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.

Why You Should Buy A Windows Phone 8 Device in 2014

Microsoft’s Windows Phone 8 didn’t see a lot of momentum last year. Though sales definitely rose when compared to last year, the platform and the devices that it powers didn’t have many high profile moments that smartphone buyers could latch onto as a sign that it was improving. As such, many users are wondering whether 2014 is the right time to buy a Windows Phone.Understandably,key programmer potential Windows Phone buyers in 2014 are worried about Windows Phone 8, the often rumored update that it is believed will deliver some much-needed polish to the operating system as a whole.Thankfully, Microsoft has already confirmed that Windows Phone 8 users are entitled to software upgrades for two-years. That means that the new notification center and separate toggles for ringer and music volume will come to all Windows Phone 8 devices at some point in the future.Microsoft’s release of the Windows Phone 8 GDR3 update last year didn’t necessarily get users riled up. That makes sense because users who received the update only picked up the option to specify new notification sounds on their devices. Behind the scenes there was a bit more going on.With Windows Phone 8 GDR3 smartphone makers are finally free to create devices running Microsoft’s operating that compete head to head with the hardware included in high-end Android smartphones. In fact, the same Snapdragon 800 processor that powers the LG G2 is used in Nokia’s Lumia 1520 phablet. This is the first time that’s ever happened and definitely makes buying Windows Phone hardware in 2014 much less of a gamble.Of course, Windows Phone has always been optimized for the hardware it ships on. As such, users won’t notice a dip in performance regardless of what processor they have. However, I’d imagine that knowing you have the power to play the latest games even a year or two from now is a good thing. 

Windows Phones haven’t changed much in the year since Microsoft first announced Windows Phone 8.Menstrual Cup On the other hand, the services and products that surround Windows Phone have all grown and matured in a number of ways. There’s SkyDrive, which is now available anywhere and integrates seamlessly with apps running on user’s Windows 8.1-equipped laptop, desktop or 2-in-1. Every Windows Phone comes with a free version of Microsoft Office. These too are backed up by and expanding and ever-changing array of apps for desktops, tablets and the web. Windows Phone users can even access these documents for free online through Office Web Apps.Not all users are comfortable with two-year service agreements. After all, taking the risk on a new mobile platform and signing a two-year service agreement could be dangerous. What if they turn out to not like the platform? What if there aren’t enough apps to tide them over in the Windows Phone Store.Luckily, buying a Windows Phone device without a two-year service agreement has never been cheaper. The low-end Lumia 520 and Lumia 521 now hover at about $60 to $40 at most retail stores. Pricing for the now-midrange Windows Phone 8X b HTC is even lower. Buyers can pick up that device on Amazon for as little as $199 without a two-year service agreement.united-promo As we move forward into 2014 prices for once high-end Windows Phone devices without a two-year service agreement are only going to get lower.

Finland targets giant status in global cleantech arena

"We see ourselves as the Henry Ford of wave energy," said Tomasz Mucha, who is responsible for project financing and business development at AW-Energy, a small renewable energy company based in Vantaa, just north of the Finnish capital Helsinki."When Ford built the first car he knew what it should do and he had an idea of how it should be done. Eventually, he was able to take the technology to line production," said Mucha.Mucha and his colleagues are working hard to ensure that in the next five to 10 years, powering household devices with abundant clean energy harvested from the ocean will be more science fact than science fiction.Currently two companies in Finland's cleantech sector focus on wave energy: AW-Energy and Wello, headquartered in Espoo, a satellite town near Helsinki.Both companies have patented solutions that convert the kinetic power of ocean waves to electricity.Wello's Penguin is a specialized vessel that bobs on ocean surfaces while anchored to the seabed, allowing it to convert the rocking and rolling motion to energy.AW-Energy's WaveRoller is deployed on the ocean floor and features a moveable, fin-like panel that converts the constant undersea wave surge to electricity.AW-Energy is hoping that its first commercial project will take the company one step closer to the Fordian production line ideal. Plotted for Bretagne in France, the initiative has impressive Herb basilheavyweight partners behind it: Finnish energy giant Fortum, French naval shipbuilder DCNS and the support of the local Bretagne region."We need projects and their operational data before the industry can kick off and get results that will convince conservative organizations like financial institutions, energy companies and insurance companies," Mucha emphasized. 

Kaisa Hernberg, executive director of the government-backed export promotion network Cleantech Finland, said that renewable energy companies represent just one aspect of Finland's dynamic clean technology sector.Altogether the sector includes 2,000 companies and organizations and cuts across a diverse range of industries: energy and materials efficiency; technology for built up environments; bioenergy and biofuels; and water management, including water treatment or purification.Finnish cleantech is quietly yet solidly increasing its contribution to the Finnish economy and conquering major markets abroad."In 2012 the turnover of the cleantech sector surpassed that of the forestry industry, so it's major business in Finland, and turnover in the sector increased by 15 percent in 2012," Hernberg elaborated."It's the competitive factor that spawns the growth," she added.According to AW-Energy's Mucha that competitive factor includes an operational model that has become a key feature of many companies operating in the techno-industrial sector.Fruit knife"Finland has well-established know-how in the heavy machinery and equipment industry, and has been traditionally involved in heavy industry. In addition there is a business model where R&D and core components are produced in Finland and exported to projects on-site," Mucha outlined.The competitive edge has also seen Finland's cleantech sector grow to employ 50,000 people with another 40,000 jobs to be added by 2020, according to estimates by the Ministry of Employment and the Economy. 

