Ericsson announces latest networked services

The Swedish telecommunications giant Ericsson is to launch a number of solutions and applications that would show its "world-leading technology, service capacities and innovation," the company announced on Wednesday.One of the launches, Small Cell, as a service by Ericsson, enables increased network capacity in environments,Chefs Kitchen Knives where large numbers of people gather or when there is a need of the amounts of data.The technology will combine 3G and 4G with carrier grade Wifi and it allows the monetization of dedicated media content, advertising and over-the-top (OTT) services.Vintage bath fixturesThe Future TV Anywhere platform,Banner Pen bringing modern Web technologies to the TV operator world, is also among the new launches, which integrates Pay TV service quality and content depth, with the personalization, interactivity and multi-screen viewing capabilities of OTT services.Ericsson's new technology will be an opportunity for investment and increase of cost efficiency for the operators as consumers use numerous video services to find content and switch between multiple devices with varying content viewing abilities.According to Ericsson, the Future TV Anywhere will deliver innovative and seamless viewing experiences that can rapidly evolve at web speed.Another launch from Ericsson is Service Agility, which makes it easier for operators to collaborate with an ecosystem of partners, suppliers and application developers, facilitating faster launch of a much broader range of innovative products and services.Service Agility uses a single, open and flexible framework to provide a complete solution that allows a user to browse and select offerings from an enterprise catalog that stores all product information as components. 

Among the new launches, the new Ericsson Network Manager will be the platform for telecom operators to manage the transformation of their networks to new technologies.The system is designed to deliver high-performing networks that are adaptive to changes in world outside of what operators can control and it removes barriers between network domains for smarter decision making, reduces operational complexity and improves efficiency through better automation and policy control.The new Telecom Cloud Transformation consulting practice is also introduced by Ericsson and it will use innovative methodologies and tools to transform technology and process environments."The cloud offers operators advantages such as efficiency gains in operations as well as improved time to market," said Paolo Colella, Vice President and Head of Consulting and Systems Integration at Ericsson.Ericsson is a world-leading provider of communications technology and service. Today 40 percent of the world's mobile traffic goes through Ericsson networks and the company supports networks serving more than 2.5 billion subscribers.

China's trade sees rosy start, caution remains

Stronger-than-expected growth in China's foreign trade last month has surprised the market and prompted many analysts to look for further hints of underlying economic strength.China's foreign trade volume climbed 10.3 percent year on year in January to 382.4 billion U.S. dollars, marking a strong beginning for the year, according to customs data released Wednesday.Exports rose 10.6 percent from a year earlier to 207.13 billion U.S. dollars, while imports increased 10 percent to 175.27 billion U.S. dollars, the General Administration of Customs (GAC) said in a statement.The trade surplus stood at 31.86 billion U.S. dollars last month, up 14 percent from a year ago and 24.25 percent from December.Chang Jian,Slap Bracelet chief China economist at Barclays, called the January figures "surprisingly strong," as the institution expected weak January trade performance based on weak PMI export orders, a high base from last year, and holiday distortions.According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the index for new exports orders fell 0.5 point in January to 49.3, under the boom-bust line of 50 for a second month in a row."Today's strong export report could have been boosted by a rush of shipments ahead of the Chinese New Year holiday," Chang said.The Spring Festival, or China's lunar new year, fell on Jan. 31 this year, marking the start of a week-long holiday for Chinese workers. The holiday began on Feb. 10 in 2013, and last year's additional working days contributed to its high base of comparison.Overall, the data suggest that the underlying strength of Chinese exports is probably better than we expected, Chang said.His views were echoed by Lu Ting, chief China economists with Bank of America Merrill Lynch.Cast iron tubsThe strong trade growth will be positive to markets even if the quality of January data was significantly affected by the lunar new year holiday, said Lu. 

"We may still claim that these readings are quite encouraging and might point to stable economic growth in the first quarter," Lu said.New data showed that trade with the European Union, China's largest trade partner, surged 14.6 percent to 341.19 billion yuan, while trade with the United States, its second-biggest trade partner, rose 8.8 percent to 299.23 billion yuan.China's trade with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, its third-largest trading partner, rose 11.3 percent year on year to 259.06 billion yuan, and trade with Japan rose 7.8 percent to 170.05 billion yuan.Based on the breakdown information, Lu said the strong exports were driven by demand from the EU and the U.S., while the strong import growth was driven by China's commodity demand, especially iron ore and copper.Zhang Yansheng,WoW US Level1-80 CD Key including 30 days secretary general of the Academic Committee at the National Development and Reform Commission, said the market was generally optimistic about economic prospects of major economies, including the EU, U.S. and Japan, and about steady growth in emerging markets.China's export growth will be quite strong this year on the back of recovering external demand, Zhang said.However, Chang said he remained cautious about exports this year."But we will watch closely for upside surprises that suggest underlying growth," he added."Our conservative export growth forecast of 9.3 percent this year assumes that the high base from last year matters," said Chang.Zhang Zhiwei, chief China economist with Japan's Nomura Securities, said in a research note that it is unclear to what extent the strong export data reflect true strength in the economy."The data on industrial production for January and February will be released on March 13 and should help to confirm the actual strength of export growth," Zhang said.

