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Second Generation 80 GB Microsoft Zune Review
2007-11-15 14:47:00
The much-anticipated wait for the next-generation Zune is now over with the release of the 80 GB Zune in November, 2007. This new Zune sports some nice upgrades over the first generation Zune including more Wi-Fi capabilities, smaller size, podcast support, and larger LCD screen. Microsoft is getting closer and closer to Apple's reign as king of the portable media devices.Microsoft has redesigned the new Zune to be a bit smaller than the first generation model which was bulky and a little heavy. The new Zune is just a tad larger than the iPod Classic, so it is much better suited for traveling in a pant pocket than before.Microsoft has also increased the screen size in the 2nd generation Zune to 3.2 inches. The LCD screen also has an optical glass protective shield which further improves clarity and protects the screen from scratches.The new navigational pad is called the "Zune pad" by Microsoft, and it is somewhat like the touch-pad on your laptop. The Zune pad can also be used lik...
More About: Review , Generation , Microsoft Zune

U.S. MBA's Mortgage Applications Index Rose 5.5% Last Week
2007-11-14 16:36:00
The Mortgage Bankers Association's index of applications to buy a home or refinance a loan increased 5.5 percent to 707.3, the highest this year. The group's refinancing gauge rose 6.4 percent and its purchase index climbed 4.8 percent. Even with the rise, economists foresee little chance of recovery in the two-year housing slump until at least mid-2008, as stricter lending practices and a glut of unsold homes for sale prompt buyers to wait for further prices declines."We look for the housing market to continue to restrain growth through deeper construction cuts and weaker consumption,'' Michelle Meyer, an economist at Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. in New York, said before the report. Subprime mortgage foreclosures will cut U.S. home values by $223 billion, the Center for Responsible Lending said in a report yesterday. Homeowners living near foreclosed properties will see their property values fall $5,000 on average and about 44.5 million houses will be affected, the Durham, Nor...
More About: Applications , Rose , Week , Index

Quebecor World Announces Refinancing Plan
2007-11-14 16:22:00
MONTREAL - Quebecor World Inc. (TSX:IQW) says it will sell up to $778 million worth of additional shares and debt securities to investors and to its controlling shareholder, Quebecor Inc. (TSX:QBR.B), in a refinancing of its debt and credit facilities.Quebecor World also said its syndicate of lenders will reduce their credit facility commitment to $375 million, but extend the maturities by one year to 2010 and provide the company with greater financial flexibility under its covenants.The announcement Tuesday come as Quebecor World's shares are trading at their lowest prices in at least a decade. Объявление вторник приходят как Кебекор мире доли торговли на их низкие цены по крайней мере на десятилетие. They traded at an intraday low of $4.85 on the Toronto Stock Exchange, down 25 cents from the previous close.The shares, worth $13.17 a year ago, have been trending down since February with maj...
More About: Plan , Refinancing

High cost home insurance for UK homeowners
2007-11-14 11:56:00
According to the organisation some 26 per cent of homeowners do not get more than one quote for their home insurance. This means up to 8.55 million homeowners could be turning their backs the best possible deal. A further 16 per cent only secured one further quote when securing home insurance. Worryingly, only 22 per cent of homeowners got more than three quotes when they renewed their insurance. Home owners cited a number of reasons for their unwillingness to look for the best deal on their home insurance. Up to 45 per cent trusted their existing insurer to provide them with a good value quote. However, eight per cent of homeowners did not have the time to look for more than one quote, while 12 per cent admitted they simply could not be bothered. Only one per cent thought they could not get a cheaper quote.
More About: Insurance , Cost , High , Homeowners

Social Network for Neighbors Fatdoor Raises $5.5M, Hires New CEO
2007-11-14 07:14:00
Social network for neighbors Fatdoor has raised $5.5M in its first round of institutional funding. The company has also brought aboard ex-Yahoo Jennifer Dulski as its CEO.The investment group was led by Norwest Venture Partners with the participation of KeyNote Ventures. Dulski comes to Fatdoor after nine years at Yahoo where she served variously as VP/GM of Local Markets and Commerce, VP/GM of Yahoo Autos, and VP of Business Unit Marketing.Fatdoor aims to connect you with your neighbors by providing a localized social network for your physical community. Although the site will be in private beta until the spring of 2008, a handful of details have been publicly available since at least June. The website will integrate with Microsoft Virtual Earth to display local business and residential listings on an interactive map. Once users claim their listings, they can add profiles and put down their interests. Users can then plan events and form local interest groups with the site.Fatdoor w...
More About: Social , Network , Neighbors , Social Network

Windows 7 feature request list leaks out
2007-11-13 16:20:00
Although the Vista transition is far from complete, that doesn’t mean Microsoft isn’t already hard at work on Windows 7, the next version of the venerable operating system — and this list of user-requested features unearthed by the folks at NeoWin might hold some clues as to the future. The “wish list” was sent out by Microsoft before Windows 7 development even began, so most of these features probably aren’t even on the radar, but what’s most interesting is that seemingly small fixes like “Window Update progress indicator” vastly outnumber big-ticket items like “integrated audio / video codec manager” and “Windows ‘Game’ Mode.” We’d say that speaks to a major lack of imagination, so consider this a years-early How Would You Change?, and sound off in comments — personally, we’re hoping for a transactional file system, but we know you all can totally outdo us.
More About: Feature , List , Request

Microsoft's new Zunes go live
2007-11-13 16:17:00
Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video[IMG ] Nothing new to say about these things that you haven't heard a hundred times already, other than the fact that they've finally graced us with their presence. The Zune 4, Zune 8 and Zune 80 are now available at a wide assortment of online stores, or you can score one from Microsoft directly at the Zune Originals store with custom text and artwork engraving, but it'll mean waiting 5-7 business days for it to ship -- the price remains the same.
More About: Live , Zunes

предел потребляемой мощности
2007-09-12 12:25:00
С целью сохранения окружающей среды на территории Соединенного Королевства предлагается разработать специальные нормы электропотребления для всех домашних устройств, поступающих в продажу. Устройству каждого типа предлагается дать максимальный предел потребляемой мощности. Те модели, которые не впишутся в границу, продавать на территории Великобритании предлагается запретить.

Lending Tree
2007-08-15 07:56:00
Lending Tree was the biggest dog, posting an 89% dive in operating income on a 9% dip in revenue.Given your strong credit, it's best for you to shop around and demand the best deal.If you make your payments regularly and improve your credit score, you should be able to refinance to a better rate.About LendingTree, LLCLendingTree, LLC is the nation's number one online lending exchange, providing a marketplace that connects consumers with multiple lenders that compete for their business.Since inception, LendingTree has facilitated more than 20 million loan requests and $152 billion in closed loan transactions.
More About: Lending