high on the belief that the company will find a buyer willing to pay a premium.

AOL Inc. (NYSE: AOL) has a median target price of $17.00 from 15 brokers. Shortly after noon today, shares are trading today at $14.38, for an implied gain of $2.62, or 18%. AOL’s forward P/E is 84.65 and the company does not pay a dividend. The stock’s 52-week trading range is $10.06-$27.65, and at today’s price that’s about 43% above its 52-week low, posted earlier this morning, and 48% below the 52-week high. AOL recently purchased the Huffington Post properties, which gave the company something of a boost. The high forward P/E speaks volumes about prospects for future earnings. AOL, like Yahoo, is probably over-priced.

Baidu Inc. (NASDAQ: BIDU) has a median target price of $191.00 from 26 brokers. Shortly after noon today, shares are trading today at $127.89, for an implied gain of $63.11, or 49%. Baidu’s forward P/E is 29.11 and the company does not pay a dividend. The stock’s 52-week trading range is $94.33-$165.96, and at today’s price that’s about 36% above its 52-week low, posted earlier this morning, and 23% below the 52-week high. Baidu’s great advantage is that it is the largest and fastest growing internet company in the world’s most populous country. Sheer numbers are on Baidu’s side for now and for several years to come. The forward P/E may indicate an overpriced stock, but its stock price is still nearly $35/share below its target price. There’s plenty of room for this one to run.

Demand Media Inc. (NYSE: DMD) has a median target price of $15.00 from 10 brokers. Shortly after noon today, shares are trading today at $6.47, for an implied gain of $8.53, or 132%. Demand Media’s forward P/E is 16.97 and the company does not pay a dividend. The stock’s 52-week trading range is $5.24-$27.38, and at today’s price that’s about 23% above its 52-week low, posted earlier this morning, and 76% below the 52-week high. Demand Media was hit hard by a change earlier this year to Google’s search algorithm and the company hasn’t recovered. The target price here is too high, and the company continues its arguable accounting practice of capitalizing content creation costs and amortizing them over five years. The effect of that practice is to spread costs over a long period, making the company look more profitable than it may be.

Views +1:Full 360-Degree Preview of Amazon.com Earnings (AMZN, BBY, AAPL, NFLX)

2011-10-26T07:00:00.000-07:00

Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) is set to report earnings after the close of trading on Tuesday. What makes Amazon so different from many peers in technology, internet and virtual companies is that it is only recently off of its highs and not really by that much. Even after a 2.5% drop so far on Tuesday, the $231.50 area compares to a closing price yesterday of $237.61 and to a 52-week range of $156.77 to $246.71.

Here are the targets. Amazon.com continues to be a thorn in the side of Best Buy Co. Inc. (NYSE: BBY) for consumer electronics. The big question is whether or not it can take away iPad sales from Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) with the new souped up Kindle models and whether or not it can suddenly challenge NetFlix, Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX) now that Reed Hastings seems to be messing up on every turn.

Thomson Reuters has estimates for its third quarter of $0.24 EPS and $10.93 billion in sales. For the current fourth quarter we are already in, those estimates are $0.86 EPS and $18.05 billion in revenues. Keep in mind that the fourth quarter is “the money quarter” as it includes Christmas and the holiday season sales and the estimates compare to the readings a year ago of $0.91 EPS and $12.95 billion in sales.

What is amazing is that Amazon.com still trades at more than 100-times expected 2011 earnings. The company has rapidly been building its cloud efforts and building its infrastructure. This has all come at the expense of margins, and trying to factor in the new Kindle sales will be no easy task.

If you just use the weekly options, then it looks as though options traders are braced for a move of up to about $9.50 to $11 in either direction. If we use the monthly expiration November options, then it seems that options traders are braced for a move of $14.00 or more in either direction.

You can take a look at the chart from stockcharts.com below if you want. The stock is looking tired, but honestly we would have said the exact same thing a month ago right before we saw a false-breakdown of the chart. We would point that the 50-day moving average was tested and held for the most part a month ago. That 50-day moving average is now down at $219.28 and the 200-day moving average is $197.20.