Google Wants to Be Part of Your Meetings With Chromebox

Hewlett Packard's Shelia Watson updated the company's The Next Bench Blog on Thursday with news of an upcoming HP Chromebox. There will actually be two when they arrive this spring, one that sports an Intel "Haswell" processor and one for more demanding applications that has an Intel i7 "Haswell" processor."It works with standard keyboards, mice and displays, and offers connectivity using HDMI, DisplayPort and Bluetooth, along with four USB 3.0 ports. Like other Chrome devices from HP, the Chromebox offers a fast, easy and safe computing experience for you and your family," Watson writes.Unfortunately, Watson doesn't provide any specific specs, and the notification page merely reveals Chromeboxes in four different colors: Smoke Silver, Ocean Turquoise, Snow White and Twinkle Black. She notes that some of these colors were used on the Chromebook 14 introduced a few months ago."You can securely mount the Chromebox to your wall or to the back of your monitor using standard VESA mounts. This petite little package can also snugly fit into your home theater, and it's small enough to pop into a travel bag (in case you wanted to set up shop while on vacation)," Watson adds.Meanwhile, over on Google, the search engine giant has introduced a Chromebox bundle of its own, bringing together Google+ Hangouts and Google Apps in an easy-to-manage solution. The Chromebox is part of a $999 kit for meetings, which also includes an HD camera, a remote control and a microphone/speaker.Clawfoot tub accessories 

The Chromebox in this bundle is actually one of several Asus revealed just days ago. Specs show that it has an Intel Core i7-4600U processor, either 2 GB or 4 GB of DDR3-1600 MHz memory (two SO-DIMM slots), a 16 GB SSD, a 2-in-1 SD card reader, Wireless N connectivity and more.According to the company, the remote control has a full QWERTY keyboard on the back, a nano-sized USB adapter, and RF connectivity (no line of sight necessary). The camera can capture video up to 1920 x 1080, and will automatically switch resolution based on available bandwidth."For the same price that companies have typically paid for one meeting room, they'll be able to outfit 10 rooms—or more. CDW and SYNNEX will help bring Chromebox for meetings to customers and resellers, and Chromeboxes from HP and Dell will be available for meetings in the coming months,Period Cup" reads Google's blog.Later this year,Silicone Wristbands Google plans to launch the Chromebox for meetings in Australia, Canada, France, Japan, New Zealand, Spain and the U.K.

The future of Dynamics in a Nadella-led Microsoft

Microsoft's Dynamics ERP and CRM product lines seemed safe immediately following former CEO Steve Ballmer's sweeping reorganization of the company last year. But now that longtime Microsoft executive Satya Nadella has been named Ballmer's successor, the time is ripe for more focused speculation on the future of Dynamics. Here's a look at what could be in store.He knows Dynamics well: Nadella served a stint in the Dynamics business from 2001-2007, so he has an intimate knowledge of the ERP applications and their user bases, as well as Dynamics CRM, which has made strides against the likes of Salesforce.com, thanks to factors including aggressive pricing and the option of cloud or on-premises deployments."It's not as if he's going to take a lot of time to come up to speed," said analyst Frank Scavo, managing partner of IT consulting firm Strativa. "I think Dynamics increases in stature at Microsoft under Nadella."Nadella played a "fairly prominent role" at a Microsoft analyst event Scavo attended several months ago, taking part in a lengthy session that primarily focused on Dynamics and Microsoft's Azure cloud service, which Nadella oversaw before taking the CEO job, Scavo added.x431Meanwhile, Nadella has said that to be a leader in enterprise cloud computing, a vendor must have "best-in-class first-party SaaS applications," running on its own cloud infrastructure. 

