IDC: Samsung and Apple ship almost half of all smartphones, but Korean manufacturer maintains lead

IDC's latest figures offer some predictable reading. More phones are being sold than ever before; 406 million units were sold in Q2, against 401.8 million in the same period last year -- with a 42 percent increase in smartphone sales. The winners? Perennial court antagonists, Samsung and Apple, with the duo doubling their combined market share over the last two years. Samsung maintains its lead, reaching over 50 million phones sold -- and a new quarterly sales record -- while Apple saw a quarter-over-quarter decline, as buyers presumably wait for Cupertino's latest iteration, or go elsewhere. Nokia, meanwhile, had another "transitional" quarter, with sales of both Symbian and MeeGo devices shrinking, although its Windows Phones proved stronger. According to IDC's figures, Nokia and Microsoft's team-up handset sales have doubled since last quarter. HTC misses out on a top three spot, but its fortunes appear to have improved over the last two quarters, with the IDC pointing the finger at a more streamlined product range from the Taiwan manufacturer. ZTE continues to nip at its heels, reaching the top five thanks to strong entry-level smartphone sales in China, while continuing to inch onto US shores. If you're looking for a full breakdown of all phones sold, dumb and otherwise, read up at the source below.

Filed under: Cellphones

IDC: Samsung and Apple ship almost half of all smartphones, but Korean manufacturer maintains lead originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Jul 2012 03:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bristol Palin Included Among Dancing with the Stars: All-Stars

Because she's the epitome of a realistic teen mother - according to Sarah Palin - Bristol Palin is on her way back to Dancing with the Stars.

ABC just announced the cast for its first-ever All-Star edition, which will air this fall and featured 13 previous Mirror Ball hopefuls.

 

Dancing with the Stars All Stars: Announced!

And they will be...

1. Pamela Anderson (season 10, withdrew after fourth round)
2. Emmitt Smith (season 3, winner)
3. Kelly Monaco (season 1, winner)
4. Shawn Johnson (season 8, champion)
5. Melissa Rycroft (season 8, third place)
6. Joey Fatone (season 4, second place)
7. Drew Lachey (season 2, winner)
8. Bristol Palin (season 11, third place)
9. Kirstie Alley (season 12, second place)
10. Helio Castroneves (season 5, winner)
11. Gilles Marini (season 8, second place)
12. Apolo Ohno (season four, champion)

We know: that's only 12. Viewers will vote on the 13th participant, with the network having given the option sof Kyle Massey, Sabrina Bryan, and Carson Kressley.

You have until August 24 to make your selections on ABC.com. GO!!!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/07/bristol-palin-included-among-dancing-with-the-stars-all-stars/

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Facebook's value slides by $10 billion; outlook unclear

(Reuters) - Investors wiped $10 billion off the value of Facebook Inc on Friday, taking the recently listed shares to a new low, after the social network offered no forecast and analysts said mobile investments would put future earnings under pressure.

The 17 percent slide in the shares took Facebook's market capitalization to $48 billion -- half its IPO launch value of $100 billion in May.

The latest slide cost CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the 28-year-old who founded Facebook in his Harvard dorm room, around $2.3 billion, based on his shareholding.

The social network just beat revenue expectations on Thursday in its first quarterly earnings but the company failed to reassure investors about its future prospects.

"Facebook has established itself as an Internet utility but it might take a while for Facebook to gain Wall Street love," Citi Investment Research analysts said in a note.

Investors worried about how the social network would make money from mobile advertising had hoped that the company would signal that revenue growth was picking up.

The shares have shed around 40 percent of their value since the company's ill-starred debut at $38 on May 18.

They fell to a record low $22.28 in morning trading on Friday before recovering a little to $23.03. It was far and away the most heavily traded stock, with 52 million changing hands.

At least four brokerages, including Barclays Capital, cut their price targets on Facebook stock, although most suggested it was worth much more than current trading levels.

Created just eight years ago, Facebook continues to grow -- hitting 955 million active users a month at the end of June -- but its shares have slid since its May IPO as investors questioned a valuation of more than 50 times earnings.

MOBILE MOJO

J.P. Morgan Securities analysts said the stock could also be under pressure because some early investors will be able to sell shares from August 19, potentially flooding the market with stock.

But most focus was on the company's mobile strategy, with big questions about whether it can sustain growth as users increasingly access Facebook on mobiles, where it has found it hard to squeeze in advertisements.

Facebook only recently began to offer limited advertising on its mobile platform, so far generating little revenue.

