Archive for April 5th, 2010
That Secret Microsoft Announcement Next Week Is For — Get This — New Mobile Phones (MSFT)
Two days after Apple’s global iPad mind-meld captivated the entire world, three days before the secrets of the next iPhone OS are revealed, Microsoft announced that it was holding an event of its own.
It’s on Monday, in San Francisco. It was so secret that Microsoft wouldn’t tell anyone what it was about.
But now we know:
New “mobile phones.”
They’re going to be aimed at “young people.” They’re going to have “social-networking capabilities.”
We don’t know quite what to say.
Microsoft Corp. plans to introduce a new line of mobile phones Monday with social-networking capabilities aimed at young consumers, part of the technology giant’s effort to turn around its struggling mobile-phone strategy, people familiar with the matter said.
The new devices, based on a Microsoft development project code-named “Pink,” will be available later this month in the U.S. through a partnership with Verizon Wireless, the carrier owned by Verizon Communications Inc. and Vodafone Group PLC., one of these people said.
Microsoft’s new phones are the latest sign the software company is getting more deeply involved in the hardware side of the mobile-phone business in a bid to create products that provide smoother experiences for consumers.
Microsoft designed the software, online services and hardware for the Pink mobile phones, while Sharp Corp. of Japan is manufacturing the devices, people familiar with the project said.
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Six Dead, Dozens Trapped In West Virginia Coal Mine Disaster (MEE)
Six are reported dead and dozens are trapped in a Raleigh County West Virginia coal mine.
Shares of Massey Energy (MEE) — the owner of the Performance Coal Co. mine — are down over 4% after hours.
The last major mining disaster in the country was in 2006, when 13 were trapped and 12 were killed at the Sago Mine, also in West Virginia. The miners were trapped for two days. One survived.
That event prompted new regulations, including the establishment of a new emergency response team in West Virginia.
It also resulted in various settlements paid out by International Coal Group and others. No financial terms have been disclosed.
This particular mine has been targeted by environmentalists angry over the practice of so-called mountaintop removal mining. This is what it looks like, via the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition:
Here’s what’s on the front page of Massey Energy’s homepage right now:
Here’s where Raleigh County, West Virginia is in the state:
More to come…
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“Foreclosure Wave About To Hit With Thunderous Roar”
From Diana Olick at CNBC: Let the Short Sales Begin
I’m … starting to hear rumblings among the number crunchers that the wave of foreclosures we keep hearing about is about to hit with a thunderous roar.
Servicers are ramping up the mod process and pushing those who don’t qualify out the door more quickly than ever.
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WHOA! eBay’s Meg Whitman Is Leading In The California Polls
From Bloomberg:
Meg Whitman, the former chief executive officer of EBay Inc. who is running as a Republican candidate for governor of California, is leading in the race against Democratic challenger Jerry Brown, a poll found.
Whitman, 53, would win the support of 44 percent of voters if the election were held today, a three percentage-point lead over Brown, 71, according to a poll conducted for the Los Angeles Times published today.
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Ben Stein’s Employer Breaks The Law
April 2 was meant to be a great day in the history of sleazy free-credit-report websites like Ben Stein’s employer Freescore.
A new FTC rule came into effect (read all 22 pages of it here), forcing all such websites to have a huge notice across the top of every web page, saying that AnnualCreditReport.com is the ONLY authorized source for credit reports under federal law, and providing a prominent link to this page.
Yet here we are on April 5, and Freescore.com has no such disclaimer…
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