All in all, Nadella will likely be a strong advocate for Dynamics as he settles into the CEO slot.key programmer"We are very happy about Satya's appointment as CEO,BMW ICOM" a spokesperson for Dynamics said via email Thursday. "Microsoft Dynamics is on a strong growth path and is seeing great traction market. We are innovating at a rapid pace and are excited about what we plan to deliver to our customers in the upcoming months."Customer enthusiasm: Customers are happy too. "We're extremely excited about it," said Frank Vukovits, co-founder and director of programming for the Dynamics AX User Group, regarding Nadella's appointment. In fact, Nadella spoke at the group's first summit meeting in 2005, Vukovits said. "He has always been a big supporter of the community and sees a lot of value in users and customers getting together and sharing their knowledge to allow them to do more with the product." 

Nadella understands business applications and the needs of users that work with them, Vukovits added. "What would have made me nervous is if they brought someone in with a history focused just on sales and licensing, the volume side of the business, versus the need to truly embrace the business customer," he said.Eyes on the enterprise: In order to substantially grow the Dynamics business, Microsoft will have to go after ERP deals with large enterprises. To that end, it's been building out its global services capabilities, even though traditionally Dynamics has mostly been sold through partners around the world, who tweak the software for customers' needs. Many have also built out industry-specific functionality for Dynamics.

This iPhone-Sized Device Can Hack A Car, Researchers Plan To Demonstrate

Auto makers have long downplayed the threat of hacker attacks on their cars and trucks, arguing that their vehicles’ increasingly-networked systems are protected from rogue wireless intrusion. Now two researchers plan to show that a few minutes alone with a car and a tiny, cheap device can give digital saboteurs all the wireless control they need.At the Black Hat Asia security conference in Singapore next month, Spanish security researchers Javier Vazquez-Vidal and Alberto Garcia Illera plan to present a small gadget they built for less than $20 that can be physically connected to a car’s internal network to inject malicious commands affecting everything from its windows and headlights to its steering and brakes. Their tool, which is about three-quarters the size of an iPhone, attaches via four wires to the Controller Area Network or CAN bus of a vehicle, drawing power from the car’s electrical system and waiting to relay wireless commands sent remotely from an attacker’s computer. They call their creation the CAN Hacking Tool, or CHT.“It can take five minutes or less to hook it up and then walk away,” says Vazquez Vidal, who works as a automobile IT security consultant in Germany. “We could wait one minute or one year, and then trigger it to do whatever we have programmed it to do.” 

Just what commands the researchers can remotely inject with the CHT, Vazquez Vidal says, depends on the model of car. They tested four different vehicles, whose specific make and model they declined to name, and their tricks ranged from mere mischief like switching off headlights, setting off alarms, and rolling windows up and down to accessing anti-lock brake or emergency brake systems that could potentially cause a sudden stop in traffic. In some cases, the attacks required gaining under-the-hood access or opening the car’s trunk, while in other instances, they say they could simply crawl under the car to plant the device.For now, the tool communicates via only Bluetooth,Soft cup limiting the range of any wireless attack to a few feet. But by the time the two researchers present their research in Singapore, they say they’ll upgrade it to use a GSM cellular radio instead that would make it possible to control the device from miles away.All the ingredients of their tool are off-the-shelf components, adds Vazquez Vidal,x431 GDS so that even if the device is discovered it wouldn’t necessarily provide clues as to who planted it. “It’s totally untraceable,” he says.The Spanish researchers’ work adds to a growing focus in the security industry on the vulnerability of networked automobiles to hackers’ attacks. Before the Defcon hacker conference last July, researchers Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek put me behind the wheel of a Ford Explorer and a Toyota Prius and then showed that they could plug their laptops into a dashboard port of vehicles to perform nasty tricks like slamming on the Prius’ brakes, jerking its steering wheel and even disabling the brakes of the Explorer at low speeds.That work helped to spur Senator Edward Markey to send a seven-page letter to 20 automakers asking that they detail their security practices. Though the automakers’ answers were due on January 3rd, Markey’s office hasn’t yet released the results of their responses. 

