| Chinese products in US: demand vs backlash
Washington, Aug 16 (DPA) Mattel Inc's huge toy recall is just the latest trouble for Chinese products in the US, where cost-conscious consumers have fuelled China's rise as an economic power. Not only were parents asked to return iconic toy figures such as Barbie and Batman, but the recall follows scares this year over tainted Chinese exports of pet food, seafood and toothpaste. As China's share of US imports has risen, Americans have come to realize how much of their everyday lives depend on products and ingredients shipped in from the world's fastest-growing economy. Fears of a backlash that could hurt both economies have spurred US-Chinese talks on product safety and moves by Beijing to strengthen regulations and enforcement. Pressure from the European Union is also rising, and companies that buy in China have bottom-line reasons for concern.
Acacia Technologies Licenses Credit Card Fraud Protection Technology to LEGO
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., BUSINESS WIRE -- Acacia Research Corporation (Nasdaq:ACTG)(Nasdaq:CBMX) announced today that Financial Systems Innovation LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Acacia Technologies group, a leader in technology licensing, has entered into a non-exclusive license covering a patent that applies to credit card fraud protection technology with LEGO Brand Retail, Inc. This resolves a dispute that was pending before the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. The patented technology generally relates to a computerized system for protecting retailers and consumers engaged in credit card, check card, and debit transactions. The system includes an electronic card reader, and the generation and use of a transaction number, which specifically identifies each transaction processed within the system.
Laptop basics 101: WHICH COMPUTER IS RIGHT FOR YOUR STUDENT?
It's back-to-school time, so getting the right laptop computer is on a lot of people's to-do lists. Here, we concentrate on Windows-based PCs in the $800-to-$1,000 range. You can spend less than a grand and get great quality laptops; $700 can get you a decent setup. Just about any laptop will do for getting facts off the Internet and compiling an A-plus class report, but most students - whether they're in grade school or graduate school - want more out of their computers. Don't expect to speed through demanding tasks such as editing video or playing big-name video games for less than $1,000. And here's a dollar-saving tip if you buy computer equipment online: Look for coupons from sites such as dealcatcher.com and 4computercoupons.com. These are Web-only coupons - you can't take them into a store - but they apply at checkout if you buy online from a manufacturer such as Dell or from stores such as circuitcity.com and newegg.com.
Toshiba to recall 5,100 Sony-made laptop batteries
TOKYO (AFP) - Toshiba Corp. said Thursday it would recall 5,100 potentially flammable laptop computer batteries made by Sony Corp., which suffered widepread problems with its lithium-ion batteries last year. Toshiba is recalling batteries for five different models of laptop computers as there were three reports of batteries catching fire between last September and June, although no one was hurt, said Toshiba spokesman Keisuke Omori. Toshiba laptops using the batteries have been sold in Japan, the United States, Europe and the rest of Asia, he said. The batteries are a different type to the more than 800,000 Sony-made batteries already recalled by Toshiba, he said. Sony was hit last year by recalls of about 9.6 million of its batteries by computer makers including Apple Computer, Dell, Lenovo, Toshiba and Fujitsu because of fears they could catch fire.
GREGG ELLMAN: What's new in personal technology
VZ NAVIGATOR POWERED BY NETWORKS IN MOTION WHAT IT DOES: Turns a Verizon Wireless cell phone into a portable navigation unit. Plug in an address, and it provides step-by-step directions on the display along with an audible alert when a turn approaches. Planned trips are displayed with the time and distance remaining. FEATURES: Locations can be stored as favorites along with options to avoid highways or toll roads. Routes can be chosen as fastest or shortest and even by car or bicycle. Searches available by intersection, airport or favorites. When making or receiving phone calls, the phone will suspend the navigation service until the call is completed. HOW IT WORKED: The navigation was extremely accurate on several tests. The LCD screen was difficult to read while driving, but the audible alerts were right on and gave enough notice to make the turns comfortably.
Have you driven a Fjord lately?
Three pinstriped London investors stand outside an electric car factory in the green fields of the Norwegian countryside, waiting their turns to test-drive a stylish two-seater called the Think City. But first, Think CEO Jan-Olaf Willums takes the wheel. While the moneymen fiddle with their BlackBerrys, Willums, looking slightly rumpled like the academic he once was, turns the ignition, and the stub-nosed coupe silently rolls toward an open stretch of pavement. Suddenly he punches the pedal, and the car takes off like a shot, the AC motor instantaneously transferring power to the wheels. The only sound is the squealing of tires as Willums throws the little car into a tight turn and barrels back toward his startled guests. .
2 Photogs Settle Lawsuit Against Actresses
Two photographers tentatively settled a lawsuit they filed against Denise Richards and Pamela Anderson, which alleged the actresses made false statements about them to Canadian police and the media about a confrontation in Vancouver, court papers obtained Monday show. Scott Cosman and Rik Fedyck filed the lawsuit March 23 in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleging defamation, invasion of privacy, battery and false arrest. The lawsuit alleged Anderson and Richards claimed the men had "engaged in criminal activity" and had sneaked onto a movie set where the actresses were filming "Blond and Blonder" last Nov. 9. The lawsuit also alleged Richards pushed both men, took their laptop computers from their hands and threw the devices over a balcony, hitting a woman in a wheelchair below. The settlement is contingent upon receipt of settlement funds and the dismissal of a related court action now pending in Canada, according to court papers filed July 26 with Judge Tricia Ann Bigelow by the plaintiffs' attorney, Jason P.
|