The analyst community has a consensus price target just above $243.50. At some point, Wall Street is going to demand higher margins. When that is can be anyone’s guess. We stopped trying to harp on it because no one seems to care.

JON C. OGG........

Views +1:Valuation, Timing & Margins Catch Up To Amazon.com (AMZN)

2011-10-26T00:04:00.000-07:00

Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) has turned in earnings for its third quarter, and we will be paying extra attention to its fourth quarter. The seller of everything online reported earnings of $0.14 EPS on sales of $10.88 billion, which compares to the Thomson Reuters targets of $0.24 EPS and $10.93 billion in sales. Operating income was $79 million.

Amazon also guided the fourth quarter to come in at %16.45 to $18.65 billion in sales and it put the range for operating earnings at -$200 million to a profit of $250 million. The Thomson Reuters estimates are $0.86 EPS and $18.05 billion in revenues. As noted in the preview, the fourth quarter is Amazon’s “money quarter” as it includes Christmas and the holiday season sales.

We have been concerned each quarter about Amazon’s margins and its operating margins came in at 0.7%. North American sales are currently about 20% larger than its international sales. Even before the guidance, Amazon traded at more than 100-times expected 2011 earnings. The big outlier was the new Kindle sales.

The news may finally be catching up to Jeff Bezos and friends today. Shares closed down 4.4% at $227.15 versus a recent all-time high of $246.71, but shares are down sharply and just under $194.00 as of about 4:17 PM EST.

We will hold off before tallying up all of the post-conference call judgment. Bezos has had similar quarters before where the reception went from bad to good. We do not believe that can happen forever and we believe that at some point investors will start to demand better margins and higher profits. It is not exactly as if Amazon is an emerging online retailer....

Views +1:FedEx Adds to Seasonal Hiring Boost (FDX, BBY, JCP) Read more: FedEx Adds to Seasonal Hiring Boost (FDX, BBY, JCP)

2011-10-25T03:00:00.000-07:00

FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) expects to handle more than 260 million packages during the coming holiday season. That’s a 12% increase from a year ago, and to cope with the flood the company plans to hire 20,000 temporary workers. That’s more than we noted from either Best Buy Co. Inc. (NYSE: BBY) or J.C. Penney Co. (NYSE: JCP) in our recent look at the retailers expected to do the most seasonal hiring this year.

That’s good news for employment, but not altogether a boost for FedEx. The company noted that most of the volume increase this year is coming from its low-profit SmartPost residential service where the US Post Office completes the package delivery. The SmartPost service includes mostly light-weight, unspecified delivery date packages from on-line sales that do not generate a lot of revenue for FedEx.

The company still expects retail sales to rise 2.5%-3% this holiday season. However, if FedEx is right about where its revenues are coming from, local retailers could be be in for a tough holiday shopping season. Large retail chains, though, could get a somewhat bigger boost from an increase in on-line sales................

Views +1:NetFlix Shares Down 24% On Earnings

2011-10-24T21:53:00.000-07:00

Wall St. slashed shares of NetFlix (NASDAQ: NFLX) has it missed all projections for revenue, earnings, and subscribers. The firm’s price decisions, which have alienated customers, may have permanently hurt the company. The poor judgement which included raising subscriber rates sharply, comes as powerful competition from Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN), Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL), Hulu, and YouTube enter the market.

Third quarter earnings were up 63% to $1.16, which would have been an impressive improvement for any other company.

Netflix reported 21.45 million streaming subscriptions at the end of the third quarter and 13.9 million DVD subscribers. The company said total U.S. subscriber base by the end of its third quarter was 23.79 million—below expectations of roughly 24 million. Netflix lost 810,000 subscribers between the second and third quarters.

Netflix said it would miss Q4 forecasts as well.............