Toyota both brushed off Miller and Valasek’s work by pointing to the fact that their hack required physical access to the vehicle. “Our focus, and that of the entire auto industry, is to prevent hacking from a remote wireless device outside of the vehicle,” Toyota safety manager John Hanson told me at the time.But Miller and Valasek counter that others had already shown that the initial wireless penetration of a car’s network is indeed possible. In 2011, a team of researchers at the University of Washington and the University of California at San Diego wirelessly penetrated a car’s internals via cellular networks, Bluetooth connections, and even a malicious audio file on a CD in its stereo system.Vazquez Vidal’s and Garcia Illera’s CHT device adds yet another way to cross that wireless divide,Period Cup and one that’s likely far cheaper. But like prior researchers, they say their intention is to show that digital car attacks are possible, not to enable them. Though they’ll detail the physical construction of their tool, they say they don’t plan to release the code used to inject commands into their test vehicles’ networks. “The goal isn’t to release our hacking tool to the public and say ‘take this and start hacking cars,’” says Vazquez Vidal. “We want to reach the manufacturers and show them what can be done.”Like Miller and Valasek, they argue that car makers need to look beyond the initial wireless penetration of a car’s network to consider adding security between a vehicle’s systems, limiting a rogue device’s ability to wreak havoc.

2014 Detroit Auto Show: Mercedes unveils new midsized sedan

Mercedes-Benz showed off the next-generation C-Class at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit on Monday. The 2015 C-Class will be roomier than the current model and offer more safety features and amenities.Mercedes is growing the car and adding features because it is no longer the luxury brand’s entry-level vehicle. That role has fallen to the smaller CLA, a just-released sedan starting at about $30,000, roughly 20% less expensive than the expected starting price of the new C.“It’s not uncommon for lower-priced models to slowly move upmarket and get replaced by all-new, entry-level models,” said Karl Brauer, an analyst at auto information company Kelley Blue Book.“The C-Class was never the sportiest car in that segment, so making the next version larger and more luxurious isn’t a major shift for the model’s image or role,” Brauer said.united-promoMercedes’ challenge will be to pack enough luxury features into the new C while still keeping the price competitive, he said.The C300 will come with a 2.0-liter,Tampon turbocharged and direct-injected four-cylinder that will produce an estimated 235 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque.The C400 will have a 3.0-liter turbocharged, direct-injected V6 making an estimated 329 horsepower and 354 pound-feet of torque. Expect a diesel option later.Initially, Mercedes will offer only the all-wheel-drive version. A rear-wheel-drive model will follow. 

The new C grows by four inches in length and 1.6 inches width. Mercedes has used that extra room to make a cramped back seat more comfortable. The trunk capacity also has grown to 17 cubic feet from 12.4.The bigger C gives Mercedes slots in nicely in the brands lineup, said Stephanie Brinley, an analyst at HIS Automotive, fitting between the CLA and the larger E-Class and S-Class models.And like Ford,Soft cup with the 2015 F-150 pickup truck also introduced at the Detroit show Monday, Mercedes is making a much greater use of aluminum alloys to shave weight from the car and increase fuel economy. The new C-Class will be about 220 pounds lighter than its predecessor.Nearly half the new C-Class platform is made from aluminum, compared with 10% in the outgoing model. This lightweight construction cuts fuel consumption up to 20% over the current model without any loss of performance, Mercedes said.Mercedes has not released fuel consumption numbers for the new car, but the current generation gets 24 or 25 miles per gallon in combined city and highway driving, depending on the engine choice, according to Environmental Protection Agency ratings.The new model will be the first passenger car built by the German manufacturer in America. Mercedes plans to assemble the C-class at the automaker's factory in Alabama, where it already produces sport-utility vehicles. The shift is part of as strategy by Mercedes to build cars closer to their markets to avoid the negative effects of currency fluctuations.

Microsoft's Management Discusses F2Q 2014 Results

Greetings, and welcome to the Microsoft second quarter fiscal year 2014 earnings conference call. [Operator instructions.] It is now my pleasure to introduce your host, Chris Suh, General Manager of Investor Relations for Microsoft. Thank you, Chris. You may begin.Thank you, operator. On our website, microsoft.com/investor, is our financial summary slide deck, which is intended to follow our prepared remarks and provides a reconciliation of differences between GAAP and non-GAAP financial measures.As a reminder, we will post today's prepared remarks to our website immediately following the call, until the complete transcript is available. Today's call is being webcast live and recorded. If you ask a question, it will be included in our live transmission, in the transcript, and in any future use of the recording. You can replay the call and view the transcript at the Microsoft Investor Relations website until January 23, 2015.During this call, we will be making forward-looking statements, which are predictions, projections, or other statements about future events. These statements are based on current expectations and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual results could materially differ because of factors discussed in today's earnings press release, in the comments made during this conference call, and in the Risk Factors section of our Form 10-K, Form 10-Q, and other reports and filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We do not undertake any duty to update any forward-looking statements.Before I hand the call over to Amy, please keep in mind that all growth comparisons we make on the call today will relate to the corresponding period of last year. Also, unless specified otherwise, all impacted numbers for the current quarter have been adjusted for the cumulative effect of last year's revenue deferrals and recognition related Windows, Office, and Xbox video games. 