Moreover, it has helped the Nordic nation spread its cleantech wings far and wide."China is the number one market for Finnish cleantech. They have ambitious emission reductions targets so they are very interested in cleantech solutions," Hernberg noted.She added that Russia, Brazil, India,Antique faucets Germany and Sweden are also major markets, and the United States to some extent."What they all have in common is that they are all large growth markets. And many of the emerging economies are struggling with the effects of wide industrialization and urbanization," she said.A 2013 analysis of the global renewables market by a specialist team at the business and financial information provider Bloomberg estimated that by 2030, renewable technologies will account for 50 percent of new power generation capacity globally.Groundbreakers like AW-Energy and Mucha want to play a major role in that transformation, and in so doing could make Finland a global cleantech giant.

Sony announces 1.1 bln USD annual net loss as deal to sell PC business reached, 5,000 jobs to be axed

Sony Corp. announced Thursday it had revised its full year forecast for the year through March to a group net loss of 110 billion yen (1.Vintage faucets1 billion U.S. dollars) from a profit of 30 billion yen, owing to sluggish sales of its televisions and personal computers.Sony, also known for its Xperia smartphones and PlayStation games consoles, also forecast an operating profit of 80 billion yen, from sales totaling 7.7 trillion yen.In the April-December period, the electronics giant returned to profit to the tune of 11.17 billion yen, from a 50.87 billion yen loss logged at the same time in the previous year, the firm said.Banner PenSony also said its sales were up 16.4 percent to 5.9 trillion yen, from the previous year, with its operating profit surging 70. 5 percent from the previous year to 141.45 billion yen.The firm however confirmed Thursday it has reached a deal to sell its flagging Vaio laptop business to investment fund Japan Industrial Partners."Sony has determined that concentrating its mobile product lineup on smartphones and tablets and transferring its PC business to a new company established by Japan Industrial Partners is the optimal solution," Sony said in a statement.The firms are planning to have themodern lamps deal finalized by spring this year and just ahead of a planned consumption tax hike from 5 to 8 percent a month later that could negatively impact demand for consumer electronics here, as purchasing sentiment for non- essential goods wins as consumers here rein in spending. 

"Sony and JIP will now proceed with due diligence and negotiate detailed terms and conditions of the business transfer, targeting the conclusion of a definitive agreement by the end of March 2014," said Sony."Following reevaluation of the product lineup, the new company is expected initially to concentrate on sales of consumer and corporate PCs in the Japanese market and seek to optimize its sales channels and scale of operations, while evaluating possible further geographic expansion," the statement added.As well as making wholesale changes to its TV business, by restructuring the struggling section as a subsidiary and not one of the mainstay businesses of the firm, Sony also announced it will be cutting personnel in a bid to reduce costs.Sony said that as part of the sale of its PC business, some 5, 000 jobs will be axed."For employees of Sony Corporation and Sony EMCS Corporation that are not hired by the new company or transferred within the Sony Group, Sony plans to also offer an early retirement support program to assist their reemployment outside of the Sony Group," Sony said in an official statement Thursday.

UPDATE 1-Golf-Walker joins Spieth in share of Pebble Beach lead

American Jimmy Walker edged one step closer to a third victory on the 2013-14 PGA Tour when he moved into an tie for the lead after the rain-delayed second round of the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am on Friday.FedExCup points leader Walker, who won the season-opening Frys.com Open in October and last month's Sony Open in Hawaii fired a three-under-par 69 at Spyglass Hill, one of three venues being used this week, to sit on nine-under after 36 holes.Walker clearly relishes playing on the picturesque Monterey Peninsula, having recorded top-10 finishes in each of the last three years at the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.polyester resin"I do like playing golf out here, playing Pebble beach is pretty amazing," Walker told reporters. "I seem to play well out here. I don't know what it is but I do like playing out here."The 34-year-old collected three birdies in a bogey-free display in mainly overcast, breezy conditions to finish level with fellow American Jordan Spieth, who returned a six-birdie 67 at Monterey Peninsula.Spieth, the 2013 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year who clinched his maiden title at the John Deere Classic in July, birdied his final hole, the par-three ninth, to join Walker at the top."We are just having a lot of fun," Spieth said of the pro-am atmosphere."We are playing a little slower rounds and we are not catching the best weather but everything is laughs and it just a good time."It feels a little more relaxed and when things are going wrong there are some the people there to pick you up." 

Just one stroke shy of the lead sits fellow American Hunter Mahan after a four-under 68 at Spyglass Hill moved the 31-year-old five-time Tour winner to eight-under.Mahan carded six birdies and two bogeys to move into the mix.First-round leader Andrew Loupe, a PGA Tour rookie making only his seventh start on the U.S. circuit,Banner Pen was another stroke back at seven under after carding a one-over 73 on the hosting Pebble Beach Golf Links.Richard Lee (72) sits alone in fifth place at six-under while 11 players are tied sixth at five-under.Tournament favourite and world number four Phil Mickelson, bidding for a record-equalling fifth victory at the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am,Clawfoot tub accessories was five off the pace in a tie for 17th after signing for a roller-coaster 73.The American left-hander, wearing a glove on each hand to cope with increasingly chilly conditions on the Pebble Beach Golf Links, mixed a double-bogey at the second with four birdies and three bogeys to finish at four under.Loupe's overnight lead of two shots held up when the rain-delayed first round was completed earlier on Friday.The 25-year-old Loupe had set the pace with a sizzling 63 at Monterey Peninsula on Thursday but 40 players were yet to finish when play ended for the day in fading light.Of those, Mickelson was three strokes off the pace with three holes remaining but he was unable to get any closer to Loupe as he finished up with three successive pars on Friday morning to card a 66. (Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angeles; Editing by John O'Brien)