Views +1: Closing Bell (AAPL, WMT, WFM, MS, BAC, INTC, WMB, HGSI, ABT, OXGN, PWAV, AEM) Read more: 24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell (AAPL, WMT, WFM, MS, BAC, INTC, WMB, HGSI, ABT, OXGN, PWAV, AEM)

2011-10-20T10:00:00.000-07:00

Stocks opened down this morning following the earnings report Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) after markets closed yesterday. Moody’s downgrade of Spain’s sovereign debt also weighed on the opening. The Consumer Price Index for urban consumers rose by 0.3%, and just 0.1% excluding energy and food costs. Housing starts rose by an unexpected 15% as condos and apartment construction was prompted by more demand for rental units to push markets to a mid-morning gain, but by noon share prices had given a lot of that back on continuing uncertainty about what’s really happening in Europe. The Federal Reserve Beige Book was released at 2 p.m. ET, and its uninspiring reports sent markets sharply lower, from about 25 points up on the Dow to more than 70 points below yesterday’s close.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA down nearly 72 points to 11,504.70, the NASDAQ fell more than 53 points (2.01%) to2,604.04, and the S&P 500 fell 1.26% or more than 15 points to 1,209.89.

Today’s top analyst upgrade and downgrade calls were numerous and included Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) and Whole Foods Markets Inc. (NASDAQ: WFM), and about a dozen other companies.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) reported better than expected earnings for the quarter, following yesterday’s positive report from Bank of America Corp. (NYSE: BAC). Morgan Stanley got a big lift from an accounting gain that lowered the value of its debt by $3.4 billion, thus boosting the bank’s revenue to $9.9 billion. Even without the gain, MS posted EPS of $0.02, There has been a turnaround from the indicated loss in Bank of America Corporation (NYSE: BAC) after its earnings showed that book value managed to actually grow and the stock was up almost 10% at $6.63 late in the session.

As far as the other big earnings report reactions today (prices within 20 minutes of the closing bell): Apple is down more than -5.5%, at $398.78; Morgan Stanley up 0.3%, at $16.68; Intel Corp. (NASDAQ: INTC) is up about 3.5%, at $24.22; Yahoo is up 2.78%, at $15.90.

Several other standouts from today are as follows…

Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE: WMB) rose again by another 1.7%, to $29.55, after investors are considering it a cheap merger alternative to the El Paso buyout by Kinder Morgan this week.

Human Genome Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: HGSI) had another big day on merger speculation up, up nearly 8%, at $13.83, and here is how it ranks with analysts other price targets for biotechs ahead of the biotech earnings floodgates.

Abbot Laboratories (NYSE: ABT) rose 1.62%, to $53.29, following the announcement of the company’s intention to split its branded drug business from its other product lines.

Oxigene, Inc. (NASDAQ: OXGN) got a nice boost of about 12.55%, to $1.59, following good data on the survival benefits of its anti-thyroid cancer drug.

Powerwave Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: PWAV) warned of a revenue shortfall of more than 50% for its third quarter. The shares lost nearly -42% of their value, to fall to $0.85, after posting a new 52-week low of $0.68 earlier in the day.

Agnico-Eagle Mines Ltd. (NYSE: AEM) has suspended operations indefinitely at its mine in Val d’Or, Quebec, due to unstable ground and inflows of water. The stock has fallen by -19%, to $46.21.

Stay tuned for Thursday. We have speeches to watch from Lockhart and Kocherlakota on the docket as well as a 30-year TIPS auction. Here are some economic releases due in the morning and throughout the day:

8:30 Unemployment Benefits Claims for last week
8:30 Existing Home Sales
10:00 Conference Board’s Index of Leading Economic Indicators
10:30 Natural Gas Report
4:30 PM Federal Reserve Balance Sheet

....................................

Views +1: Top After-Hours Earnings Stocks on the Move (AXP, BWLD, CRUS, CBST, EBAY, ETFC, RVBD, WDC, WYNN) Read more: Top After-Hours Earnings Stocks on the Move (AXP, BWLD, CRUS, CBST, EBAY, ETFC, RVBD, WDC, WYNN)

2011-10-19T23:37:00.001-07:00

24/7 Wall St. is tracking the after-hours earnings reports to see which stocks are on the move and which ones will be the key issues for Thursday morning. The top movers are as follows: American Express Company (NYSE: AXP); Buffalo Wild Wings Inc. (NASDAQ: BWLD); Cirrus Logic Inc. (NASDAQ: CRUS); Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: CBST); eBay Inc. (NASDAQ: EBAY); E*TRADE FInancial Corporation (NASDAQ: ETFC); Riverbed Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: RVBD); Western Digital Corporation (NYSE: WDC); and Wynn Resorts Ltd. (NASDAQ: WYNN).