As a reminder, with our new segment reporting structure, we have consolidated adjustments of this nature into “corporate and other” to provide better comparability of operating results. You can find details of the adjustments and a reconciliation of differences between GAAP and non-GAAP financial measures in our financial summary slide deck.Thank you, Chris.Period Cup Good afternoon and thank you all for joining us today. As I look back on the quarter, I am pleased with the results, as we exceeded our expected revenue growth while continuing to maintain our focus on improved execution and cost management.TamponOur devices and consumer segment had a very good quarter and grew 13%, with a successful holiday. Our commercial segments had another great quarter, and grew 10%, to over $12 billion, as we continue to deliver on our differentiated cloud strategy.We performed well this quarter, and you see it in our financial results. This holiday, we continued to make significant progress in the consumer space, headlined by Xbox One, which launched in 13 markets and sold in 3.9 million units in just over five weeks.united-promoAccording to NPD Group figures, Xbox One was the leading console in the U.S. for the month of December, which was its first full month in market. When adding in Xbox 360, which held the third spot, Xbox led the U.S. market, with 46% share in December. We are excited by this enthusiastic response from our loyal customers, and are working to increase the availability of Xbox One.

Car Accessories For Relaxation and Luxury

Car Accessories For Relaxation and LuxuryYou are looking for whether your automobile is low-priced or costly or sick maintained or maybe well held. You will need to install many car accessories that could make the feeling of travelling, a rather pleasurable a person. External vehicle accessories in addition to internal car or truck accessories are often the two groups of car equipment. Floor mars, specialty dash contains, seat contains fog devices and atmosphere perfumes are furnished car gadgets. It is usually insufficient to help simply get a car after which you can equip it without any accessories. More furnished accessories consist of car tire covers, figure covers, cool and environments accessories plus gas hats. 

You would probably surely need to make auto look wealthy and exciting right? Any time yes, then it’s good to purchase the appropriate accessories. There are a number people that live inspiration. They might do anything to acquire original gadgets. If this really is you, you need in store the showroom that could have each of the accessories you have to equip your vehicle. If possibly not, then a good accessory shop might your very best bet. If you happen to not in the fad with originality, then obtaining them through retailers certainly a better option because cost is leaner. No topic where you pay for the gadgets from, it is very important to decorate your automobile with all of them.The description of gadgets for cars might be ‘necessary add-ons’. They aid in categorize outer walls and insides accessories.GM TECH2 Increasing this performance for the car will be the role that could be played through the add-ons. They likewise go some distance in attracting a person’s eye of these passers-by. Merchandise that give auto, a totally new looks are definitely the car add-ons. If a person compromise to them, you usually are compromising on precisely what will make the vehicle look greater. 

The security portion of the car is not ignored.Menstrual Cup If your house is in a spot where a large amount of fog reigns from the winter, afterward fog equipment, are absolutely essential. If your home is an area where winters are very harsh, then choosing snow plus ice add-ons will are beneficial. Never compromise on the safety and purchasing car add-ons thus gets important. Your own satisfaction will possibly be enhanced using accessories including car take covers, saddle covers together with body includes.x431

Wall Street rebounds on positive retail sales

U.S. stocks surged Tuesday, bouncing back from Monday's selloff, as better-than-expected retail sales provided a boost to the market.In midday trading, the Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 70. 90 points, or 0.44 percent, to 16,328.84. The S&P 500 climbed 13. 55 points, or 0.74 percent, to 1,832.75. The Nasdaq Composite Index soared 50.85 points, or 1.24 percent, to 4,164.16.U.S. retail sales edged up 0.2 percent in December following a downwardly revised 0.4-percent gain in November, the Commerce Department said, exceeding market forecasts. "The December retail sales numbers look strong," said a research note Tuesday from FTN Financial. It also added the downward revisions to the October and November numbers must be taken into account.U.S. business inventories rose 0.4 percent in November from the preceding month, the department said in a separate report Tuesday.Moreover, U.S. import prices recorded no change in December following two months of declines, while export prices advanced 0.4 percent, the Labor Department said. 

