| Video iPod jumpstarts PMP market
Even though Apple's video-capable iPod technically does not fit the definition of a true Portable Media Player (PMP), it has given the product class a boost, reports high-tech market research firm In-Stat. According to the research company, the worldwide market for true, video-centric PMPs will grow to 5 million units by the end of 2006, up from a mere 390,000 just two years ago. "Despite the fact that PMP shipments are finally gaining traction, suppliers and manufacturers continue to face challenges," commented Stephanie Ethier, In-Stat analyst. "PMPs will continue to compete with other portable devices offering similar functionality, such as notebook computers, portable DVD players, handheld gaming products, and other mobile devices." Over the next year, In-Stat expects that improvements in video compression technology, download video content sites, and wireless communications will help drive the PMP market.
Online shoppers still getting security sweats
Businesses are still not doing enough to soothe consumer fears about buying online, says the Office of Fair Trading (OFT). In its latest market report into internet shopping, the OFT said shoppers still have significant worries about privacy and security which is limiting the growth of the sector - despite its obvious successes. Although internet sales have been increasing for years, online sales comprised just three per cent of all retail sales, and only six per cent of businesses were selling online to consumers, according to the latest OFT data from 2005. And while there are many reasons why people choose not to shop online, it identified security worries as a significant factor holding back the sector. The OFT said 79 per cent of web users it surveyed were "very concerned" about the security of their payment details when shopping online.
LinkShare Selected by MSN Shopping as Provider of Coupons and Special ...
NEW YORK, Nov. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- LinkShare, a leading pay-per-action marketing network, has announced that it has been selected by MSN Shopping to provide coupons and special shopping offers. As one of the world's most popular Internet destinations, MSN Shopping is one of the biggest online marketplaces on the Web today. Through its Showcase Offer Access, a new service, LinkShare will distribute advertisers' offers to the MSN shopping site, as well as MSN's syndication partners. "MSN Shopping is one of the most highly trafficked sites on the Internet, so it's crucial for advertisers to show up prominently when shoppers are looking for a product," said Steve Denton, president at LinkShare. "LinkShare is providing our advertisers that heightened exposure and distribution on MSN Shopping virtually risk-free since they only pay when shoppers take action with their coupons or special shopping offers." LinkShare's new partnership with MSN will give its advertisers access to MSN's growing audience of online shoppers.
Chancellor launches supercomputer
Hector (High-End Computing Terascale Resources) is one of the largest and most advanced computers in Europe. It is capable of 63 million calculations a second - the equivalent of around 12,000 desktop systems. Four times faster than its predecessor, the £113 million service is expected to play a key role in keeping scientists at the forefront of their fields of research. At the launch, Mr Darling said that the computer was a "major milestone" for British science. Speaking at the University of Edinburgh's Advanced Computing Facility, he added: "As a country our future will depend upon our ability to encourage the brightest and the best into this area because it will pay dividends for us all." "We've got a world-wide reputation for excellence in scientific research and having a computer that is this powerful will mean that research which could have taken years will be brought forward much more quickly." Professor Arthur Trew, professor at Edinburgh University and director of Edinburgh Parallel Computing Centre (EPCC), said that the lifespan of such a machine was quite short.
Q&A with Dalton mayoral candidates
They've been trying to merge the building inspector's office now, I think, for seven years. That's a pretty simple office to merge. That shows me they are not working together at all. Sellers: We need to have what I refer to as a community summit on leadership. We need to get the leadership of the various entities — and I'm talking about mayor, city administrator, county administrator, Whitfield County board chairman, both superintendents, both school board chairmen, the head of the college, the head of the chamber, head of the utility, head of the hospital, head of the NAACP, head of ACLA (the Latin American Community Alliance), whoever else — and sit down and say we all have obstacles to overcome, we've all got challenges. Let's talk about what we can do to help each other out.
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