A brief summary of the news and the after-hours reaction is available on each below.

American Express Company (NYSE: AXP) beat earnings estimates at $1.03 EPS versus $0.95 estimates. Shares were down 1.2% today and shares are currently down another 1.2% at $45.59 in the after-hours session.

Buffalo Wild Wings Inc. (NASDAQ: BWLD) beats earnings at $0.61 EPS versus $0.63 EPS estimate; revenues rose over 30%; it sees meeting a goal of 13% unit growth and 23% net earnings growth for 2011. The dining, beer, and sports destination also sees 2012 with 12% unit growth and net earnings growth of 20% in 2012. Shares fell 0.8% on the day but the stock is up 3.3% at $59.81 in the after-hours session.

Cirrus Logic Inc. (NASDAQ: CRUS) beats earnings but guided next quarter below estimates as it is seeing softness in some areas of business due to global economic issues. Shares were down 5.5% at $17.01 on the regular trading day and shares are down another 12% at $14.73 in after-hours.

Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: CBST) beat $200 million in sales for the quarter and shares are up almost 8% at $39.33 after closing down 1.75% today.

eBay Inc. (NASDAQ: EBAY) met its $0.48 EPS target and sees $0.55 to $0.58 EPS versus $0.58 EPS targets in Q4. Shares were down 2% on the day and down another 4.3% at $31.83 in after-hours trading.

E*TRADE FInancial Corporation (NASDAQ: ETFC) is now up after having been down. It appears to have met the $0.16 estimate but revenues were light; shares closed down 2.6% on the day but are back up almost 2% at $9.52 in after-hours. No word on any merger, again.

Riverbed Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: RVBD) may be getting its mojo back… It beat earnings and guided higher. After falling 2.8% on the day shares are up over 11% at $25.10 in the after-hours and the 52-week range is $12.57 to $44.70.

Western Digital Corporation (NYSE: WDC) was down 9% today on Thai flood concerns and shares are down another 2% at $24.00 in the after-hours session despite $1.01 EPS. The floods could impact they key quarter ahead.

Wynn Resorts Ltd. (NASDAQ: WYNN) was down over 5% on its own today and now the high-end casino operator posted $1.05 EPS versus $1.15 estimates even though revenues were in line and up 29%. Shares are down another 5.2% at $123.48................

Views +1: Moody’s Hammers Spain

2011-10-18T23:35:00.000-07:00

The trading day in America began with worry about a possible downgrade of France’s Aaa rating. Word that France and Germany had agreed to a bailout structure for trouble EU nations pushed markets higher through the close.

The see saw now continues as Moody’s has downgraded Spain to A1 from Aa2. The news will cast a shadow on the belief that the financial crisis in Europe may markedly improve late this month.

“Moody’s Investors Service has today downgraded Spain’s government bond ratings to A1 from Aa2. This rating action concludes the review for possible downgrade that Moody’s had initiated for Spain’s rating on 29 July. The ratings carry a negative outlook,” the agency said.

It was easy to predict the reasons for the action since that mirror the reasons for most other downgrades of sovereign paper in the region.

(1) Spain continues to be vulnerable to market stress and event risk. Since placing the ratings under review in late July 2011, no credible resolution of the current sovereign debt crisis has emerged and it will in any event take time for confidence in the area’s political cohesion and growth prospects to be fully restored. In the meantime, Spain’s large sovereign borrowing needs as well as the high external indebtedness of the Spanish banking and corporate sectors render it vulnerable to further funding stress.
(2) The already moderate growth prospects for Spain have been scaled back further in view of (i) the worsening global and European growth outlook and (ii) the difficult funding situation for the banking sector and its impact on the wider economy. Specifically, Moody’s now expects Spain’s real GDP growth in 2012 to be 1% at best, compared with earlier expectations of 1.8%, with risks mainly to the downside. Over the following years, the rating agency continues to expect a very moderate pace of growth of around 1.5% on average per annum.