A pair of notable banks posted a mixed picture in their earnings reports, followed by a bound of earnings reports from other giant banks later this week, which is expected to set the tone of the new earnings season.JPMorgan, the largest U.S. bank by assets, early Tuesday reported a net income of 5.China visa houston3 billion U.S. dollars for the fourth quarter of 2013, down from 5.7 billion dollars a year ago. Its revenue for the quarter was 24.1 billion dollars, down 1 percent compared with the previous year.Legal costs, including the recently announced settlement over JPMorgan's involvement in Bernard Madoff's fraud, took a toll on the bank's results in the fourth quarter. However,Wedding invitations the bank's shares still slightly advanced in midday.Meanwhile, Wells Fargo & Company, the biggest U.S. mortgage lender, reported a record full-year and quarterly net income Tuesday.The main tool that comes in an electric Household scissors often has bits, similar to those used on a drill, that are for sanding and shaping the nail. Its net income in 2013 was 21.9 billion dollars, up 16 percent from last year, while its fourth-quarter net income was 5. 6 billion dollars, up 10 percent year on year.Wells Fargo's record-setting performance was boosted by strong loan and deposit growth, continued improvement in credit quality and strengthened capital levels. But the bank's shares traded in negative territory in the morning trading session.

UPDATE 2-American Express says exposure to Target breach 'minimal'

Credit card company American Express Co , which reported strong quarterly results on Thursday, said it had seen 'minimal exposure' to the data breach at Target Corp stores during the U.S. holiday shopping season.American Express said it had fraud controls in place on accounts affected in the theft, one of the biggest card breaches on record.About 40 million credit card records and 70 million other records containing data on Target's customers were stolen in the breach disclosed in December."The closed-loop is a big advantage for us, especially in situations like this," Chief Financial Officer Jeff Campbell said on a post-earnings conference call, referring to the company's system of issuing its own cards in addition to processing transactions.Clawfoot tubsEarlier in the day, American Express reported a two-fold jump in fourth-quarter profit as its affluent customers spent more in the U.S. holiday season and fewer users defaulted on payments.The mood is light, and Kidd has two reasons for the smile on his obd2."We ended the year on a strong note, with card member spending up 8 percent despite mixed reports during the holiday shopping season," Chief Executive Ken Chenault said in a statement.Concerns over debit and credit card safety have increased after Target, the third-largest U.S. retailer, disclosed the breach that lasted 19 days through Dec. 15.

Cards on American Express's platform are seen as safer than those on Visa Inc and Mastercard Inc platforms due to the 'closed loop' system.American Express benefited from the holiday shopping season in the United States, with billed business in its core market growing 9 percent in the quarter ended Dec. 31, the highest growth in six quarters."Even though overall growth in consumer spending has been somewhat muted, the fact that American Express focuses on affluent consumers is helping it grow its billed business," said Janney Capital Markets analyst Sameer Gokhale.U.S. retail sales increased 3.8 percent in the 2013 holiday season, according to data released by the National Retail Federation on Tuesday.The same day, the U.light projectS. Commerce Department said retail sales including automobiles, gasoline stations and restaurants rose 1 percent from a year earlier in the October-December period.American Express, a component of the Dow Jones industrial average, said fewer customers defaulted on payments in the quarter, with worldwide net lending write-off rate falling to 1.6 percent from 2 percent, a year earlier.Delinquency rates at credit card companies usually rise in the fourth quarter as customers spend more during the holiday season and then find it difficult to repay loans.

Employment in S.Korea beats expectations in 2013 amid solid recovery

Employment in South Korea beat expectations last year thanks to robust economic recovery caused by the supplementary budget plan in early 2013 and solid job creation in the service industry, a government report showed Wednesday.The South Korean economy created 386,000 jobs in 2013, beating expectations of 320,000 job growth estimated by the government and 300,000 employment forecast by the central bank,Seventh Generation Sanitary Pads, Sanitary Napkin, Sanitary Napkin Pads. Featuring a natural absorbent material derived from wheat.Soft cup according to the Finance Ministry.The ministry said that an average job growth was 292,000 for three years through 2007, noting that last year's job creation exceeded the pre-crisis level.Job creation continued to accelerate last year as the government's massive extra budget plan was implemented in early 2013, boosting the economic recovery and its consequent improvement in the labor market.The Asia's No.4 economy grew 2.A sanitary napkin, sanitary towel, sanitary pad, menstrual pad, maxi pad, or pad is an absorbent item worn by a woman while she is menstruating.Period Cup8 percent last year, with the growth becoming faster to 3.7 percent in the second half of 2013 from 1.9 percent in the first half.An absorbent pad worn externally by women during menstruation to absorb the menstrual flow.Sanitary napkin The Bank of Korea (BOK) expected the economic growth to rise to 3.8 percent in 2014 and 4 percent in 2015.The service sector led last year's job creation. The healthcare and welfare-related industries added 155,000 jobs in 2013 due to the government's efforts to expand support for childcare, and the restaurant and lodging sector created 64,000 workers amid the domestic demand recovery.Employment grew more among those in their 50s and above. Those in their 50s who landed jobs last year were 254,000 with those in their 60s who found jobs reaching 181,000. But those in their 20s and 30s who got a job reduced 50,000 and 21,000 respectively. 