Facebook is investing heavily in improving mobile apps and building a platform on top of which new apps can be built, but so far that has increased capital expenditure but not delivered big gains in revenue.

The company, which competes with established Web companies such as Google Inc and Yahoo Inc, said capital spending more than tripled to $413 million in the second quarter.

"Facebook is in the early stages of an important transition in its (mobile) advertising business that should drive accelerating growth and margin expansion over time," J.P. Morgan Securities analysts said.

The company ended the quarter with 543 million active monthly mobile users, up two-thirds from a year earlier but advertising views lagged user growth. Mobile access now accounts for 57 percent of total users.

The bright spot was that sponsored stories brought in much better rates than traditional ads, allowing Facebook to increase prices by 9 percent, Morgan Stanley analysts said.

A sponsored story is an advertisement that appears on a user's Facebook page and tells the user that a friend "likes" the advertiser.

Despite Facebook's slide from grace, many analysts still see the stock bouncing back.

Six analysts rate the stock a "strong buy," 11 rate it "buy,", 17 rate it a "hold", while one each rate it a "sell" and "strong sell", according to Thomson Reuters' StarMine. The mean price target on the stock is $38.00, suggesting a 71 percent upside to Friday's low of $22.28.

Facebook's woes add to pressure at Zynga Inc, which gets nearly all of its revenue from the social platform's users. Fading fortunes of hit games such as "FarmVille" forced the company on Wednesday to slash its outlook.

(Additional reporting by Aditi Sharma in Bangalore; Editing by Tenzin Pema and Rodney Joyce)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/lack-financial-outlook-drives-down-facebook-shares-111401808--sector.html

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Austrian admits making up story to get rid of snake

VIENNA (Reuters) - An Austrian applauded for capturing a 2.3-metre (7.5-foot) boa constrictor he said he discovered on a riverbank has admitted he made up the story to get rid of a pet snake he found too big to handle, an animal rescue group said on Thursday.

"It turns out he could not get to grips with the snake and wanted to get rid of it this way," said Susanne Hemetsberger, head of the Austrian Animal Protection Association. The owner handed over the reptile to an animal shelter.

She said in hindsight the tale originally told by the Salzburg man, who has not been identified, that he had happened upon and bagged the 7-kg (15.5-pound) boa last week, seemed suspicious.

"No passer-by who isn't familiar with snakes would ever grab a boa constrictor. On the contrary, they would scream, run away and call the police," she said.

The man has two other two-metre snakes that he wants to give away as well, Hemetsberger said.

"The snake owner dished up one lie after another and I hope he gets the proper punishment for this. He can't just release a snake and then pose as its finder," she said, calling for curbs on the sale of exotic pets that inexperienced owners often find overwhelming.

(Reporting by Michael Shields; editing by Andrew Roche)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/austrian-admits-making-story-rid-snake-151731304.html

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Cowardice Isn?t The NRA?s Fault (OliverWillisLikeKryptoniteToStupid)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/238321478?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Press Release/ North American Electric Vehicle Charging ...

The electric vehicle (EV) charging station market in North America has grown immensely, helped along by favorable various government levels?(federal, state and municipal) incentives and subsidies for the purchase of EVs. The government is extending these plans to the installation of charging station and funding programs such as ECOtality?s EV project, which is trying to install electric vehicle charging infrastructure in six major states.

New analysis from Frost & Sullivan (automotive.frost.com), Strategic Technology and Market Analysis of Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure in North America, finds that there will be approximately 4.1 million charging points by 2017. The most common ones will be the level 1 charging stations, as every EV sold will have a level 1 charging cord included in the vehicle. Level 1 charging station can be plugged in a household socket which takes approximately 8 to 10 hours to charge the vehicle and does not involve any installation cost. About 71 percent of the charging stations are expected to be level 1 followed by level 2, which will account for 27 percent of the market share by 2017. Nearly 87 percent of the EVs are expected to be charged in residential locations, as they will be parked in the garage for 10 to 12 hours in a day.

If you are interested in more information on this research, please send an email to Jeannette Garcia, Corporate Communications, at jeannette.garcia[.]frost.com, with your full name, company name, title, telephone number, company email address, company website, city, state and country.

"EVs are more expensive than conventional vehicles, therefore, federal government is granting customers as much as $7,500 in incentives to purchase an EV," said Frost & Sullivan Research Associate Prajyot Sathe. "Incentives include discounts on the purchase of EVs, tax credits or exemption and other advantages such as usage of heavy occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes and free parking."