(3) Lower economic growth in turn will make the achievement of the ambitious fiscal targets even more challenging for Spain. Moody’s expects the budget deficits for the general government sector to be above target both this year and next. In particular, Moody’s continues to have serious concerns regarding the funding situation of the regional governments and their ability to reduce their budget deficits according to targets.........

Views +1:Apple Sets Sales Record: Blackberry’s Waterloo (AAPL, RIMM, SSNLF) Read more: Apple Sets Sales Record: Blackberry’s Waterloo (AAPL, RIMM, SSNLF)

2011-10-18T13:00:00.000-07:00

The iPhone 4S topped 4 million sales in its first weekend of availability, according to maker Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL). On the other end of the continent, Waterloo, Ontario-based Research in Motion Ltd. (NASDAQ: RIMM) announced that it would give customers up to $100 worth of free apps as “an expression of appreciation for their patience” when RIM’s network service was disrupted last week.

The contrast between the fortunes of the two companies has been obvious for some time now, but it still must be more than demoralizing to RIM to suffer its latest indignity at the same time that the company that is beating it to death in the marketplace scores a massive win. Waterloo indeed.

Apple’s shares are not getting a big boost from its weekend sales, perhaps because the Cupertino company has been hit with litigation by Samsung Electronics (OTC: SSNLF) in both Japan and Australia to stop the sales in those countries of the iPhone 4S. Samsung also wants the Japanese court to enjoin Apple from selling the iPhone 4 and the iPad 2 in Japan. Last week Apple won an action against Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1, enjoining sales in Australia. Samsung also won a ruling in the Netherlands late last week, where Apple was also seeking an injunction against sales of the Galaxy Tab 10.1.

Apple and Samsung will eventually work out an agreement. RIM, however, has seen its market share and share price savaged since 2009, mostly due to the explosion in smartphones kicked off by Apple’s iPhone. There is no agreement that RIM can reach with Apple that will make up for the Canadian company’s misjudgments and missteps.

Analyst firm BGC Partners downgraded Apple shares from ‘Buy’ to ‘Hold’ because the stock is near the firm’s target price of $450/share and the belief that Apple will continue to need to see record-breaking sales performance on both iPhones and iPads in order to meet investors expectations. That’s pretty hard to do, even for Apple.

Apple shares are up marginally at $425.24 in mid-morning trading, after posting a new 52-week high this morning of $426.70. RIM’s shares are down -5.3%, at $22.70, in a 52-week range of $19.29-$70.54........

Views +1: Expected Upside for Homebuilders & Home Improvement Companies (NVR, TOL, PHM, HOV, DHI, BZH, HD, LOW) Read more: Expected Upside for Homebuilders & Home Improvement Companies (NVR, TOL, PHM, HOV, DHI, BZH, HD, LOW)

2011-10-18T06:00:00.000-07:00

Our look at stock target prices focuses on homebuilders and home improvement stores today. It’s not news that US homebuilders have had a very tough few years. In the past five years, only one of the six builders we’re looking at today has managed a share price gain. The companies began to falter in 2007 and the smallest five-year slide is more than -40%. That may be a new definition of awful.

Worse, there is not much expectation that the market will turn around at least until 2013. More foreclosed homes coming on the market will continue to depress prices, and until inventories of unsold homes are cleared, there simply can’t be a significant recovery. The homebuilders we’re looking at include NVR Corp. (NYSE: NVR), Toll Brothers Inc. (NYSE: TOL), PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE: PHM), Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE: HOV), D.R. Horton, Inc. (NYSE: DHI), and Beazer Homes USA Inc. (NYSE: BZH).

Home improvement stores have also had to struggle over the past several years. Shares of Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE: HD) and Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE: LOW) are both lower today than they were five years ago.

Share prices were pegged at about noon today, and all data comes from Yahoo! Finance.