The jobless rate kept falling to 3.1 percent in 2013 after peaking at 3.7 percent in 2010 when the world economy was struggling to recover from the great recession. The jobless rate gauges the percentage of those unemployed who actively sought jobs over the past four weeks to the economically active population, or the sum of people employed and unemployed.The hiring rate was 64.4 percent in 2013, up from 64.2 percent from a year earlier. The employment rate measures the percentage of working people to the working age population, or those aged 15 and over. It is used as an alternative to the jobless rate for assessing labor market conditions.The ministry said that job security rose to the record high level last year due to a rise in regular workers. The rate of regular workers to all wage earners reached 64.4 percent in 2013, up from 62.7 percent in 2012.Overall working hours reduced last year due to an increase in flexible working-hour jobs, which allow workers, especially female laborers, to choose their working hours flexibly to help them nurture children, the ministry said.Meanwhile, the number of those employed increased 560,000 in December from a year earlier, maintaining the job growth of more than 500,000 for two straight months.The hiring rate among those aged between 15 and 64 rose 0.9 percentage point on-year to 64.6 percent last month, while the unemployment rate edged up 0.1 percentage point to 3 percent in December.

S&P 500 sets all-time high on encouraging data

U.S. stocks, bolstered by positive economic data from the United States and the encouraging fourth-quarter earnings from Bank of America, rose for a second consecutive day Wednesday, bringing the S&P 500 to the uncharted territory.The benchmark Standard & Poor's 500-stock Index hit a new record high of 1,850.84 points in intraday trading, before receding to end at 1,848.x43138, also an all-time closing high, up 9. 50 points, or 0.52 percent.The Nasdaq Composite Index refreshed a high in more than 13 years, surging 31.87 points, or 0.76 percent, to 4,214.88.The Dow Jones Industrial Average rallied 108.08 points, or 0.66 percent, to 16,481.94.Bank of America released a strong earnings report Wednesday,Banner Pen which said its net income for the fourth quarter of last year soared to 3.4 billion U.S. dollars, or 29 cents per diluted share, compared to 732 million dollars, or 3 cents a share, from the same period of the previous year. The company's total revenue in the quarter rose 15 percent year on year to 21.7 billion dollars.The bank's shares advanced 2.27 percent to 17.15 dollars apiece.The fourth-quarter results from all the six major U.S. banks will be released by the end of this week, which is expected to set the tone of the new earnings season.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Wells Fargo posted a mixed picture in their earnings reports one day earlier.Positive economic data coming out in the day also buoyed investors' sentiment, which had showed a relatively restless sign in the beginning of the New Year following a stellar year of 2013 for the stock market.Manufacturing activity in the New York region expanded at a faster pace in January, with the general business conditions index rising to 12.5, its highest level in more than a year, said the Federal Reserve Bank of New York Wednesday.U.S. mortgage applications surged 11.9 percent last week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.Moreover, the U.S. Producer Price Index for finished goods advanced 0.4 percent in December on a seasonally adjusted basis,GM TECH2 the Labor Department reported.The Federal Reserve's Beige Book strengthened the opinion that the U.S. economy is picking up, saying that economic activity continued to expand across most regions and sectors.In corporate news, Apple shares jumped 2.01 percent to 557.36 dollars apiece, as China Mobile, the world's biggest mobile network, will start selling iPhone models Friday. The Chinese telecom giant has reportedly received 1.2 million pre-orders.

Google's latest Chrome release tries to replace the Windows 8 desktop

According to stats published by Google, the newest Android release, codenamed KitKat, is powering over one percent of all Android devices accessing the Google Play store.The data, which is based on smartphones and tablets accessing the Google Play store over a 7-day period ending on January 8, 2014, shows that Android 4.4 is installed on 1.4 percent of devices.Android 4.4 was release on 31 October, 2013, and first made its public appearance on the Nexus 5.This latest version has a long way to go to catch up with the previous release, codenamed Jelly Bean. This release, which includes versions 4.1.x, 4.2.x and 4.3, power 59.1 percent of Android devices and makes it the single most popular version. However,x431 Android version 4.1.x is the single most popular release, installed on 35.9 percent of devices.This means that there's considerable fragmentation among devices running Jelly Bean, with the majority unable to benefit from features introduced in versions 4.2.Seventh Generation Sanitary Pads, Sanitary Napkin, Sanitary Napkin Pads. Featuring a natural absorbent material derived from wheat.Soft cupx, 4.3, and now 4.4 as KitKat is rolled out to handsets.However, Jelly Bean's nearest rival continues to be Android 2.3.x Gingerbread, a version first released back in February 2011, and this version continues to power 21.2 percent of the devices accessing the Google Play store. However, the good news is that this version's dominance is eroding slowly as the months progress, but it is likely to remain significant for at least another year. 