The charging infrastructure is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 128.12 percent, due to the currency of the ?green? concept and oil prices? volatility. Attracted by its potential and low entry barriers, participants are emerging from multiple industries such as technology, vehicle manufacturers, and utilities.

Even while offering substantial opportunities, the EV charging infrastructure market is plagued by issues typical to a nascent market. Participants are looking for solutions to ensure standardization of charging systems in vehicles, charging stations, and business models. EV owners are also inconvenienced by the low access to charging stations and the 8 to 10 hours needed to charge their vehicles at level 1.

However, continuous R&D will help overcome these challenges in the next two to three years. As the market is still evolving, participants are in the process of identifying the scope of development of technologies and economically viable business models.

"Participants are introducing various strategies such as providing EV charging facilities in restaurants, leisure places and malls as a value-added service to customers," said Sathe. "They also adopt various business models such as subscription and pay-per-use to attract more buyers and make the most out of the market?s potential."

Strategic Technology and Market Analysis of Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure in North America is part of the Automotive & Transportation Growth Partnership Services program, which also includes research in the following markets: Strategic Technology and Market Analysis of Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Market in Europe, Strategic Analysis of Electric Motor Technologies for Electric and Hybrid Vehicles in North America, and Strategic Analysis of Electric Motor Technologies for Electric and Hybrid Vehicles in Europe. All research services included in subscriptions provide detailed market opportunities and industry trends that have been evaluated following extensive interviews with market participants.

About Frost & Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, works in collaboration with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today's market participants.

Our "Growth Partnership" supports clients by addressing these opportunities and incorporating two key elements driving visionary innovation: The Integrated Value Proposition and The Partnership Infrastructure.

The Integrated Value Proposition provides support to our clients throughout all phases of their journey to visionary innovation including: research, analysis, strategy, vision, innovation and implementation.
The Partnership Infrastructure is entirely unique as it constructs the foundation upon which visionary innovation becomes possible. This includes our 360 degree research, comprehensive industry coverage, career best practices as well as our global footprint of more than 40 offices.

For more than 50 years, we have been developing growth strategies for the global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector and the investment community. Is your organization prepared for the next profound wave of industry convergence, disruptive technologies, increasing competitive intensity, Mega Trends, breakthrough best practices, changing customer dynamics and emerging economies?

Contact Us: Start the discussion | Join Us: Join our community | Subscribe: Newsletter on "the next big thing" | Register: Gain access to visionary innovation

Strategic Technology and Market Analysis of Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure in North America / N9F0-18

Source: http://www.przoom.com/news/116039/

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Senior Care Danvers MA - Home Care Marblehead MA by Right at ...

In-Home Senior Care Danvers MA: Providing Peace of Mind for Families During the Day

It is important for many seniors to stay in the comfort of their own home for as long as possible after reaching the age of retirement and beyond. Many elderly individuals have family who can assist them every day with household chores, errands or other everyday living activities. Ensuring the safety of their aging parents is typically the highest priority for children of seniors; however, jobs and other obligations may force them to be away for extended periods of time. Many children are hiring professional in-home assistance to provide care when they cannot be there during the day while they are working.

In-home senior care professionals can provide all of the non-medical services that are needed to help keep seniors comfortable and safe.

Caregivers can be hired to assist seniors with activities or simply just provide companionship when they have to be left alone. In addition, having a caregiver in the home can help to prevent harm or injury in the event of a fall.

Some of the other services that may be provided include:

? Help with pet care
? Provide reminders for medication and appointments
? Assist with meal preparation
? General conversation
? Walking assistance

Finding an in-home senior care professional can be an intimidating process for many people in the beginning.

Most people want to find the most competent and compassionate professional caregivers to look after the safety of their parents. Hiring a caregiver from a company that specializes in senior care?services may be the best way to get the most information about the professional who may be providing care. Most caregiver organizations require their employees to undergo a drug screen as well as a criminal background check.

One of the most imperative qualities to look for in an in-home care provider is whether the whole family feels safe and comfortable around them.

This is important because the caregiver is the person that will be left to care for the senior when the family is unable to be there. Checking out the credentials and qualifications before meeting with the potential caregiver can help ease some of the concerns that the family may have. In addition, taking the time out to find the right professional caregiver can ensure that their aging parents will always have someone with them to keep them safe and give the family the peace of mind they deserve.

For more information about senior care?in the Danvers area, contact the caregivers at Right At Home. Fill out our web form or call?(888) 214-8066 today!

Source: http://www.rightathomealzcare.com/senior-care-in-danvers-ma-2/

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