NVR Corp. (NYSE: NVR) has a median target price of $728.00 from 4 brokers. Shares are trading today at $620.99, for an implied gain of $107.01, or 14.7%. NVR’s forward P/E is 17.6 and the company does not pay a dividend. The stock’s 52-week trading range is $554.71-$804.31, and at today’s price that’s about 12% above its 52-week low and 23% below the 52-week high. NVR’s share price has risen about 12% since October 2006, and of all the homebuilders, it is the only one that can point to a gain over that period. The company’s consensus EPS estimate for 2011 has dropped from $28.02 to $26.45. There might be an opportunity here, but it’s a pretty slim one.

Toll Brothers Inc. (NYSE: TOL) has a median target price of $21.50 from 14 brokers. Shares are trading today at $15.29, for an implied gain of $6.21, or 28.9%. Toll Brothers’ forward P/E is 49.35 and the company does not pay a dividend. The stock’s 52-week trading range is $13.16-$22.42, and at today’s price that’s about 16% above its 52-week low and 32% below the 52-week high. Toll Brothers is expected to post EPS of $0.20 for its 2011 fiscal year ending this month — and that’s up from an earlier EPS estimate of just $0.02. The company’s position at the luxury end of the market has been something of a prop to the share price, but the US economy is not minting many new millionaires right now.

PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE: PHM) has a median target price of $6.50 from 15 brokers. Shares are trading today at $4.14, for an implied gain of $2.36, or 36.3%. PulteGroup’s forward P/E is 32 and the company does not pay a dividend. The stock’s 52-week trading range is $3.29-$8.69, and at today’s price that’s about 26% above its 52-week low and 52% below the 52-week high. PulteGroup was one of the ten worst performing stocks in the recently completed quarter, losing -45% of its value. There is nothing about the homebuilding industry or PulteGroup’s recent performance that justifies the forward P/E ratio of 32. Hope is not a strategy.

Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE: HOV) has a median target price of $1.38 from 8 brokers. Shares are trading today at $1.20, for an implied gain of $0.18, or 13%. Hovnanian’s forward P/E is negative and the company does not pay a dividend. The stock’s 52-week trading range is $0.89-$5.00, and at today’s price that’s about 35% above its 52-week low and 76% below the 52-week high. Hovnanian is asking debt holders to exchange old notes for new ones carrying a lower interest rate and a longer term. The offer is scheduled to end next week. The company’s corporate debt rating is ‘CC’, just two notches above default. Debt holders are unlikely to ride to the company’s rescue.

D.R. Horton, Inc. (NYSE: DHI) has a median target price of $13.00 from 14 brokers. Shares are trading today at $9.62, for an implied gain of $3.38, or 26%. Horton’s forward P/E is 19.3 and the company pays a dividend yield of 1.5%. The stock’s 52-week trading range is $8.03-$13.50, and at today’s price that’s about 59% above its 52-week low and 29% below the 52-week high. Horton is expected to post EPS for the quarter just ended of $0.14, and full-year EPS of $0.20 for the year ended in September. The consensus estimate for 2012 full-year EPS is $0.50. If the market is getting weaker, as many believe, the company has exactly no chance of meeting that 2012 number.

Beazer Homes USA Inc. (NYSE: BZH) has a median target price of $3.00 from 7 brokers. Shares are trading today at $1.81, for an implied gain of $1.19, or 39.7%. Horton’s forward P/E is negative and the company does not pay a dividend. The stock’s 52-week trading range is $1.35-$6.23, and at today’s price that’s about 12% above its 52-week low and 81% below the 52-week high. Beazer’s biggest trouble is that it is a builder of entry-level homes, the sector that is hardest hit by the number of foreclosed properties coming on the market. One thing that could help Beazer a little is that home owners have begun taking their houses off the market because they are unwilling to sell for the current low prices. Inventory is still high, but it was lower in September than in August.

Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE: HD) has a median target price of $40.00 from 22 brokers. Shares are trading today at $34.97, for an implied gain of $5.03, or 12.6%. Home Depot’s forward P/E is 13.14 and the company pays a dividend yield of 2.9%. The stock’s 52-week trading range is $28.13-$39.38, and at today’s price that’s about 24% above its 52-week low and 11% below the 52-week high. Research firm BuildFax reports thats home remodeling projects increased by 29% in August compared with August 2010. The firm attributes the increase to refinancing of existing homes at current low interest rates. With the peak remodeling season behind us for another year, this growth could begin to slow down.

Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE: LOW) has a median target price of $23.00 from 20 brokers. Shares are trading today at $21.09, for an implied gain of $1.91, or 8.3%. Lowe’s forward P/E is 11.93 and the company pays a dividend yield of 2.7%. The stock’s 52-week trading range is $18.07-$27.45, and at today’s price that’s about 17% above its 52-week low and 23% below the 52-week high. Lowe’s announced this morning that it was closing another 20 stores across the US and expects to take a charge of $0.17-$0.20 against second-quarter EPS. About 1,950 employees will lose their jobs. Lowe’s performance has been weaker than Home Depot’s for a couple of years now, and this year the share price is about flat, compared with Home Depot’s share price gain of 15%..........

Views +1: New Leveraged Gold, Silver, Platinum, Palladium ETF/ETNs, The Wild West (GLD, SLV, PPLT, UGLD, DGLD, USLV, DLSV, LPAL, IPAL, LPLT, IPLT) Read more: New Leveraged Gold, Silver, Platinum, Palladium ETF/ETNs, The Wild West (GLD, SLV, PPLT, UGLD, DGLD, USLV, DLSV, LPAL, IPAL, LPLT, IPLT)

2011-10-18T04:00:00.000-07:00

Leveraged ETFs and ETNs are not new to most investors. They are also not new in all cases when it comes to precious metals. You are likely familiar with the SPDR Gold Shares (NYSE: GLD) for gold, iShares Silver Trust (NYSE: SLV) for silver, and the ETFS Physical Platinum Shares (NYSE: PPLT) for platinum. There are also some leveraged metals exchange-traded products out there. Now there is a new round of leveraged exchange-traded products from VelocityShares for investors who want to really reach for exposure on any given days., but there are eight new exchange-traded notes which are leveraged with and against precious metals. These should all be self-explanatory but we will group them by metal rather than by leverage.

VelocityShares 3x Long Gold ETN (NYSE: UGLD) and VelocityShares 3x Inverse Gold ETN (NYSE: DGLD) allow traders to manage gold exposures using a 3x leveraged long and inverse positions linked to the S&P GSCI Gold Index.

VelocityShares 3x Long Silver ETN (NYSE: USLV) and VelocityShares 3x Inverse Silver (NYSE: DLSV) allow traders to manage silver exposures using a 3x leveraged long and inverse positions linked to the S&P GSCI Silver Index.

VelocityShares 2x Long Palladium ETN (NYSE: LPAL) and VelocityShares 2x Inverse Palladium ETN (NYSE: IPAL) allow traders to manage palladium exposures using 2x leveraged long and inverse positions linked to the S&P GSCI Palladium Index.

VelocityShares 2x Long Platinum ETN (NYSE: LPLT) and VelocityShares 2x Inverse Platinum ETN (NYSE: IPLT) allow traders to manage platinum exposures using 2x leveraged long and inverse positions linked to the S&P GSCI Platinum Index.

The name “VelocityShares” should imply that these move fast in any given direction. That is a given. If you see another day where gold or silvers ramps up 5% or more intraday on news, in theory you should see a 15% corresponding move in these new gold and silver ETNs.

There are many caveats and generalities when it comes down to ETF and ETN products that are leveraged like this. All are a bit different from each other. The first caveat is that just about all ETF and ETN products list “tracking error” as a risk. When it comes to leveraged index ETF or ETN products, tracking error is often the norm rather than the exception. Many of these leveraged exchange-traded products are tied to an index using commodities futures, options, and derivatives as well, so don’t expect that you can just ask for delivery of one of the metals if the trade is going your way or against you. The taxation issues in some instances can be different from simply buying and selling stocks for capital gains as well.......