The problem with getting users up to the latest version is not down to a lack of interest. Indeed, the speed and ferocity with which iOS users upgrade to the latest version shows that users clearly are interested in new versions of operating systems. The problem is that Google is the beginning of a long system that updates have to go through.Whenever Google releases a new version of Android,drives his golf cart across the street to the high school and unlocks the key programmer. device OEMs have to then customize the release, add their own tweaks and personalizations. Then, for smartphones and tablets that are hooked to a carrier contract, the carriers have to add their own branding. The problem is made worse by the fact that neither the OEMs of the carriers feel there's much of a benefit in pushing free software updates to customers, and would rather focus on selling owners a new device. Beginning in April 2013, Google started delivering data collected from each device when the user visited the Google Play Store. Previously, the data was collected when the device simply checked in to Google servers. Google believes that the new data "more accurately reflects those users who are most engaged in the Android and Google Play ecosystem."

GM wins awards, Ford turns heads at Detroit auto show

General Motors' Chevrolet unit swept car and truck of the year honors but Ford's use of aluminum in its F150 sparked new debate on the first day of the Detroit auto show Monday.But as cars from Mercedes Benz's new C-Class and Honda's little third-generation Fit showed, consumers are getting more amenities, from connectivity to power to comfort, in the lower ranges of the automakers' fleets."There's a tremendous amount of innovation taking place in the industry right now," said Robert Carter, senior vice president for automotive operations at Toyota.Automakers, after a hugely successful 2013, forecast more growth and unveiled powerful new trucks, sexy sports cars and luxury models.General Motors logged an early win after its Chevrolet brand swept the car and truck of the year awards with the Corvette Stingray sports car and the Chevy Silverado pickup truck."Chevrolet is in the midst of the most aggressive product transformation in the brand's more than 100-year history," Chevy chief Alan Batey said, hailing its wins.Eyes were on Ford, however, as it gambled with a major change for the best-selling F150 pickup,Lanyard Strap replacing steel body panels with aluminum to drastically lower body weight and boost fuel economy. 

The move, which helped Ford slash the truck's weight by up to 700 pounds (317 kilos) is seen as a big risk, because truck buyers tend to focus on sturdiness and power.Toyota, meanwhile, revved up its design credentials with a provocative new concept for a sports car, with a race car pit crew opening a shiny red box to reveal the FT-1 sports concept -- Future Toyota 1.Chrysler unveiled its hotly anticipated revamp of the 200 sedan, which aims to bring a new level of luxury and styling to its midsized offering with a low entry price of $21,700."We designed a car to take on every other vehicle in its class, feature by feature and prove that a quality sedan doesn't have to cross an ocean to be worthy of an American driveway,Shop our enormous selection of knife sets - islands, range hoods, pot racks, cabinet and pantry organizers and more." Chrysler brand chief Al Gardner told reporters.Mercedes got a jump on its competitors by hiring Kelly Rowland of Destiny's Child to serenade its sleek and luxurious new C-Class sedan, an upgrade from the entry-level position it has held for several years.Now that role has been taken by the CLA, and the C-Class has been decked out with features from higher-end Mercedes.Also enjoying the move down from senior models is the diminutive Honda Fit.light project Honda has reshaped the front, enlarged the inside with generous leg space for a subcompact, boosted horsepower to 130 and worked to smooth the ride, adding a right-side Lane Watch, Bluetooth, rearview cameras, and upgraded smart phone connectivity.Corvette also generated excitement with its new racing versions of the Corvette Stingray, the street-legal Z06 and the track-ready CR.7.Mark Reuss, a senior executive at General Motors, Chevrolet's parent, said there was little to separate the two, which he called "America's Supercar"."Racing motorsports and winning is a part of who we are," said Reuss.Kia and Toyota brought in concept pocket-rockets, BMW served up a hat-trick of new models -- the 2 series, and an M3 and M4.